As Xuanyuan Lige drew closer, step by step, his pale, refined features grew ever clearer, and Ziqing’s sense of reality grew ever stronger.

She knew that everything within this enchanted illusion was false, all of it a scene set in place long ago!

The scenery was false, the person was false — only she, the outside intruder, was real!

Ziqing was excited, and nervous, and overjoyed, and yet in pain all at once. She gave no thought at all to why Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng weren’t here, nor did it occur to her to wonder whether the two of them had entered this enchanted illusion at all!

At this moment, in her world, there was only Xuanyuan Lige!

This man was drawing closer, closer still — what would he do?

No — more precisely, what did this figure, this vision A’Li had left behind, intend to do? Did he want her to see something, or did he want to say something to her?

The more she thought about it, the more her mind spun in confusion, the more panicked she became — until… Xuanyuan Lige stopped, right in front of her, smiling at her faintly, just as he had in life, tinged with a touch of helplessness, a touch of fond indulgence.

Ziqing grew tense, pressing her lips tightly together, her heart pounding wildly. Was the person before her about to speak to her?

As his thin lips parted slightly, Ziqing’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest. What would he say to her!

What words had he left behind in this illusion, meant for her to hear!

Ziqing’s tightly clenched hands were damp with sweat from nerves — but to her surprise, Xuanyuan Lige said nothing at all, only smiled faintly at her, smiling and smiling.

Ziqing’s mind went utterly blank. She had no idea what to do, having lost all initiative.

And just then, Xuanyuan Lige stepped past her, brushing by her side, and walked into the cave. Ziqing froze for a moment, not even daring to make a sound, foolishly following after him.

But the moment she entered the cave, her eyes couldn’t help but grow moist — there sat Xuanyuan Lige, cross-legged, in the very spot where he had once taught her to play the zither all those years ago, gently plucking at the strings!

Strangely, at this very moment, that Parting Melody was still playing, still lingering all around — and yet, as Xuanyuan Lige plucked the strings, another sound emerged as well, both sounds appearing at once, both the voice of the Xuezheng, and yet there was no conflict between them, no sense of discord.

Under ordinary circumstances, Ziqing would have noticed at once that something was wrong. But at this moment, she was too lost in memory to think clearly.

Unconsciously, she walked toward Xuanyuan Lige, feeling as though she had truly returned to those years long past.

She sat down before him, her gaze never leaving his refined, pale face, watching and watching, her small face filled with tenderness and longing, as though afraid that if she looked away even for a moment, she would never see him again.

Xuanyuan Lige let her watch, his head lowered, his fingers occasionally plucking, occasionally gently stroking the strings.

After a long while, Ziqing finally couldn’t hold back any longer, and said softly, “A’Li, I’ve come. Won’t you say something to me?”

To her surprise, Xuanyuan Lige answered her. “Shall I teach you to play the zither?”

At these words, Ziqing’s throat tightened, tears welling instantly in her eyes. She had known it — she had known it would be like this!

This enchanted illusion was recreating the very scene from years ago. What Xuanyuan Lige had left behind was their most beautiful, most pure first meeting.

If only life could always remain as it was at first meeting!

“Yes!” Ziqing answered, her voice choked with tears.

Xuanyuan Lige smiled faintly, and began explaining fingering techniques and musical theory to her, demonstrating with his own hands, his expression utterly serious. That pale, cold, refined face, when serious, took on an added air of mystery, all the more captivating.

What he was teaching her was, in fact, the fingering for “Parting Sorrow” — a piece with nearly ten different fingering techniques. In truth, Ziqing already knew all of this — but at this moment, she wished she knew nothing at all. She listened intently, hanging on his every word, watching every movement of his slender fingers.

She had longed for these days gone by, never imagining she might have them again.

She deliberately played the wrong fingering, just as she had all those years ago, and just as before, he immediately pointed it out. “No, not like that — this plucking motion is different from the usual technique. Your fingertip needs to tremble slightly.”

As he spoke, he demonstrated once more — and seeing that Ziqing still got it wrong, he gently took hold of her fingers, pressing them against the strings.

Ziqing looked up at him, wishing so badly she could say, “Back then, this was exactly how you guided my hand, just like this.”

And yet, she only looked at him, unable to say a word, staring foolishly.

Just as before, Xuanyuan Lige quickly let go of her hand. The two of them sat so close together, and yet he remained every bit the gentleman, just as before — everything stopping at the bounds of propriety.

So intimate, and yet never crossing into ambiguity.

“Do you understand now?” Xuanyuan Lige turned to look at her, asking gently.

Ziqing stared at him blankly, utterly dazed. “If I never learn this, will you wait here for me forever, until I do?”

Xuanyuan Lige smiled, seeming genuinely happy, laughing heartily out loud — and yet he answered her, “No.”

Ziqing hadn’t expected such an answer, her face full of confusion. Seeing this, Xuanyuan Lige laughed even more happily. “Silly girl, if I’d known back then you’d turn out to be this hopeless, I never would have taken you as my student.”

He was… how could he…

Just as Ziqing stood there in confusion, a teasing, joking voice suddenly called out from the mouth of the cave — Baili Weisheng’s. “Little Lili, why don’t you consider taking me as your student too? When you’re old, I promise I’ll take good care of you!”

Ziqing spun around sharply, and to her shock, saw that Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng were already standing at the mouth of the cave — she had no idea when they’d arrived.

In that instant, she seemed to realize something, and broke out in a cold sweat!

How… how could this be?

Logically speaking, once inside an enchanted illusion, she — and Baili Weisheng, and Jun Beiyue — shouldn’t have been aware that they were inside one at all; they should have taken everything as real.

And yet, she had known from the very beginning that this was false!

Could this… could this even still be called an enchanted illusion?

Ziqing’s thoughts spun into chaos. What was going on here?

She stared in shock at Xuanyuan Lige, then at Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng, and saw how calm the two of them were — clearly, they had already noticed something was wrong!

“What exactly is going on here?” Ziqing cried out in shock, turning to face Xuanyuan Lige. “A’Li, you… you…”

“It’s me. I’ve been waiting for you a long time. I thought you’d come alone.”

His voice dropped low on that last sentence, and Ziqing didn’t quite catch it.

“You… aren’t you already…” Ziqing’s face was a picture of disbelief.

At that moment, Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng walked over as well. Xuanyuan Lige turned to look at Jun Beiyue, offering a faint smile — with none of his old hostility.

Jun Beiyue returned the smile lightly. He and Baili Weisheng had been standing at the mouth of the cave for a long while now, watching Xuanyuan Lige guide Ziqing’s hands as he taught her to play.

His gentlemanly conduct was more than enough to let past enmity dissolve with a single smile.

“You’re not dead. What exactly is going on? What are you waiting for Ziqing for?” Jun Beiyue asked. He and Baili Weisheng had taken quite some time to recover after being drawn into the Parting Melody.

The moment they’d come to their senses, they’d found themselves deep within the cliffs, the Parting Melody still lingering in their ears.

From the very start, he’d sensed something was wrong — how could one enter an enchanted illusion and still remain aware that it was all false? That made no sense at all.

Afterward, they’d heard the confused, overlapping strains of music, and followed the sound here.

Before Xuanyuan Lige could answer, Baili Weisheng spoke up, voicing his doubt. “That’s impossible. In the Jade Crystal Cave in Nanzhao, weren’t you…”