Qianye snapped, jerking his body forward. The strike of pain through him nearly made him hesitate into a grimace, but he continued to growl the words:

"If you think I’m wrong, then say so and explain to me why. Speak your mind! If you are worried about me, then tell me how you feel! Stop swallowing down everything you would otherwise dare say to me because some old gum-sucking fossils taught you that is what you as a servant must do. I don’t give a damn about all of that nonsense!"

His brows had fallen down harshly, and his eyes glimmered a sharp light, and then he muttered, softer, "You are worth more than that."

The sound of the forest trees rustling from beyond the shack walls rustled between them in the silence that descended in the aftermath of what he said.

Qianye, regardless of it, huffed through his nose, and then leaned himself back.

’Ugh... I should tone down my wilfulness.’

As he only allowed himself to repent on his actions after he had said what had to be said, her brows raised. Her eyes had widened and quivered, and her countenance was struck stunned.

Inadvertently a blush, the faintest kind, dressed her cheeks. Her hands clutched at her robe over her knees a little tighter.

’He’s is truly... nothing like the foulness of old. This him... If it’s truly him... then perhaps I can take the risk.’

Then, her mouth opened a little, releasing a faint breath as if she would have spoken. She swallowed it down as Qianye massaged his ribs, wincing and groaning.

"...Qianye," She muttered, and his attention was immediately taken from the woes of his wounds, focused entirely on her eyes. Then her expression began to gradually settle, the blush falling away, and it becoming serious once more. "You are aware of my race’s affinity with the soul, I’m sure?"

Qianye’s smile only grew that little more despite himself there, and he nodded.

She seemed unsure of her questioning statement because before today, Ouyang Qianye had never expressed that he knew much of anything about elves. She was the only one in the sect, and with the rarity of elves in the region, there was seemingly no point in knowing for many of the disciples.

Seeing him nod, her expression became more resolute.

"Even amongst elves, I... am particularly sensitive to and learned in it." Then her brows furrowed, and she genuinely looked irritated with him, "That is why, for me to say that you must not underestimate a soul injury, it is not that I am suggesting you are taking lightly what has happened. It is because the soul is far more complex than humans are aware of, and I do not wish to see you suffer for your race’s ignorance."

Qianye smiled even wider. This was all he wanted. He did not need a servant. For as long as they had left here, he would only like the experience of her.

It had been made painfully clear to him that he could not rely on his knowledge of the plot, or his understanding of the characters from it.

And thus, he firmly muttered back, his eyes briefly falling to a content close, "Then, I will not argue with you about it. I will only wash myself and eat dinner, and then leave myself in your hands."

For a moment, she didn’t say anything. Qianye gradually opened his eyes to see that her expression was faintly surprised.

"You’ll..." Her expression had stilled once more, silently having still expected some resistance.

"Leave myself in your hands after I’ve cleaned up and eaten." Qianye nodded, completing what he assumed would have been her reiterating his question. Then he let go a curious look, "You don’t expect me to rest with blood all over me, do you? And hungry? I don’t think that’s very conducive to beneficial rest especially considering the state of me."

"...No, that’s fine... It’s... perfect." She lowered her head faintly for several moments, and her hair curtained her face from him during that time. Then she glanced back up, serious once more, with her brows furrowed again.

"However, I was worried about you. What could you possibly have done to end up like that? I had only left your side for a quarter of the hour or so, and I had to race here feeling the diminishing of your soul." The grit in her voice sounded threatening, shivering through him a very dangerous feel that she would expect anything less than a satisfactory answer.

"...Before I tell you anything," Qianye’s expression fell serious as well. "I want you to answer a question of mine."

For several moments, she didn’t respond, and then she gave a deep nod.

"If we could get rid of that slave seal, would you leave this place with me? What you want to do after leaving is up to you. I’m not asking if you will stay by my side. I’m asking if you would risk being hunted down by the sect to escape with me if we could get it off."

The shift in her expression from seriousness to surprise, unlike earlier, was now gradual.

All of the slaves in the sect were branded to their hearts with the slave seal of the sect. It was a measure applied across all of their grades.

However, with that being said, with each grade of quality upward, the formation that was used along with the slave seal became more complex.

A Golden grade servant like her did not have anything ’simple’ to get rid of, and the slightest mistake could easily kill her.

That was why, at his question, she remained silent for over three dozen seconds. And Qianye did not rush her, understanding the implications of what he was asking.

"If... it was possible," She began and her countenance remained soft as she muttered delicately, "...then whatever end might come of it, so be it. I would not hesitate to escape. Losing my life chasing the opportunity for my freedom is a better end than wasting away here." Her hands, holding her robes, rubbed the fabric as her eyes then fell a little, considering her words, then she said firmly, "And there is not another amongst the living that I would rather attempt it with than you now."

His countenance remained even as the moonlight shifted across her velveted countenance. A breeze eased into the shack and her straight her faintly swayed.

Qianye did not at all know how to undo the slave seal formation.

However, he possessed a massive amount of memories from an ancient whore. With her knowledge of Conceptions, she was bound to know something about how it could be broken, and he could teach her how to do it directly or somehow pass on the memories.

With that being said, that was not why he had asked the question.