The golden-feathered Giant Pengs emerged from the clouds one after another, landing halfway up an inconspicuous earthen hill. Cai Zhao affectionately patted one's head, "Good boy, go play by yourself. I'll call you later."
The other Giant Peng, which had been unoccupied the entire trip, also nudged its massive head against Cai Zhao's small palm, signaling she shouldn't favor one over the other. Despite their enormous size, their expressions and movements were adorably clumsy, drawing an involuntary chuckle from Cai Zhao despite her heavy heart.
"Ah, you're both so lovely. Why must your master be so detestable?" She shook her head.
After seeing off the two Giant Pengs, she slowly ascended the mountain along a familiar path, pushing through thickets of dark green vines until she spotted the target cave not far ahead.
Song Yuzhi seemed to have heard movement outside. Sword in hand, he cautiously stepped out of the cave.
At the entrance, he was startled yet overjoyed to see the girl he'd been longing for standing there, vibrant as ever.
Inside the cave, a warm fire burned with provisions and fresh water nearby. Fan Xingjia lay unconscious on a pile of firewood.
"When I realized you'd given me your last 'Storm of Thunder,' I rushed back immediately, only to find the rear mountain deserted," Song Yuzhi said, stoking the fire. "So... was it the Demonic Cult leader who rescued you? It seems he genuinely cares for you."
"Genuine what? That man has no heart! If he does, it's that of a wolf or a dog! Ugh, don't mention that scoundrel!" Cai Zhao fumed. "Has Fifth Brother woken yet? I need to ask him about the mastermind!"
"No, he already woke briefly. I gave him medicine to rest. You can question him yourself later." Song Yuzhi helped Fan Xingjia sit up, placing his palm against the latter's back to channel Inner Force.
Fan Xingjia awoke with labored breaths, his eyes widening at the sight of Cai Zhao. His lips trembled, "Zhao Zhao, I... I didn't mean to..."
"Stop!" Cai Zhao raised a hand to halt his impending tears. "Just tell me—who ordered you to steal the Night Orchid cutting? Was it Master or Uncle Zhou?"
Fan Xingjia looked bewildered. "What are you talking about? It wasn't Master, nor Master Zhou."
"?" Cai Zhao was stunned. "Then who?"
"Li Shibo," Fan Xingjia admitted shamefully.
Cai Zhao's jaw dropped, her eyes round as copper bells.
Fan Xingjia whispered, "Before the three of us left Azure Tower Sect, Li Shibo pulled me aside. He said we might enter the Blood Marsh in the dense forest near Vast Heaven Gate, where a special orchid blooms only at night. He instructed me to bring back a large branch—it was a sect secret, not to be leaked to Vast Heaven Gate or the Demonic Cult, so I had to keep it from you both."
Given the competing interests among the Big Dipper Six Sects and the Demonic Cult's century-old enmity, Fan Xingjia understood why Li Wenxun wouldn't want their rivals learning Azure Tower Sect's secrets.
"I truly didn't know the Blood Marsh Night Orchid was tied to a Demonic Cult technique!" Fan Xingjia cried desperately. "Senior Brother, Junior Sister, you must believe me!"
"So it was him... it was him all along," Cai Zhao murmured. Though still pained, learning it wasn't Qi Yunke or Zhou Zhizhen brought an unexpected wave of relief.Song Yuzhi said, "On the night when Sect Leader Wang Yuanjing was killed, you questioned all the elders. I remember Li Shibo claimed he was on night patrol at the time. That wasn't entirely false—he simply took advantage of his patrol to stab Wang Yuanjing through the wall."
Cai Zhao sighed, "He hid it so well! I didn't suspect a thing!"
She recalled Mu Qingyan's words—the person who could incite Song Xiuzhi's ambition, foreseeing his eventual fratricide and patricide to plunge Vast Heaven Gate into chaos, must have been intimately familiar with the Song family. Was Li Wenxun particularly close to them?
Moreover, during the six sects' assault on the Nether Bamboo Path over a decade ago, Li Wenxun hadn't been among them. So what leverage did he hold over Wang Yuanjing?
Song Yuzhi asked, "What should we do now?"
"What else? We must inform Master and Uncle Zhou immediately, expose Li Wenxun for the villain he is!" Cai Zhao preferred swift action over prolonged deliberation.
Song Yuzhi readily agreed.
Mu Qingyan reexamined the secret cavern.
First, he returned to the 'Forbidden Tomb,' where twin cave entrances once stood guarded by an ingeniously crafted stone gate. Designed to resemble an ordinary boulder yet exceptionally sturdy, it had been callously destroyed by Cai Zhao's impatient blade before she could locate its hidden mechanism.
Lian Shisan held a torch, glancing left and right. "Young Master, which entrance shall we explore first this time?"
"The left one again," Mu Qingyan replied.
The three senior disciples faced the two haughty Golden-Winged Great Pengs in mutual bewilderment.
Cai Zhao mustered her sweetest smile, coaxing, "Be good now, lower yourselves so my senior brother can ride you, won't you? He's injured and shouldn't endure a bumpy journey..."
Da Jin loftily raised its neck, while Er Jin lifted a wing, both looking down their beaks at the presumptuous request to carry outsiders.
Cai Zhao turned back sheepishly. "What now? They won't obey."
Song Yuzhi shook his head resignedly. "No time to waste. Junior Sister, you should ride the Giant Peng to alert Master first. Fifth Brother and I will follow the river downstream slowly. We'll regroup at Jade Pendant Mountain Manor."
"Agreed!" Cai Zhao smiled with renewed confidence. "Once Master and Uncle Zhou know, they'll surely find a solution!"
Mu Qingyan stepped into the same cavern for the second time, meticulously inspecting the walls as Lian Shisan lit oil lamps along the passage. He now realized the narrow tunnels connected spacious chambers—each serving distinct purposes.
One held a writing desk and brushes, clearly a study; another was hung with clanging hammers and chisels, resembling a craftsman's workshop; others were furnished as resting quarters. The remaining few served as training rooms—some with meditation platforms, others as weapon halls for martial practice...
A suspicion grew in Mu Qingyan's mind, echoing last night's conversation:
—"Nie Hengcheng was truly incompetent. Mu Zhengyang practiced martial arts and schemed right under his nose, yet he remained oblivious—no wonder he fell for the trap!"
—"Not only that, Mu Zhengyang came and went freely from the Vast Sea Mountains without raising Nie Hengcheng's suspicion. His defenses were far too lax."
"Ah!" Lian Shisan suddenly exclaimed. "There are signs of a fierce battle here!"Mu Qingyan followed his gaze—from this point onward, the ground and cave walls ahead were covered with marks of fierce combat: footprints, palm strikes, blade scars, and even impact craters... It was clear that both sides involved in the life-and-death struggle were first-rate masters.
About thirty feet ahead, behind a pile of rocks, a skeletal figure sat slumped against the wall.
"Young Master, look—a dead man!" Lian Shisan pointed ahead.
Mu Qingyan crouched down for a closer look.
The skeleton was remarkably tall, with broad shoulders, nearly matching Mu Qingyan's own stature.
Though the flesh had long decayed, the intricate golden embroidery on the dark brocade robe was still discernible. The familiar patterns of stars and oceans were unmistakably the signature needlework of Cheng Bo's family.
Carefully, Mu Qingyan parted the robe at the skeleton's chest. A deep blade scar ran diagonally from the right shoulder to the left abdomen, severing every rib along its path and nearly cleaving the upper body in two.
Lian Shisan gasped, "Heavens above! What a ferocious blade technique! It almost split him in half!"
Beneath the robe, the skeleton wore a breastplate. Mu Qingyan removed it and examined it closely. Embedded in the center was a Dark Iron Heart Mirror, forged entirely of Mystic Iron. When he pieced together the shattered mirror, he noticed a slightly raised character on the back—an archaic script for "Luo."
Mu Qingyan froze momentarily before recalling Luo Yuanying's words during Old Ancestor Bei Chen's memorial ceremony two years prior.
What had she said then?—The Luo family possessed a heirloom Dark Iron Heart Mirror. Before Wu Yuanying departed for Cauldron Peak Mountain, Luo Yuanying had begged him to wear it.
Later, when Wu Yuanying was captured, the mirror naturally fell into the hands of Yaoguang's faction. However, Yaoguang was soon killed by Yin Dai and Cang Huanzi, and his loyal followers launched brutal retaliations, resulting in heavy casualties. Thus, the captured Luo family heirloom was forgotten in the chaos.
Suddenly, Mu Qingyan remembered something. While researching Elder Chou's records, he had come across a passage—Elder Chou, noticing Nie Hengcheng's increasingly erratic and violent behavior, feared for Mu Zhengming's safety. During Nie Hengcheng's birthday banquet, he retrieved a treasured armor from the vault and presented it to Mu Zhengming.
Everyone in attendance understood—Elder Chou's gift was merely a pretext. His true intention was to publicly remind Nie Hengcheng not to harm Mu Zhengming.
Mu Qingyan held the aged breastplate, the two halves of the Dark Iron Heart Mirror still gleaming coldly where they were fastened to the chest and abdomen.
In a daze, he seemed to see two strikingly handsome young men—identical in appearance—conversing. One was refined and gentle, the other arrogant and unrestrained—
"Ah Yang, you should go out less these days. Nie Hengcheng is growing old, and his temper worsens by the day. Disciples are punished at the slightest provocation. If he finds out you've been sneaking out, he won't let you off easily."
"Don't worry about me. I know my limits. Nie the old dog won't let me off? Hah! It's me who won't let him off! One day, I'll make him beg for death! And his pack of dogs—none will escape!"
"I know you're aggrieved. I won't pry into what you do outside, but at least wear this breastplate. It might save your life in a critical moment. Be careful out there."
"...Thank you, Elder Brother."The two halves of the heart-protecting mirror lightly clinked together with a tinkling sound—Mu Qingyan snapped back to attention.
Noticing Lian Shisan fidgeting nearby, clearly wanting to speak but not daring to, he raised his voice: "Let's check the other tunnel in the cave."
The Golden-Winged Great Peng naturally disliked crowded places, so Cai Zhao had no choice but to land in the open wilderness outside the city.
The Jiangnan region was mild and warm even in midwinter, unlike the biting cold of the Hanhai Mountains that numbed one's forehead.
Cai Zhao took a deep breath of the crisp, moist air and strolled leisurely along the flagstone street. Night had fallen, and paper lanterns of various designs hung under the eaves of shops on either side, their soft orange glow warm and comforting just to behold.
Remembering her urgent task, she dared not delay and hurried through the crowd. Exiting through the western gate of the town, she skirted a mirror-smooth lake until the elegant and imposing gates of Jade Pendant Mountain Manor came into view.
Just as she was about to approach, she spotted several of Li Wenxun's disciples patrolling the entrance.
Her mind working quickly, she avoided the main gate and silently scaled the high side wall instead. Under cover of darkness, she recalled the manor's pathways and used her qinggong to flit through the treetops like a drifting blossom.
Mu Qingyan finished exploring the right-hand mountain path. Like the left one, it was illuminated throughout by Night-Shining Pearls and oil lamps, with identical study rooms, sleeping quarters, workshops, and training chambers—except there were no signs of struggle or skeletal remains here.
Similar to the left path, the exit of this right-hand tunnel also emerged outside the Nether Bamboo Path, though the two exits were located at different points on the mountainside—one east, one west, quite far apart.
Viewed from above, the two tunnels resembled the character '八', their entrances closely parallel before gradually diverging down the mountain toward their separate exits.
"What does this mean? Why would someone build two identical tunnels?" Lian Shisan was utterly bewildered.
Mu Qingyan answered, "To practice in secret, and to have an escape route if Nie Hengcheng discovered him."
Lian Shisan still didn't understand.
With a somber expression, Mu Qingyan said, "Put yourself in his position. Nie Hengcheng wanted to keep him weak, but he refused to accept that. Where in the Hanhai Mountains would be better than the Forbidden Tomb to hide while training and studying?"
Although Nie Hengcheng could convince others—and himself—that "the world belongs to the capable," facing the spirits in the Forbidden Tomb inevitably unsettled him. Thus he avoided the place when possible and forbade his disciples from approaching, lest they profane it.
Mu Qingyan continued, "Moreover, if Nie Hengcheng became suspicious and sent pursuers, fewer pursuers could be shaken off directly like Cai Zhao did. If there were many, these twin tunnels could split them in half."
"All that effort—digging two secret tunnels—just for that slim chance?" Lian Shisan gasped in astonishment. "What tremendous work! That person must have been utterly ruthless!"
Mu Qingyan murmured, "If I had suffered what he suffered, endured his grievances, and harbored his same bone-deep hatred... perhaps I could have done the same."This person had once toiled under the scorching sun, drenched in sweat—a boy not yet twelve, with no one to rely on, enduring bullying and scornful glances, a full day's labor earning him only meager coarse grains;
This person had also traveled thousands of miles for the dying words of a stranger, risking danger for a faint, elusive hope, all to gamble for a future.
It was as if he shared this man's heart and mind.
They shared the same bloodline, the same stature and appearance. At times, compared to his father's detached and self-restrained nature, he seemed to understand Mu Zhengyang's resolute actions even more.
Zhou Zhizhen's study was nestled in an exquisite and tranquil courtyard of ebony wood. He disliked being attended by too many servants and often secluded himself in the study to write and paint.
Cai Zhao leaped down from the dense winter pine branches and, through the open window, saw Zhou Zhizhen absorbed in reading at his desk. She suppressed a smile and tiptoed forward, intending to startle him.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she unexpectedly saw Li Wenxun passing through the partition behind Zhou Zhizhen, step by step approaching his back.
Alarm bells rang in Cai Zhao's mind. She pushed off heavily from the carved wooden railing, shooting toward the study like an arrow from a bow, vaulting over several railings in succession while shouting, "Uncle Zhou, watch your back!"
At the same time, she caught sight of Qi Yunke entering the study from the opposite side. Overjoyed, she clung to the window lattice outside the study and yelled, "Master, hurry and save Uncle Zhou! Li Wenxun is no good!"
In the time it took her to shout these words, Li Wenxun had already leaped high, his palms poised to strike from midair.
Zhou Zhizhen seemed to sense movement behind him and immediately turned to defend himself.
Qi Yunke, as if hearing Cai Zhao's cry, took a long stride and lunged toward Li Wenxun.
Cai Zhao scrambled into the study, thinking that with Zhou and Qi working together, they would surely overpower Li Wenxun.
In the blink of an eye, two figures soared through the air. With a loud bang , Zhou Zhizhen and Li Wenxun clashed palm to palm. The two were evenly matched, both grunting as they were thrown back.
Just then, Qi Yunke arrived in a leap. Cai Zhao smiled as she watched him pounce toward Li Wenxun...
Then, her smile froze.
Qi Yunke delivered a heavy blow to Zhou Zhizhen's back, causing him to vomit blood violently and collapse to the ground. Qi Yunke stepped forward, planting a foot on Zhou Zhizhen's chest, pinning him down.
Blood foamed at Zhou Zhizhen's lips as he gasped in disbelief, "You... why...?"
Cai Zhao stood as if turned to ice, unable to move or speak, her entire body numb with a bone-chilling cold. She leaned weakly against the window lattice, her fingers digging into the wooden frame until splinters pierced her skin. The pain jolted her awake.
"Master, what are you doing?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"Master, what are you doing?!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her face.
Qi Yunke acted as if he hadn't heard. With a flick of his right hand, the sword hanging on the wall flew into his grip.
He pointed the blade at Zhou Zhizhen beneath his foot. "All because you treated Ping Shu poorly."
"If you had treated Ping Shu well back then, she would never have left Jade Pendant Mountain Manor. It's all your fault. You broke her heart, and that's why Mu Zhengyang could deceive her."His gaze was eerily calm, as if stating something utterly reasonable. "You and Ping Shu were betrothed since childhood. She's been gone for five years now. It's time you joined her."
As Qi Yunke raised his longsword high, Cai Zhao screamed and lunged forward to stop him. Li Wenxun moved to intercept, and the two collided mid-air with a solid palm strike.
Li Wenxun staggered back three steps, while Cai Zhao felt her chest churn with surging qi and blood. Her back slammed heavily against the wall before she crumpled to the ground, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Qi Yunke shot Li Wenxun a reproachful look. "Why be so harsh with a child?"
Li Wenxun regulated his breathing as he replied, "She was raised by Cai Pingshu. If I hadn't used my full strength, I'd be the one defeated now."
"True enough." Qi Yunke smiled proudly while casually swinging his sword downward.
Blood sprayed as Zhou Zhizhen's throat was slit, his life extinguished instantly.
"Uncle Zhou! Uncle Zhou!" Cai Zhao clutched her chest as she knelt, unable to believe the scene before her.
Her breath caught, her vision swam, as if countless black crows were flapping ferocious wings toward her, their sharp beaks pecking at her flesh until she bled from head to toe.
Qi Yunke tossed aside his sword and slowly approached Cai Zhao. "It's good that Zhao Zhao has returned. Where are your Third and Fifth Senior Brothers? Are they following behind?"
With Zhou Zhizhen's lifeless body lying there—eyes wide open, blood still steaming across the floor—he could still wear that gentle, kindly expression. Cai Zhao scrambled backward in terror, as if she no longer recognized this elder who had doted on her since childhood.
Qi Yunke said, "Be good, Zhao Zhao. Return to Azure Tower Sect to rest. Once your master finishes his business, this world will be yours."
Cai Zhao forced out the words with difficulty: "The dozen members of the Chang family... Nie Zhe, Sun Ruoshui... were they all killed by you?"
Qi Yunke nodded.
"Lu Fengchun, Song Xiuzhi—were they acting under your orders?"
"You could say that."
Cai Zhao shifted her gaze to Li Wenxun. "What about Wang Yuanjing? Did you kill him?"
"Indeed." Li Wenxun admitted without hesitation, sneering. "That despicable wretch deserved to be torn limb from limb long ago."
Cai Zhao was bewildered. "But neither you nor Master participated in the six sects' assault on Nether Bamboo Path back then?"
"My Fourth Senior Brother saw Wang Yuanjing heading toward the Eight-Claw Prison," Li Wenxun explained. "He mentioned it to me afterward, though I didn't think much of it at the time. But when the Sect Leader learned that Wu Yuanying had been imprisoned there, we immediately realized Wang Yuanjing had deliberately left him to die."
Qi Yunke added, "They all deserved to die, Zhao Zhao. There's no need for you to grieve."
"Then what about my father? Did he deserve to die too?" Cai Zhao wept. "Those black-clad men at Hanging Temple—they were sent by you, weren't they? They injured my father and tried to silence him!"
"You're mistaken, Zhao Zhao. They only intended to kill those from Hanging Temple," Qi Yunke corrected. "Hurting you was to protect you—to keep you from getting in the way. Now Xiao Chun, Xiao Feng, and Shijing Yuantai are staying quietly in Fallen Blossom Valley. Isn't that better?"
Cai Zhao recalled that when the black-clad men had shouted "Kill them all" that night, the order had indeed been directed at Shijing Yuantai. If she hadn't unleashed "Storm of Thunder," those assassins might not have been provoked into their killing frenzy."But why?" Her mind was in turmoil. "Why would you do this? So many people have died!"
Qi Yunke spoke to her as if she were still a child: "Be good, Zhao Zhao. Your master is undertaking a great matter. I would never harm you—you must obey me."
Li Wenxun grew impatient. "Let's capture her first. You can educate her later."
Qi Yunke nodded.
Just as the two were about to strike, a resonant Buddhist chant suddenly echoed from outside the window.
"Amitabha!" The familiar aged voice drew near as a white-browed elderly monk stood with lowered gaze, his face filled with indignation. "Even the Buddha cannot condone the actions of you two benefactors!"
"Attack!"
At Li Wenxun's low shout, he and Qi Yunke leaped forward simultaneously, flanking Fakong from front and back.
"Master, be careful!" Cai Zhao pressed the clasp at her waist and vaulted into the fray—though Fakong possessed profound cultivation, his advanced age made him vulnerable against Qi Yunke and Li Wenxun in their prime.
Yet Fakong met them head-on. His left arm traced a semicircle in the air, forcefully repelling Li Wenxun with a bang, while his right sleeve momentarily retracted before suddenly unleashing a punch—a move from Evergreen Temple's signature technique, 'Fierce Gaze Vajra Fist.'
Qi Yunke's expression remained impassive as he countered with a single palm.
Fist and palm collided violently. Qi Yunke stood unmoved, while Fakong was sent flying like a broken kite. Cai Zhao, mid-leap, caught him just in time.
The moment Qi Yunke struck, it felt like a tidal wave crashing down. Dust swirled violently as inkstones, brushes, paper, the brazier, chairs—everything nearby—was swept up in a terrifying gust of wind.
Fakong gasped weakly, blood streaming from his nose and mouth. "This... this isn't Azure Tower Sect's martial arts! Not orthodox techniques at all! What evil skills have you stolen?!"
Qi Yunke remained coldly silent.
Understanding dawned on Cai Zhao. "Master, have you begun practicing the 'Purple Star Sutra'?" The thought of that wicked technique's final stage filled her with even greater dread.
Fakong looked stunned. "'Purple Star Sutra'? You're practicing Nie Hengcheng's evil arts! After all the innocents he slaughtered, you dare emulate him? This is betraying your ancestors!"
"Spare us the sermons, old monk," Li Wenxun sneered, his lips twisting. "When Deng Fang questioned our masters' deaths during their memorial, where was your righteous outcry? You were too busy chanting the 'Rebirth Mantra.'"
"Except for Cai Pingshu, not a single hero spoke for our masters," he spat bitterly. "Since you stayed silent then, keep silent now!"
Fakong struggled to explain, "The Demonic Cult's power was overwhelming—orthodox sects needed unity. Without evidence, how could you challenge the leader of the foremost sect?"
"What evidence?!" Li Wenxun roared. "Yin Dai and Cang Huanzi fought Yaoguang—two died, one was injured. Three Azure Tower masters faced Kaiyang, yet Kaiyang emerged unscathed while our masters perished! Where's the justice in that?!"
Fakong closed his eyes in pain, knowing further words were futile.
Cai Zhao privately thought that capturing someone like Kaiyang alive would be far harder than killing him. But remembering this had likely been Yin Dai's decision too, she held her tongue.
Qi Yunke approached Cai Zhao. "Zhao Zhao, come here."
She shrank back, her mind screaming, 'I must escape!'
Suddenly, Fakong surged upward, hurling Cai Zhao through the window with a shout: "Run!"
Then he positioned himself before the window, striking out with both palms at Qi and Li.Cai Zhao mustered all her strength to sprint forward. When she glanced back from a distance, she saw Fakong collapsed on the ground, his body drenched in blood.
She dared not look back again, her face streaked with tears, her forehead slick with cold sweat, her clothes stained with splotches of blood—like a stray dog fleeing in panic.
Under the dark, starless night, she ran for her life across the desolate wilderness.
Behind her were countless pursuers armed with bows and swords, their dense torches resembling the crimson eyes of swarming venomous insects.
The dampness of the southern lands, soaked by midnight dew, had turned the soil soft, nearly muddy. Cai Zhao hid among the tightly woven thickets of vines and shrubs, not daring to make a sound.
Then, a familiar cry echoed from the horizon. Two golden-winged Giant Pengs, their feathers gleaming, flew closer through the misty drizzle, circling low and calling out as if searching for someone.
The pursuers quickly nocked arrows, intending to shoot down the rare birds. But the two Giant Pengs had suffered before at the hands of the Song family’s archers and maintained a cautious distance. The moment arrows flew their way, they soared higher, leaving the hunters helpless for the time being.
Cai Zhao watched them from afar, her heart aching with the desperate hope of escape. Yet, time and again, she clenched the small golden whistle between her teeth only to release it.
She knew these Golden-Winged Giant Pengs, though majestic and proud in appearance, were still young—timid and vulnerable, with little ability to defend themselves. If she blew the whistle and they descended in response, they would instantly become living targets.
After much hesitation, she finally gritted her teeth, tore off a hair ribbon, and threaded the whistle onto it. Then, moving silently, she slipped behind an isolated pursuer and knocked him unconscious.
Seizing his bow and arrows, she ducked behind a shrub, drew the bowstring, and aimed at the Giant Pengs. Though her archery was mediocre, her cultivation far surpassed these hunters. The moment she loosed the arrow, it streaked through the air like a meteor.
One of the Giant Pengs seemed to be struck in the neck. It flapped its wings wildly and shrieked in alarm.
Realizing they were under attack, the two birds spread their massive wings and swiftly flew away, not daring to linger.
“She’s here! Everyone, come quick!”
A pursuer had discovered his unconscious comrade and immediately deduced Cai Zhao’s hiding spot.
She threw down the bow and stumbled into a thorny thicket. The sharp brambles tore through her clothes and skin, but she ignored the blood and stinging pain on her face and neck, crawling blindly through the undergrowth.
In her frantic panic, her foot slipped, and she tumbled into a pit filled with foul, muddy sludge.
Through the tangled vines above, she saw the flickering torches spreading like fiery serpents—the search was tightening.
The pit reeked of filth, but she remained motionless.
Images flashed through her mind—her revered master’s cruel indifference, Li Wenxun’s venomous resentment, Zhou Zhizhen lying motionless in a pool of blood, Fakong slumped against the window, drenched in gore, her father unconscious and deathly pale from his injuries, her mother weeping helplessly, and Shijing Yuantai stubbornly defending Fallen Blossom Valley…
It was as if she were trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.
Hungry, exhausted, and chilled to the bone, the warm glow of orange lanterns seemed forever out of reach."Little Zhao'er, one day you'll realize that mountains can crumble, seas can dry up, the sky may collapse, and the earth might split apart. When that time comes, the only one you can rely on is yourself."
Cai Zhao suddenly opened her eyes.
Calmly curling her body into a tighter ball, she sank deeper into the muddy ground while focusing her inner force steadily at her dantian, methodically regulating her breath as she waited for the pursuing soldiers to leave empty-handed.
Outside, the sky was already bright, yet Mu Qingyan remained in the cavern.
He lounged lazily against the wall opposite a pile of bones, idly lifting the broken armor pieces in his hand. The two halves of the heart mirror clanged against each other.
The Nian family's Dark Iron Heart Mirror lived up to its reputation—far tougher and more resilient than the giant mystic iron gong before Facing Sun Hall. Back then, Yaoguang's Venomous Serpent Heart-Piercing Palm had only left a dent on its surface without penetrating the flesh beneath. Wu Yuanying had been knocked unconscious by Yaoguang's inner force alone.
Yet this same heart mirror had been cleaved diagonally from top to bottom with a single slash, splitting both the mirror and the flesh and bones behind it. Such a ruthless, decisive strike—wide in arc and executed with full commitment—could only come from someone of fiery temperament, fearless bravery, who wielded their blade with nothing but fury and finality in their heart.
Cheng Bo approached quietly. "Young Master, you've been at this for two days. You should rest."
Mu Qingyan seemed not to hear, continuing to gently shake the heart mirror. "Tell me, how much must this person have hated Mu Zhengyang? To strike with such viciousness, leaving no room for mercy." Once lovers who vowed to grow old together, yet when they turned against each other, they could be this cruel.
Cheng Bo whispered, "The Eldest Young Master said the Second Young Master had harmed many innocent people—his death wasn't unjust. Young Master, you should rest now. We still need to keep searching for Miss Zhao Zhao later..."
Mu Qingyan paused, then laughed self-deprecatingly. "She hates me to death. What's the point of finding her?"
As he stood, he remarked casually, "Cheng Bo, didn't you once mention wanting to collect Mu Zhengyang's remains? Now that we've found his bones, get him a coffin."
Cheng Bo gazed at the skeletal remains and sighed. "Though the Eldest Young Master had long said the Second Young Master was gone, this old servant kept thinking... as long as we didn't see the body, there might still be hope. But he truly died—over a decade ago. Ah, the Second Young Master's life... was full of bitterness."
Mu Qingyan stopped walking. "Was it Cai Pingshu who told Father that Mu Zhengyang had died?"
Cheng Bo answered, "Yes. That very night, Great Hero Chang brought a young lady who kept coughing lightly to visit the Eldest Young Master at Reflection-Free Studio. At the time, this old servant didn't realize she was the renowned heroine Cai Pingshu."
"...Cheng Bo." Mu Qingyan hesitated before turning back. "Did Father... have feelings for Cai Pingshu?"
This was a suspicion he'd harbored since adolescence. Ironically enough, twins with completely opposite temperaments could very well fall for the same woman.
Cheng Bo's expression grew complicated, avoiding a direct answer. "This old servant asked that same question back then. Seeing the Eldest Young Master sitting by the window, gazing in the direction that lady had departed, I asked, 'Eldest Young Master, do you have feelings for that maiden?'"
Mu Qingyan grew curious. "What did Father say?"
Cheng Bo replied, "The Eldest Young Master said he actually felt more... sorrowful than anything."
"So this old servant asked, 'Are you sorrowful because you met too late, having missed your chance with each other?'""The eldest young master said no. He was just heartbroken that he couldn't help the girl during her most difficult time."
"The eldest young master said, as long as he had breath in him, he would never watch that girl be driven to despair alone. So he actually performed the Celestial Demon Disintegration Art, ending up with all his meridians severed, becoming a cripple."
"The eldest young master said she was the best girl under heaven, who should have lived a carefree and joyful life. Ah, what a pity..." Cheng Bo muttered his lament before leaving.
Mu Qingyan stood rooted to the spot, as if struck by lightning.
Returning to the Unsullied Study, he bathed, changed clothes, and lay on the recliner by the window in deep thought, repeatedly pondering his father's feelings at that time—"...She's the best girl under heaven, she should have a lifetime of joy... a lifetime of joy."
"Does it mean as long as she has a lifetime of joy, it doesn't matter whether I'm there or not?"
Half-dazed, as dusk fell again, Lian Shisan suddenly burst in breathlessly, "Young master, come quickly! Big Gold and Second Gold are back!"
Mu Qingyan snapped awake immediately, threw on his robe, and went out. He saw two enormous golden-feathered Giant Pengs in the courtyard, whimpering pitifully as they nuzzled against Cheng Bo.
"Young master, look at this!" Ignoring Big Gold's furious resistance, Lian Shisan forcibly turned its head to reveal the golden collar around its neck—used to stabilize riders on the Giant Peng's back, much like a horse's bridle.
Mu Qingyan parted the thick feathers around Big Gold's neck and saw an arrow shaft lodged diagonally in the intricately carved golden collar. Wrapped around the shaft was a familiar silk hair ribbon, from which hung a small object. He picked it up—it was unmistakably his little golden whistle.
The arrowhead had been removed, but the Giant Peng, startled and thinking it was injured, had flapped its way back to the Vast Sea Mountains.
Clutching the little golden whistle stained with traces of blood, countless ominous thoughts rose in Mu Qingyan's mind.
Lian Shisan smacked the Giant Peng and scolded, "Useless coward!"
He turned around, "Young master, Zhao Zhao has returned both Big Gold and Second Gold. Does she mean to cut ties with you completely?"
"No, something must have happened to her," Mu Qingyan murmured. "If she were fine, she wouldn't have returned them so readily. Perhaps the entire North Star has encountered trouble."
—Now, should he wait until those righteous sects are at their wits' end before stepping in to reap the benefits, or swallow his pride and go play the thankless role of a Demonic Cult villain?
Zhao Zhao, what do you think?
The pursuers searched the area repeatedly for a full day and night without success, finally concluding their target had fled and withdrawing.
Cai Zhao waited a while longer to ensure safety before struggling out of the mud pit.
After washing her face in the icy mountain spring, she strode resolutely toward the direction where a sliver of daylight still shone.
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