Chapter 2678: Chapter 2678
"You really went above and beyond, putting on such an elaborate show!" Liu Yunyao held a teacup with both hands, offering it respectfully to Ye Liuyun.
Ye Liuyun accepted it with satisfaction and took a sip. "That’s more like it. At least you’ve got some conscience. But don’t forget—you owe me those resources, and not a single bit less!"
Liu Yunyao chuckled. "You money-grubber! Don’t worry, I won’t shortchange you. I’ll repay you as soon as we get back."
"Honestly, I wasn’t planning to return to the royal capital at all. I was ready to leave straight away, but now I’ve got to accompany the Sixth Prince back," Ye Liuyun sighed.
"Be careful with him," Liu Yunyao warned, her tone turning serious the moment the Sixth Prince was mentioned. "If you refuse to join his faction, he might eliminate you rather than let you aid his rivals."
"I’ve already considered that," Ye Liuyun replied coolly. "If I dared to go with him, I’m not worried about him making a move on me."
"And those black-clad assassins who were after me—"
Before she could finish, Ye Liuyun cut in, "Yes, I suspected it was him too. But as long as he doesn’t provoke me, I won’t interfere in your conflicts. However, if he dares to strike first, I won’t hold back—not even for your sake."
Liu Yunyao nodded, dropping the subject. She had no intention of dragging Ye Liuyun into their power struggles.
"Honestly, I didn’t originally plan for you to help me tame this red serpent," she admitted, changing the topic. "My father is about to capture a batch of high-tier magical beasts soon, and we’ll be allowed to choose one. I was hoping you’d help me pick one out—never thought I’d end up using that favor on this little thing instead."
"We’ll see when the time comes," Ye Liuyun said noncommittally. "If you cover my travel expenses, I might consider coming back to assist you."
"Fair enough," Liu Yunyao conceded without pressing further. She idly toyed with the small red serpent and asked, "What should I do with this little creature?"
"My advice? Refine its crimson pupils directly. Such a rare resource would be wasted if not utilized for yourself. While keeping it as a companion has its uses, it’s still an external aid—not your own strength.
"Remember this when refining: fuse the pupils into your soul, not your physical body. That way, it’ll remain undetectable.
"Then, through combat and cultivation, its power will grow alongside yours. Honestly, your spiritual energy is far too weak right now."
"Alright then."
Liu Yunyao trusted Ye Liuyun implicitly. Without hesitation, she handed the red serpent over to him. Since the creature hadn’t acknowledged her as its master, she didn’t dare act recklessly, fearing it might retaliate. Only Ye Liuyun could handle it safely.
Ye Liuyun immediately released his divine sense, devouring the serpent’s spirit before extracting its crimson eyes and passing them to Liu Yunyao for refinement.
"Take your time refining them. I’ll wait here in case anything goes wrong. We’ll see how effective they are afterward," Ye Liuyun said.
"Okay!" Liu Yunyao agreed and prepared to begin the refinement process on the spot.
She had barely closed her eyes when she snapped them open again. With a bashful flush creeping up her cheeks, she muttered, "Could you... not look at me while I’m refining them?"
Ye Liuyun immediately turned away. "I won’t look! Honestly, if I wanted to peek, I would’ve done it long ago. Why wait till now?"
"You—!" Liu Yunyao’s face burned scarlet, as if blood might drip from it.
"Have you... actually seen me before?"
"No, absolutely not!" Ye Liuyun genuinely hadn’t, so he couldn’t admit to it even under pain of death.
"Turn around!" she huffed before finally closing her eyes, steadying her breathing, and focusing on refining the crimson eyes.
Deep down, she knew that if Ye Liuyun had wanted to look, he would’ve done so already. Resigned, she pushed aside her embarrassment and ignored him.
Obliging, Ye Liuyun turned his back, pouring himself tea while absorbing the serpent’s core—no sense wasting resources.
But once Liu Yunyao entered her meditative state and began refining the eyes, Ye Liuyun activated his golden pupils, observing her spirit intently. His concern was purely practical: he wanted to monitor her progress in case her spiritual energy proved too weak, risking mishap. He had no intention of taking advantage.
Yet Liu Yunyao’s spirit, unaccustomed to spiritual intrusion, was hypersensitive. Under Ye Liuyun’s piercing gaze, she could keenly feel his divine sense penetrating her very being.
But she mistook seeing through the soul for seeing through the physical body. Instantly, her face flushed crimson as her mind began to wander uncontrollably.
Refining external objects was never particularly difficult, but attempting to integrate them into one’s soul while lost in wild thoughts—like Liu Yunyao was now—was akin to courting demonic possession, a sure path to self-destruction. Worse still, her soul power was inherently weak, leaving her utterly incapable of recovering on her own.
Ye Liuyun immediately sensed the violent fluctuations in Liu Yunyao’s soul, the rapid tremors threatening to shatter her spiritual essence at any moment. Without hesitation, he projected a fragment of his own soul into her consciousness, enveloping hers in a protective embrace. At the same time, his voice boomed within her mind: *"What are you thinking? Are you trying to kill yourself? Focus!"*
Liu Yunyao had only cultivated a single soul fragment, whereas the one Ye Liuyun had sent was over ten times larger and far more solidified. In her panic, she barely registered what was happening before her soul was completely encased. Yet, she soon felt the tremors subside, as if strong arms had wrapped around her, holding her tight. In her confusion, she mistook it for Ye Liuyun physically embracing her.
Unaccustomed to soul-based interactions, the shock blurred the line between spirit and flesh in her mind. To her, it felt as though Ye Liuyun was cradling her, shielding her—a sensation so comforting that she nearly surrendered to it, longing to remain in his arms.
*"Her soul power is pathetically weak,"* Ye Liuyun mused inwardly.
With no other choice, he sent a faint pulse of soul-shaking energy to jolt her back to reality. *"Focus! Stop daydreaming!"*
The tremor sent a shiver through Liu Yunyao’s soul, snapping her back to awareness. Only then did she resume refining the crimson pupils. Seeing her stabilize, Ye Liuyun gradually loosened his hold, allowing her to continue the process under her own power.
Though the ordeal felt drawn out in the realm of souls, in reality, it lasted mere seconds. Once certain of her stability, Ye Liuyun withdrew his soul fragment. By then, Liu Yunyao had grown accustomed to the golden gaze of his eyes and could concentrate fully on the refinement.
Ye Liuyun finally exhaled in relief.
*"Unbelievable. Even something this simple can go wrong."*
Slowly, the crimson pupils merged into the position of her soul’s eyes. Normally, this would mark the end of the process, with no further complications. But given the earlier mishap, Ye Liuyun remained vigilant, his golden eyes fixed on her until the refinement was truly complete.
