Love-Sickness Heart-Broken Red

The young man suddenly awakened, deeply regretting his neglect of the flowers, and began to tend to them with great care. Although his heart was filled with longing for his many beloved wives, he found it impossible to make such a cruel choice, for each of his wives was like a wing to him.

Thus, he cherished these many flowers even more, weeping before them day and night. With his tears dried and his heart shattered, he died of a broken heart from lovesickness. As he lay dying, his blood spilled onto a white peony, staining its petals red and transforming it into a Love-Sickness Heart-Broken Red.

"Only one who earns its recognition can pluck it. Once taken, as long as it remains by its master's side, it will never wither."

Shang An himself seemed moved by the love between the young man and his many wives in the story, a look of sorrow appearing on his face.

As the story concluded, the sentimental Xiao Wu immediately shed tears: "What a heartless god, why did he have to separate them?"

Dugu Yan's eyes also turned slightly red.

"And that old man, why did he force the young man to make such a choice! It's too cruel."

Ni Huang managed to restrain her emotions well, though ripples stirred in her heart. She thought of herself and Shang An, wondering if she, too, might be one of his flower fairies.

Only Dugu Bo felt that something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Do you want to try?"

Shang An said to the group.

"I'll go first."

Xiao Wu, who was most deeply touched by the story, stepped forward immediately. She approached the blood-stained peony, this elegant and noble king of flowers, and reached out her hand with anticipation.

Circulating her spirit power and stimulating her blood, Xiao Wu parted her lips slightly and sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood onto the petals.

As she spat the blood, the image of Shang An appeared in her mind. The Love-Sickness Heart-Broken Red began to tremble, as if about to detach, but suddenly, the image of someone who had promised to be her brother and protect her flashed through her mind. Although it vanished quickly, it had appeared for a fleeting moment.

Seeing it was just a hair's breadth away from falling, it was a pity that it ultimately fell short; the swaying Love-Sickness Heart-Broken Red soon returned to stability.

A bitter smile appeared on Xiao Wu's face: "Brother Shang An, I'm sorry, I still haven't been able to let go completely."

She felt truly pathetic, still harboring a shred of attachment to the scum who had constantly deceived her and sought to take her Spirit Ring and spirit bone.

"It's alright."

Shang An gently stroked Xiao Wu's soft hair and pulled her into his embrace, displaying his 'magnanimity.'

While moved, Xiao Wu also felt a sense of unease. Would Shang An despise her for this? She had already become his pet, yet the shadow of Tang San still lingered in her heart.

The more anxious she felt, the tighter she clung to Shang An, whispering pleadingly in his ear: "Brother Shang An, Master, I will definitely forget him completely. I will surely kill Tang San with my own hands and give my heart entirely to you. Believe me, okay?"

"I believe you."

Shang An said nothing more, but those four words flowed into Xiao Wu's body like a warm current, rising from below and filling her heart, making her feel warm once again.

"I'll try too." Dugu Yan stepped forward, curiously reaching out to grasp the flower stem. She also circulated her spirit power and sprayed a mouthful of blood, her eyes darting toward Shang An on the side. His image filled her mind—his appearance, his knowledge, his dominance.

However, these memories were ultimately too thin; the two had not known each other for long. The flower only trembled slightly before remaining unchanged, leaving Dugu Yan feeling somewhat disappointed.

Shang An had long anticipated this result. Neither of their favorability ratings exceeded seventy; even Xiao Wu was still a bit short of reaching the level of undying devotion. After all, the time they had spent in contact was too short. Once they had a more intimate and thorough understanding of each other, he believed it would rise quickly.

He turned his gaze toward Ni Huang.

"I won't try." Ni Huang shook her head. She was actually somewhat insecure, not because of her appearance or strength, but because of her age. After all, there was a significant age gap between her and Shang An; would he despise her? What if...

Things were fine as they were now. Being able to stay by his side, watching him quietly, helping him, and serving as a sharp blade and a sturdy shield in his hands was enough.

Shang An did not force her and turned his gaze to Dugu Bo, who waved his hands hurriedly.

"I'll pass. I know my own limits; I'm not the type to dwell on matters of love."

His former wife had only been a family arrangement, and she had been dead for many years. There might have been affection, but not much.

Seeing that the others were either unwilling to try or unable to pluck it, Shang An had no choice but to remove the flower along with the Black Absolute Stone and place them into a specially made jade container. He already had a candidate in mind.

As for Xiao Wu, with the technique for concealing her aura that he had taught her, this immortal herb was no longer strictly necessary.

After collecting the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Blazing Apricot Delicate Herb from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Shang An's main task for this trip was complete. With the Taiyi Immortal Origin Body, he did not need to jump into the spring to temper his body with ice and fire like Tang San.

As for the two dragon king corpses beneath the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they were not something he could covet at his current level.

Next, it was time to investigate the cause of his martial spirit's agitation. However, Shang An decided to be cautious and said to the group:

"You all should leave first. I still have some matters to handle at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and I might accidentally harm you."

Though puzzled, the group followed his instructions and began to head outside.

After they left, Shang An no longer suppressed the agitation of his martial spirit. The Taiyi Bead emerged from his right hand, and a powerful sense of longing emanated from it. Shang An released his restraint, and suddenly, a powerful suction force radiated outward. Shang An's expression changed drastically.

"Damn it... to hell with it!"

Outside the poisonous miasma, the group was waiting when suddenly, the expressions of Dugu Bo and Ni Huang changed drastically.

"Not good, run!"

Ni Huang was the first to react, grabbing Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan and flying toward the outer edge of the Sunset Forest. Dugu Bo followed closely behind. They had only just taken flight when a violent tremor erupted from behind them.

Dust and smoke billowed from the location of the former Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, blotting out the sky. To the nearby spirit beasts, it felt like the end of the world, and the entire Sunset Forest was affected, shaking slightly.

The many spirit beasts near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well fled in panic. Two Pig Beasts that had been in the middle of mating were caught in the aftershocks and were too slow to escape; terrified, they felt as if their hearts were about to jump out of their chests.

The male Pig Beast on top of the female seemed to have something snap, and it began to howl in agony, arching its back before being buried in the collapsing cave. From that point on, the reason for the male Pig Beast's agony remained buried in the soil, becoming an eternal mystery in the world of spirit beasts.

Ni Huang and the others dared not linger, flying tens of thousands of meters away before stopping. Looking back, the area behind them was a scene of devastation; many towering ancient trees had their roots snapped, and the earth had been churned up.

"What on earth did His Holiness the Holy Son do in there?"

Dugu Bo looked at the area filled with rising dust and smoke in astonishment; the commotion was truly too great, as even a full-strength strike from him could not achieve such an effect.

It was a pity that Ni Huang and the others could not provide him with an answer, because even Shang An did not know what would happen, only feeling that it was a good thing for him.

After a long while, the tremors ceased and the dust dissipated, revealing a bottomless pit in the original spot. Sunlight could not even penetrate the pitch-black depths; standing above and looking down felt like gazing into a bottomless abyss, captivating the mind and causing one's heart to tremble.

Perhaps before long, the Sunset Forest would gain another bottomless lake.

Seeing the commotion subside, Ni Huang and the others hurried back, only to be met with such a scene.

"Brother Shang An!" "Xiao An."

"His Holiness the Holy Son."

The voices of the group rang out, but unfortunately, no one responded, and their hearts grew increasingly uneasy.

"Could something have happened to His Holiness the Holy Son?"

Dugu Bo said worriedly, his old face etched with concern. If Shang An were to meet with an accident in his former herb garden, let alone the second volume of the Poison Scripture, he feared his own old life would be forfeit as well.

"Don't talk nonsense, I can feel that Xiao An is still alive," Ni Huang rebuked Dugu Bo with some dissatisfaction. Given her favorability toward Shang An and the connection through the Seed of Heart, she could be said to share a telepathic bond with him, and thus could vaguely sense his condition.

Although she did not know what had happened here, she was certain that Shang An was still alive and well. However, for some reason, in Ni Huang's perception, Shang An's distance seemed to fluctuate, sometimes appearing as if he were at the edge of the horizon, and other times as if he were right before her eyes, filled with a sense of contradiction.

The two juniors, Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan, were even more anxious in their hearts. Dugu Yan did not want a man as outstanding and heart-stirring as him to disappear so quickly after she had just taken a liking to him.

Xiao Wu was silently praying for Shang An in her heart; if Shang An were to notice, he would find that her favorability toward him had already exceeded seventy, reaching the level of undying devotion.

At this moment, however, Shang An was in a miraculous place.

"I didn't expect this!"