The stone chamber lay deep and secluded, with only the soft echoes of Qing Chen's steady breathing.
Xue Qingxia stood quietly to one side, her eyes lowered in submission.
Deep within her sea of consciousness, a shadowy demon seal pulsed faintly like a heart.
This was the Dao Heart Seed Demon Seal left by Pan Yuelian, which Qing Chen had silently planted in the core of her divine soul during their thoroughly satisfying bout of Essence Plundering over a month ago.
It was this demon seal that kept her from harboring the slightest thought of defying the man before her, and it was also what had allowed her to keep her life.
Qing Chen slowly opened his eyes, their keen light held in greater reserve than before.
His gaze swept over Xue Qingxia, and he said evenly, "Thank you for your efforts this past month."
Xue Qingxia dipped into a slight curtsy, a trace of soft sweetness in her voice that stood in stark contrast to her former cool demeanor. "You are too kind, young master."
She stepped forward and asked softly, "Young master, what should we do next? This servant... my cultivation is damaged, and the spirit artifact I nurtured for years has been destroyed. My divine soul is unstable. I fear I will need to cultivate in seclusion for more than half a year just to recover some of my vitality."
As she spoke, she already regarded herself as part of Qing Chen as a matter of course.
Qing Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze resting on her somewhat pale face as thoughts raced through his mind.
Murderous danger lurked at every step in the Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion. In Xue Qingxia's current state, helping him was out of the question; it would be