"Do you want me to take you away from here? This place doesn't seem suitable for your survival." Cheng Xiao spoke calmly.
A place devoid of sunlight like this—if not for the tenacity of the Blue Silver Emperor's vitality—it would have withered away long ago.
Upon hearing his words, Ah Yin gently nodded with the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor.
"Leaving is possible, but I will only give you two choices." Seeing that his goal was within reach, Cheng Xiao raised two fingers and said.
"The first choice: I kill you right now and take you out."
Ah Yin was momentarily stunned, unable to react.
Seeing no response, Cheng Xiao continued, "The second choice: you choose to let me kill you, and then I take you out."
"...?" Ah Yin was completely baffled. Was there even a difference between the two? No matter how she looked at it, she had no real choice here.
Cheng Xiao's voice remained cold. "I know your true form, and I know why you ended up like this. When you touched me earlier, you must have felt the power inside me. I have many ways to bring you back to life, but I will not waste my efforts for nothing."
"Now, make your choice."
Ah Yin fell into silence. She hadn't expected the young man before her to say something so ruthless. She had been too naive, believing that most humans were kind. But now, it seemed that death was inevitable.
She had struggled to survive for so long, yet in the end, she could not escape her fate.
"Cheng Xiao, can I speak with her for a moment?" Ye Lingling, who had been watching from the side, found Cheng Xiao's choice somewhat cruel. But she also understood that his purpose for coming here was precisely for this.
She would not stop him, but she still hoped that this Blue Silver Emperor would not resent Cheng Xiao. After all, even though she would die today, she would have a chance at rebirth—better than being trapped in this sunless cave, waiting for the slow decay of time.
Hearing this, Cheng Xiao nodded slightly before standing up. He glanced at the Blue Silver Emperor once more, then strode out of the stone chamber.
He did not wish to be so ruthless. Ah Yin had never committed any evil; rather, she was a victim. But since he had come here, it meant he had already made his decision.
He would not let pity stop him from killing Ah Yin. Especially since she was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast—turning her into a Shadow Soldier would undoubtedly be a tremendous boost in strength.
After Cheng Xiao left, Ye Lingling crouched down and gently stroked the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor, speaking softly, "Do you think he is especially cruel?"
Ah Yin nodded slightly with her leaves.
"Actually, he has his own burdens." Ye Lingling sighed. "His power contains the essence of death. Even if he doesn't kill you now, when your life force is completely exhausted, you will still die."
As she spoke, she glanced around at their surroundings, then furrowed her brows and muttered, "Cheng Xiao told me that someone did this to you. I don't know who it was, but they must still be alive, right?"
"That person harmed you and yet chose to plant you here. Here, where you can't even absorb the most basic sunlight. For a plant-type soul beast like you, this must be torture, isn't it?"
"And from my observation, this place seems to have been deliberately constructed. If I'm not wrong, the one who harmed you must have been the same person who planted you here."
As soon as Ye Lingling's words fell, Ah Yin's emotions shifted drastically, and her leaves trembled violently.
Seeing her reaction, Ye Lingling hesitated for a moment before deciding to continue. "Listen, if you trust me, choose the second option. At least that way, you won't suffer as much."
"Think about it, if that man truly loved you, would you have ended up like this?"
Her final words struck Ah Yin like a bolt of lightning, shattering all her illusions.
Yes. If Hao still loved her, how could he have left her here? Before she had sacrificed herself, she had taught him so much about caring for plants, yet he had still chosen to plant her in this dark and sunless cave.
Even if he had simply planted her in a soul beast forest—somewhere with Blue Silver Kings present—she wouldn't have ended up like this.
She had once excused him, telling herself that he was just a man who didn't understand plants. But after so many years, how many times had he actually come to visit her? She could count them on one hand. Was he afraid to face her?
But if he truly loved her, wouldn't he have visited more often?
Ah Yin was terrified that her suspicions were true, but now, Ye Lingling's words had ruthlessly crushed her last lingering hope.
If Hao truly loved her, she would not have ended up like this.
Sorrowfully, Ah Yin lowered her head. The atmosphere became heavy with grief, and the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves drooped, filling the air with a sense of despair.
"Looks like you've finally recognized the truth." At that moment, Cheng Xiao walked back in. He glanced at Ye Lingling, who had tears in her eyes, and patted her shoulder lightly.
Then, he turned to the Blue Silver Emperor, who now hung limply, and said, "To tell you the truth, your son, Tang San, is already fourteen years old. You haven't seen him in fourteen years, have you?"
"I don't know how long you've been here, but it must have been at least ten years."
"Ten years, left alone in this place. Even if you were only lovers, should you really have been treated this way?"
Compared to Ye Lingling's words, Cheng Xiao's were even sharper, piercing straight into Ah Yin's heart.
Lies don't hurt people. The truth does.
Ah Yin was utterly broken. At that moment, she felt a deep, overwhelming exhaustion. Her once-mighty vitality seemed to drain away as if she had lost all will to continue.
Even the resilient life force of the Blue Silver Emperor could not withstand the crushing weight of despair.
Sensing that her life was fading, Cheng Xiao closed his eyes and silently muttered an apology. No matter how much he had steeled himself, it was still painful to do this to someone so kind.
Just as the Blue Silver Emperor was about to wither completely, Cheng Xiao reached out and gently placed his hand on her leaves. In the next moment, all of his shadow energy surged forth, enveloping her entirely.
In that instant, their spirits intertwined.
In a vast, gray space, Cheng Xiao saw Ah Yin curled up in a corner, trembling. Without hesitation, he walked toward her, knelt down, and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry for saying such hurtful things."
Ah Yin didn't look up. She simply hugged her knees, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
Taking a deep breath, Cheng Xiao reached out and gently embraced her. His voice was warm and steady. "I know your heart aches. But is he really worth your pain?"
"Stay by my side. I will never abandon you—unless the day comes when I die."
Ah Yin's body trembled violently as if she were releasing all her emotions. Countless Blue Silver Grass tendrils wrapped around Cheng Xiao as if trying to tear him apart.
Yet he did not let go.
After a long moment, the tendrils slowly retreated. Ah Yin struggled to lift her head, tears blurring her vision. But even through the haze, she could see the young man holding her, his face adorned with a gentle smile.
"Why... why would you promise me this?" she choked out.
"I could have just killed you and summoned you back as a Shadow Soldier. That would have been easier for me," Cheng Xiao said seriously. "But I wanted to try. Rather than making you hate me, I want you to accept me."
"So, Ah Yin, will you follow me?"
"My king... I am willing..."