She looked down to see a beautiful, exquisitely crafted crescent-shaped pendant resting in the young man’s fingers, translucent and shimmering in a blue-gold hue.

This was the gift Xie Lingyu had given her when she came of age. The pendant on the necklace looked like an ordinary little seashell, and at the time, she had even complained that he hadn’t put any thought into it, simply picking up a seashell from the shore to give her.

As his Spiritual Power fluctuated, the pendant around her neck resonated with him.

Sang Ying could sense his heartbeat—steady and powerful. Which meant… this truly was his Heart-Protecting Scale.

Sang Ying was once again bewildered. If the Heart-Protecting Scale was with her, then what about the rumors that he had given it to Shen Ying? And in her awakened memories, it had clearly been just as the rumors said.

“I never met her in my childhood. Two years ago, in the ancient secret realm, it was merely a brief encounter, with no personal feelings involved,” the young man said calmly.

Sang Ying stared at him suspiciously.

“You really don’t like Shen Ying?”

The young man looked at her quietly. “If giving the Heart-Protecting Scale is considered a promise of love, then who do you think, Shimei, is the one I like?”

Sang Ying’s heart skipped a beat.

Was he… confessing to her?

But who in the world expresses affection like this? As soon as he sobered up, he locked her in a dark room, saying nothing before demanding Dual Cultivation. How was that anything like affection? It was more like the behavior of a lawless rogue.

If it weren’t for the fact that he was Xie Lingyu, she would have reported him to the Immortal Alliance and had him arrested.

Sang Ying twisted her fingers for a long while before suddenly speaking with a serious expression. “Do you think it’s possible that there’s more than one Heart-Protecting Scale, and you just give one to whoever you take a liking to?”

Xie Lingyu: “…”

The young man fell silent again. Sang Ying watched as he lowered his gaze and silently began unbuttoning his collar. Having just touched the Little Azure Dragon’s tail not long ago, her heart tightened, and panic surged again. “We’re having a proper conversation—why are you taking off your clothes!”

Fortunately, Xie Lingyu only loosened his collar slightly, pulling it down to reveal his chest.

Then he grabbed her hand and pressed it against his skin. As Spiritual Power surged, Sang Ying saw through her Divine Sense that among the dense scales of the Azure Dragon, one was missing—exactly the dragon scale she was wearing.

Now the evidence was undeniable, but Sang Ying still felt uneasy. Suddenly being asked to believe that Xie Lingyu, who had maintained a proper senior-junior relationship with her for years, actually liked her, was harder to accept than believing a great war between immortals and demons would break out tomorrow.

It was just too strange. Xie Lingyu actually liked her?

She muttered, “Maybe it grew back.”

“Then there’s only one last way to prove it.”

The young man before her wore an indifferent expression, calmly continuing to unbutton his clothes. “The Azure Dragon clan, upon reaching adulthood, only feels the desire for Dual Cultivation with the one they love. So, as long as…”

Sang Ying grabbed his hand, holding it firmly in place.

Her gaze was resolute. “I believe you. You like me.”

Xie Lingyu looked up at her. “Shimei, you’ve confirmed it without even verifying it properly?”

Sang Ying nodded vigorously.

“And what if you deny it again later?”

Sang Ying gritted her teeth. “Then I’ll let you do whatever you want. Alright, this is no way to behave—hurry up and put your clothes back on.”

Only then did the young man straighten his collar.

Sang Ying let out a sigh of relief, her chaotic thoughts slowly gathering and untangling one by one.

Setting aside the matter of the white moonlight for now.

Xie Lingyu refused to agree to the divorce and even said he liked her… So, did he mistakenly think she liked the eldest senior brother and got jealous?

And after seeing that Divorce Letter where she said he was inadequate, he locked her up in the dark room, wanting to prove himself through Dual Cultivation?

But the way Xie Lingyu had been acting just now was too strange, completely unlike his usual self, making her feel afraid. Even now, thinking back, she still felt a lingering fear.

Sang Ying glanced toward Xie Lingyu. At this moment, the young man seemed no different from usual, his expression indifferent, his dark eyes calm.

She tentatively spoke up, “Xie Lingyu, I’m hungry. I want something to eat.”

The young man glanced at her, got up, and went outside. When he returned, he brought in steaming hot breakfast—all of Sang Ying’s favorites.

As she ate, Sang Ying stole glances at his expression. The young man calmly met her gaze. “Not to your taste?”

Sang Ying shook her head and continued drinking her soup.

It seemed there really was no problem now; he had returned to his usual self.

…Perhaps he had just bumped his head earlier?

After finishing, Sang Ying put down her bowl and rinsed her mouth.

Having eaten this meal, she had also calmed down. Xie Lingyu said he liked her and that it had nothing to do with Shen Ying, which contradicted both her memories and the rumors circulating outside.

The Heart-Protecting Scale was indeed with her, enough to support Xie Lingyu’s words. So she wanted to ask the other person involved in this matter to hear what she had to say.

Once she resolved this matter, considering he had given her the precious Heart-Protecting Scale… hmph, it wasn’t impossible to consider… whether she should confess to him that she actually liked him.

Thinking of this, the tips of Sang Ying’s ears grew slightly warm. She fidgeted with her fingers. “Xie Lingyu, I need to go out for a while. How do I take off this chain… huh?”

Suddenly, she felt weightless as she was lifted into his arms.

Sang Ying was enveloped in the scent of White Sandalwood as he carried her back to the inner chamber. The Golden Chain dragged lightly on the floor, and she was placed sitting on the bed.

“Has Shimei misunderstood something?”

The young man embraced her, resting his chin against the nape of her neck from behind, his voice lazy, soft, and low.

In an instant, that chilling, trembling sensation clung to her skin again, and Sang Ying couldn’t help but shiver.

“When did I ever say I would let Shimei go?”