Jia Ling'er Completely Petrified Baring Her Heart

Jia Ling'er was visited by the Jialan Empress in her dreams again.

"Ling'er, how is it? Have you uncovered the secrets of our ancestral land?" The Jialan Empress took Jia Ling'er's small hand, her phoenix eyes tightening with concern.

The girl's once-soft hand was now half-petrified, turned into an unsightly stone.

"Ling'er, how could you let your mortal heart stir again? If this continues, you'll die—do you understand?" Watching her daughter slowly turn to stone, the Jialan Empress grew frantic.

"Mother... I..." Jia Ling'er lowered her head, unable to speak.

She hadn’t meant to develop feelings for that scoundrel. But... that guy kept summoning her to warm his bed under the guise of cultivation.

Even if she had truly felt nothing at first, over time... emotions inevitably grew!

This was her predicament now—trapped between two choices, destined to sink deeper into it.

"Mother, I... I didn’t get any information about the ancestral land. He never gave me a chance to ask," Jia Ling'er whispered.

"What do you mean, no chance?" The Jialan Empress frowned. "Actually, you should avoid contact with that Jiang heir altogether. Let the other clansmen who descended with you ask in your stead."

"Ah, I nearly forgot—how are those clansmen who awakened their royal blood? Their petrification must be worse, no?" the Empress suddenly asked.

"Huh? I haven’t paid much attention... but they don’t seem petrified at all. Maybe it’s because they don’t love Jiang Che!" As she spoke, a glimmer of realization lit up Jia Ling'er’s eyes.

That’s right! How could she have forgotten?

Those mermaids clung to Jiang Che all day, calling him "Master" and "Brother" so sweetly it made her skin crawl.

And yet?

They were completely fine—no signs of petrification whatsoever. So... those mermaids were all faking it! They didn’t have an ounce of genuine affection for Jiang Che.

Meanwhile, she—who had started with nothing but hatred—had slowly fallen for him over time.

Heh, that unlucky Jiang Che was probably still being fooled by those scheming, two-faced mermaids, wasn’t he?

No matter how talented he was, what good did it do? He was still being tricked by women. In fact, none of the women around him probably loved him for real—they were all just after his treasures and wealth!

Yes! That had to be it!!!

"Ah, how pitiful. I’m the only one who feels even the slightest bit of affection for you... like taking pity on a stray dog on the street."

Jia Ling'er began constructing this narrative in her mind, her lips curling into a smug smile as she deluded herself.

"Ling'er? What are you muttering about?" The Jialan Empress’s cold glare snapped her out of her fantasy.

"Mother... it’s nothing. I’ll do as you say, don’t worry... I’ll never truly fall for Jiang Che," Jia Ling'er declared confidently, patting her chest.

...

But soon, Jia Ling'er realized the truth was nothing like what she had imagined.

"Ling'er, what’s wrong with your hand?!"

Jia Ling'er was shaken awake from her dream.

The girl pouted, drowsily waving her small hand—but then she jolted fully awake.

Her hand... what was wrong with it?

Her eyes flew open to see Jiang Che gripping her wrist at the bedside, his face dark as he stared at her half-petrified palm.

Her heart plummeted.

To hide her condition, she had been wearing gloves every day.

But now...

"It’s nothing! Really, it’s fine!" Jia Ling'er yanked her hand back, hiding it behind her, her guilt written all over her face.

Jiang Che looked straight at her, his gaze sharp with accusation.

"Tell me. What is this? Why is your hand turning to stone?"

Jia Ling'er’s mind went blank.

She remembered what Jiang Che had once told her—that he had dreamed of her petrified.

Now, faced with his anger, she couldn’t bear it.

"Jiang Che... I... I’m petrifying. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, I really didn’t!" In her panic, she even burst into tears.

She expected fury, but she was wrong.

Instead, Jiang Che gently pulled her into his arms, soothing her with a soft touch.

"It’s alright. Don’t be afraid."

Jia Ling'er froze, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes, her nose sniffling pitifully.

"So the dreams I had were real, weren’t they? Your Jialan clan really has this curse—falling in love turns you to stone?"

Jiang Che cupped her face, his voice deadly serious.

His demeanor gave her an overwhelming sense of security.

Jia Ling'er nodded weakly. "Yes... our clan bears this curse. If we develop... develop..." Her face burned red. To admit she had fallen for Jiang Che?

This was beyond humiliating!

"If we develop feelings for a human... we slowly turn to stone!!!"

By the time she finished, her face was so red it looked ready to drip blood, steam practically rising from her head as she squirmed in embarrassment.

And the moment those words left her lips, her petrification accelerated wildly!

In the blink of an eye, her entire hand and half her arm turned to stone.

"Ah! Jiang... Jiang Che! This... this..."

Panic set in—she was on the verge of crying. There was no time for shame now; her entire body was at risk of petrifying completely.

"Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen to you, Ling'er."

Jiang Che held her close, his voice tender.

But his gentleness only fanned the flames—igniting the budding emotions in her heart and, in turn, speeding up the petrification even more.

"Ling'er, is there any way in your clan to stop this?" Jiang Che asked, frowning.

"N-no! My mother warned me in my dreams never to fall for you... but... but I..." Jia Ling'er was too flustered to think straight.

"Your mother? The Jialan Empress?"

Jia Ling'er nodded, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Jiang Che... this curse is an ancient one engraved in the mermaids’ bloodline. Not even immortals can escape it, let alone me..."

Still, having confessed, she felt a little lighter.

"Jiang Che, if I turn completely to stone... you have to run far away. My mother will be furious, and she’ll come after you. I... I don’t want you to die!"

Clearly, the naive girl had fallen completely under Jiang Che’s spell—his acting skills were truly unmatched.