When Si Hai was feeding her love potion before, Hong Chun had a prickly feeling. That was how she learned she was being drugged.

But right now, Huang Qiaoli felt at ease with this person without a good reason. She was thinking maybe he was manipulating her. However, she couldn't find any clues how.

She was lost in thought while still watching his statistics plunge like the data of a crashing airplane. That was when she felt a cool fabric brushing the area above her lips.

Gawking at the only other person in this cave, she finally noticed the tinge of red on the inside of Qin Yu's sleeve. The one that he used to wipe her nose.

Her hand automatically raised to the same spot.

"Even though what you're seeing is confusing, you can't keep on using your ability on me. My cultivation can still have a toll on your body. Aren't you feeling dizzy whenever you scan me?"

Qin Yu was using the word 'scan', Huang Qiaoli realized something. This person might have also been from another world, or maybe even the world she used to live in.

Was that how he brought her back here?

And by 'still have a toll on your body', it meant he was perfectly aware of his declining condition. It looked like he was okay with it too. Why?

"Have you no concept of pain? Stop using it on me."

Since arriving, it was the first time to hear him speaking with a stern tone. Huang Qiaoli tilted her head, bewildered.

It wasn't a joke, he really knew her cheat. Did that mean she couldn't hide anything from him?

One look at her and Qin Yu knew what she was thinking.

"You don't have to worry, I can't hurt you in any way..." because the effect would be worse on me.

He didn't utter the latter half.

Before the maiden could process what he was saying, he approached her from where she was standing and cast a sleeping spell.

"You need to sleep more to compensate for your blood loss."

Huang Qiaoli was hit by a bout of grogginess that she couldn't reply. Her closing eyes saw his arms catching her.

"It would be best to wait for me. But I know you won't follow anyone's words. Can you at least let the young fox accompany you?"

Those words only seemed like a gibberish lullaby now. In her thoughts, this spirit was dying. Her sensors wouldn't lie to her so, after this, she probably wouldn't meet him again.

Why did everyone connected to her die?

As Qin Yu put her down on the stone bed that was now covered with her outer cloak, he noticed the vestiges of tears on her face.

She probably wouldn't admit this to herself but the waves of woe that flowed from her to him even affected him who wasn't the owner of these emotions.

After getting Huang Qiaoli's soul back from that world, the goddess agreed to put a seal on some of her memories. The seal he used was one to gradually be released until he could fully undo it. This wouldn't lessen the trauma but would give her more time to adjust.

He believed she already remembered more things than she let on even before he entirely nullified the spell. But the girl always understood other people's emotions and mentality more than she could her own.

She probably threw them all to the back of her mind so she wouldn't be bothered by it.

But now that the seal was broken, she had no excuse anymore.

"It's fine to be weak." The goddess' herald whispered to her even if she couldn't hear it.

At this point, the clone of moonlight staggered again. This time longer than it could be called a glitch anymore.

In truth, the effect of nullifying the seal on Huang Qiaoli was far greater on Qin Yu. The seal was akin to his sand timer. He felt his real body almost melting as the hundreds of years of cultivation escaped from him.

Even if he could be considered a right-hand man of the goddess, he wasn't exempted from the complex laws of the universe. His soul should have been tossed to the Perpetual Void when he attempted to heal Huang Qiaoli's soul.

The void was equal to eternal death. There was no reincarnation awaiting him. But this girl literally pulled him from eternal death.

To balance this earth-shattering action, he not only lost the qualifications to be a true immortal, even serving the goddess at this point would be impossible.

His cultivation was being stripped off at an insane speed so he needed to finish his job here before his clone of moonlight vanished.

Qin Yu raised a hand to remove the sound barrier he put on the cave and called out, "Child fox..."

Within seconds, Si Hai entered the cave but was disappointed to see Hong Chun still unconscious.

"Come closer," the senior beckoned.

He approached on four paws. Si Hai felt something different from the senior. It was like his might was cut in half. He still couldn't discern just how powerful the senior was so he couldn't act inappropriately.

Qin Yu studied the black fox. From Huang Qiaoli's memories, this fox gave her a love potion before. He was very reluctant but he needed someone to accompany Huang Qiaoli and the fox was the only option.

"Do you want to enter Huo Ai?"

The black fox's eyes brightened at the question. Of course!

Getting there was an impossible dream for highly-intelligent spirits like him so he would grab any opportunity he could get.

"Then you need to take care of this lady well. She'll decide whether to let you in her home or not."

Si Hai understood that the senior doubted him but still gave him a chance to prove himself. If it was protecting Hong Chun, he could do it!

"She'll also decide whether you will be purged or not."

The fox was alarmed. It looked like his neck was still under the guillotine. Why was this ancient spirit putting great importance on a human's decision?

Then, he remembered that Hong Chun was a seer. Maybe, it was because she was blessed by the goddess that the senior wanted to protect her?

Si Hai's drawn-out misunderstanding was never cleared. Hong Chun was never blessed by the goddess.

It would be more accurate to say that she was cursed by a series of misfortunes. And Qin Yu rescued her.

Knowing nothing of the fox's thoughts, a bead of light shot out from Qin Yu's finger. It landed on Si Hai's forehead without giving him a chance to dodge.

Who knew if it was due to shock or pain, the black fox roared and whimpered trying to clutch its head.

Qin Yu didn't know his reaction would be intense because it was quite normal in Huo Ai to pass information like this. Well, people in Huo Ai would use a jade slip but he forewent that process and just directly passed him the information.

It was good that he put Huang Qiaoli to sleep with his spiritual power. If not, she would probably wake up again because of the commotion.

Si Hai yelped some more before stopping. He didn't complain afterward, sensing that the senior didn't like it when he made noise.

"Since you've gotten all you needed to know, you also need the strength to fend off some..." The herald frowned. He had trouble saying bad words.

He sighed as he took a thousand-year-old ginseng that he reserved for a situation like this.

If a person from Huo Ai saw him giving away a rarely seen treasure just like that, they would cry bloody tears.

What clan didn't treat a 500 year-old ginseng like an ancestor, waiting for a talented genius alchemist to refine it for them? What more a thousand-year-old?

Qin Yu stared at the ginseng and then at the fox spirit. He was aware of the practice of humans, refining pills from this stuff. But this fellow was a spirit so there would be no harm feeding it to him directly...?

Ah, there was no time. He approached Si Hai and stuffed the ginseng in his mouth.

The fox was a bit dazed before feeling a melting delicacy in his mouth, sending waves of spiritual essence to his core wave after wave.

After the initial euphoria, there seemed to be no signs of stopping so he panicked.

"Breathe and circulate your spirit, young one." He heard the senior and tried doing it but the influx kept on.

Qin Yu knew that the kid needed time to tame the stream of spiritual essence so he opted to go.

"I shall leave her to you... for now. Please take care of her well."

The white moonlight that converged earlier in the clearing was now scattering until there was nothing left. Even the orbs of light Qin Yu brought with him were gone.

It was as if he was never here.