As the lanterns were just being lit, Fan Xingjia scratched his itchy hand and knocked on Cai Zhao's door.
"Fifth Senior Brother?" Cai Zhao had just stepped out of the bathtub and was sitting by the window drying her hair. "Has Jade Kirin been found yet?"
Fan Xingjia: "Didn't the disciples from Grand Beginning Temple say they found Young Master Zhou this afternoon? There was just a huge flower parade blocking the way, so we decided to split up and explore separately for now."
"Then why hasn't he returned even after dark?" Cai Zhao frowned slightly, lowering her head to towel her damp hair.
Fan Xingjia felt his face starting to itch too and grew irritable. "Ah, never mind about him for now. Do you still have any anti-itch ointment for insect bites? I've run out."
Cai Zhao looked up at the small red bumps on Fan Xingjia's face and laughed. "Fifth Senior Brother got bitten again? Why do the mosquitoes never bite Fourth Senior Brother but always swarm around you?"
"Do you have it or not!" Fan Xingjia glared.
Cai Zhao quickly replied, "Yes, yes, it's in the small medicine box on the shelf in the side room. Help yourself, Fifth Senior Brother."
Fan Xingjia maneuvered around the tables and chairs in the sitting area and entered the small but exquisitely arranged study. Clicking his tongue, he remarked, "Junior Sister's second-floor room is really comfortably arranged—study, sitting room, bedroom, bathroom. Small as a sparrow but complete in every organ... Oh, is it this black lacquered box inlaid with mother-of-pearl?"
"That's the one. Open the first layer—the large green jade bottle labeled 'Anti-Itch' is what you need. Senior Brother, would you like some mosquito-repellent incense? See that grass-green oil-paper package in the second layer? I wrapped a large piece of insect-repelling spice inside. Use the small silver knife to cut half of it."
"Many thanks, Junior Sister." Fan Xingjia beamed with joy. "When we return to the sect, I'll give you a large bottle of Lei Shibo's Celestial Lake Snow Ginseng Beauty Pill!"
Cai Zhao smiled. "That would be wonderful."
Just as they were speaking, another knock came at the door—knock knock, knock knock knock knock knock—both dull and impatient.
Cai Zhao answered, and who should enter but Zhou Yuqi, whom she hadn't seen all afternoon.
"Jade Kirin, you're back." Cai Zhao was both surprised and delighted. She casually tied up her hair with a ribbon and rose to greet him.
Fan Xingjia, who had been about to come out from the side room, hesitated and decided to wait, planning to tease the young couple after they'd exchanged a few affectionate words.
Zhou Yuqi looked utterly distraught, his hair disheveled, the hem of his robe covered in dust, and his long sleeves damp with dew.
With gentle concern, Cai Zhao helped him sit down. "Jade Kirin, you must be exhausted. Sit and rest for a while. Wuan City was truly overcrowded today—it left everyone dizzy. Even Senior Brother Fan had one of his shoes trampled off."
From the side room, Fan Xingjia cursed Cai Zhao for being unfair, using her senior brother's embarrassing mishap to comfort her fiancé.
As Cai Zhao continued her solicitous inquiries, Zhou Yuqi's face grew increasingly pale. When she mentioned, 'When Uncle Zhou arrives...', he suddenly grew agitated, dropped to his knees before Cai Zhao, and nearly scared Fan Xingjia to death in the side room.
"Jade Kirin, what's wrong?" Cai Zhao quickly reached out to help him up.
Zhou Yuqi was flustered. "Zhao Zhao, I have something to tell you! I... I've wronged you..."
"Ah? Wronged me?" Cai Zhao laughed in disbelief. "Did Jade Kirin accidentally wander into a brothel this afternoon? Were you teased by the courtesans? Did you lose your virtue? Tell me which establishment it was, and tomorrow I'll go demand justice for you...""No, that's not it." Zhou Yuqi felt as if a fire was burning in his heart, summoning up what seemed like a lifetime's worth of courage. "Zhao Zhao, I—I have something important to say—"
Steeling himself, he knelt solemnly before Cai Zhao. "I want you to break off the engagement!"
The room fell deathly silent.
Fan Xingjia immediately retreated into the side shelves, determined not to emerge.
Cai Zhao was stunned for a long moment before fury erupted within her.
She grabbed Zhou Yuqi by the collar and gritted her teeth. "Did a cow kick you in the head at noon?! What kind of madness is this in the middle of the night?! If you're sick, go take medicine—don't come here and spout nonsense at me!"
Zhou Yuqi wore an expression of grim resolve. "I'm neither sick nor mad. This thought has been in my heart for many years! Zhao Zhao, your character and beauty are unparalleled in this world, while my talents are mediocre at best. I am truly unworthy of you—this marriage between us must not go on!"
Cai Zhao's sweet smile twisted into something fierce. "If you have something to say, say it outright! Don't feed me pretty lies! 'Worthy' or 'unworthy'—do you really think I'd believe that?!"
Clutching his tightened collar, Zhou Yuqi stood firm. "I... I wish to marry a gentle and virtuous wife..."
Rage surged through Cai Zhao as she shook Zhou Yuqi by his collar. "Where am I not gentle? Where am I not virtuous?! Tell me! I can be gentle too, I can be virtuous too!"
Fan Xingjia nearly burst out laughing, desperately covering his mouth.
"Say it, say it..." Cai Zhao had completely forgotten there was someone in the side room as she pressed on.
"Fine, I'll say it!" Dizzy from being shaken, Zhou Yuqi only grew more resolute in his decision. "Not long after we were engaged, we went on an outing by the Green Gauze River and encountered some ruffians. After driving them off, you twisted the leader's arm. He begged for mercy and swore never to do it again..."
Recalling the memory, he looked horrified. "But then, Zhao Zhao, you said 'Good, good, to know one's faults and correct them is truly commendable' with a smile on your face. Just as we relaxed— crack —you broke his arm! And you used Inch Power to shatter the bones in his shoulder!"
Back then, his newly betrothed was young, beautiful, and always smiling. Though Zhou Yuqi had felt guilty toward his cousin Min Xinrou, he hadn't thought the match was bad—until he witnessed his adorable, doll-like fiancée crush a grown man's entire shoulder and arm with her bare hands.
The gentle young man's horror was unimaginable.
"That leader bullied men and oppressed women!" Cai Zhao shouted at Zhou Yuqi. "If every villain could just say 'I'll never do it again' and walk away, what justice would there be for their victims?! I didn't even break all those scoundrels' limbs—that's already being merciful and not hateful enough toward evil! Do you even understand?!"
In her anger, she unconsciously channeled her Inner Force. Zhou Yuqi, unable to resist, couldn't free his collar and had to continue his lament in this pitiful position. "And two years ago, when you knocked me to the ground..."
Cai Zhao remembered the incident and quickly interjected, "You said you didn't mind that my martial arts were better than yours! You even said there are plenty of happy couples where the wife is stronger than the husband. What, do you look down on me now?"Zhou Yuqi hurriedly said, "Every word I speak is true, as heaven is my witness! I genuinely don't mind that Zhao Zhao, your martial arts are better than mine! If we had fought a proper duel two years ago, I would have accepted my defeat without complaint. But you didn't—you saw me being close to cousin Xinrou, disliked it, and used the duel as an excuse to beat me up to vent your anger!"
Cai Zhao froze, her fingers loosening—this had indeed hit the mark of her thoughts at the time.
Zhou Yuqi quickly snatched back his collar and pleaded, "What I meant about a happy marriage where the wife is stronger than the husband is that even if the wife has higher cultivation, she wouldn’t use it to bully her husband! Ordinary couples, even if the wife is dissatisfied with the husband, can’t just raise their fists and beat him up whenever they feel like it—but you, Zhao Zhao, can!"
"What’s wrong with venting when you’re wronged? Should I just endure it when I’m upset?!" Cai Zhao roared in anger.
Zhou Yuqi muttered under his breath, "Cousin Xinrou would endure it..."
"What did you say?!"
Zhou Yuqi nearly jumped out of his skin. "I mean, if I ever fall short in the future, I’ll inevitably get beaten up by you. That kind of marriage... I truly don’t dare..."
Cai Zhao forced a smile, "kindly" suggesting, "Then just don’t fall short in the future, and it won’t be a problem."
Zhou Yuqi was on the verge of tears. "In this world, who can go through life without making mistakes?! It’s not that you’re not good, Zhao Zhao, it’s just that our temperaments don’t match! To be honest, the kind of girl I admire is understanding, gentle, and virtuous..."
"You might as well just say Min Xinrou’s name outright. I won’t go after her," Cai Zhao said coldly.
Zhou Yuqi tearfully begged, "Please, Zhao Zhao, just let me go!"
Cai Zhao trembled with rage.
In the end, this humiliating conversation concluded with her furious shout of "Get out!"
Outside the pavilion, in the courtyard, Mu Qingyan stood beneath the dense shade of trees, draped in a floor-length black cloak. The soft, wide silk cloak revealed half of his jade-like, radiant face.
He had personally watched Zhou Yuqi climb to the second floor in distress, and soon after, saw him stumble back out. The corner of his lips curled slightly.
A moment later, You Guanyue slipped out of Fan and Ding’s room, followed by two black-clad subordinates carrying a specially made iron pipe. He approached and whispered, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, I heard everything clearly. Zhou Yuqi indeed proposed breaking off the engagement himself, enraging the young lady. They’ve completely fallen out."
Mu Qingyan nodded slightly, a satisfied gleam in his eyes.
At that moment, Shangguan Haonan arrived in a hurry, panting, "Qi Lingbo stormed off to find Song Yu in a rage. Sect Leader, do you want to go see?"
Mu Qingyan thought for a moment. "Let’s go take a look."
When they arrived, they saw Song Yu’s door wide open. Qi Lingbo was pouring out years of pent-up grievances and fury without restraint. Song Yu remained silent, sitting calmly as she berated him, while Pang Xiongxin tried to mediate.
A large crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle, and Guangtian’s guards were busy shooing them away.
Mu Qingyan and his group hid in an empty room diagonally across to eavesdrop.
"...Song Yu, even now, won’t you say a single proper word to me?!" Qi Lingbo shrieked.
Song Yu replied, "What do you want me to say? That our temperaments don’t match isn’t news—everyone in the sect knows it. Since childhood, I’ve advised you when I should and scolded you when necessary. What more is there to say now?"Qi Lingbo cried out in grief and indignation, "We've been engaged for over a decade, yet have you ever given me a kind look or spoken a gentle word to me? Is this how a righteous man treats others?"
"I believe that stopping you from bullying the weak and being rude to peers all these years is what righteousness truly means."
"You!"
Dai Fengchi shouted, "Junior Brother, how can you treat Lingbo like this!"
Song Yu sneered, "Second Brother, you'd better keep quiet. Unless you truly wish to see my Junior Sister Lingbo married off."
Dai Fengchi was left speechless.
Song Yu calmly looked at Qi Lingbo, "Junior Sister Lingbo, there's no need to be so heartbroken. You don't truly fancy me in your heart—you're just unwilling to let go of worldly matters."
"Fine, fine, fine!" Qi Lingbo shed tears. "Since it's come to this, if I still cling to you, I'd be shameless beyond measure. Before everyone here and with heaven and earth as witnesses, let us sever all ties and annul our engagement!"
Song Yu suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief and joy.
Qi Lingbo didn't notice this flicker of joy. At this moment, she was proud of her decisive action. After speaking, she lifted her chin and walked away with pride, feeling as if she had never been so liberated in her life.
From the opposite room, Mu Qingyan couldn't help but gloat with laughter. "Song Yu, oh Song Yu, you've finally met your match. Did you really think everyone adored you? Even a woman like Qi Lingbo now scorns you..."
Shangguan Haonan quickly reminded him, "Leader, this isn't good."
"What's not good about it? Song Yu has been utterly humiliated—how is that not good?" You Guanyue interjected.
Shangguan Haonan reported, "Leader, Miss Zhao Zhao has just had a falling out with Young Master Zhou, and now Song Yu has broken off his engagement with Qi Lingbo. This means there are no more obstacles between Miss Zhao Zhao and Song Yu..."
Mu Qingyan's face darkened. "You're right."
After a brief thought, he ordered, "Spread the news of Zhou Yuqi kneeling to beg Zhao Zhao to annul their engagement immediately. I want everyone in this inn to know within half an hour."
...
In a room on the second floor of the small building, Fan Xingjia kept trying to console her, "Junior Sister, don't be sad. There are plenty of fish in the sea—you'll find a better match."
Cai Zhao sniffled and sobbed, "Fifth Brother, do you think I'm upset because the engagement is off? Not at all!"
"Then why are you crying?" Fan Xingjia asked cautiously.
Cai Zhao wiped her tears and snot. "Yesterday, Zhou Yuqi was so tender, caring, and attentive to me in the main hall, making me the envy of everyone. Today, he's crying and begging to break off the engagement—where does that leave my dignity? People will surely speculate what kind of monstrous, terrifying woman I must be to scare off such a mild-mannered husband like Young Master Zhou!"
In short, the annulment wasn't the issue. Who initiated it and how it was done—that was the problem.
Fan Xingjia sighed in relief. "So that's what's bothering you. Don't worry, Junior Sister. What happened earlier with Brother Zhou kneeling to beg for the annulment—if you don't mention it, and I don't mention it, and later I tell Brother Zhou not to spread it either, who else would know? When the elders of the Zhou and Cai families arrive, the two of you can express your wishes and have them formally dissolve the engagement. Wouldn't that be proper?"
Cai Zhao pressed a handkerchief to her face, her eyes brimming with tears. "Really, Fifth Brother? Can it really be that way?"
Fan Xingjia reassured her, "Of course. Brother Zhou has always been considerate and kind-hearted. Now that he feels guilty toward you, I believe even if I don't say anything, he wouldn't spread word of what just happened."
Filled with hope, Cai Zhao nodded.After finally calming the girl down, Fan Xingjia had someone bring hot water, brewed tea, and ordered two plates of delicate pastries. By the time Cai Zhao had tidied her appearance and eaten a couple of pastries, the door was suddenly flung open violently.
Ding Zhuo rushed in like a gust of wind: "Is it true? Zhao Zhao, did you really break off the engagement with Young Master Zhou?"
Cai Zhao froze, the pastry in her hand falling to the ground.
Fan Xingjia was shocked: "Fourth Brother, how did you know?"
Ding Zhuo: "The whole inn knows! They’re even saying Young Master Zhou knelt and begged you to call off the engagement..."
Before he could finish, Qi Lingbo’s unrestrained laughter echoed from the staircase, "I must go and ask my junior sister—did Young Master Zhou really kneel and plead with her to let him go? Hahaha, hahaha..."
Cai Zhao was instantly overwhelmed with shame and fury, pushing everyone out with all her strength, "Get out! All of you, get out! No one is allowed in, get out!"—She could already imagine what Qi Lingbo would say next.
Fan Xingjia knew further words were useless and quickly went out to persuade Qi Lingbo to leave.
Amid the clamor outside, Cai Zhao buried her head in the blankets and pillows like a wounded little animal.
A long, long time later, when the commotion outside the small building had finally died down, she abruptly sat up, her lovely face devoid of tears.
—Foolish! Tears are for others to see. With no one around, what’s the point of crying?
Cai Zhao sat before the mirror, gritted her teeth as she straightened her clothes and makeup, tightened the Bright Sun Blade at her waist, then leaped out the back window, vanishing into the deep night—she didn’t know where the culprit was, but she was certain he was nearby.
Standing in a quiet alley behind the inn’s corner, she raised her voice: "With such great talent, Sect Leader Mu, to weave the Net of Heaven and Earth—now that your scheme has succeeded, won’t you come out and face me?"
A moment later, in the silent depths of the night, a tall young man draped in a floor-length black cloak slowly emerged. He lifted his head, his long, star-like eyes gleaming brightly: "Zhao Zhao."
Cai Zhao was seething. "You monster! What exactly did you do to Zhou Yuqi this afternoon?" She was sharp-minded; just a little reflection on Zhou Yuqi’s strange behavior tonight had given her a rough idea.
Mu Qingyan raised an eyebrow: "What do you think I did to him? Do you think Zhou Yuqi proposed breaking off the engagement because I forced him?"
Cai Zhao choked.
Mu Qingyan: "I swear on my father’s name—I never coerced or pressured Zhou Yuqi in any way."
Cai Zhao sneered: "No force, then soft tactics. Tell me, Sect Leader Mu, how did you coax Zhou Yuqi into voluntarily calling off the engagement?"
Mu Qingyan smiled brilliantly: "Nothing much. I just showed him a few plays—star-crossed lovers forced apart, middle-aged men and women still pining for each other years after marrying others, and so on."
Cai Zhao laughed in disbelief: "I thought as much! You deliberately staged scenes to stir Zhou Yuqi’s emotions, then prodded him afterward, and he foolishly came to break off the engagement!"
"Exactly."
Cai Zhao was incredulous: "You ruined my marriage, and you have the nerve to act so righteous!"
"Of course I’m righteous," Mu Qingyan said. "Your intentions in this marriage were impure. I merely set things right."“My intentions are impure?” Cai Zhao’s voice rose sharply. “You dare turn this around on me?”—Furious beyond measure, she wasted no more words. Drawing her blade, a flash of golden-red light followed as she unleashed the tenth stance of the ‘Great Wind River Sky-Cleaving Saber,’ ‘Across the Xiao River,’ a technique personally created by Cai Pingshu.
Mu Qingyan’s robes fluttered as he dodged left and right, speaking all the while: “Your intentions are indeed impure. Let me ask you—do you truly love Zhou Yuqi, or are you merely willing to marry him because of the betrothal? No! What you covet is the wealth of Jade Pendant Mountain Manor, the bustle of Jiangnan’s cities, the kindness of the Zhou family, and Zhou Yuqi’s very weakness, which makes him easy to manipulate!”
Cai Zhao trembled with rage, yet found herself unable to refute a single word.
Mu Qingyan pivoted, his right hand forming a blade as he struck sideways, clang —his fingers clamped onto the edge of the Bright Sun Blade. “Back when your aunt was gravely injured and Fallen Blossom Valley was in turmoil, your mother chose to marry your father in their time of crisis. That was true devotion!”
“Heroine Cai Pingshu aspired to roam the Martial World freely, and rather than burden Zhou Zhizhen, she willingly broke off the engagement. That was true detachment!”
“How lamentable that such elders as your aunt, your father, and your mother raised a daughter as hypocritical as you!”
“You’re not even as good as Zhou Yuqi! At least he genuinely wishes to marry Min Xinrou!”
Tears welled in Cai Zhao’s eyes, provoked by his words. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!”—What kind of world was this, where the Demonic Cult’s leader lectured her on proper marital values!
She yanked the Bright Sun Blade back with all her might. “If I’m so terrible, why do you keep pestering me? Who I marry and how I marry is none of your business!”
Thud —blood splattered as the Bright Sun Blade cleaved straight into Mu Qingyan’s left shoulder.
Silence fell over the surroundings. Cai Zhao froze. She hadn’t expected Mu Qingyan to suddenly stop resisting. Had she not retracted her strength in time, the slash could have severed his entire arm.
She stared, stunned. “You…” Then anger flared again. “Your pity act won’t work!”
Mu Qingyan remained expressionless, letting his shoulder bleed freely. “This isn’t a pity act. I’m letting you strike me because I owe you.”
Cai Zhao sneered. “So you finally admit you shouldn’t have ruined my betrothal?”
“Not at all. Your betrothal was unjust—destroying it was for the best.” Mu Qingyan continued, “I’m letting you strike me because I made you lose face.”
“Lose face?” Cai Zhao was puzzled.
Mu Qingyan was unapologetic. “I was the one who spread the news of Zhou Yuqi kneeling to beg you to break off the engagement.”
Exhausted by fury, Cai Zhao weakly asked, “What grudge do you hold against me to harm me like this?”
Mu Qingyan’s expression was almost touchingly sincere. “I’m not harming you. There’s an urgent matter that requires your personal attention, so I found an excuse to bring you out.”
Cai Zhao nearly raised her eyes to heaven in exasperation. She lifted the Bright Sun Blade and turned to leave. After a few steps, she glanced back. “Fine. Speak properly, and I’ll listen properly.”
Mu Qingyan lowered his long lashes, pressing a hand to his wounded shoulder. “You’ve finally softened.”
Cai Zhao’s lips twitched. “I’m no match for you—I concede. If I don’t hear you out, who knows what schemes you’ll cook up next.” Last time she’d chased him out, he’d promptly manipulated her fiancé into breaking their engagement. She couldn’t afford to lose her temper again.
Mu Qingyan spoke coolly. “You wanted to investigate the truth behind the Chang family massacre, didn’t you?”
Cai Zhao tensed. “What do you know?”
“I wouldn’t say I know , but I have leads.”
Cai Zhao scoffed. “Keep spinning your tales.”"The clue lies at the Chang family gravesite, am I wrong?" Mu Qingyan smiled faintly. "You should trust me. Otherwise, what do you think I was doing standing there for so long when you first ascended the mountain that day?"
Cai Zhao bit her lip. "You're willing to tell me the clue?"
Mu Qingyan replied, "Great Hero Chang once showed me kindness, so I must uncover the truth myself. You can follow if you wish, or leave if you prefer—after all, you now have the perfect excuse to depart."
Cai Zhao sighed. "You spread the news everywhere about Zhou Yuqi breaking off our engagement, humiliating me. Even without the matter concerning Great Hero Chang, I'd want to leave the inn."
"Better a bitter end than endless bitterness. Severance should be clean," Mu Qingyan said.
Cai Zhao scoffed. "Do you think Zhou Yuqi and Min Xinrou will have such a blissful life together?"
"Whether it's blissful or not is a matter for the future," Mu Qingyan suddenly waxed poetic. "Young love burns like fire, the most intense and rare. The heavens ought to grant them that, don't you think?"
Cai Zhao stood frozen for a long while before letting out a sigh. "Now I understand why Jade Kirin begged me in tears to break off the engagement."
Mu Qingyan was puzzled.
Cai Zhao sighed again. "He said that by my side, he felt constantly restrained, unable to resist—just as I now feel trapped in your grasp, unable to break free. Only by putting oneself in another's shoes can one truly understand their suffering."
She turned away. "Enough, let's go. To the graves on the mountain."
Mu Qingyan suddenly grew angry, tilting his pale, handsome face to the side. "My wound hurts. Press on it for me."
Cai Zhao moved swiftly, first using a Pressure Point Strike to stop the bleeding at his shoulder, then pulling out a silk handkerchief to press against it. The pristine white cloth was instantly stained crimson. She couldn't help but say, "Maybe we should tend to your wound before going up the mountain."—Forcing someone to visit graves while injured was something only the cruelest of people would do.
Mu Qingyan turned, nearly enveloping her in his embrace. He lowered his head until their foreheads touched.
The familiar, crisp fragrance mixed with the heavy scent of blood filled Cai Zhao's senses, making her uneasy. "Step back," she said.
Mu Qingyan murmured, "Do you really feel no pity for me at all?"
Her heart ached with bitterness, as if weighed down by a heavy stone. "There's no hope for the future, so why torment yourself? You said it yourself—better a short pain than a long one."
"You truly are heartless," Mu Qingyan sighed. "It's not you trapped in my grasp—it's me, with nowhere to escape in yours."
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