A Shui watched his retreating figure, feeling a mix of amusement and something heavier that stifled any laughter. Xiao Fu? A handyman at the Silver Horn Tavern, a young man who had lived in Luoyang for years, barely speaking to anyone, keeping only a turtle for company—what important matter could he possibly have to ask her? "I'll come to your place tonight to talk"? She had no idea Xiao Fu even knew where she lived, and a late-night visit was hardly proper etiquette... Of course, for a woman whose reputation had long been ruined, chastity meant nothing. Yet she didn’t believe Xiao Fu would make such a suggestion lightly for that reason. With another soft sigh, she turned toward home. Some things she thought she had left behind seemed to be creeping back toward her, unseen yet undeniable.
Was it truly that once you entered the Martial Arts World, there was no turning back?
As she stepped out of the Silver Horn Tavern, she noticed three carriages parked at the entrance. The horses in front were silver-hoofed and snow-white, strikingly majestic—clearly belonging to someone of high status. She skirted the convoy from a distance, observing the bustling attendants before quietly slipping into another alley, heading calmly toward the Apricot Sun Bookstore.
In the quieter alley, afternoon birds perched on the walls, tilting their heads as they watched her walk alone. Her footsteps were nearly soundless. Halfway down the lane, her vision blurred slightly as a figure in flowing white robes materialized before her—a veiled young woman, poised and graceful, her hand resting on the curved blade at her waist. A cold, crisp voice rang out, "You’ve been enjoying yourself these past few days, haven’t you, A Shui?"
A chill ran through A Shui’s heart as she took a step back. "You—"
"Come with me! Tang Lici letting you return to Luoyang alone is a joke!" The veiled girl lunged forward, her left hand reaching out to seize her. "Someone wants to see you!" A Shui bit her lip lightly but didn’t evade. Escape was futile—she could never outrun the pursuit of those from the Martial Arts World. But Feng Feng... Before the thought could fully form, surprise flickered in her eyes as she retreated three more steps. Suddenly, a figure in black descended from the rooftop beside the alley, thrusting a sword toward the white-clad girl’s back. The blade’s cold gust alerted the girl, who swiftly drew her saber to parry. With a sharp clang, both were forced back. Sensing the unfavorable turn, the veiled girl let out a piercing cry and vanished in a series of leaps. The black-clad figure bowed slightly to A Shui before disappearing as well.
In an instant, the alley was empty again, the birds on the walls now startled into flight. A Shui lifted her gaze to the blue sky, standing silently for a moment before exhaling softly. She had never truly escaped anything—nor could she. Tang Lici had indeed sent someone to protect her, flawlessly and without a trace... But what did it matter? It only made her feel how helplessly entangled life could be.
Returning to the Apricot Sun Bookstore, A Shui retrieved Feng Feng from Granny Liu’s home. The child was unharmed. If the veiled woman had tracked her movements, she must have been following her for some time—so why hadn’t Feng Feng been taken? Likely another favor owed to Tang Lici’s protective arrangements. Then a sudden thought struck her: Xiao Fu was coming tonight. Would Tang Lici’s men mistake him for an enemy and kill him too?"Waa—da da...mm..." Feng Feng pointed and gestured in her arms, making sounds to indicate he was hungry. A Shui brought out a bowl of warm rice soup and fed it to Feng Feng spoon by spoon. Feng Feng obediently drank half of it before suddenly turning his head away, refusing to take another sip. A Shui looked down and noticed a small white impurity faintly visible in the bowl of rice soup that had been kept warm on the stove. Scooping it up with the spoon, she was shocked to find it was a small white butterfly with faint spots on its wings. She immediately set the bowl aside—this was a butterfly she had never seen before, and it was likely poisonous! The men Tang Lici had assigned could fend off the people from the Dissolute Shop, but they couldn’t stop the poisonous creatures the Dissolute Shop controlled. Feng Feng must have been poisoned.
What should she do? Frantically, she rummaged through her medicine box and pulled out a bottle of antidote pills—given to her by Liu Yan during her time at the Dissolute Shop. She took out one pill, broke it in half, dissolved one half in warm water, and fed it to Feng Feng. She didn’t know if the antidote would work, but after drinking it, Feng Feng soon fell into a deep sleep, his cheeks flushed with a high fever. With no medical knowledge, A Shui held him anxiously, her heart in turmoil. What should she do? Should she take him to a doctor outside? Her thoughts raced as she rushed out the door with Feng Feng in her arms, ready to call for help.
Since Tang Lici had stationed protectors around her, surely someone would respond if she called for aid. Just as she was about to shout, a figure hurried over from a distance. Seeing her dash out of the house with the child, the person rubbed his head and strode forward, taking Feng Feng from her arms. "Let’s go back inside first. There are too many people out here."
"My child has been poisoned, I..." A Shui, who had been composed just moments ago, now felt utterly helpless. "It’s all... my fault..." If she hadn’t been distracted by the sudden appearance of the woman in white blocking her path, she would never have missed the butterfly in the rice soup. If only she had been calmer and more attentive, Feng Feng wouldn’t have been poisoned. She had failed as a mother. If anything happened to Feng Feng, she would die with him—she wouldn’t live on alone. The one who had hurried over was Xiao Fu. He ruffled his own hair and, out of habit, reached out to pat hers reassuringly. "It’s alright, don’t panic. Don’t be afraid. I’ll help you."
Help me? How... how can you help me? A Shui stared at him blankly. "You..." Xiao Fu picked up Feng Feng, closed the door, and then placed a palm against the child’s tiny back. In an instant, Feng Feng’s skin turned red, and steam rose from his body. After a while, Feng Feng suddenly opened his eyes and burst into loud cries, gripping Xiao Fu’s clothes tightly. "Ah... wuu wuu... cough..." The little child coughed and spat out the rice soup he had just consumed, then continued wailing before suddenly biting Xiao Fu’s shoulder. "Aah! Wuu wuu..."
This was the method of expelling poison using Internal Force! A Shui swayed slightly—the man she had admired for years was actually... "Who are you?" The white-clothed, disheveled youth hastily returned the biting Feng Feng to her, his large eyes filled with apology. "My surname is Fu, and my name is Fu Zhumei. It’s a terrible name, I’m sorry..." She took Feng Feng back and smiled faintly. "Hero Fu has hidden depths. A Shui failed to recognize a great master—it is I who should apologize.""No, no," Fu Zhumei waved his hands repeatedly, "I'm not a hero, and that's not what I wanted to talk about. I came to ask you... to ask you..." But when it came to the actual question, he hesitated again. A Shui held Feng Feng tightly, gently wiping the porridge from the baby's delicate lips, her emotions gradually calming. Hearing his words, she sighed softly, "Are you here to ask about Young Master Tang? How he's doing?" Fu Zhumei nodded first, then rubbed his hair, "How did you know?"
"Because A Shui has nothing to her name and no one to rely on," her faint smile carried a trace of bitterness, "Apart from knowing Young Master Tang, there's nothing special about me." Fu Zhumei shook his head repeatedly, though it was unclear what he was denying, "Is he doing well now?"
"I don't know... perhaps... he's fine." A Shui spoke softly, "Young Master Tang has been very kind to me. I'm grateful, but also ashamed." Fu Zhumei widened his eyes at her, "Fine? Do you know Chi Yun is dead?" A Shui suddenly looked up, shocked, "Chi Yun is dead? How? How... how could this happen?" Fu Zhumei gave a bitter smile, raising his hand to rub his head again but stopping halfway, "Chi Yun is dead. Everyone says he was poisoned by the Gu Spider, went mad, and killed indiscriminately. Tang Lici killed Chi Yun to stop him from killing innocents."
Tang Lici killed Chi Yun? How... how could this be? A Shui's face turned deathly pale, "I didn't know this happened... how could it be?" Fu Zhumei paced around the room twice before sighing, "He... he has a bad temper, like a child. Killing his own friend with his own hands would drive him mad." His words were still jumbled. Suppressing her inner turmoil, A Shui asked, "You... who are you to Young Master Tang? Why would someone like you work as a cook in the Silver Horn Tavern?"
"Me?" Fu Zhumei rubbed his head again, "I'm Tang Lici's brother, but we haven't seen each other in a long time. His temper is bad..." He repeated, "A-Li has a terrible temper. He can't let go of anything. Killing his own friend—even if he pretends nothing's wrong on the surface, inside he must be furious to the point of madness. And when he's angry, he wants to kill people... ah!" He paced around the room again, "Do you understand? I'm worried about him. Since he sent people to protect you, it means you're important to him. So I thought if he's troubled, he might tell you. Maybe you'd know how he's doing now. But you don't know anything."
Tang Lici's brother? Xiao Fu is Tang Lici's brother? The world is truly full of surprises. A Shui looked at his anxious expression, "You're really his brother? Then... will you go see him? Young Master Tang..." Her voice lowered slightly, "Though I don't understand him well, I always feel he's very lonely. He needs someone by his side. Before, Chi Yun was with him. Now that Chi Yun is dead, the blow must be devastating." Fu Zhumei nodded repeatedly, then suddenly shook his head, "I am his brother, but he... he hates me... I can't go see him." A Shui was slightly surprised, "He hates you?" Fu Zhumei was indeed part of the Martial Arts World, but he was young, not particularly mature or skilled, his words disjointed, his movements clumsy, and he hardly interacted with others. Such an unremarkable and harmless person—why would Tang Lici hate him?"He hates me," Fu Zhumei said, fingers digging into his black hair as he tugged at it in frustration. "He just hates me, I can't go see him." A Shui lifted her lashes slightly. "Why would he hate you?" Fu Zhumei frowned, as if the question was difficult to answer. "I..." He paused briefly, then sighed with that peculiar tone of his—a mix of childlike innocence and world-weariness. "Because I took something from him." A Shui's delicate brows furrowed slightly. There was clearly more to this story, but she didn't press further. "If you're Young Master Tang's brother, then... do you know Liu Yan?"
"A-Yan?" Fu Zhumei nodded. "Of course I know him. We're brothers too. A-Yan is a good person." A Shui fell silent, then sighed softly. "Yes, I also think he shouldn't be a bad person, but..." Fu Zhumei's warm hand patted her head gently as she spoke. "A-Yan is a good person, but he... ah... he never plans for himself. He only sees the surface of things, and his decisions are always so muddled."
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