Yu Tuan'er asked again, "Was he... was he very handsome before?" A Shui smiled faintly. "Yes, he was very handsome before—perhaps more so than anyone could imagine, but not in a feminine way." Yu Tuan'er sighed regretfully. "What a pity I'll never get to see it. Sister A Shui, do you like him?" A Shui shook her head. "No." As Yu Tuan'er followed Fang Pingzhai forward, she asked curiously, "Why?"
Why... A Shui's thoughts drifted slightly. What... did it mean to like someone? How should one treat another person well? She was becoming less and less certain. Like Liu Yan, like Tang Lici... could that also be called "liking"? But rather than "liking," she believed more in what Tang Lici had said: "Men are actually no different... To you, Hao Wenhou was rape, Liu Yan was torment, and I... was merely prostitution."
Those words had been spoken too well—so well that they shattered all her confidence, so well that she no longer knew what "liking" even was... A Shui looked into Yu Tuan'er's clear eyes. "Because I like someone else." Sometimes she didn't know whether what she said was true or false, only that she couldn't hurt the innocent girl before her.
Yu Tuan'er burst into laughter. "Sister, who do you like? Is he handsome?" A Shui walked slowly beside her. "Not as handsome as Liu Yan or Young Master Tang." Yu Tuan'er hopped onto a large rock and then jumped down, her steps light. "How did you come to like him?" A Shui was taken aback. Fang Pingzhai roared with laughter—this little girl said whatever came to mind, and it wasn't just him who couldn't handle it; even A Shui was now at a loss for how to respond. After thinking for a while, A Shui smiled faintly. "I'm Feng Feng's mother. I can't afford to like anyone else anymore. I can only like Feng Feng." She watched as Yu Tuan'er frowned and paused slightly. "Besides... I don't know how to like someone else either."
"Sister A Shui, I don't know how to like him properly either." Yu Tuan'er, who had been cheerful just moments ago, suddenly became dejected. "I want to treat him very, very well, but whenever I do, he gets angry. When he gets angry and doesn't listen to me, I feel like hitting him." She lowered her head. "Am I very fierce?" A Shui smiled. "No, I think even if you hit him, he wouldn't be angry in his heart, because you don't deceive him." Yu Tuan'er added, "But I want to know what he's thinking, why he doesn't like me, why he likes you... He never tells me, and I often get very angry." A Shui wrapped an arm around her, fond of this straightforward girl. "Don't worry. Just treat him the way your heart tells you to." She spoke softly. "Don't beat around the bush—tell him everything. He'll realize you're a thousand times better than me." Yu Tuan'er beamed with a flawless smile. "Sister, you're so kind."
"Why do women's heart-to-heart conversations sound like gibberish to men?" Fang Pingzhai, who was scouting ahead, muttered. "Men aren't objects to be passed around. Just because one woman is good doesn't mean all men in the world will fancy her. Listening to you two whispering, I can't help but feel terrified for my master. Terrifying, truly terrifying." Yu Tuan'er glared. "Shut up!" Fang Pingzhai shook his head. "I'm so pitiful, alas, pitiful indeed."The three of them walked along the long muddy path and finally reached the hills surrounding He County.
What met their eyes was He County filled with black tents. The original houses and shops had all been demolished, flattened to the ground. The smoke from the fires had not yet fully dissipated, and atop the ruins, hundreds of tents were neatly erected. From a distance, there were no fewer than five hundred black-clad figures moving about outside the tents.
The three exchanged glances. Yu Tuan'er asked in a low voice, "Did you take the wrong path?" Fang Pingzhai habitually pulled out the red fan from behind his neck and waved it twice. "I'm also wondering if I took a wrong turn and stumbled upon ghosts... But—" His pupils contracted slightly. "What's that embroidered on those tents?"
"Peonies, I think..." Yu Tuan'er had excellent eyesight and stared into the distance for a while. "Very ugly peonies." A Shui couldn't see and frowned slightly. "What is it?" Fang Pingzhai sighed. "It seems like the death warriors recruited under my elder brother's banner, called Demon Soul Death Warriors. With this kind of setup, it looks like my elder brother wants to skin, dismember, and scatter Master's bones to the winds." A Shui shook her head. "If he wanted Liu Yan dead, he could have killed him long ago. He used Liu Yan's name to gather the victims of the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill here and stationed heavy forces. I think he must have other intentions."
"Is your elder brother planning to capture everyone who comes?" Yu Tuan'er wasn't foolish. "But there might be many people coming. How could he possibly capture them all?" Fang Pingzhai flicked his red fan. "He wants to confirm how many sects have been affected and aims to capture key figures from each sect. More importantly, he wants to use the antidote for the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill to control everyone. Of course, the key to this is Master himself showing up. Otherwise, it would be hard to achieve the desired control." A Shui whispered, "But if he's been captured and can't escape, he won't be able to come here." Fang Pingzhai shook his head. "Not necessarily. If someone has seized him, this place would be the perfect stage to assert dominance and manipulate the martial world. He would have to come."
But to reach Jiaoyu Town, they had to pass through this sea of tents. Yu Tuan'er's martial skills were mediocre, A Shui had no martial skills at all and was carrying an infant. How could they get past relying solely on Fang Pingzhai alone?
"Is this the only way to Jiaoyu Town?" A Shui held Feng Feng. "I think Feng Feng and I should take a detour to avoid hindering your movements." Fang Pingzhai hummed in agreement. "Let the brilliant and infinitely wise me think of a solution. Hmm, I have an idea." Yu Tuan'er asked, "What idea?" Fang Pingzhai coughed. "Charge through."
"What kind of idea is that?" Yu Tuan'er widened her eyes. "If we charge through, everyone will know we're here for him!" Fang Pingzhai laughed. "He County is very close to Jiaoyu Town. Once we break through these tents and cross that low hill, we'll reach the Beauty Abode in Jiaoyu Town. The distance isn't too far. If we cause chaos here, the people gathered at the Beauty Abode will know there's an ambush, and once my elder brother's forces are exposed, he won't dare act too brazenly. If word of our disturbance spreads, our dear Master will find it easier to locate us. As long as he gets the news, he'll have no choice but to come—it's just a gamble whether we find him first or my scheming elder brother does." He waved his red fan. "So—do we gamble or not?""But your elder brother must have already prepared methods to deal with you. A direct assault would likely be extremely dangerous." A Shui pondered for a moment. "Here's what we'll do—I'll take the girl and detour around another path. You charge into the tents briefly, then quickly retreat to meet us at Beauty Abode. With you causing a disturbance here, our path should be safer, and you won't need to commit to a full assault."
Fang Pingzhai gave an acknowledging hum. "That's a good plan. But do you know how to navigate the detour?" Without three burdens by his side, even if faced with Gui Mudan's Demon Soul Death Warriors, he could move freely.
A Shui smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I'm used to being alone—finding a path won't be difficult."
Fang Pingzhai flicked open his red fan. "Sometimes I think you're a woman with nothing remarkable besides decent features, and I still don’t understand why my master is so fixated on you. But suddenly, I realize that entrusting tasks to you is far more reassuring than leaving them to my little martial aunt. Who knew there could actually be a reliable woman in this world? How strange."
A Shui laughed softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Once we’ve assessed the situation ahead, we’ll split up."
"Very well." Fang Pingzhai leaped onto a nearby tree to survey the tents in Hexian. Meanwhile, A Shui studied the mountain terrain in the distance before taking Yu Tuan'er's hand.
Yu Tuan'er pointed toward the woods. "We can go this way too."
A Shui gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We’ll follow the mountain path—no need to alert anyone."
Holding A Shui’s hand, Yu Tuan'er lowered her head. "What if he doesn’t come?"
A Shui gently pressed her soft palm. "If he doesn’t, I’ll stay with you until we find him. Alright?"
Yu Tuan'er’s eyes reddened slightly, but she smiled. "Promise?"
A Shui nodded. "Mm. Promise."
A light breeze swept overhead—Fang Pingzhai’s figure had already vanished. A Shui held Yu Tuan'er’s hand in one hand and carried Feng Feng in the other, slowly making her way around the other side of the hill.
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