Liu Yan's entire body trembled slightly. "You—you've always been good to her. Don't say such things. I won't believe you." Tang Lici suddenly laughed, his smile blooming like a bewitching flower—strangely beautiful yet fleeting. "Saying such things only proves you, A-Yan, don’t know how to hurt someone." Liu Yan's fingers trembled as he gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly. "Why must you treat her like this? She trusts you, cares about you... considers you a friend. How can you do this to her? A-Li, she’s not your toy. You can’t break her just because you like her... She’s a person! A living, breathing person! She’s already suffered enough—how can you treat her this way?"
Tang Lici smiled faintly but didn’t answer, instead speaking softly, "Let’s eat. Aren’t you hungry?" Liu Yan stiffened, the armrest of his wheelchair snapping off under his grip. "Eat!"
At the mention of "eat," two more people suddenly appeared in the room. Shui Duopo and Mo Ziru had slipped in unnoticed and were already seated at the table, chopsticks in hand, eating heartily. Before Tang Lici was another dish, prepared without salt, which he ate slowly. Liu Yan kept his head down, focused on his own meal. The four ate in silence, none speaking to the others.
"Hey." Shui Duopo glanced at Tang Lici mid-meal. "You’re leaving tomorrow?" Tang Lici nodded, chewing slowly with elegant poise. Shui Duopo tapped her chopsticks against the plate. "No salt, no sugar, nothing fried, deep-fried, or roasted. Best to eat plain porridge and cabbage every day." Tang Lici paused his chopsticks. "Why...?" Shui Duopo let out a sound. "That... I can’t tell you." Yet Tang Lici didn’t press further, simply picking up his chopsticks to continue eating. Mo Ziru lowered his eyelids and asked quietly, "Aren’t you curious?"
Tang Lici gazed at the dishes on the table, a thoughtful expression crossing his face, but he said nothing. Mo Ziru opened his eyes and resumed eating, not continuing the conversation. Liu Yan clenched his chopsticks so tightly they nearly snapped. He didn’t want to look at Tang Lici, yet he couldn’t help but remain hyperaware of his breathing. After a long silence, he suddenly spoke. "You... when you return to Good Cloud Mountain, don’t fight so much."
Tang Lici still stared at the dishes, taking a long moment before replying gently, "I am the best in the world. It’s impossible for me not to fight." Liu Yan snapped, "You—your injuries haven’t healed yet. The Central Plains Sword Association is full of masters—why must you be the one to act?" Tang Lici chuckled. Mo Ziru and Shui Duopo continued eating as if they hadn’t heard. With a sharp clatter, Liu Yan threw down his bowl and chopsticks, pushing his wheelchair out of the room. He refused to eat any longer.
Shui Duopo and Mo Ziru glanced at Liu Yan’s retreating figure out of the corners of their eyes. Only when he had vanished completely did Shui Duopo sigh under her breath. "No one’s left to wash the dishes..." Mo Ziru remained indifferent—after all, this wasn’t his Dark Fragrance Residence. Shui Duopo gave Tang Lici a sidelong look. "He means well for you." Tang Lici picked up a piece of greens. "He’s just being naive, indulging in wishful thinking." Mo Ziru closed his eyes and nodded in agreement. Shui Duopo flicked open the fan in her sleeve, then snapped it shut again. "Hah! My mistake. Let’s eat, let’s eat."Liu Yan pushed his wheelchair back to the guest room in Mingyue Tower. Shui Duopo never entertained guests, so this so-called "guest room" didn't even have a bed—just piles of gold, silver, and jewels covering the floor. Every day, he slept atop these heaps of treasure, using stacks of Shui Duopo's pristine white robes as bedding. Upon returning now, the dazzling sight of riches only deepened his gloom. He turned his wheelchair toward the window, where the shimmering waters and layered mountain peaks stretched into the distance. He exhaled deeply.
A-Li... still didn’t know the true extent of his condition. He had never imagined he could die—he still relied on his immunity to poison to play the hero, single-handedly turning the tide. He enjoyed such acts not out of vanity or a need for control, but because he refused to let others take the risk. His external wounds had healed, and no one could stop him from doing anything—whether it harmed himself or others.
Liu Yan gazed at the distant mountains, his eyes heavy with sorrow. He couldn’t save Tang Lici, he couldn’t protect A Shui, and he had no idea how to find Fang Pingzhai or Yu Tuan'er. Yet the world insisted that the only thing he should focus on was the antidote for the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill.
He raised his right hand and gripped the windowsill tightly, his fingers pressing so hard that blood seeped between them. His mind was anything but calm—he couldn’t think of anything, only feeling as though the weight of the world was crushing him.
By December, the weather had grown colder. A light snowfall the previous day left He County looking especially pristine. A few figures trudged through the snow-covered path—though the snow wasn’t deep, the road was muddy and nearly impassable. The only route from the eastern city to He County left them no choice. Among the travelers were a woman in purple robes, another in yellow with a red fan, and a third in black with a sword at her waist—Fang Pingzhai and his companions.
Fang Pingzhai had rescued A Shui and Yu Tuan'er from the imperial prison, then barged into Yang Guihua’s quarters to retrieve Feng Feng. After leaving Luoyang with the three of them—plus the child—they found no trace of Liu Yan despite their inquiries. With no other options, they pinned their hopes on the Beauty Abode in Jiaoyu Town. Yu Tuan'er could only pray that Gui Mudan’s words were true—that Liu Yan would indeed appear at the Beauty Abode in two days. Yet everyone knew the odds were slim. Liu Yan had been abducted by unknown assailants; with his legs crippled and his martial arts lost, how could he possibly escape and make it to the Beauty Abode? Unless Gui Mudan himself had taken him—but if that were the case, why would he strike in front of the Seventeen Shaolin Monks instead of seizing Liu Yan when he was alone outside the temple? It made no sense.
A Shui cradled Feng Feng in her arms, her heart torn between worry for Liu Yan’s safety and concern over Tang Lici’s whereabouts. Yet all they heard along the way was that both Tang Lici and Liu Yan had vanished, while Xifang Tao led the Central Plains Sword Association in sweeping up the remnants of the Dissolute Shop. The higher Xifang Tao’s reputation rose, the more uneasy A Shui grew. If Young Master Tang were safe and sound, how could he allow such a thing? Though she followed Fang Pingzhai and Yu Tuan'er in search of Liu Yan, her thoughts were heavy with worry for Tang Lici.
Jiaoyu Town lay north of He County, and the Beauty Abode was a well-known tavern there. A decade ago, Fang Pingzhai had hosted a grand banquet for the Seven Cloud Traveling Guests here—the very place where the "Wenchun Wine" had poisoned the Plum Blossom Numerology master. Now, with Gui Mudan declaring a meeting at the Beauty Abode, his intentions were clear. Yet Fang Pingzhai had no choice but to go.He truly couldn't bring himself to deny this master, even though this master had always treated him with cold indifference and never showed him any kindness. But his little disciple's heart was set on mastering the Sound Assassination Technique—he couldn't possibly commit the sin of betraying his master before even completing his training. Yu Tuan'er was deeply devoted to Liu Yan. Even if Fang Pingzhai hadn't come, she would have traveled thousands of miles to reach Beauty Abode, let alone now that Fang Pingzhai was accompanying her. After several days of arduous travel, they had already reached He County. Just half a day's journey remained before they would arrive at Jiaoyu Town.
With the one-month deadline approaching, many from the Martial Arts World were heading to Jiaoyu Town. The path Fang Pingzhai had chosen from He County to Jiaoyu Town was relatively secluded, and at this moment, only the three of them were walking along it. The light snow had just melted, leaving the soil damp and icy. Treading through the muddy ground was as uncomfortable as it could get.
"Hey, do you really think he'll be there?" Yu Tuan'er asked as she stumbled along, stepping unevenly. "If he's not there, where else should we look?" Fang Pingzhai had tucked his red fan behind his neck. The winter chill was brutal, and if he were to keep waving that red fan around, even he would think himself a madman. So, he tucked the red-feathered fan behind his neck—it even helped block the cold wind. He let out a bitter laugh. "Well... I think since big brother left those words behind, he definitely has a way to make our master walk right into the trap." Yu Tuan'er took deep breaths of the crisp air. "What way?" Fang Pingzhai continued with a wry smile. "For example—what if he hung you from the roof of Beauty Abode? Do you think our master would come or not?" Yu Tuan'er snorted. "How should I know? If it were me, I'd definitely come, but I'm not him." Fang Pingzhai shook his head—communicating with Yu Tuan'er was truly difficult. He turned to A Shui. "What do you think, Miss A Shui?"
"I think the Revered Master... I think he will come." A Shui gently stroked Feng Feng's nape as the child clung to her clothes, her dark, lively eyes fixed intently on the desolate landscape. Yu Tuan'er's eyes brightened, and she grabbed A Shui's hand. "Why?" She desperately hoped A Shui would provide solid evidence that Liu Yan was indeed at Beauty Abode. A Shui was slightly taller and gently patted her head, much like how she tenderly stroked Feng Feng. "Because he has nowhere else to go."
Yu Tuan'er froze, not quite understanding. "He has nowhere else to go? But this is the most dangerous place, where the most people want to kill him!" A Shui sighed. "Silly girl, if he hid away and disappeared, wouldn't you be very disappointed?" Yu Tuan'er nodded. "He wouldn't do that." A Shui smiled faintly. "So... he won't hide. He has nowhere else to go. If he can come, he'll come here." Yu Tuan'er stomped her foot heavily on the ground. "Sister A Shui, you're so smart. Now I know why he always remembers you." A Shui bit her lower lip lightly. "He said he remembers me?"Yu Tuan'er looked at Feng Feng in A Shui's arms, reached out to take him, and stroked the baby's soft hair and skin. She kissed the top of his head before handing him back to A Shui, sighing, "Hmm, even if he doesn't say it, I know he remembers you and misses you every day."
A Shui shook her head. "Are you jealous?"
Yu Tuan'er stared blankly at Feng Feng. "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like he treats me very well, but... when I see the way he looks at you, I feel... I feel like he’d rather be with you, and then I get disappointed." She patted her forehead. "But I understand—it's not that I can't make him want to be with me, and it's not your fault."
A Shui took her hand and sighed softly. "Little sister, one day he’ll realize you’re a thousand times better than me. The reason he wants to be with me now is just... just because he’s mistaken."
Yu Tuan'er squeezed her hand. "Sister... do you ever think of him?"
A Shui’s heart trembled slightly. For a moment, she felt it pound heavily, as if it had leapt somewhere unknown. Images of Liu Yan flashed through her mind—his bewitching, melancholic beauty, his cruel and capricious torment, his lost and frenzied heart... the child lost after a day and night submerged in the water prison, and the look of utter sorrow in his eyes that day...
To say she didn’t think of him, to claim she could forget completely—that would be a lie. She thought of him... day and night. She thought of Liu Yan’s misery, of Tang Lici’s cruelty, of Fu Zhumei’s kindness. She even thought of Hao Wenhou... of his bone-deep devotion, of the corpses strewn across the ground, of Liu Yan’s pipa, its notes sharp and piercing...
"No," she said softly.
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