[Xingchen is a lesser evil in their world. He's just naive. Xue Yang can forgive him for that.]

Why did you leave her? That couldn't have been easy.

[Yes, he does have some empathy, though it is covered in cobwebs and he hardly recognizes it. Smirking, he gives a small chuckle.]

I've never thought of myself as someone who needs help. I screamed for it that day... It took the villagers awhile to notice the shape I was in. They didn't even care how it had happened.

[Everyone looks the other way when a noble is involved. Knowing that Xingchen isn't a noble helps, actually.]

You're really not...sickened...by it? Any healer I saw made such an awful face. And they told me there was nothing that could be done.