After Tian Yao woke up early the next day, he felt something was strange about his body. However the even more strange thing was that he couldn't say exactly what was strange.
Once Tian Yao left his room, he saw Zhu Li siting in the hallway and waiting for him. Zhu Li was holding a small porcelain bottle in his hand. Upon seeing Tian Yao, he stood up and handed it over: "This is medicine the king wanted me to give you. He said it'll bring you a lot of benefit with your recently melded snake monster's neidan after taking it. It'll boost your cultivation for a month."
Tian Yao was surprised. He didn't understand why the king would suddenly send over medicine but still accepted the bottle: "Give my thanks to the king."
"Ok. I have things to do, so I'm going to go now."
Zhu Li left and then turned around to go to Yan Hui's room. He frowned in distress upon seeing Yan Hui laying down in bed with a deathly pale complexion: "What exactly was what you gave me to give to Tian Yao? Why did you have to pretend it was from the king?"
Yan Hui slightly smiled: "Just something to ease Tian Yao's mind...."
They were just ordinary medicines to boost the body and inner breath. She gave them to Tian Yao as a reason for why his dragon aura increased, so he wouldn't know it was from his neidan. Instead he would think it was from taking the pills. With that thought set, then Tian Yao wouldn't have the slightest shred of suspicion. It was only that way he would confidently advance forwards.
Zhu Li frowned even harder after hearing how weak Yan Hui's voice was: "What's wrong with you? I didn't see you for one day, and you suddenly weakened to this state?"
"It's fine as long as I don't look like this in front of Tian Yao."
"What exactly..."
"Aiya, stop asking!" Huan Xiao Yan reached her limit and broke off Zhu Li's words. She chased him out of the room and said with reddened eyes: "Master already had a hard enough time last night. She doesn't need to talk about such painful things. You just need to instruct everyone not to mention how Master looks right now in front of Tian Yao. That's it."
Zhu Li was sullen: "Why can't they bring it up? Why can't you just tell me what's going on?"
Huan Xiao Yan gritted her teeth: "Alright, I'll tell you. After you know, you can't tell anyone, especially Tian Yao, even if you get beaten to death."
"What can't you not tell me?"
Huan Xiao Yan hadn't finished talking when suddenly Tian Yao's voice came from outside. She instantly paled as she saw Tian Yao walk closer. She wasn't sure how much he had heard. Huan Xiao Yan look at him in a panic, completely at a loss of what to do. Suddenly from within the room came the sound of Yan Hui stretching: "Tian Yao?"
Tian Yao glanced at Huan Xiao Yan and then turned to enter Yan Hui's room.
Huan Xiao Yan's heart beat furiously. She peaked into the room from the outside. Yan Hui was on the bed and holding her hands out to Tian Yao for him to pull her out.
Yan Hui's face was pale, but her lips curved into a slight smile. Tian Yao utterly didn't notice her deathly pale complexion. He asked: "It's almost noon. Why did you sleep for so long today?"
"You were in my dreams," said Yan Hui. "I didn't want to wake up."
Tian Yao crouched down. He said while putting on Yan Hui's shoes for her: "You can still see me even when you're awake too."
"It's not the same."
"How so?"
"The Tian Yao in my dreams has already ascended into an immortal. He was the greatest dragon, majestic and very awe-inspiring. He roamed everywhere and lived free and easy." Yan Hui paused. "He didn't suffer under the fetters of the secular world."
Tian Yao finished putting on Yan Hui's shoes for her. He smiled at her words and looked up at her: "And you?"
"Me?"
"Where are you?"
He didn't care about what he had become. He only cared about where she was afterwards...
Yan Hui felt like a needle had pricked her heart. After that twinge of pain, she slightly leaned forward and pointed her finger at Tian Yao's heart: "By that time, I was in here."
Tian Yao held her hand: "You were already in there long ago."
Yan Hui's lips curled upwards. She seized the opportunity to flicker her finger upwards and placed it under his chin. She flirted: "Sir's mouth is filled with such sweet words."
By now, Tian Yao already knew how to match her: "Would the young lady like to taste?"
"Let me taste a really sweet one." Yan Hui's face moved closer.
Tian Yao went from below, upwards, like he was looking up at the sky. He lightly kissed her mouth: "Alright...." Saying that, he captured her mouth.
It was very sweet for Tian Yao, but for Yan Hui, it was secretly quite bitter.
The Spirit Pearl was in her body. Therefore, Yan Hui knew better than anyone just how bad her condition actually was. She sensed that the "one month" Qing Qiu's king said was perhaps a bit too optimistic.
The day afterwards when Yan Hui looked into the mirror, she actually saw a gray aura around herself.
It was the aura of death. She would clearly see it around mortals who were slowly declining. She saw the aura ever since she was small. It was the exact same aura around Tian Yao's grandmother back at Tong Luo Mountain. Her aura grew darker and darker every day until she died. Every since Yan Hui was little, she knew that the death aura would appear around her one day. However back then, that possibility seemed so remote, so she didn't feel that bad.
However, finally the day arrived where she saw the gray aura around her in the mirror. Yan Hui couldn't help feeling scared and frightened.
Yet her death aura wasn't quite the same as what appeared around an ordinary mortal. She was supposed to be stillborn. It was the Heart Protection Scale that Ling Xiao brought and Tian Yao's neidan that saved her life. From that moment on she lived a half-ghost, half-human life. She relied on the good fortune of the neidan to not have an trace of decay.
Even though Qing Qiu's king gave her the Spirit Pearl, once the neidan was removed, the gray aura around her multiplied like crazy.
After the first day the gray aura appeared, it became darker on the second day. By the third day, the aura had exponentially swelled.
Yan Hui didn't think she would last a month.
That's why Yan Hui would go see Tian Yao every chance she got until the last moment. Sometimes she would follow him to the cold springs. While he cultivated, she would quietly sit by the side and watch him. She still felt happy even not doing anything.
Yan Hui few asleep a few times under the tree and only woke up when it was time to go back. But by then, she didn't have the strength to stand up. She would snap her fingers and smile at Tian Yao: "My legs are numb. Sir, give me a piggy back ride."
Tian Yao never refused these requests. Perhaps it could be said Tian Yao never refused any of Yan Hui's reasonable and unreasonable requests.
Sometimes during the piggy back ride, Yan Hui would notice the moon was shining very prettily. Then she would tug at his clothes and say: "Sir, accompany me to view the moon."
"Okay."
"I don't want to fly. You take me there."
"Okay."
After a few times like this, even Yan Hui started to feel like she was being spoiled too much. She asked Tian Yao: "You don't feel like I'm becoming someone who can't care for themselves?"
Tian Yao thought about it: "Mm, it's pretty similar."
"...Then what do you think about that?"
"Is there something wrong with that?" said Tian Yao. "I can do whatever you don't want to do. You can be as presumptuous and conceited as you want. You have me to fulfill your desires."
Thus, Tian Yao transformed into his dragon form. Yan Hui laid down on his head between his two horns. She stared up at the star-filled sky. There was no one else around. It was so peaceful that only the wind blowing in her ears could be heard.
Yan Hui smiled: "I suddenly feel like a Princess."
"You are a Queen."
In that moment. Yan Hui really felt like a queen, traveling with her king around the world and looking down at the people.
But in a few days, Yan Hui could no longer see her own face in the mirror. Her reflection was complete covered by the black, twisting aura. Her own reflection made her seem like some ghost from the underworld that had accidentally stumbled into the thriving living world.
Yan Hui knew that meant she didn't have much time left. She couldn't last a month...
However the good news was that the time when Qing Guang needed large amounts of neidan had moved up quite a bit. The frontline of battle relayed the news that the xian sects were starting to gather neidan from demons.
But this time, there wasn't many people who were willing to try hard to get the neidans Qing Guang needed.
The news that Qi Jue Clan spread had spread reached critical importance. Qing Guang was unable to give an explanation to everyone who was collecting neidan. As a result, many xian sects were at odds with him. No one wanted to listen to the command of a suspected heretical cultivator, especially if they may die as a result.
Qing Guang was thus relatively kept isolated from matters for a period of time.
Taking advantage of the rift between Central Plain's xian sects and Chen Xing Mountain sect, Qing Qiu's heir immediately planned a large scale assault. The demon clans crossed San Chong Mountain and easily entered Central Plains. They headed straight to Chen Xing Mountain.
This attack had the backing of Qing Qiu's king.
Qing Guang couldn't get enough neidan and was unable to advance his cultivation. If no one was willing to listen to his orders, then the fastest method was to take matters in his own hands. He would get the neidans himself.
The concentrated attack of demon soldiers was like a feast to Qing Guang. All he had to do was reach out and take it.
After Qing Guang left Chen Xing Mountain, that meant he was gone from his most familiar area. That gave Tian Yao a greater chance of success once he starts the fight against Qing Guang.
Tian Yao marched out with the army once the plan was set. However, Yan Hui wouldn't accompany him this time. He thought with her personality she would try every possible method to go with him. However, this time Yan Hui fell out of step with him. She sent him off at the doorway: " I still haven't reached the seventh level of 'Demon Bestowal'. If I go and Qing Guang sets his sights on me, won't that give you all a lot of trouble? I'll just wait here for your victorious return."
"I will return."
Yan Hui lightly smiled: "I know you will."
Tian Yao turned and left.
Once Tian Yao was gone, Huan Xiao Yan appeared and supported Yan Hui. In the eyes of everyone, Yan Hui's eyes were sunken in, and she looked haggard.
Huan Xiao Yan said: "Master, I can't be too far from Tian Yao to keep up the illusion spell, but you don't have to go. With you like this...."
"I'm going." Yan Hui looked down at her hand that looked like withered wood. Her voice trembled a bit, "I'm scared I won't last and be able to catch a last glance of his return after winning."
She wanted to have him in her eyes until the very last moment.