I Only Have You

Yang Fan watched Xue Qinghe depart, wondering what the Spirit Hall Saintess thought when she witnessed the lives of commoners.

Did she perceive the suffering of the masses, and did she harbor her own thoughts on the privileges enjoyed by nobles and Spirit Masters?

He felt she must have, otherwise, a nine-year-old would not have used such methods to help her mother usurp the Heaven Dou throne to achieve unification, nor would she have played the role of the benevolent Xue Qinghe so convincingly.

If not for Tang San, she might have played that part for a lifetime, allowing Heaven Dou to integrate into the Spirit Empire in a relatively peaceful manner.

As Xue Qinghe's figure vanished, Yang Fan stood silently for a long time, looking at the Treasure Pavilion that seemed so out of place in the southern district.

"Ye Rou, add more rice to the relief porridge we distribute every week. It isn't easy for those scraping by in Heaven Dou City. Also, please invite a physician for free clinics every month; Yang's Treasure Pavilion will cover all expenses."

Passing the front desk, Yang Fan whispered his instructions.

Since he had entered the Crown Prince's service, he might as well do what he could.

Whether it was to help the Crown Prince win more hearts or to bring a glimmer of hope to this impoverished area, it was worth it.

"Is this worth it? They are just commoners, some without even a shred of spirit power."

Yang Fan did not answer A Yin, merely standing before the second-floor window to gaze into the distance.

As the sun set, Yang's Treasure Pavilion prepared to close its doors.

"Pavilion Master, the matter you asked His Highness the Crown Prince to investigate has yielded results."

The guard A Wu stepped forward, handing Yang Fan a thick envelope along with the melted ten-thousand-year Whale Glue.

His spirit was fire, with an innate spirit power of rank seven. On the surface, he was a staffer for Xue Qinghe, but in reality, he was one of the guards sent by Spirit Hall to assist Qian Renxue, currently tasked with protecting Yang Fan.

"Thank you. Protect Ye Rou well on the way back."

Yang Fan thanked him politely, habitually reminding him to see Ye Rou home.

Both of them had deep ties to Qian Renxue, so they naturally lived in the city center. Although Ye Rou was disabled, her appearance was striking, and that pitiful, delicate temperament of hers was prone to attracting unwanted attention.

"Understood."

Watching A Wu push Ye Rou away, he locked the door at a leisurely pace before returning to the second floor.

He shifted the third book on the third shelf, and with a faint rumble, the bookshelf slid to the left, revealing a fairly bright secret room.

After moving A Yin into the room, he triggered the mechanism from within to reset the shelf.

This was his bedroom and cultivation chamber. Some rare metals were kept here, though his true treasures were carried on his person.

"Is it news about San'er?"

A Yin asked with a hint of urgency.

Yang Fan knew that his words alone had never fully convinced A Yin.

Having been betrayed by Tang Hao once, she had matured significantly, yet she remained reluctant to believe that her own flesh and blood had been possessed by an outsider.

Yang Fan took a silver letter opener from his bracelet, neatly sliced open the envelope, and read softly.

"To His Highness, Crown Prince Qinghe:

Under your secret orders, I have infiltrated Nuoding City and observed the target, Tang San, for several days. I have recorded the various anomalies of this child below for your consideration.

Firstly, although he is not yet eight, his mental fortitude and depth far exceed that of his peers. Within Nuoding Academy, he is smooth and sophisticated in his dealings, his speech and conduct revealing a composure and restraint inconsistent with his age. He goes to great lengths to win over the working students, while using a mix of grace and authority with the noble students, establishing high prestige among the freshmen in a very short time.

Secondly, the combat methods he displays are inconceivable. According to my own observations, he has mastered several 'self-created spirit skills' that do not rely on his spirit at all. His eyesight is astonishing, capable of discerning the finest details from a great distance, suspected to be some form of ocular technique; his hands are harder than metal, capable of crushing blades with his bare grip without sustaining a scratch. He has also created a lethal art called 'Hidden Weapon'; these items require no spirit power to activate, relying solely on mechanisms and technique to unleash terrifying lethality.

Based on these signs, I dare to speculate that Tang San has likely been possessed by an evil Spirit Master. His mature intellect, his mysterious cultivation techniques, and his systematic mastery of Hidden Weapons are not things a normal child could possess.

Relevant evidence is attached to this letter.

Respectfully, Deacon of the Spirit Hall Nuoding City Branch."

Inside the envelope, besides the letter, were Hidden Weapons used by Tang San that Spirit Hall had collected, strands of his hair, and several illustrations, likely drawn by a spirit master specializing in art, serving as evidence.

"Impossible... my little San, how could he..."

The despair in A Yin's heart was transmitted clearly to Yang Fan through the Heart of Eros.

He felt the letter was like a sharp blade, slicing away at A Yin's already shattered soul.

In her flowerpot, the Blue Silver Emperor looked like discarded, withered bones, stiffly rooted in the soil.

Unable to weep, she could only exert all her strength, causing the edges of her leaves to spasm in violent, agonizing tremors.

It was a sorrow that reached into her marrow. Not only had she been deceived by her husband in her past life, but she had also lost her human form and hundred-thousand-year cultivation due to the sacrifice.

Now, even the child she had given her life to protect was proven to have been possessed years ago.

A Yin had thought she had seen the truth when Yang Fan first told her, but as the reality truly arrived before her, she collapsed.

She knew Xue Qinghe would not help Yang Fan forge evidence, and the Hidden Weapons in the envelope were not things ordinary people could replicate.

Most importantly, there was that black strand of hair.

With the power of the Heart of Eros, she could clearly perceive the difference in that otherworldly soul. Having frequently interacted with Yang Fan, who was also an otherworldly soul, she was the person in this world who understood that difference best.

Quietly crouching down, Yang Fan gazed with gentle eyes at the shivering Blue Silver Grass, which seemed as if it might wither at any moment.

Yang Fan slowly extended his warm palm, channeling no spirit power, and used his fingertips to stroke the twitching leaves with extreme tenderness.

The coldness and fragility transmitted through his fingertips caused a flicker of deep heartache to flash across his eyes.

"A Yin, stop torturing yourself." Yang Fan's voice was low and mellow, seeping bit by bit through the leaf veins into the depths of her soul, which was on the verge of collapse.

"I know you are in pain, but whether it is Tang Hao or Tang San, they are ultimately just obsessions from your past life. You have already done your utmost to protect them; you owe them nothing."

Yang Fan leaned in slightly, gently resting his forehead against the main stem of the Blue Silver Grass, transmitting the sound of his steady and firm heartbeat to her.

"Listen to me. From now on, let go of that heavy name and the shackles of the past. You are no one's mother, nor are you anyone's wife. You are Blue Silver, the one and only, newly reborn Blue Silver Emperor of this continent."

Yang Fan's tone carried a water-like tenderness: "You are no longer a solitary blade of grass. I will stay with you until you transform once more into the unique Blue Silver. You are my Blue Silver, not some A Yin."

As his words fell, a warm and majestic aura of life erupted from the Heart of Eros within his sea of consciousness.

The Blue Silver Grass seemed to have finally found a harbor to rest in; its leaves ceased their painful spasms, and a faint yet pure tender green quietly bloomed, accompanied by this surge of vitality.

"Fan, I only have you now."

With the help of the Heart of Eros, A Yin—no, Blue Silver—seemed to have gained a physical form, as if she were about to transform prematurely.

After summoning his martial soul to observe, Yang Fan discovered that this was somewhat similar to the spirit souls of later generations; it was a special form of soul energy. While spirit souls attached themselves to soul masters, Blue Silver was attaching herself to his Heart of Eros.