Chapter 415
**Chapter 413: Sacrifice and Dedication**
Shen Wei was taken aback.
She thought she had misheard.
With a look of confusion, she gazed at Li Yuanli and tentatively asked, “Really?”
Li Yuanli, his pupils reflecting the flickering campfire, replied, “Really. But first, Shen Wei, let’s watch the sunrise together.”
Shen Wei couldn’t quite grasp Li Yuanli’s thought process, but since he had agreed for the moment, she could only nod gently, “Okay.”
It was still early, and the night outside the cave was shrouded in mist.
Inside the cave, it was warm. Shen Wei slowly closed her eyes, seizing the opportunity to rest. In her drowsy state, she sensed Li Yuanli’s gaze, as if he had been watching her all along.
He gazed at her for a long, long time.
Time flowed quietly.
Li Yuanli hadn’t slept all night.
The night slipped silently through the mountains, and the sky gradually lightened to a pale gray. A beam of golden light burst forth from the clouds, and the blood-red sun emerged from behind the mountains.
Daylight broke.
The campfire had burned out, and Shen Wei was awakened by the rustling sounds. The cave’s entrance faced east, perfectly positioned to catch the morning’s crimson glow. Shen Wei’s face lit up with joy as she waved to Li Yuanli, “The sunrise!”
Li Yuanli replied, “Mm.”
The mountain breeze blew gently as Shen Wei and Li Yuanli stepped out of the cave, gazing into the distance. The layered mountains loomed ahead, and in the far distance, the sea could be glimpsed, the sunrise painting a breathtaking scene.
There were stones at the cave entrance that served as makeshift seats, and Shen Wei naturally settled down.
The two of them watched the sunrise together.
The morning air was chilly, and Li Yuanli draped his cloak over Shen Wei. He wished time could freeze at that moment, never to flow again, but alas, time had its own pace. The blood-red sun rose slowly, transforming from a half-circle to a full orb, standing tall above 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 worried too much; I’m not short-lived after all.”
Shen Wei sat beside him, silent, unsure if she had absorbed his words.
Li Yuanli sighed inwardly.
His bony fingers reached for his neck, retrieving a fishbone necklace with a silver key dangling from it. A soldier from the Southern Chu cavalry stepped forward, kneeling to present a box.
Shen Wei’s gaze shifted, revealing an expression of “I knew it.” During this time, she had tried every means to find the instruments and keys, nearly turning the Southern Sea villa upside down.
But to no avail.
At that time, Shen Wei had already vaguely guessed that Li Yuanli might be carrying the key with him, keeping it out of reach of others.
Li Yuanli used the key to unlock the box, taking out a palm-sized precision instrument.
Click—
The sound wave was piercing, and Shen Wei felt dizzy, her vision blurring, as if her soul was about to be pulled away. She knew she had to return to her original body.
Struggling to open her eyes, she saw Li Yuanli’s face aging rapidly in the blood-red sunlight. Shen Wei was slightly taken aback, “You... what’s wrong?”
Just moments ago, Li Yuanli had a head full of dark hair, but in an instant, it had turned white.
A rapid aging.
In a flash, Shen Wei seemed to understand. The cost of activating the instrument was draining Li Yuanli’s life.
She never expected that Li Yuanli would actually sacrifice his life.
The wind at the cave entrance was strong, and Li Yuanli lowered his gaze to his pale hair. Activating the instrument caused his vitality to deplete rapidly; he lost strength and leaned against Shen Wei’s shoulder.
This time, Shen Wei didn’t push him away.
Li Yuanli felt a sense of fulfillment as he gazed at the red sun above the mountains, “I can’t tell if it’s obsession or love, but Shen Wei, I can never let you go...”
He wished Shen Wei could love him, even just a little.
But unfortunately, he couldn’t find the key to her heart, and he could never obtain her love.
Perhaps Shen Wei would never understand Li Yuanli’s obsession. From the moment he was born, his father had defined him as “a tool to train the crown prince.”
Li Yuanli’s first half of life seemed glorious, yet it was destined to end in utter defeat. He was unwilling to be a tool, striving to climb out of the abyss—only to find that the strength to escape came from the seemingly insignificant Shen Wei.
Shen Wei was a beam of light that suddenly broke in.
Occasionally, it fell upon him, and he cherished the warmth of that light, wanting to hold onto it forever.
“Shen Wei, before you leave, is there anything you want to say to me?” Li Yuanli asked her.
Just a word would do.
As long as he could hear Shen Wei’s voice.
With a tearing sensation in her soul, Shen Wei felt dizzy, yet her mind was inexplicably clear.
Having lived many years in both past and present, Shen Wei had always been a detached observer, watching the joys, sorrows, loves, and hates of the world with a cold eye. She was always rational, with logic guiding her thoughts, never throwing herself into the whirlpool of emotions.
She didn’t understand why Li Yuanli loved her so deeply.
After a moment of thought, she decided to speak honestly, “When I woke up in the Yuan family fishing village, I was weak. Later, after drinking the medicine brewed by Yuan Fu, I gradually recovered, even able to go to the sea to sell fish with that child.”
Li Yuanli listened quietly.
He thought, her voice is truly beautiful...
Shen Wei continued, “Then you brought me back to Southern Chu, and along the way, you made me drink a lot of nourishing medicine. But I didn’t take any of it; I secretly spat it out, afraid you would poison me. In the Southern Chu palace, I also secretly spat out the medicine the imperial physician sent, and I had Mo Xun prescribe me some medicine that would make me appear weak.”
Li Yuanli seemed to ponder this.
Shen Wei bared her heart, “The six months of life was a lie from Mo Xun... I played along, pretending to be weak and short-lived, hoping to earn your pity.”
Shen Wei succeeded.
She had successfully gained Li Yuanli’s pity, prompting him to willingly hand over the instrument. Shen Wei’s soul was slowly returning to its rightful place; she would soon be back in her body in the Kingdom of Qing.
As the moment of parting approached, with Li Yuanli on the brink of death, Shen Wei chose to reveal the truth to him.
The surroundings fell silent.
Li Yuanli suddenly revealed a helpless smile, murmuring, “Shen Wei, you always bring surprises...”
This was the Shen Wei he liked.
Even when trapped, she could devise a strategy to escape, making others dance to her tune, and yet they would willingly give without a hint of complaint.
Half a life of absurdity, half a life of ups and downs; to encounter such a special Shen Wei, Li Yuanli felt content.
The sun shone brightly, and Li Yuanli could no longer open his eyes. Leaning against Shen Wei’s shoulder, he whispered, “Shen Wei, if there’s a next life, make sure I meet you first.”
In the next life, he would ensure he met Shen Wei before Li Yuanjing, to possess her.
Shen Wei didn’t respond; she never made empty promises.
The sun rose high, the brilliant spring sunlight pouring down upon the world.
Li Yuanli leaned against Shen Wei’s shoulder, his breath fading away.
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