Chapter One Hundred and Twelve: The Art of Immortality

"…Immortal, what about Chuyue?" Yunsi suddenly looked up at Junfeng and asked.

Junfeng looked down and met her innocent eyes, which blinked even in the dark.

He was momentarily stunned. In her eyes, he saw himself wearing an expression that was not his usual one. The world saw him as cold and heartless, his face as icy as frost, and he accepted that image. Yet, the gentle and kind person he saw was himself.

So, this is what happiness feels like, he thought. Recalling the past, a notion emerged in his mind—to let go of everything, to hold her hand and be with her for this life, for this lifetime, making her his one and only.

"Willing to shed my icy armor for you, to experience the joys and sorrows of the mortal world together," he silently vowed in his heart, his resolve firm.

A cool sensation spread across his cheek. He looked back at the person in his arms, only to see her worriedly asking, "Immortal, are you sick? I called you several times, but you didn't respond."

He lowered his gaze and chuckled softly, feeling something indescribable.

He looked up at the white moon in the sky, his brow relaxing as he smiled freely. "When have I ever failed to fulfill my promises to you?"

Junfeng's unusual behavior today frightened Yunsi. She began to worry that he was hiding something from her, her mind racing.

Suddenly, she jumped out of his arms. "Did they threaten you? Are they asking for a life in exchange for a life?"

"Huh?" Junfeng was taken aback.

Yunsi's eyes widened. She was convinced that Junfeng had been threatened by the King of the Underworld. Imagining Junfeng's scholarly appearance, she thought he must seem easy to bully, and that they wanted to keep him as a ghost servant.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Lifting her skirt, she charged back with determination.

"This is too much! I was the one who asked you to save her. How can they drag you into this? Even if it's a life for a life, it should be my life. This has nothing to do with you!"

"Where are you going? Come back!" Junfeng suddenly pulled her back.

"When did I say I was threatened by them?" Junfeng was genuinely amused and exasperated. "Do you really think I'm that weak?"

"But just now…" Yunsi trailed off, thinking it over.

"I asked about it. The girl you mentioned entered the cycle of reincarnation years ago. What you encountered was merely an illusion created by a mermaid."

"The mermaid marsh has existed for a century. They used to live by fishing, but then they heard a rumor that eating human flesh could grant immortality. Jie Qingrui, a mermaid, was captured by the villagers, who consumed her flesh and bones."

Junfeng paused, watching Yunsi furrow her brow in anger.

Sensing his gaze, she relaxed her brow slightly and took a deep breath before looking at him. "Why did you stop?"

Junfeng looked at her silently, then took her clenched fist from her sleeve. Her tightly clenched fingers had dug into her flesh, leaving four bloody marks in her palm.

He gently pried her fingers open, revealing blackened blood clots in the wounds.

He suddenly asked, "Are you sure you want to continue listening?"

Yunsi's nose twitched, and her eyes reddened instantly. She sobbed, "Immortal, why are they so cruel? Why do they, like the old man in the Imperial City, harm so many lives for the sake of nonexistent immortality?"

Junfeng smiled wryly and said, "Perhaps... it's because of their unwillingness to accept their fate."