After a night of chaos, the sky finally began to lighten at dawn. The contents of the Purple Wood Box had all been taken out and spread across the table.
"...It's definitely this pair of bracelets." Ning Xiaofeng's eyes reddened as she examined the jadeite bracelets in her hands. "Sister Pingshu never liked wearing jingling accessories, but for some reason, she adored these bracelets. Even if she didn’t wear them on her wrist, she would carefully wrap them in silk and keep them close to her heart."
She set the bracelets down, placing them back into the wooden box along with the beaded flower, and sighed softly. "Just like the Beaded Flower Jade Hairpin, I suppose these were also gifts from that scoundrel."
Meanwhile, Cai Pingchun had finished examining the bloodstained handkerchief embroidered with the character 'Yang' in one corner. Silently, he folded it and returned it to the box—he remembered a time when his sister had returned wounded, covered in blood yet smiling brightly. When asked, she had replied, 'The villains have all been dealt with.' He recalled that Cai Pingshu had been bandaging her arm with this very handkerchief at the time.
Finally, only a lock of hair and the Gilded Red Marriage Certificate remained on the table.
The marriage certificate contained betrothal vows. Apart from the usual declarations of mutual affection in the main text, it concluded with the words: 'Once the stars and moon bring peace and the world is tranquil, we shall wed.' The calligraphy was as bold and elegant as the engravings on the beaded flower, though the signature—'Cai Pingshu'—was unmistakably written in the delicate handwriting they all recognized.
The tightly bound lock of hair consisted of two strands: one was Cai Pingshu’s fine, flaxen-tinged hair, while the other was jet-black with a faint hint of ink-blue—Mu Qingyan had hair as dark as a raven’s feathers.
"Tying hair as husband and wife, bound in love without doubt. So this is how it was, this is how it was..." Zhou Zhizhen sat by the window in a daze. Since Qi Yunke had helped him there, he had remained motionless in that position.
Qi Yunke whispered beside him, "Brother Zhizhen, Pingshu didn’t mean to hide it from you. That man... that damned Mu, at first glance, truly seemed like a decent person! His cultivation was profound, his temperament free-spirited, and no injury ever seemed to faze him. Wherever Pingshu whimsically wanted to go, he would follow her through fire and water. Even I thought he was someone worth befriending. Who would have thought...!"
"Enough," Ning Xiaofeng muttered. "Ten years ago, you were even more single-minded than you are now. Everyone seemed like a saint in your eyes. A few words of encouragement from Yin Dai, and you worshipped him like a god. A few glances from Yin Sulian, and you thought her a celestial beauty—how could you possibly judge anyone’s true nature?"
Qi Yunke flushed red. "Even so, I never breathed a word about Pingshu and that damned Mu to Master or Sulian!"
Cai Pingchun sighed. "I almost wish you hadn’t been so tight-lipped back then, Brother Yunke."
"Let the past stay in the past," Zhou Zhizhen suddenly interjected. "What do we do now?"
At his words, the other three in the room fell silent.
Ning Xiaofeng exchanged a glance with her husband and ventured cautiously, "Mu Qingyan isn’t that scoundrel’s son..."
"Not his son, but his nephew," Zhou Zhizhen said coldly. "And now the last remaining descendant of the Mu clan. Though Nie Hengcheng and his nephew have held power these past few decades, the Mu family’s hands were no less stained with the blood of North Star disciples in the century before!"
Qi Yunke slapped his thigh. "Exactly! We should eliminate him too, lest he keeps luring Zhao Zhao away day after day!"
Ning Xiaofeng couldn’t help but retort, "Do you really think Zhao Zhao will settle down and marry someone else after Mu Qingyan is gone? Live a quiet, obedient life?"
Qi Yunke was momentarily speechless. "Then what should we do? Leave him be, so he can keep sneaking around to see Zhao Zhao? Xiaochun, say something!"Cai Pingchun remained silent for a moment before speaking, "I recall all those years when my sister was bedridden, coughing up blood in agony. Only now do I realize she was never meant to suffer like that."
Ning Xiaofeng clenched her skirt tightly, her eyes burning with resentment, while Qi Yunke struck his fist in fury.
Zhou Zhizhen shut his eyes in pain. "Ping Shu didn't die in vain. If this provokes the Demonic Cult followers to retaliate en masse, I'll accept it!"
In the quiet courtyard at dawn, two sect leaders strolled leisurely.
"We also took part in capturing Mu Qingyan. Why were we excluded from their discussions?" Yang Heying fumed. "Even Brother Song obediently left without a word!"
Song Shijun replied calmly, "Staying away is wiser. Smart men do smart things... Sigh, I was foolish earlier. Now we've caught a hot potato with no idea how to resolve it."
Yang Heying frowned. "What do you mean? What hot potato?"
Song Shijun sighed. "Yang, we've had peace with the Demonic Cult for over a decade. Do you truly wish to reignite conflict?"
Yang Heying stroked his smooth chin and fell silent.
"That Mu boy hasn't been in power long. Honestly, we have no real grievances with him," Song Shijun continued. "If we kill him, will millions of Demonic Cult followers swallow their rage? Their retaliation would spare no underhanded tactics. Do you still want your beloved wife, children, and those eight new concubines?"
Yang Heying flushed angrily. "Eight? Two! Only two!"
"No matter," Song Shijun waved dismissively. "But if we release him, wouldn't it seem North Star fears the Demonic Cult? Where would our dignity be? Hence, this is indeed a hot potato."
"So you're saying we shouldn't have captured Mu in the first place?" Yang Heying asked.
"Exactly. I acted rashly earlier," Song Shijun admitted. "Qi Yunke, Zhou Zhizhen, and the Cai couple are obsessed with avenging Cai Pingshu. But Yang, must you avenge her too? Why did we even involve ourselves?"
Sighing, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked away.
Watching Song Shijun depart, Yang Heying's face darkened with malice. He muttered under his breath, "Hmph! Qi Yunke is simple, Zhou Zhizhen is meek, Qiu Yuanfeng is too distant, and Nie Hengcheng is gone. In these years, your Song family has profited most. Vast Heaven Gate has devoured surrounding Demonic Cult territories, gorging itself. Naturally, you don't want further trouble now—but others still hunger! Just wait and see!"
In the innermost cell of Grand Beginning Temple's dungeon...
Song Yuzhi stood resolutely before the iron bars, refusing to yield. Before him stood four Vast Heaven Gate disciples and Azure Tower Sect members like Ding Zhuo, while opposite them were Grand Beginning Temple disciples led by the seething Li Yuanmin.
Both sides had drawn their swords.
"Step aside!" Li Yuanmin roared. "I will avenge our Head Wang!"
Song Yuzhi replied firmly, "Please calm yourself, Uncle Li. The facts are clear—Head Wang was stabbed through the wall while Mu Qingyan was confronting him face-to-face. The killer couldn't have been him."
Li Yuanmin bellowed, "This is deception! The wall assassin must also be from the Demonic Cult!"
"Whether true or not, that's for our masters to decide," Song Yuzhi countered.
Gritting his teeth, Li Yuanmin spat, "I won't take his life then—just sever his limbs and leave him alive. Will that suffice?"Song Yuzhi remained stern-faced and unyielding: "I've said it, the execution must wait until our masters finish their deliberations."
Li Yuanmin laughed bitterly in grief and indignation: "So you refuse to step aside no matter what? This is bullying our Grand Beginning Temple for having no capable men! Fine, today we'll fight to the death!"
"Li Yuanmin, when will you stop? Do you think no one knows about the disgraceful things Wang Yuanjing did?" Ding Zhuo snapped impatiently. "Our masters ordered us to keep silent to preserve Grand Beginning Temple's reputation. Just because we don't speak of it, you think no one knows? If you keep harassing us, I might just run out and shout the whole story in the streets!"
"...How dare you?!" Li Yuanmin choked on his anger, his chest heaving with grief and fury.
—Even after everyone had explained the whole matter to him in detail, he still couldn't believe that the senior brother who raised him could be such a despicable person. Unable to refute them, he could only vent his rage elsewhere.
Song Yuzhi stepped forward: "Uncle Li, I know Head Wang was usually gentle and kind, treating you like a brother and father. Everyone praised his virtue. But even virtuous men can make mistakes, can take wrong steps. Uncle Li, please go."
Li Yuanmin wiped his tears, turned abruptly and ran off.
After all the Grand Beginning Temple disciples had left, Ding Zhuo sheathed his sword and cupped his hands toward Song Yuzhi before leading the remaining disciples away.
Song Yuzhi, however, dragged over a crooked stool and sat down with his sword in his arms.
From the pitch-black depths of the iron cell came a low, cold voice: "Not leaving?"
Song Yuzhi replied: "Rest assured, I won't let you suffer humiliation."
After a pause, he added: "I'll only guard until our masters finish their deliberations. After that, whatever punishment they decide, I can't intervene."
Silence spread through the damp, chilly dungeon.
After a long while, that cold voice spoke again: "Where is she?"
Song Yuzhi knew whom he was asking about and hesitated before answering: "...She's under Uncle Li's custody. Uncle Li said if she continues being disobedient, he'll use the Soul Confusion Needle on her."
A faint metallic clink came from the darkness, then silence returned.
Vast Sea Mountain Range, first level of Paradise Palace, Hall of the Mysterious Womb.
A cult member rushed in and presented a small paper scroll to Hu Fengge.
Hu Fengge unfolded it and her expression darkened: "Disaster!"
Yu Huixin, who had been distractedly reading nearby, turned his head: "What's wrong?"
Hu Fengge handed him the scroll: "A carrier pigeon message from our branch disciples below Wu'an Mountain—the sect leader was captured by the Big Dipper Six Sects last night! Now imprisoned in Grand Beginning Temple's dungeon, ordering us to find a way to rescue him immediately."
"How did this happen?!" Yu Huixin frowned. "How could this be?"
Hu Fengge snorted coldly: "It must be because of that Cai girl! I warned Yan Zhang long ago that the sect leader should beware of the Big Dipper Six Sects using honey traps. See? Trouble indeed! I'm taking people down the mountain immediately to personally arrange the rescue. Damn it, You Guanyue hasn't arrived yet—quickly summon Shangguan Haonan!"
As she spoke, her hands kept moving, locking documents into an iron case.
Yu Huixin shook his head.
Hu Fengge pressed down on the iron case, displeased: "Why shake your head? Am I wrong?"
Yu Huixin smiled: "You're completely right, except the term 'honey trap' is inappropriate. When you were fifteen or sixteen, you were much prettier than Xiao Cai Guniang."Hu Fengge's face flushed as she chided, "You were so honest as a child, but now you've learned to be glib!" Pressing a hand to her injured cheek, she sighed softly, "Now I'm both old and ugly."
Yu Huixin grasped her hand. "In my heart, you'll always look as you did before. If you don't believe me, I'll scar half my face to match yours."
Overflowing with joy, Hu Fengge said, "After this trip, let's report to the sect leader and hold our wedding."
Yu Huixin trembled slightly and whispered, "Alright."
As they were lost in their tender moment, footsteps suddenly echoed outside the hall.
"The sect leader is in trouble, yet no one informed me?" Lu Fengchun swaggered in, his crane-feather cloak billowing. "Little Feng, I must say, such important matters shouldn't be decided by just one person."
Hu Fengge replied coldly, "The sect leader previously instructed that Elder Lu need only watch over Li Ruxin and her child. Other matters don't require your concern."
"That's not how it should be," Lu Fengchun chuckled. "Times have changed. While the sect leader purges Nie Zhe's faction by combing through the Vastsea Mountains layer by layer, the Paradise Palace's defenses are lax. If the Big Dipper Six Sects choose this moment to attack, what then?"
Hu Fengge snorted. "After I leave, Huixin will guard the Paradise Palace. Moreover, we have Elder Yan's assistance. There's no need for Elder Lu to worry."
Lu Fengchun gave a sinister smile. "Yan Xu is a drunkard. After drinking day and night recently, he's been bedridden ever since. It seems I have no choice but to intervene."
"What exactly do you want?" Hu Fengge's hands dropped subtly to the pouches at her waist.
Lu Fengchun finally dropped his facade and shouted, "Men! Seize Hu Fengge!"
Dozens of agile black-clad figures flooded into the Hall of the Mysterious Womb like a tide—half drawing bows with arrows trained on Hu Fengge, the other half unsheathing blades and forming battle formations.
Hu Fengge laughed disdainfully. "Lu Fengchun, do you think these people can hold me?"
"Little Feng is too arrogant. Why not test my subordinates' skills?" Lu Fengchun sneered.
"Fine!" In a flash, Hu Fengge drew a pair of Hooked Water-Parting Emei Daggers forged from fine steel.
She whispered over her shoulder, "Huixin, after we break through, we'll head southeast. My forces are waiting there."
Yu Huixin nodded, his face deathly pale.
Though a woman, Hu Fengge had been tough and bold since childhood—the stronger the enemy, the more excited she became.
With a long laugh that seemed to shake the very hall, she taunted, "What are you turtles waiting for? Come on!"
Just as she gathered her energy to leap, she suddenly felt a chill at her back—a gleaming sword tip pierced through her chest, then slowly withdrew.
Amid Lu Fengchun's roaring laughter, Hu Fengge turned her head in disbelief to see the man she had adored since childhood holding a bloodstained longsword level in his hands.
Who was he? Had she never truly known this person at all?
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