The Stone of Asking Love

With a flick of his palm, Ye Xuan revealed a heart-shaped odd stone resting quietly in his hand.

The stone was no bigger than a palm, a dull grayish-white throughout, yet its surface was covered in a web of fine, natural veins, as if woven from countless strands of longing.

Under the firelight, it gave off a strange, almost bewitching aura—one glance and it seemed capable of dragging out the deepest obsessions buried in a person's heart.

He set the stone before Ying'er, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"This object is called the Heart-Questioning Stone."

"It was personally refined by a demonic grandmaster who stood at the absolute peak of the Dao of Love. Legend has it that his cultivation was beyond reach, yet he spent his entire life lost in love, and in the end, he used love to enter the Dao and to prove the Dao."

As he spoke, a flicker of amusement passed through Ye Xuan's eyes.

"To forge this stone, he gathered the purest emotions of love from heaven and earth, fused them with the obsessions of countless lovelorn souls, and tempered them over a thousand years with demonic fire before it took shape. These stones are extremely rare. They can neither kill enemies nor increase cultivation, but in the eyes of some, they're more precious than immortal artifacts."

Ying'er was taken aback, and couldn't help asking, "Why?"

Ye Xuan looked at her, and said slowly, "Because it can question the heart."

"Mortals can ask truth from falsehood. Cultivators can ask true intent from pretense. In its presence, all fake affection and hollow words are laid bare."

Ying'er parted her lips slightly, her eyes filled with curiosity and bewilderment.

"Question the heart? You can measure true feelings too? If you like someone, you like them; if you don't, you don't. Can you really lie to yourself?"

Hearing this, Ye Xuan let out a soft chuckle, and countered, "Then tell me—how would you prove true love?"

"Prove?" Ying'er blinked. "Prove what?"

"Prove your true heart."

Ye Xuan looked at her, his voice unhurried, yet carrying a trace of something that sent a chill through her heart.

"You can know a person's face, but not their heart. Someone may be kind to you, but it isn't necessarily sincere; someone may say they love you, but they might not truly mean it. Some are all sweet words, yet hide a blade behind their back; others wear a cold expression and say nothing, but would give their life for you."

"In this world of immortal cultivation, betrayal and scheming are the norm. If you have no way to distinguish a true heart, how do you know whether the person standing before you loves you or deceives you?"

When these words fell, Ying'er's face went slightly pale.

As if suddenly recalling something, a flash of pain and grievance rose in her eyes, and her voice trembled.

"Then... do I have to cut out my heart to prove that I love someone?"

She looked up at Ye Xuan, her eyes already misting over.

" Husband, if you don't trust me... you can cut my heart out and look. Every part of it is filled with you."

The moment she said this, Ye Xuan's heart shook violently.

He no longer had any mind to tease her. He stepped forward swiftly and pulled the silly girl tightly into his arms.

"Don't talk nonsense."

His voice instantly softened, carrying a hint of helplessness and a hint of tenderness.

"When did I ever say I didn't trust you? I was just explaining what the Heart-Questioning Stone does. Baby, do you think I don't know your feelings for me?"

As he spoke, he lowered his head and gently wiped the tears from her eyes, then pressed a soft kiss to her slightly reddened lips.

"If I truly had the heart to hurt you, why would I have protected you all this time?"

Held in his arms, Ying'er's anxious emotions gradually settled, and the grievance in her eyes faded somewhat.

Seeing her calm down, Ye Xuan lifted the Heart-Questioning Stone again and explained in a low voice:

"The Heart-Questioning Stone starts out gray. When the person being tested stands before it and releases the feelings and longing they hold for another, it will respond on its own."

"The more red appears on the stone, the deeper the affection."

"If the stone turns entirely red, that means love unto death, unchanging through life and beyond."

"Whether it's due to deceit or fear, if the heart isn't true, the color on the stone can never be fully complete."

Ying'er stared blankly at the heart-shaped stone, as if looking at some incredible treasure.

"To think... such a thing exists in the world?"

She blinked, her expression both amazed and tinged with a girl's unique romantic excitement.

"Does that mean, in front of it, no one can lie?"

Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow, a meaningful glint flickering in his eyes.

"At least, most people can't."

But Ying'er didn't notice the hidden depth in his words. She simply grabbed his sleeve with eager anticipation, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

"Husband, then test me, will you? I want to see... just how much I love you."

Ye Xuan looked at her, fondness rising in his eyes, and nodded.

"Alright."

Spiritual power stirred in his palm, slowly flowing into the Heart-Questioning Stone.

The once gray and lifeless stone trembled slightly, and the veins on its surface lit up one by one, like ancient runes being ignited.

The next moment, a streak of vivid crimson spread from the very depths of the stone.

The red wasn't stiff. It was like molten gold and flowing fire—alive, blazing, carrying a breathtaking vitality, racing along the natural veins and spreading rapidly.

Ying'er held her breath, her heart rising to her throat without her realizing it.

And then, the red didn't pause for even an instant. In the blink of an eye, it had covered the entire stone.

Full red.

Flawless throughout.

The once gray Heart-Questioning Stone had transformed into a crystal-clear crimson heart-jade, as if the most ardent and purest love in the world had been condensed within it, dazzling enough that one couldn't look away.

Ying'er froze.

All full.

It truly was all full!

That meant her feelings for Ye Xuan had reached the point of deathless devotion, with nothing held back.

In that instant, the girl's pretty face flushed crimson, and she was so shy she could hardly raise her head. She buried herself in Ye Xuan's chest, her ears burning red.

The faint unease in her heart finally dissolved completely in that moment.

Before this stone, which could reflect a true heart, her love had received the most fair and complete acknowledgment.

Ye Xuan looked at the shy, satisfied girl in his arms, and the smile at the corners of his lips softened. He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her hair.

In this immortal cultivation world, filled with bloodshed and treachery, to have someone who entrusts their entire heart to him was, indeed, a luxurious miracle.

But soon, Ying'er seemed to think of something, and suddenly raised her head.

A hint of slyness sparkled in her eyes, mixed with expectation. She gently tugged at his clothes.

"What about you?"

"You just said the Heart-Questioning Stone can test my heart—so naturally, it can test yours too."

"Husband, let me see yours, alright?"

The moment these words left her lips, the smile on Ye Xuan's face froze slightly.

For just an instant, he went silent.

And that brief moment of silence, to Ying'er, was like a basin of cold water thrown over her head.

The smile on her face slowly faded, and the light in her eyes dimmed. The clarity and sparkle in them clouded over once more with a layer of mist, and grievance and disappointment nearly overflowed.

Ye Xuan's heart sank.

Damn it.

He knew better than anyone that if the Questioning Heart Stone were allowed to truly reflect his inner feelings, all of Ying'er's joy today would shatter in an instant.

He closed his eyes briefly, a flash of resolve passing through the depths of his gaze.

When he opened them again, a gentle smile had already returned to his face.

"Silly girl, what's there that can't be tested?"

"My heart, of course, is yours as well."

As the words fell, Ye Xuan held up the Questioning Heart Stone and pressed his fingertip against it.

But at this moment, what he released was not affection.

It was willpower.