Ziqing wasn’t a fool!

She’d already thought through all of this herself—she understood perfectly well the meaning behind Jue Mingzi’s words.

She’d sat there in silence the entire night, not out of despair.

She had never been someone who despaired easily. She was simply grieving.

Grieving that she’d given so much, even sacrificed Xuanyuan Lige’s life, and in the end had found nothing at all.

Grieving that she’d given so much, even squandered Beiyue’s best years, and in the end had found nothing at all.

Grieving that she’d given so much, even erased every one of Baili Weisheng’s memories, and in the end had found nothing at all!

If it had been herself alone paying the price, no matter how much, she would never have thought twice about the cost!

It was only that these people… their sacrifices were what grieved her so.

And giving up the search now, abandoning the effort, grieved her too.

And yet, she’d already made up her mind, already decided to let it go—she simply needed time to come to terms with that choice.

“Qing’er, that’s enough. If your mother knew all that you’ve done, she’d surely be proud of you. If the people of the lonely island knew all that you’ve done, they’d surely be proud of you too. Qing’er, your father is proud of you!”

Jue Mingzi meant every word from the bottom of his heart. Though this daughter had never once acknowledged him as her father, in his own heart, having a daughter like her was a blessing he couldn’t have earned in three lifetimes.

Finally, Ziqing slowly lifted her head, offering a faint smile, tinged with a trace of helplessness—Jue Mingzi still didn’t understand her, in the end.

In truth, there was no need for further consolation. She’d already known, long ago, that enough was enough.

She glanced once at Jue Mingzi, and honestly, she wanted to tell him, “You have no right to say ‘enough.'”

Everyone else in the world had the right to say enough was enough—only Jue Mingzi did not.

Because the lonely island had been his responsibility, and he had never once fulfilled it. What right did he have to tell her “enough” now?

And yet, Ziqing said none of this, only saying flatly, “My hand’s fine now. I’d like to rest for a while.”

At those words, Jue Mingzi started slightly, a wave of bitterness rising in his chest—her tone, so distant, so clearly keeping him at arm’s length, left him utterly humiliated.

Even his heartfelt words a moment ago had gotten no response from her at all. Jue Mingzi lowered his head, picked up his medicine box, and silently turned to leave.

Once he’d gone, Jun Beiyue finally spoke. “Why do you have to do this to yourself?”

“Xuanyuan Lige has the right to say enough. Baili Weisheng has the right to say enough. You have even more right than either of them. Only he does not.” Ziqing’s tone was almost icy.

And yet, it was precisely that tone that told Jun Beiyue this woman hadn’t truly given up, wasn’t broken, wasn’t numb—she was still capable of loving fiercely and hating fiercely, still very much herself!

Seeing her hands covered in blood earlier, seeing that hollow, vacant look on her face—he’d never been so frightened in his life.

“You know I hate nothing more than seeing you like this, in despair.” Jun Beiyue held her tightly, every word weighted heavily. With him here, no matter what happened, even if the sky itself came crashing down, she must never give in to despair.

“I know. I just want some quiet, just for a little while… then, let’s go home.” Ziqing said with a faint smile.

She simply wanted a moment of quiet, a moment to grieve silently—that was all.

She’d already made her decision—to go home with Jun Beiyue. She didn’t want him sacrificing anything more for this matter.

Just as Jue Mingzi had said, they had their own futures ahead of them.

They’d spent so much effort searching for a lost home, and now, having found nothing at all, she found herself exhausted enough to simply want to go home—back to the home she shared with Jun Beiyue.

As for the blood zheng, she’d only wanted to play it a little—but once she’d picked it up, it was as though something had drawn her in, and she simply couldn’t let go. She’d never expected things to turn out like this.

Seeing Ziqing manage a smile, Jun Beiyue finally let out a breath of relief. “All right. Let’s go home.”

And yet, his deep gaze swept over the blood-soaked blood zheng nearby, and he made an entirely different resolution.

This woman could fool anyone else, but not him.

She wasn’t looking for quiet at all—she was grieving, grieving so deeply she was nearly at the edge of despair.

This foolish woman—she wasn’t someone who gave up or despaired easily, and neither was he, Jun Beiyue!

He didn’t care why she’d been searching for the lonely island in the first place. All he knew was that at first, he’d searched for it to break the enchanting fragrance within her body, and later, to find her a family, a proper home she could be married from with dignity!

Han Ziqing, even if you’ve given up.

This king will still find that lonely island. Even if it’s already gone, this king will dig it up out of the earth itself—if only to see you smile once more.

“Before we go home, let’s return the blood zheng to its rightful owner—give it back to Elder Jue.” Jun Beiyue said flatly.

A flicker of reluctance crossed Ziqing’s eyes, but she nodded all the same. “Mm. You take it to him.”

She thought—however much grief, however much reluctance she felt, it would end here. From now on, she would be a true, proper Consort Yao, and help this man achieve his dream of ruling over all of Longyuan.

That night, even as Ziqing grieved, she quietly made up her mind about something—only, she had no idea that Jun Beiyue, even as he felt some quiet happiness, was making a silent promise of his own to her at the same time.

That night, the two of them held each other in silence, neither one able to sleep.

That night, it wasn’t just the two of them—no one in the entire camp could sleep.

In his own tent, Baili Weisheng struggled on, alone, until finally, his head splitting with pain, that familiar voice echoed in his ears once more:

“Baili Weisheng, I’m entrusting you with two things… Baili Weisheng, I’m entrusting you with two things…”

“And… one more thing. Very important. You must remember it.”

“The blood zheng… something I meant to give Ziqing is hidden inside the blood zheng. You must take it out, tell her that it’s…”

…

Gradually, the voice grew more and more distant, more and more faint, until only a single, repeating echo remained.

“The blood zheng… something I meant to give Ziqing is hidden inside the blood zheng. You must take it out, tell her that it’s…” “The blood zheng… something I meant to give Ziqing is hidden inside the blood zheng. You must take it out, tell her that it’s…” “The blood zheng… something I meant to give Ziqing is hidden inside the blood zheng. You must take it out, tell her that it’s…”

“Aaah…”

Suddenly, Baili Weisheng cried out in shock, both hands slamming down against his own head, and the voice in his ears cut off at once, every memory vanishing in an instant.

His face went deathly pale, his eyes half-closed, swaying unsteadily, and moments later, with a heavy thud, he collapsed.

In the silent night, everyone lay awake, sleepless, and yet no one knew what had happened within that tent.

At that moment, Xiong Xiaobao lay alone on the grass by the riverbank, counting stars.

He was thinking of Baili Xiaosheng, that little con artist who’d disguised herself as a boy!

He wondered how she was doing now. His mother had said she wouldn’t be involved in this war, so she was probably back at the Sheng estate.

That little con artist was probably still foolishly waiting for her master to come find her, wasn’t she? If she knew her master had already lost his memory and didn’t recognize anyone at all, he wondered if she’d cry.

Speaking of crying, he realized he’d never actually seen that little con artist cry before.

Xiong Xiaobao mulled it over, and then something occurred to him that didn’t sit right. “Nanzhao and Da Zhou have stirred up such a huge conflict this time, and Old Master Sheng’s been away from home for so long—knowing that little con artist’s temperament, wouldn’t she have snuck out by now to come find them? Could something have happened to her?”

But then again, her talent was so extraordinary—forget the Sheng family, not even anyone in the Beast Clan could do much to her, could they?

Thinking of this, Xiong Xiaobao relaxed again.

And yet…