The atmosphere was eerily strange, like a pot about to boil suddenly being covered with a lid. The water still bubbled furiously, but the splashes were trapped inside, simmering in stifled heat.
Having fought intensely for half a day, Cai Zhao was utterly exhausted. Now that she had finally found her intended target, she failed to notice the odd expression on his face and cheerfully greeted him, "At last, I found you! I thought I’d have to turn the Nether Bamboo Path upside down to locate you! Dressed like this, I hardly recognized you."
Song Yuzhi also spotted him and bowed formally. "It’s been days, Young Master Mu. Your grace remains undiminished—most excellent."
Since waking from last night’s melancholic dream, Mu Qingyan had been in low spirits. His lifelong habit was to conceal deeper emotions behind an increasingly aloof and composed demeanor, ensuring no one could discern his true thoughts.
His heart churned with turmoil as his gaze flickered between Cai Zhao and Song Yuzhi—one moment joyous, the next resentful. After a long silence without uttering a word, he coldly flicked his sleeve and strode away.
"Hey, hey, wait!" Cai Zhao hurried after him, leaving the hall filled with people wearing varied expressions.
Lian Shisan immediately sought instructions. "What should we do with the remaining—" In truth, many combatants of the White Tiger Palace had yet to surrender their weapons. At this moment, they were shrinking back, plotting to seize the chance to flee.
You Guanyue cut him off sharply. "Shut up! Let the ones who run escape! Just deal with those who resist!" What an oblivious fool! Asking Mu Qingyan now would undoubtedly yield the reply, "Kill them all."
Then he turned to Song Yuzhi, lifting his chin with the air of a servant catching his master in an affair. "And who might you be, sir?"
...
Mu Qingyan strode ahead with swift steps. Cai Zhao fumbled to sheathe her blade at her waist before leaping after him and grabbing his gold-and-black sleeve. "What’s your problem? I came all this way to see you—stop! Stop right there!"
Mu Qingyan halted and turned, his dark eyes icy. "Why are you here?"
"To find you, of course!" Cai Zhao was baffled. "Did you think I came to challenge the Demonic Cult alone?"
Mu Qingyan sneered. "Not alone, it seems. You have Young Master Song accompanying you."
"I’ve never traveled such distances alone, nor do I know the ways of the Martial World! I didn’t even know which way the Nether Bamboo Path opened! Third Senior Brother has experience and funds, and he happened to have business with you—of course I traveled with him!" Cai Zhao found him utterly unreasonable.
Mu Qingyan couldn’t bear to hear praise for Song Yuzhi. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Cheng Bo waited for you at the Bamboo Grove Hermitage for half a month! If you truly wanted to find me, why not go to him? Did you need that Song fellow to show off his prowess?"
Cai Zhao froze. "Ah. Cheng Bo waited for me half a month? You knew I was coming?"
Mu Qingyan snorted coldly. "I wouldn’t dare presume!" With a flick of his sleeve, he stormed off again.
Even Cai Zhao’s patience had its limits. "Fine, fine! I was worried you were isolated and helpless—what if Nie Zhe captured and roasted you alive? But now I see Young Master Mu is formidable, commanding a mighty force! My concern was clearly pointless. Wonderful—I’ll just head back now!" She turned and marched away.
Before she could take more than a few steps, the gold-and-black robes fluttered as Mu Qingyan flashed in front of her, blocking her path. "Where do you think you’re going?"
"Where else? Home!" Cai Zhao shouted. "I may not know the way in, but I know the way out! Move aside!"“Know what? You’d get lost just walking from one end of town to the other, then wander around until Nie Zhe catches you!” Mu Qingyan’s words were especially cutting.
Cai Zhao was furious: “I might not know the way, but Third Senior Brother does. There’s no need for you, Mu Shaojun, to worry about it!”
Mu Qingyan firmly grasped her arm, his four pale, slender fingers sinking into her sleeve. Cai Zhao snapped, “Let go!”
“No.”
“Then I’ll chop off those dog paws!”
Mu Qingyan placed his other hand on her pulse point and detected blood deficiency. “You’re exhausted and hungry. I’m afraid you’ll collapse halfway.”
The fatigue Cai Zhao had accumulated over the past few days surged up, and the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She angrily lashed out: “It’s your fault! You can’t just leave me out here alone, helpless and fighting for my life. I thought—since your father passed early and the Mu family abandoned you—I couldn’t let you struggle alone either. That’s why I stumbled all the way here!”
“I’ve never traveled this far by myself before. The closer I got to the Vast Sea Mountains, the stronger the Demonic Cult’s influence became. I couldn’t even be sure if a dumpling shop was run by them! I was terrified for my life—too scared to sleep properly or eat without worry. I crept into the Nether Bamboo Path with my heart in my throat, and when I finally saw you, I was so happy! And yet, you’re still cold and sharp with me! Clearly, forcing things never works—I’m done with this!” Her voice grew increasingly choked, nearly breaking into sobs by the end.
Mu Qingyan listened quietly, his pale face gradually flushing with color. The rotting, desolate air in the dilapidated house slowly dissipated as slanting sunlight streamed in—his favorite time of day as a child.
Unconsciously, he tightened his grip. Cai Zhao yelped in pain, “Are you trying to crush my hand?!”
Mu Qingyan released her, instead tugging gently at her sleeve as he walked ahead with lowered eyes. “Let’s go. Eat first.”
…
You Guanyue, peering anxiously through the window, scratched his head in frustration. “What are they doing? Arguing? Making up?” Unfortunately, they were too far away for him to hear anything.
Lian Shisan approached after finishing the cleanup of the White Tiger Palace remnants. “A few surrendered and revealed things like the treasury’s secret passages. I’m not good at handling this—you take over.”
You Guanyue turned eagerly. “Who is that girl? Have you met her before? Is she the Young Master’s sweetheart?”
“What’s it to you? If the Young Master wants to talk about it, he will. Stop guessing.” Lian Shisan frowned.
You Guanyue lamented his colleague’s lack of ambition. “As subordinates, it’s our duty to anticipate our master’s thoughts and share his concerns. How can you be so clueless and still expect to be a trusted confidant?”
Lian Shisan: “Why be a confidant? What’s the point?”
You Guanyue was stunned. After a long pause, he said, “Once the Young Master reclaims the Cult Leader’s position, his confidant will be second only to him, above all others!”
Lian Shisan pondered this. “I’m already second only to the Young Master. Whether I’m above others or not doesn’t matter.”
You Guanyue: “If that doesn’t matter, then what does?”
Lian Shisan: “Cheng Bo said once the Young Master settles his affairs, he’ll take me back to the countryside to arrange a marriage.”
Before You Guanyue could scoff, Lian Shisan added, “That maid of yours—is her name Xing Er? She seems diligent and capable, and she doesn’t talk much. She wouldn’t interfere with my sword practice. I’ll just marry her. You don’t have any objections, do you, Altar Lord You?”
You Guanyue: ?!?!?!He forced a smile and stepped forward, slinging an arm over Lian Shisan's shoulder with a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing expression. "Brother Shisan, young and promising, why limit your future so soon? As the saying goes, 'fair maidens and fleeting years'—once the Young Master achieves great things and you rise to power, you'll find beautiful and virtuous women everywhere. What's a mere maidservant worth..."
After tidying up the aftermath at the White Tiger Palace and delegating Wang Tianfeng to inventory the treasury's wealth, You Guanyue personally settled Young Master Song with a beaming face. By the time he returned, he was utterly exhausted but still dutifully inquired about his lord's condition.
The maidservant Xing Er replied, "Drawing bathwater, lighting the stove for a meal—seven dishes, one soup, plus two desserts. The kitchen has been busy for nearly an hour."
You Guanyue: "This young lady is no ordinary guest. Serve her well—don't let her do things like combing her hair or changing clothes herself. The art of service lies in the details, subtle as the spring rain."
Xing Er obediently responded, "Understood. The young lady is still bathing; I'll go in a moment."
You Guanyue asked about Mu Qingyan: "Where is the Young Master? I need to report on today's post-battle situation."
Xing Er: "Oh, the Young Master is in that young lady's room."
You Guanyue nodded and stood up, then paused as if something felt off. "Wait—what did you say the young lady was doing just now?"
"The Young Master told her to eat first before bathing, so she's still in the bath now."
"And yet the Young Master is...?"
"In the young lady's room."
A series of indescribable images flashed through You Guanyue's mind. He sat back down. "Xing Er, let's have our meal first too."
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