[The Pact of the Heart]
By the pavilion, the light of the Heart of Yao Spirit pulsed gently in Gu Xingyu's palm. Crown Prince Si Moyan stared, breathless. "You truly have it..."
"If you vow to bring the Underworld into the sun and end this cycle of slaughter," Xingyu said, her voice steady as a mountain, "I will give this to you before your coronation. Until then, it stays with me."
Moyan bowed in respect. "You have shown me a future I never dared to imagine."
Xingyu added one final demand: the exoneration of General Luo Ting (Luo Ye's father) and Consort Xian (Si Moheng's mother). "Their innocence is the key to healing the hearts of those they left behind."
Moyan solemnly agreed, outlining a three-step plan: a secret investigation into Feng Mian, a public decree to change perceptions of the Underworld, and finally, the creation of an autonomous territory.
"In the Yao world, you remain Gu Xingyu," he declared. "In our secret dealings, you are You Qing. We are bound by this 'Pact of Azure Pool'."
[The Red String of Obsession]
Leaving the pavilion, Xingyu met Si Moheng in the shadows of the side hall. The moment he saw her, months of suppressed longing exploded. He pulled her into a crushing embrace, his voice trembling. "I waited... I really waited! If not for this red string, I would have broken."
Xingyu felt a pang of guilt. She tied a new, sturdy protection cord around his wrist. "This replaces the old one," she whispered. "Let it mark our moment."
But Moheng didn't let go. His eyes burned with a dark fire, and before she could speak, he claimed her lips in a desperate, frantic kiss. It was a kiss born of months of agony, a wildfire sweeping through a parched forest. Xingyu didn't pull away; she felt his shoulders shaking and leaned into the sorrow of his embrace.
[The Different and the Only]
"I thought of you... and the Five Yao," Xingyu murmured, leaning her forehead against his chest.
Moheng's joy faltered. The mention of the Five Yao felt like a splash of ice water. Why must they always be there? Xingyu sensed his pain and took his hand. "Moheng, it's different. When I think of the Five Yao, I feel peace, knowing I have comrades. But when I think of you..." Her eyes softened with a bittersweet light. "My heart tightens. It aches. It flutters. That feeling... is only for you."
Moheng froze. A thrill of pure, ecstatic triumph surged through him. Only for me.
He laughed softly, a sound filled with relief and a burgeoning, manic possessiveness. He pulled her back into his arms, hiding his face in her hair.
"I've remembered every word you said," he whispered.
But deep inside, a darker voice spoke: It's not enough to be "different." I want to be the "only" one. I will erase every other name from your heart until your eyes see no one but me. Xingyu, unaware of the storm brewing in his soul, simply patted his back, promising to stand by him. She didn't see the flash of obsession in his eyes—a promise that he would never let her go, no matter the cost.