On another path, several carriages were also slowly making their way toward Good Cloud Mountain. These carriages, adorned with jade-green gauze and tinkling jade bells, exuded an air of refined elegance—they were unmistakably the carriages of Azure Fall Palace.
Inside the carriages sat Bi Lianyi and Hong Guniang, escorted by Tie Jing and the thirteen members of Azure Fall Palace's "Heaven" unit as they ascended Good Cloud Mountain. After two months of treatment, Bi Lianyi's injuries had greatly improved, thanks in no small part to Hong Guniang's meticulous care. Wan Yu Yuedan had sent the two of them to Good Cloud Mountain at this time with multiple intentions, but the primary reason was that, before the battle against Dissolute Shop, Tang Lici hoped to learn more details about Dissolute Shop's Piaoling Mei Yuan from Hong Guniang. As for Bi Lianyi accompanying her, on one hand, Wan Yu Yuedan wanted him to travel and recuperate after his severe injuries, and on the other, his relationship with Hong Guniang was at a turning point—no one wanted them to be separated now.
Inside the carriage, Bi Lianyi sat quietly with his eyes closed, silent and composed. Hong Guniang rested her chin on her hand as she gazed out the window. Outside, the mountains were lush and the waters clear, brimming with the vitality of spring, a far cry from the frosty chill of winter. She had lived in Azure Fall Palace for over half a year, arriving with a heart set on death, but now, as she left, her state of mind was entirely different.
The reason she had agreed to help Tang Lici was that he had promised to let her see Liu Yan once.
She wasn’t surprised that Liu Yan was in Tang Lici’s hands. There were countless people in the martial world who wanted Liu Yan, but who else besides Tang Lici could truly hold him in their grasp?
She wanted to see Liu Yan, then follow him wherever he went—whether to revive his ambitions or to fade from the martial world, either would be fine. In the past, such thoughts had filled her with fervor, but now they felt strangely calm. She couldn’t tell whether her determination to follow Liu Yan was truly her own wish or merely an escape.
Beside her, Bi Lianyi’s steady breathing filled the space. She tried her best not to look at him. His injuries weren’t fully healed yet, and whenever his breath faltered even slightly, her heart would grow restless. Yet no matter the pain, he never spoke of it—whether during the most critical moments of his injuries or now, as he gradually recovered, he always insisted he was fine. A man who always claimed to be fine was infuriating. She steeled herself to believe him, yet she couldn’t stop herself from watching his expressions and listening to his breathing.
The breeze outside swept through the carriage curtains, cool and refreshing. Hong Guniang silently stared out the window. What was Liu Yan doing at this very moment? Did he still remember her? The thought that he might have long forgotten her brought tears to her eyes.
She felt as though she had suffered so much—though in reality… in reality, she hadn’t been harmed at all. In truth, during her half-year stay at Azure Fall Palace, she had wreaked havoc, and it was others who had suffered. Yet she still felt as though she had endured immense hardship… while he… might not even remember her anymore.
A handkerchief was handed to her. Hong Guniang took it and silently wiped away her tears. Bi Lianyi retrieved the handkerchief and resumed his meditative posture, eyes closed, as if nothing had happened.
The carriages of Azure Fall Palace gradually entered the vicinity of Good Cloud Mountain. Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves erupted as a fast horse overtook the carriages, charging straight toward the mountain peak. Tie Jing was momentarily stunned—the rider’s figure was graceful, unmistakably a young maiden. Judging by her riding posture, not only was she unskilled in horsemanship, but her martial prowess was also mediocre at best. How could such an inexperienced girl be traveling alone, rushing toward Good Cloud Mountain?The swift horses galloped past when Tie Jing suddenly pressed his hand to his sword hilt and signaled to halt. The Azure Fall Palace members stopped the carriage, all gripping their sword hilts, alert and vigilant. Inside the carriage, Bi Lianyi heard it clearly—several fast horses had been tailing the young woman, racing alongside her, but abruptly stopped upon spotting the Azure Fall Palace carriage, concealing themselves in the woods.
Who was following the young woman? Who were these pursuers?
Tie Jing remained on guard, sword at the ready. After a moment, he realized the pursuers bore no hostility toward the Azure Fall Palace and signaled to proceed. The group advanced in silence. Inside the carriage, Hong Guniang, after a brief pause, murmured, "They're from the Dissolute Shop."
Bi Lianyi opened his eyes. "How can you be sure?" Hong Guniang replied, "This method of stealthy pursuit is our sect's way. Do you smell that faint fragrance? It's the scent of the String Plucking Soul Snatching elixir." Bi Lianyi strained to detect it, but his nose wasn't as keen as Hong Guniang's. After a long while, he still couldn't catch the elusive scent. "So, if you had a qin, you could control the actions of those behind us?" Hong Guniang nodded slowly, biting her lip. "But I'm not as skilled as the Revered Master."
"Are you willing to help the Azure Fall Palace?" Bi Lianyi asked. She didn't answer immediately. After a pause, she countered softly, "Why don't you ask if I'm willing to help you?" Bi Lianyi replied calmly, "Helping the Azure Fall Palace is helping me." Hong Guniang raised a hand to tuck a wind-tossed strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you begging me?" Bi Lianyi said, "Disciples of the Azure Fall Palace never beg." A flicker of anger passed through Hong Guniang's eyes before she sighed and closed them. "Even if I wanted to help, I don't have a qin."
Bi Lianyi lifted a brocade cloth from the carriage seat, revealing what Hong Guniang had mistaken for a cushion—a yaoqin. The instrument was smaller than usual, a third shorter than a standard seven-stringed qin, with a smooth, polished wooden body and gleaming strings. It was unlike any qin she had ever seen. "This is..."
"This qin is called 'Flowing Jade,'" Bi Lianyi said, his gaze steady. "Though its body is short, its tone is exquisite."
"'Flowing Jade, Flying Torrent'—the finest qin crafted by the Qiwu family in fifty years, worth a fortune." Hong Guniang whispered, "You bought it?"
Bi Lianyi cradled the qin in his arms, plucking a string. A resonant note rang out. "Do you like it?" Hong Guniang's expression softened as she stared at the instrument. "When did you buy it?" Bi Lianyi replied, "The day after you shattered the jade pendant." Hong Guniang fell silent, then took the qin into her arms. "What do you want done with those behind us?"
"Capture them without resistance so we may question them," Bi Lianyi said. "I didn't gift you this qin for the sake of the Azure Fall Palace." Hong Guniang sighed faintly. "I know." Her slender fingers danced across the strings of Flowing Jade, producing a serene melody. Before long, the sound of hooves approached—five horses stepped into the Azure Fall Palace's guarded perimeter. At Tie Jing's commanding shout, weapons clattered to the ground as the five surrendered without resistance.Bi Lianyi lifted the carriage curtain as Tie Jing restrained one of the men. "Their eyes are unfocused—could they be under the influence of Hong Guniang's zither music?" he asked. Hearing the zither music from the carriage, these men had approached as if in a dream, allowing him to guess the reason. Bi Lianyi glanced at the man restrained by Tie Jing—a stranger whose face he didn’t recognize. "Were you following that young lady just now?"
The man, dressed in purple, murmured blankly, "Yes..."
"Why were you following her?"
"She came from Phoenix Cry Mountain... that mountain... has ghosts... ghosts..." the purple-clad man muttered. "She's Yu Tuan'er. She's always been with Liu Yan. I wanted to find Liu Yan's whereabouts..." Suddenly, he grew agitated. "But there are ghosts in that mountain! Water turns into blood—just like that, all the water on the ground turns red, red blood! And there are zombies underground, monsters, wailing and screeching..."
Tie Jing and Bi Lianyi frowned, exchanging glances. Though they didn’t understand much of what he was saying, they grasped that the girl he had been following was closely connected to Liu Yan, and his purpose in tracking her was to locate Liu Yan.
"Liu Yan... is he... is he still alive? Is he well?" The carriage curtain was abruptly pulled aside as Hong Guniang asked in a trembling voice.
"He's making the antidote for the Ape-Demon Nine Hearts Pill. The master said... we can't let him make the antidote. We must capture him, kill him, hehehe... Whoever catches him will rule the martial world, whoever catches him..." The purple-clad man rambled incoherently, his mind still trapped in the horror of "ghosts." "The ghosts caught him, the ghosts turned him into a pool of blood, hahaha..."
"Antidote?" Hong Guniang clenched her teeth. "That girl knows where he is, doesn’t she? She... she's been with him all along? She's been with him all along? Who is she? Who is she?"
"She's Yu Tuan'er, Yu Tuan'er, Yu Tuan'er..." the man repeated.
Hong Guniang looked at Bi Lianyi, who remained silent. Tie Jing, too, said nothing. Everyone was quiet, their gazes filled with apology and pity as they watched her. She drew a sharp breath. "You... you all knew... you knew he was with another girl, you knew all along... everyone knew... and only kept it from me?"
"No, Hong Guniang, Azure Fall Palace didn’t mean to deceive you. It’s just... we never thought such a matter needed to be brought to your attention," said the Azure Fall Palace disciple driving the carriage. "Who Liu Yan is with—we all thought it was an insignificant matter..."
"Enough!" Hong Guniang's chest heaved. "An insignificant matter, yes. Azure Fall Palace is honorable, never one to gossip. And you—" She looked at Bi Lianyi. "You are magnanimous, never using such things to force me to change my heart. None of you are at fault." She slumped down. "From beginning to end, it was me who was deluded, me who clung to a one-sided love. I was wrong, I was wrong..."
"Pick up the pace," Bi Lianyi said without further comment. Tie Jing nodded, and the Azure Fall Palace entourage bound the five dazed men before hastening their journey toward Good Cloud Mountain.
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