Although Xu Yi did not know why Yan Zi wanted to leave, he had always respected the choices of the women he loved and never treated them as his possessions.
Yan Zi linked up with the Ruyi Pearl. Xu Yi handed her a Sumeru Ring, and she probed it with her thoughts, then tried to return it. Xu Yi frowned. "Be good."
Yan Zi had no choice but to accept it. She turned her hand over and offered him a Sumeru Ring of her own. Xu Yi smiled. "All right, all right. It's a gift from my Yan Zi, of course I'll accept it."
He took the ring and probed inside. His eyes reddened despite himself. Within the Sumeru Ring lay hundreds of neatly folded blue Daoist robes.
Only then did Xu Yi realize that for the past dozen days, Yan Zi had been retiring to her room early every day to sew new clothes for him.
"Take care, Young Master."
Yan Zi gave him a graceful bow, then vanished.
As soon as Yan Zi had left, Huang Mei came swaggering over, one hand to his forehead. "At last, I'm rid of her. That pest has finally gone. My heavens, I'll think twice before coming back to Empty Island next time."
Xu Yi asked in surprise, "Where did Qiu Wa go?"
Huang Mei glared at him. "What, you don't know? Huh? They left without even saying goodbye to you? Tsk, tsk. Just look at how you've made out. How bad can your relationships get?"
Xu Yi fell silent. So much for enjoying the blessings of having several beautiful women; being Prince Duan wasn't easy.
He couldn't make heads or tails of this tangled mess, and he had no intention of chasing after them. What could he say if he did?