As Ivy Shen channeled her inner energy, Eli Crane finally opened his eyes, slow and dazed. Seeing Ivy sitting across from him, eyes closed in meditation, his heart gave a little jolt and his brows furrowed. Was he dreaming?!
"Whew!" Ivy sucked in a huge breath, yanked her hands back, and popped her eyes open. The instant she saw him staring, she totally lost it—grabbed his hand and practically shrieked, "Eli, you’re awake?! You’re finally back online?!"
Seeing this, Eli lowered his gaze to her hand, confusion flooding his eyes. Was he really dreaming? But why did this dream feel so real?
"Eli, what’s wrong?" Seeing him staring blankly at her, Ivy gently called out.
"Did I just dream you up because I missed you so much?" he mumbled, looking so lost it could break the internet’s heart. He had no idea those words were a direct hit to Ivy’s feels.
"No, you’re not dreaming. I’m right here in front of you!" She lifted his hand to her cheek. "See? It’s warm—this isn’t a dream!"
Eli’s face did a double-take, eyes flying wide. "Wait... didn’t you say you hated me? So why are you being so nice now?"
"How could I ever? When did I say I hated you?!" Ivy shot back, voice going full volume. Like, hello, when did she ever diss him?!
But Eli didn’t answer her. Instead, he glanced around, and his brows furrowed even more. "You saw everything, didn’t you?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"Yeah!" Ivy nodded solemnly.
"So are you just pitying me?" The usually confident Eli now seemed unsure of himself—he had so many flaws, how could he ever deserve someone as perfect as her?
"No, it’s not pity—it’s heartache!" She pointed to her chest, looking at him seriously. "Eli Crane, I want to tell you, for real: I like you. I liked you from the very first glance—like, deeply like!" She stared at him with fierce sincerity.
Hearing this, Eli looked at her, baffled—he totally didn’t get what she meant. The mirror-flower, water-moon illusion had just faded; was the universe messing with him again?!
As if seeing right through him, Ivy managed a strained smile. "You don’t believe me, do you? Can’t blame you—I was so awful to you before!" She stuck out her tongue in guilt, then looked up at him again. "Believe it or not, I still want to say it: I like you. Really, really like you."
"Very much?" Eli Crane repeated, still in disbelief.
"Yes, very much, very much!" Ivy blurted out, repeating herself with all the emphasis she could muster. "I mean it, Eli—I really do, I swear!"
"If that’s true, then why did you..." He trailed off, but Ivy, being clever, understood his doubt right away.
"You know, I really do like you, but... but to me, you’re so good, so perfect—like a fallen immortal in the mortal world. And me... I’m just not worthy of you!" She lowered her head, clutching her own sleeve, lost and dejected.
"Why would you say that? You’re the most perfect person in my heart!" Eli quickly retorted when he heard her words.
Seeing this, Ivy gazed at him earnestly. "These days, I wasn’t ignoring you on purpose—it’s just that I felt I wasn’t good enough for you. So... so I didn’t want to let you get close. Plus, my life is seriously dangerous, dangerous enough that I could die any moment! Falling off that cliff was proof!" She had to make him understand how serious things were.
"Huh?" Eli was a little confused by all this.
Ivy took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused her mind. In the next second, a shimmering golden serpent tail appeared behind her.
"Golden?" Eli couldn’t stay calm now. He frantically searched his memory—golden serpent tail, golden... In the Soaring Phoenix Realm, no one had a golden tail. Gold meant nobility, and only the royal family could possess it.
"You... you’re...?"
"Yes. I’m a princess lost in the serpent world—a princess they drove to her death!" Seeing Eli’s stunned face, Ivy knew he’d figured it out, and she had no intention of hiding it anymore.
"You’re a princess? The Soaring Phoenix... princess?!" Even though he’d guessed it, hearing her admit it out loud still shocked Eli—she was a real princess! A noble princess!
"The crown prince of Soaring Phoenix killed my mother and father. He wants to take the throne, but he doesn’t have the Dragon-Phoenix Jade Seal. That seal is with me, so they tried to kill me—and that’s how I ended up falling from the cliff." Ivy’s eyes grew fierce as she spoke.
"So... you kept your distance because you were afraid your identity would put me in danger?" Eli asked her urgently.
Seeing this, Ivy silently nodded.
"What do you take me for, Ivy? Do you think I’m the kind of guy who’s scared to die?" Seeing her nod, Eli was so mad he didn’t even know what to say!
"No, I know you’re not. Actually... that’s only part of the reason. The main thing is... I’m not worthy of you!" Ivy quickly looked at him as she spoke.
"Are you talking about me? You think I’m not worthy of you?" In his eyes, she was noble and clever—how could she not deserve him?!
"Eli, I’m not as perfect as you think. I really do like you, but I can’t be your only one—because... because I’m already married. And... and I already have four husbands!" In the end, Ivy said it. She knew, if he couldn’t accept this, she’d have to give him up—even though she loved him so much. She loved the others too, and they loved her with their lives.
Eli froze for a moment—he hadn’t expected that at all. Then he realized: so that’s why she’d been avoiding him all this time...
(This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^ Click next page to keep reading!)
"You’re disappointed, right?" Ivy saw Eli’s stunned face and her heart just did a nosedive—cue the waterworks. "They love me so much, like, risk-their-lives-for-me level. And I love them too! But who knew I’d be such a drama queen, not satisfied with all that and now falling for you on top of everything? I’m the worst, aren’t I? Totally shameless, right?" She was full-on ugly-crying by now, tears going everywhere.
"Don’t cry, don’t cry!" Seeing her tears, Eli’s heart trembled. The next second, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. "It’s not your fault. Someone as amazing as you was bound to have incredible men around her!"
"I’m sorry..." Right now, Ivy looked just like a helpless kid, making anyone’s heart ache for her.
"Xin’er..." Eli whispered her name softly, then gently straightened her so she faced him. With heartfelt sincerity, he asked, "Will you let me join you?"
"Huh?" Eli’s question left Ivy stunned.
"What... what did you say?" Right now, Ivy wondered if she was hearing things.
"I want you to know: once I fall in love, I won’t let go. No matter how many amazing men are around you, I’ll stay by your side. Because I know, if I lose you—if I lose my own heart—then even a hundred years of life would be empty!" He looked at her, speaking with absolute seriousness.
"Eli..."
"Back in the royal tomb, I promised myself I’d stay by your side and never let you suffer, not even a little. As long as you don’t mind the trouble I bring!" Eli finished with a gentle smile.
"Eli..." Ivy trembled—she couldn’t believe he’d actually agree, agree to join her?!
"Don’t be so surprised. From the moment we made our promise in the royal tomb, we were bound together. I know you’re worried about them—give me three days. In three days, let’s leave the valley and find them together, okay?"
Hearing this, Ivy’s tears welled up again. The next second, she threw herself into his arms. "How can you be like this? Why do you always make me cry? Why do you have to be so good?!"
"Silly girl!" Eli hugged her tightly. Right now, his heart was brimming with sweetness.
***********
"What? Are you saying Eli’s condition all these years wasn’t just his body, but poisoning?" Hearing this, Ivy was utterly shocked.
"Yes, this child has suffered. He was poisoned before he was even a month old. And this poison is bizarre and unfathomable—after all these years, I still can’t cure it. Every month, Eli endures deadly pain," Old Man Sai sighed.
"How could this happen? What about the pill we got from the tomb?" Ivy asked anxiously.
"He just took it. The pill can control his pain and help him walk slowly, but he’ll still mostly need a wheelchair," Old Man Sai explained.
"Can’t the pill cure his poison?" Ivy couldn’t forget the scene at the medicinal pool. She never wanted to see him suffer like that again—it was unbearable.
"If it were that easy, I’d have cured him years ago!" Old Man Sai sounded deeply frustrated.
Seeing this, Eli gently took her hand. "It’s okay. I’ve gotten used to it after all these years!"
Ivy pouted in protest. "Used to it? I don’t want you suffering anymore!" Then she turned to Old Man Sai. "Old man, are you saying there’s really no way? Who poisoned Eli in the first place? Why is it so hard to cure?"
"He was poisoned by a Miao demoness from the Miao Frontier. The White clan stopped being royalty a century ago and went into business, selling cloud brocade. The Wu family in Licheng was also in the brocade business, but they cheated customers and cut corners, so their business collapsed. Wu’s wives and concubines took all his money and ran, even his son left. He blamed the White clan for stealing his business and ruining his family. So he sold his last shop, took the money to the Miao Frontier, and made an alliance with their chief. The Miao people are famous for raising gu and using poisons, though they’re poor. Wu gave all his money to the Miao chieftain, and they became sworn brothers. To repay Wu, the Miao’s number-one demoness came to the White clan, tricked Eli’s uncle into loving her, married into the family, and on their wedding night, poisoned Eli—who was less than a month old!"
Hearing this, Ivy’s hand clenched unconsciously, her voice full of anger. "And what happened to that demoness?!"
"The demoness was caught by Second Uncle White, who demanded the antidote. She refused, so he killed her in a rage. Then, feeling guilty toward his brother and sister-in-law, he took up his sword and killed himself." Old Man Sai sighed as he finished the story.
"Did you ever go to the Miao Frontier to look for a cure? Maybe there’s a way to break the poison!" Hearing this story, Ivy didn’t know who to blame—Boss Wu’s cruelty, Eli’s uncle’s naivety, or the White clan’s foolishness.
"I searched for years, but..."
"But what?"
"But the Miao people are extinct!" Old Man Sai sighed helplessly.
"What? Extinct? How can a whole people just go extinct? Are they dinosaurs or something?!"
"The Miao were infamous for raising gu and using poisons, so outsiders hated them. Their extermination isn’t surprising. But..."
"But what? Can you stop leaving your sentences hanging?" Ivy protested.
"But there’s one Miao left!" Old Man Sai said mysteriously.
"Who?!" Ivy pressed, while Aiden Chen listened with bated breath.
"The queen of the Endless Indulgence Kingdom—Mabel Miao!"
****Preview****
PS: (Dropped an extra thousand words today—shower me with love, okay?) LOL, we’re finally busting out of the valley! The mysterious Endless Indulgence Kingdom is about to make its grand entrance. Forgetful abacus guy, are you ready for the chaos?!