Chapter 415
Shen Wei was stunned.
She thought she had misheard.
Bewildered, she gazed at Li Yuanli and tentatively whispered, "Really?"
Li Yuanli's pupils reflected the flickering campfire as he replied, "Really. But Shen Wei, first watch the sunrise with me."
Shen Wei couldn’t understand Li Yuanli’s train of thought, but since he had temporarily agreed, she could only nod softly. "Alright."
It was still early, and the night outside the cave was hazy.
Inside, the cave was warm, and Shen Wei slowly closed her eyes again, seizing the chance to rest. In her drowsy state, she could sense Li Yuanli’s gaze—he seemed to be watching her.
Staring at her for a long, long time.
Time flowed silently.
Li Yuanli didn’t sleep the entire night.
The darkness quietly spread across the wilderness, and the horizon gradually brightened with the first light of dawn. A golden ray burst through the clouds, and the crimson sun emerged from the mountains.
Daybreak had arrived.
The campfire had burned out, and Shen Wei was awakened by faint rustling sounds. The cave entrance faced east, offering a perfect view of the blood-red morning sky. Shen Wei’s face lit up with joy as she waved to Li Yuanli. "The sunrise."
Li Yuanli responded, "Mm."
The mountain breeze brushed past them as Shen Wei and Li Yuanli stepped out of the cave, gazing into the distance. Layers of peaks stretched far, and even the distant sea was visible—the sunrise was breathtakingly beautiful.
Near the cave entrance, there were stones serving as makeshift seats. Shen Wei naturally settled onto one.
The two watched the sunrise together.
The morning air was chilly, and Li Yuanli draped his cloak over Shen Wei’s shoulders. He wished time could freeze at this moment, never moving forward—but time had its own pace. The crimson sun slowly ascended, transforming from a half-circle to a full orb, standing proudly atop the mountains.
Li Yuanli sighed. "In the past, my mother often took me to the palace walls to watch the sunrise. She always worried I wouldn’t live long... She overthought it. I didn’t die young after all."
Shen Wei sat beside him, silent and withdrawn, unsure if she had even heard him.
Li Yuanli sighed inwardly.
His slender fingers reached for his neck, unclasping a fishbone necklace with a silver key dangling at the end. The Southern Chu cavalry who had followed him stepped forward, kneeling to present a small box.
Shen Wei’s eyes flickered toward it, her expression saying, "I knew it." Over the past days, she had exhausted every means to search for the device and the key, nearly turning the Southern Sea estate upside down.
Yet she had found nothing.
Back then, Shen Wei had already suspected that Li Yuanli might carry the key on his person, keeping it out of anyone else’s reach.
Li Yuanli used the key to open the box, retrieving a palm-sized, intricate device.
Click—
A piercing soundwave struck Shen Wei’s ears. Dizziness overwhelmed her, her vision blurred, and her soul felt as if it were being torn away. She knew she was about to return to her original body.
Struggling to keep her eyes open, she saw Li Yuanli’s face rapidly aging under the crimson sunlight. Startled, she asked, "You... what’s happening to you?"
Just moments ago, Li Yuanli’s hair had been jet-black—yet now, it had turned white in an instant.
He was aging at an alarming speed.
In that fleeting moment, Shen Wei seemed to understand. The price of activating the device was Li Yuanli’s life force.
She had never imagined Li Yuanli would willingly sacrifice his life.
The wind howled at the cave entrance. Li Yuanli glanced down at his now-pale hair. Activating the device had drained his vitality, leaving him weak. He slumped against Shen Wei’s shoulder.
This time, Shen Wei didn’t push him away.
Li Yuanli felt content as he gazed at the crimson sun above the mountains. "I can’t tell if it’s obsession or love... but Shen Wei, I could never let you go..."
How he wished Shen Wei could love him—just a little, even the tiniest bit.
But he had never found the key to Shen Wei’s heart. No matter what he did, he couldn’t win her love.
Perhaps Shen Wei would never understand Li Yuanli’s fixation. From the moment he was born, his father had deemed him "a tool to temper the crown prince."
Li Yuanli’s early life may have seemed glorious, but in the end, he was destined to lose everything. Refusing to remain a pawn, he clawed his way out of the abyss—and the force that pulled him out was none other than the seemingly insignificant Shen Wei.
Shen Wei was a sudden beam of light.
Occasionally, it would fall upon him, and he grew addicted to its warmth, longing to hold onto it forever.
"Shen Wei, before you leave... is there nothing you want to say to me?" Li Yuanli asked.
Even a single word would suffice.
Just to hear her voice one last time.
Though her soul was being torn apart and her head spun, Shen Wei’s mind remained strangely clear.
Having lived through past and present lives, she had always been a detached observer, coldly watching the joys, sorrows, and passions of the world. She was rational by nature, never allowing herself to be swept into emotional whirlpools.
She didn’t understand why Li Yuanli loved her so deeply.
After a pause, Shen Wei decided to be honest. "When I woke up in Yuan Family Fishing Village, my body was weak. Later, after drinking Yuan Fu’s herbal concoctions, I gradually recovered—enough to even go seafaring and sell fish with that child."
Li Yuanli listened quietly.
Her voice was so soothing...
Shen Wei continued, "Later, when you brought me back to Southern Chu, you fed me many tonics along the way. Truthfully, I never drank them—I secretly spat them out, fearing you’d poisoned me. Even in the Southern Chu palace, I disposed of the imperial physician’s medicines and had Moxun prescribe me something to feign frailty."
Li Yuanli pondered this.
Shen Wei laid bare her thoughts. "The ‘six-month lifespan’ was Moxun’s lie... I played along, pretending to be weak and short-lived, hoping to earn your pity."
And she had succeeded.
Her deception secured Li Yuanli’s pity, prompting him to hand over the device. Now, her soul was gradually returning—soon, she would be back in her body in Qing State.
With their parting imminent and Li Yuanli on the verge of death, Shen Wei chose to reveal the truth.
Silence enveloped them.
Li Yuanli suddenly let out a bitter, resigned chuckle. "Shen Wei... you never fail to surprise me."
This was the Shen Wei he adored.
Even in dire straits, she could scheme her way out, leaving others willingly deceived yet unable to resent her.
A life half-wasted, half-tumultuous—yet encountering someone as extraordinary as Shen Wei filled Li Yuanli with contentment.
Bathed in sunlight, Li Yuanli could no longer keep his eyes open. He rested his head on Shen Wei’s shoulder. "Shen Wei, if there’s a next life... promise you’ll let me meet you first."
If reincarnation existed, he wanted to find Shen Wei before Li Yuanjing ever could—to claim her as his own.
Shen Wei didn’t answer. She never made empty promises.
The sun rose high, its golden spring light spilling across the land.
Li Yuanli leaned against Shen Wei’s shoulder... and breathed his last.