Bixi's consciousness blurred amidst the smoke and fire, his gaze fixed on Ye Qingcheng.
Seeing her so anxious to rush over, he grew immensely nervous. When Xiao Wangye intercepted her, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Miss, from now on, I will no longer be by your side. You must protect yourself well," he said, looking up at the sky with a sigh.
In the instant before disappearing, Bixi's vision wasn't of the Fairy Yuan Rou he had always adored, but of someone else's face.
That person possessed an absolutely exquisite face. Whether smiling or angered, their expression always stirred his heartstrings. He thought he had no feelings for that person, but in the end, he had fallen for them.
Realizing this now seemed a little too late.
Bixi closed his eyes.
Amidst the fierce flames, Bixi was not incinerated into charcoal. Although the flames touched his body, they merely licked past, leaving no trace.
His form gradually became transparent, almost merging with the flames. Finally, he dissipated into the wind.
Ye Qingcheng watched this scene unfold with her own eyes.
Was this what was called soul scattering? She couldn't see Bixi's soul. Had he truly vanished from this world forever?
Her eyes were red from crying, and she struggled fiercely in Xiao Wangye's embrace. The moment Bixi disappeared, she finally regained her voice.
Ye Qingcheng looked up at Xiao Wangye. "Your Highness, that wasn't, that wasn't..."
But because she had cried for too long, her opening words were choked sobs; she couldn't form complete sentences.
Xiao Wangye frowned, looking at her with concern. "Don't be sad, and there's no need to be afraid. The cat demon is dead, and you will be safe. This is my promise to you."
Ye Qingcheng's face had turned very pale. She was about to say something to explain, but first, she felt a wave of dizziness.
Ye Qingcheng shook her head, and finally, her body went limp, collapsing into Xiao Wangye's arms.
He knitted his brows, lifted Ye Qingcheng into his arms, and, escorted by guards, left the crowd and the still-burning elevated platform.
Behind them, the crowd sang and danced, overjoyed at the vanquishing of the cat demon.
They did not see a gust of wind rustle the leaves of the trees by the roadside.
As dusk approached, Shen Junhua, having finished his tasks, went to visit Ye Qingcheng.
Since the incident of the cat demon being burned, Ye Qingcheng had been in a peculiar state of despondency, seeming lost and restless.
Xiao Wangye believed she was still unsettled by lingering fear. He was unaware that the cat demon was Gu Qingyuan and thus didn't understand why Ye Qingcheng felt sad.
Ye Qingcheng had no intention of telling Xiao Wangye about this matter.
Xiao Wangye entered the courtyard where Ye Qingcheng resided and glanced at a young servant tending to the flower branches. "How is she today?"
Seeing the Prince speaking to him, the servant put down his tools and respectfully replied to Xiao Wangye, "Replying to Your Highness, the Princess is well, but just as in the past few days, she lacks spirit."
"Mm, I understand."
It was as he expected.
Even with the good food and wine served to her these past few days, and his constant companionship, she showed no improvement.
Was the cat demon's influence truly so great? Then how could he help her recover? Xiao Wangye felt a headache coming on.
"Your Highness, do you have any further instructions?" the servant asked nervously, looking at him.
Xiao Wangye waved his hand. "No, you may return to your work."
He started towards Ye Qingcheng's room, but stopped after a few steps.
He had wanted to see her, but he couldn't bear to see her with a sorrowful expression.
In the vast night, the servant saw their Regent pause in the courtyard for a moment before turning away, not opening the Princess's door.
The servant found it strange and couldn't understand why. While he was pondering, his clippers accidentally snipped a peony branch.
Thus, the servant dared not indulge in further speculation, concealed the damaged branch and leaves, and hurried back to his task with concentration.
As night fell, a gentle breeze blew. Ye Qingcheng opened her window and looked up, seeing the stars and the bright moon. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Tonight, Xiao Wangye hadn't come to find her, which presented a good opportunity.
She had always believed that Bixi might not have truly turned to ashes, but she wasn't certain. Therefore, she devised a plan: to contact the deities in the heavens.
When she was still Fairy Yuan Rou in the past, she had made many friends. Now that she faced difficulty and sought help, surely those friends wouldn't stand by idly?
Thus, standing under the starry sky, Ye Qingcheng gathered her remaining strength and sent her signal of distress towards the Nine Heavens.
In the past, whenever she announced she was going out to play, just a small message would be enough for deities to seek her out immediately.
The method of sending the message was the same, but the content varied, leading to different outcomes.
Ye Qingcheng tried many times, but all efforts were in vain.
Not a single deity came to find her. Even if there were responses, there were none at all.
Ye Qingcheng felt helpless and gave up. Reflecting on the world's indifference, she became angry and stomped her feet fiercely on the ground.
There was still no movement. The Black and White Impermanence, who used to visit her frequently, did not appear, nor did her disciples, who had always greeted her with smiles.
"Hmph, you bunch of ungrateful bastards!"
Ye Qingcheng pouted, slammed her window shut, and lay down straight on the bed.
She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
Because of Bixi's matter, Ye Qingcheng truly couldn't eat or sleep well, and her entire person had become noticeably thinner.
The day after her plea to the heavenly gods yielded no results, Ye Qingcheng slept until late morning before getting up to wash. Looking into the bronze mirror, she could hardly believe that the sallow-faced woman was herself.
Although Ye Qingcheng was plain in appearance, her face had always been bright and full of energy.
It seemed that Bixi's disappearance had had a profound impact on her.
Ye Qingcheng sighed and instructed the little maidservant beside her to apply some rouge to make her complexion look a bit better.
After tidying herself up, Ye Qingcheng left her room, intending to take a walk in the courtyard.
As soon as she stepped out of her room, she encountered an uninvited guest.
Before she could speak, the uninvited guest spoke with a smiling demeanor, "Princess Consort, your complexion looks much better today. It seems the rest these past few days has been somewhat effective."
She also smiled politely. "It is indeed kind of Young Master Shangguan to be concerned."
"Not at all, I am merely concerned for a friend," Shangguan Hong replied.
Ye Qingcheng remained silent, her smile not faltering, but her mind was occupied with other thoughts.
This Shangguan Hong had been appearing before Ye Qingcheng more frequently than ever since hearing the news of the cat demon's demise.