Chapter 640 537: "Shang Miaoyan, Why Won't You Give Up on Me?

In the Abyssal Sea Palace, the faint sound of water echoed through the dim corridor.

Pei Yuhang and Shang Miaoyan stood back-to-back, their figures overlapping in the faint light of a Luminous Pearl.

Pei Yuhang's slender fingers rested on his sword hilt, his sharp eyes fixed on the unknown darkness ahead.

"Shang Miaoyan, there's no telling how many cultivators were dragged into the Abyssal Sea Palace this time. I'll watch ahead; you watch our rear. Be careful of sneak attacks."

"Mm."

He felt a soft warmth against his back. With Pei Yuhang's approval, Shang Miaoyan subtly shifted even closer.

Her delicate nose twitched as she greedily inhaled the crisp, cold pine scent from him.

A shimmering light rippled in her alluring peach blossom eyes, and her long eyelashes trembled, casting faint shadows on her porcelain-white cheeks.

"...I told you to keep watch. What are you doing?"

He gave the back of her hand a light swat.

Shang Miaoyan flinched, like a cat caught stealing a fish.

She bit her crimson lower lip, her fingertips subconsciously twirling a strand of dark hair that fell across her chest. The tips of her ears flushed a charming pink.

"I... I was keeping watch."

The Shang Miaoyan of the past—the proud and tyrannical Yin Yang Saintess—would never have spoken to Pei Yuhang so softly. Back then, she had him under her thumb, leveraging a secret she held over him and the fact that he constantly needed her help with Ye Liyuan's physical condition and cultivation.

But after everything she had been through with Pei Yuhang, she no longer looked at him with the same domineering air of someone viewing their personal property.

She had come to understand that everything she took pride in was worthless in his eyes.

There were other women far better at pleasing him than she was.

She had lost all her leverage; she couldn't even force him anymore like she used to.

That was why Shang Miaoyan now spoke to him so cautiously, terrified of saying anything to displease him.

Now, simply because he had caught her in that small act, her face was filled with awkward embarrassment.

"Stay alert."

After that one reminder, Pei Yuhang let the matter drop.

When Shang Miaoyan saw he had no intention of turning around, she couldn't help but brush up against him again. The hem of her skirt, embroidered with a Red Lotus Pattern, grazed the edge of his robes.

Sensing his gaze, she lifted a hand to touch the tip of her hot nose. Her skin flushed a faint pink at her touch, looking especially captivating in the dim light.

"I just haven't been alone with you for so long, Xiaohan... I'm just a little excited."

Shang Miaoyan's voice tapered off, the last few words a near-inaudible mumble.

Pei Yuhang fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking:

"Why... are you so persistent with me?"

"I don't understand. Whether it was back in the Saintess Hall or after we reunited at the Dao Sect, you and I have never shared any fond memories.

You love making people submit, while my stubborn nature clashes with yours. What is it about me that's worth such persistent pursuit?"

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze finally falling upon Shang Miaoyan's face. His dark eyes were scrutinizing, as if he were trying to see into her very heart.

"Or is it... this is just about lust?"

"But if it were just carnal desire, such a base impulse isn't enough to explain why I hold such a deeply ingrained place in your heart.

It doesn't explain why you'd chase me for a century, risk your life to block Ji Shenyun, and come all the way to the Endless Sea to find me."

Shang Miaoyan hadn't expected Pei Yuhang to suddenly ask her this.

Her breath hitched. Her long lashes fluttered as she subconsciously twisted her fingers together, as if trying to hide her inner panic.

Countless thoughts raced through her mind. She considered carefully crafting a romantic confession, or perhaps offering a deeply moving apology to atone for the pain she had caused Xiaohan.

But in the end, she let out a soft sigh and chose the most honest answer she could think of.

"Back at the beginning, in the Saintess Hall... I just couldn't stand you. I wanted to bully you."

She turned her head slightly, her gaze landing on the play of light on the distant water. A self-mocking smile touched her lips, but her voice was far softer than usual.

"When you first came to the Saintess Hall, you refused to let me touch you. I didn't care.

After all, I have my own pride. Why should I, the Saintess of a great Sacred Land, have to use a man for my cultivation?"

She paused, her voice dropping. "Did you think... I have no sense of virtue? That I'm that promiscuous?"

Pei Yuhang's eyes flickered. He seemed surprised by her words.

Shang Miaoyan continued, a trace of resentment creeping into her voice. "But then, I'd see you staring at Lin Qianyan's wedding ring every single day. The more lovesick you looked, the more furious I became. I couldn't stand it."

She bit her lower lip, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her peach-blossom eyes.

"I refused to accept it. Even if I hadn't chosen you, from the moment you stepped into the Saintess Hall, you should have belonged to me...

You were always wearing another woman's ring. What was that supposed to mean?"

Shang Miaoyan suddenly looked up, staring straight into Pei Yuhang's eyes, hers filled with a mix of stubbornness and hurt. "I am the Saintess of the Yin Yang Sacred Land, a peerless beauty. How could I possibly lose to some village girl?"

"So, from that moment on, an idea took root in my mind: I had to bully you. I had to oppose you in everything, until I had completely and utterly conquered you.

In the end, that idea became my Heart Demon, an obsession. It grew until I couldn't even tell what I truly felt for you anymore."

"A century later, when I found you again, it was the same. The thought that you, this stubborn rock I had failed to conquer, had been won over by another woman..."