Ye Yi sank into the agony of his own past.
"I hate that they died so cleanly—"
"They're the ones who cast me into Evernight… they're the ones who drove me into demonhood!!"
Inside the bracelet he thrashed as if he could tear the beads apart.
"Si Chengxun is her child—I won't kill him."
"Si Chengjing was born of another consort—I will kill him."
"The Virtuous Consort carried Si Chengjing's blood—so die."
"Si Mo Heng—"
"Si Chengjing's son—"
"Should die most of all!!"
Si Mo Heng's gaze stayed locked on the black-obsidian bracelet—cold, unblinking.
Ye Yi kept laughing, mad and cruel.
"I pinned 'collusion and treason' on her and whispered it into Si Chengjing's ear—then he sent the Virtuous Consort and that infant—"
"—into the death-prison camp."
"Heh. They should've died there."
"Starved to death. Slaughtered to death. Tortured to death—"
His voice abruptly cut off.
A sharp note of… resentment.
"I just never expected—"
"Si Mo Heng's life… no matter how I tried to break it, it wouldn't break!!"
"Not only did he live—"
"He entered the Shadow Guard—"
"And became the blade in Si Chengjing's hand!!!"
Ye Yi sounded as if destiny itself had mocked him.
"What a cosmic joke!"
"I thought I'd cut off the imperial vein—"
"Instead I raised a sharper weapon for him!"
"The harder his life got, the more it laughed at me—"
Youqing listened as Ye Yi described how he had ground Si Mo Heng down. Each word gouged into her like a knife. Her eyes darkened; the light at her fingertips tightened—silent, compressing, pressing down.
For the first time, Ye Yi showed real terror.
"No… no… Imperial Daughter… you can't ferry me—"
"I don't want to go to Fengdu… the Underworld—Yan Ling is there… she'll see…"
"I can't face her…"
"I can't—!"
Youqing's gaze turned to frost.
"Ye Yi."
"Your Evernight ends here."
"You're not afraid of death."
"You're afraid of facing your own crimes."
Ye Yi broke completely.
"No!!!!!!!!"
Light swallowed him.
His final scream was devoured, smothered into nothing. The black tide of the Soul Well receded, slow and unwilling, until only Youqing remained—standing alone at the center of radiance, as if the light were the afterimage of her life burning down to its last ember.
When the light finally thinned—
Youqing's knees buckled.
"Qing'er—!"
Si Mo Heng's voice was sharper than when he broke the formation—sharper, and far more panicked.
Everyone was still drowning in Ye Yi's sins and the rage they stirred—
but the moment Youqing fell, it tore through them harder than any hatred.
Luo Ye's hand shook; he nearly lost his grip on Ling Dang.
Lin Lie went bloodless, as if drained in an instant.
Sang Qi's breath caught and stopped.
Cang Yuan's pupils pinched to a needlepoint.
Li Yan's shield-hand went white at the knuckles.
The three generals moved at once, like beasts about to charge into battle.
Si Mo Heng reached her first.
He dropped to his knees like he collided with the ground, arms snapping out—catching Youqing before she could crumple into the fading glow.
Youqing went limp in his embrace, strength gone.
Her breathing was thin—so thin it sounded ready to snap.
All the color drained from Si Mo Heng's face.
"Qing'er… Qing'er?!"
His voice fell into a broken edge—holding back frenzy, holding back terror, holding back a heart about to explode.
Sang Qi lunged in, seized Youqing's wrist, and took her pulse.
Two breaths.
Then he released a heavy exhale.
"She's fine!"
"Just—overdrawn. Soul channels took too much impact, too long. The backlash… she needs rest."
Si Mo Heng didn't hear the second half.
The instant he heard "she's fine," it was like the heart dangling over the abyss finally found the cliff's edge.
He said nothing—only bowed his head and pressed his forehead to hers for two breaths,
as if confirming she was truly alive.
Then his arms tightened.
And—
he scooped her up in a bridal carry.
Strong and steady. Urgent and ruthless.
Cang Yuan: "…Oh."
Luo Ye frowned. "This man today—he's gone mad."
Li Yan rumbled, "Not mad. Afraid."
Sang Qi muttered, "Afraid out of his mind."
Si Mo Heng didn't look at anyone.
He didn't offer a single explanation.
He held Youqing like he was holding his own life.
His cloak dragged over stone. His killing intent, panic, and protectiveness compressed into one command—
"Back to Yaodu."
His voice was low enough to crack the Soul Well.
"Now."
Garo: "Yes!"
Tu Tan roared, "All units—escort His Highness and the Imperial Daughter!"
Lianyu was already sprinting toward the exit. "The yao-carriage is on the upper level!"
The Five Yao didn't need orders. They moved as one.
Lin Lie surged ahead to cut a path, Metal Yao talisman-coins flashing, lighting the tunnel in sharp gold.
Li Yan anchored the rear with his shield, absorbing the last trembling aftershocks of the Soul Well.
Luo Ye hugged Ling Dang close, shadowing Si Mo Heng, letting nothing come near either of them.
Cang Yuan prowled the outer ring, blade-light flickering like a warning.
Sang Qi stayed near Youqing's breathing, adjusting her pulse by touch, cold sweat breaking across his brow.
The entire team—carrying two who had fallen—
ran from the blackest depths of the Abyss
toward the mouth of light.
The ground shook. Stone chips rained down behind them, roaring like a furious beast.
Si Mo Heng said nothing.
But everyone could hear the soundless vow in the way he held her—
touch her again, and you will pay.
Boom—!
Runes ignited across the yao-carriage. Mechanisms snapped open. The vehicle tore forward, leaving a blinding golden tail.
The driver didn't dare ask a single question. He pushed the speed to its limit.
The wasteland blurred into a single smear behind them.
Si Mo Heng sat in the very front row—Youqing in his arms.
It was as if his entire body was tethered to her breath.
Youqing was light, soft, her breathing like a candle in wind—
and every thought in his head was the same:
one heartbeat slower, and she's gone.
He lowered his head to her ear. His voice was hoarse, not his own.
"Qing'er…"
Behind them, Luo Ye clutched the unconscious Ling Dang, face dark enough to ignite the whole carriage.
"Sang Qi—she… she's really—"
Sang Qi's reply was clipped. "Alive. That's all you need. Hold her."
Luo Ye's veins still jumped at his temple. His fingers trembled, but he forced the fire down.
"…That bastard Ye Yi…"
He swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the little girl in his arms.
"Dang'er, hold on… Yaodu's close… I won't let you leave my sight again."
Cang Yuan leaned against the wall, robes soaked in blood. For once he didn't smile, didn't tease. His eyes stayed on the person in Si Mo Heng's arms.
"The Third Prince…" he said softly. "He really put Xingyu in his heart."
Lin Lie's hands were clenched over his knees, knuckles white.
"What Ye Yi said… about Metal Yao…"
His voice was low, heavy in his chest.
Li Yan pressed a hand to his shoulder. "Your grandfather wasn't murdered—he chose honor. That isn't shame."
Lin Lie lowered his eyes, silent for three breaths, then exhaled.
"…Yeah."
Li Yan kept his shield across his lap, ready to take the next hit that came—spoken or otherwise.
He didn't say it, but everyone felt it:
he valued the team above his own life.
Garo muttered, "Seeing His Highness like this… even I feel my heart tighten."
Lianyu snorted, eyes shut as he leaned back. "You've never been in love. You wouldn't understand."
"Love" was a modern word Youqing had taught them.
Tu Tan shot him a look. "You talk like you have."
Lianyu ignored him and let himself drift into a thin rest.
The yao-carriage cut across the wasteland. Dust streamed behind them like a long wound in the earth—
as if the land itself was folding away the aftershocks of catastrophe.
Evernight finally scattered.
Ye Yi ran from himself all his life, and still couldn't outrun the verdict of light.
Si Mo Heng held his life in his arms and raced the world for it—no longer the cold executioner, but a soul trying to keep the one he loved from slipping away.
The Five Yao's old blood-debts had been named. Ling Dang's nightmare had cracked.
And when the golden tail of the yao-carriage split the oncoming dawn,
the story did not end in victory—
but in the fierce, trembling warmth of survival.
Si Mo Heng: "Qing'er… Ye Yi is gone. No one in this world will hurt you again. So—please. Open your eyes."
Youqing: (in unconscious, faint breath) "… "
Luo Ye: "Dang'er. We're going home."