Qing Yun Ge grew up in the mountains with her father. Her mother passed away too early for her to have much impression of her; in her memory, there was only a grave covered in green grass and fresh flowers, where her father often took her to speak with her mother.

Qing Yun Ge thought life would continue this way forever, until one day her father passed away. Before his death, her father had arranged everything. All Qing Yun Ge did was cry deeply, then bury him next to her mother’s grave, understanding then that no one could accompany her forever. Her father had even planned for her future. So Qing Yun Ge calmly waited for the people her father said would come for her. She just never expected that this wait would last three years.

Although she waited three years without anyone coming to get her as her father had said, Qing Yun Ge wasn’t anxious. She had lived this way for over a decade, and continuing to live this way wouldn’t be wrong. She could hunt, gather herbs, grow medicinal plants, and make various medicine pills to trade for things she needed in the village below. Sometimes though, Qing Yun Ge began to enjoy climbing to high cliffs to gaze at the smoke rising from village chimneys below, and sometimes a strange feeling would stir in her heart. Qing Yun Ge didn’t know it, but that was loneliness.

Until one day, Qing Yun Ge went to gather herbs as usual. Then she heard the faint, melodious sound of music drifting through the mountains. Qing Yun Ge knew it was the sound of a zither. She had one too, which she often watched her father play, but after his passing, no one had touched it anymore. This person played so beautifully, even better than her father. Qing Yun Ge happily ran toward the source of the sound, wanting to see what the player looked like.

After searching for a while, Qing Yun Ge finally discovered the zither sound was coming from behind the cliff. So she used her lightness skill to climb up the cliff and looking down from above, she found that somehow a fairly large house had appeared in the valley below, with a white-robed man playing the zither by a pond. She had played here as a child, and there hadn’t been any house or people then.

The man wore snow-white robes, his jet-black hair casually tied back, and though she could only see half his profile, Qing Yun Ge swore he was the most beautiful person she had ever seen. He was like… a deity from heaven! After pondering for a while, Qing Yun Ge slowly settled on her description of the man in the valley—as beautiful as a deity from heaven.

The man wasn’t alone in the valley; there were several other very ugly people there too.

“Those bad guys don’t look anything like the deity’s family!” Qing Yun Ge sat on the cliff listening to the melodious zither, feeling somewhat dejected. Why would someone as divine as him be with those ugly bad people? If only he could play with her instead. Those bad people were always restricting him from doing this or that; if it were her, she definitely wouldn’t be like that.

Qing Yun Ge crouched on the cliff for two whole days, watching the divine white-robed man sometimes play the zither, read by the water, and sometimes just sit lost in thought by the water’s edge. Finally finding an opportunity when those ugly bad people weren’t around, Qing Yun Ge leaped directly down from the cliff and landed before him.

Seeing the young woman descend from the sky, the white-robed man showed no surprise, only giving a faint smile.

“You’re really beautiful,” Qing Yun Ge said, seeing the white-robed man’s full face for the first time. Indeed… he was even more beautiful than she had imagined. The white-robed man smiled faintly and said softly, “You’re beautiful too. How did you come to be here?”

For some reason, Qing Yun Ge felt her face grow warm. Though she didn’t know many social graces, she realized it was probably somewhat impolite to praise the beauty of his face. Qing Yun Ge twisted her fingers and blinked her eyes, looking somewhat helplessly at the white-robed man before her.

Seeming to sense the young woman’s nervousness and helplessness, the white-robed man smiled gently and said softly, “It’s very dangerous here. Why has young miss come here alone?”

Dangerous? Qing Yun Ge looked around bewilderedly. She had grown up in these mountains, and her father had never told her anywhere was dangerous. Seeing her confused expression, the white-robed man smiled tenderly and said, “Ah yes, since young miss can leap down from such a high cliff, your martial arts must be quite good. However, there are many dangers in this world that martial arts cannot solve. Young women shouldn’t wander about carelessly.”

“Mm… I understand. My father said the same thing. You’re a good person,” Qing Yun Ge said with a delighted smile.

The white-robed man looked with some surprise at the young woman with the pure and flawless smile before him, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

Qing Yun Ge crouched beside him and said somewhat dejectedly, “I heard you playing the zither and just wanted to come see. It’s been so long since anyone has talked with me. Can I stay for a little while before leaving?”

The white-robed man shook his head with a smile and said, “It’s dangerous here.”

Qing Yun Ge blinked and said, “I know, those people are bad guys, right? Can I help you defeat them?”

“No, it’s too dangerous,” the white-robed man softly refused.

“My martial arts are very good. I can beat them,” Qing Yun Ge declared anxiously.

The white-robed man still shook his head and said, “There are many of them, and even if you defeated them, you couldn’t take me away.” Qing Yun Ge’s eyes brightened, and she said happily, “What if I could take you away?”

The white-robed man raised an eyebrow with a smile, glancing at the cliff not far away. Qing Yun Ge quickly waved her hands and said, “No, not that way. I know another path. I played here when I was little; we can get out. Will you trust me?”

Seeing the plea in the young woman’s eyes, the white-robed man suddenly began to laugh softly, in that moment as warm and enchanting as spring returning to the earth. Qing Yun Ge was stunned. Coming back to her senses, she raised her hand somewhat embarrassedly to pat her forehead. How could she think this deity-like brother looked delicious enough to take a bite of? It must be because she hadn’t played with anyone for too long.

“Alright, I trust you. Then I’ll trouble young miss. I am Xu Qingchen, may I know your name?” the white-robed man asked with a smile.

“Xu Qingchen? Your name is so beautiful. I’m Shen Yun Ge,” Qing Yun Ge’s eyes brightened as she said with a smile.

Beautiful name? The white-robed man, the world-renowned Young Master Qingchen, raised his elegant eyebrow and smiled faintly.

Qing Yun Ge took out a pill from her clothes and indicated for Xu Qingchen to take it. Though he didn’t know how this young girl planned to take him away, Young Master Qingchen, for the first time in his life, entrusted his safety to a seemingly guileless young girl he had just met. After taking the pill, his vision darkened and he quickly fell into darkness. When he felt a strange coldness at the last moment, Young Master Qingchen felt no regret. Perhaps it was because of this little girl’s clear and bright eyes. For the first time, Young Master Qingchen so… willfully entrusted his life to someone he had just met.

When he regained consciousness, Young Master Qingchen couldn’t help but smile bitterly. One truly shouldn’t be too willful or take too many risks. At least… he should have asked clearly how that little girl planned to take him away.

Not only was he uncomfortably soaked through, but the pain in his chest and shoulders left nearly half his body almost immobile. The Xu family’s eldest young master, commonly known as the Divine Young Master, was for the first time in his life in such a sorry state.

“Wuwu, Xu Qingchen, are you alright?” came a still somewhat unfamiliar voice from behind. Xu Qingchen turned his head with difficulty to see the equally soaked young girl looking at him with guilt, her bright large eyes filled with glistening tears. Coughing lightly, Xu Qingchen shook his head and managed a smile, saying, “I’m fine. We made it out. Did you… bring me out through the bottom of that pond?”

“Mm, I’m sorry… I was too careless and caused you to get hurt,” Qing Yun Ge said apologetically, gazing anxiously at Xu Qingchen.

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and shook his head. This young girl was already small in stature; he could imagine how much strength it must have taken to bring an adult man much taller than herself up from underwater, even without experiencing it himself. In comparison, these accidental injuries weren’t worth mentioning. However… it did hurt. Young Master Qingchen wasn’t trained in martial arts and had rarely been injured in his life. Such severe injuries were a first for him, and he couldn’t help but turn pale from the pain.

Seeing him in such pain, Qing Yun Ge’s face also turned white with fright. She quickly took out a small medicine bottle and poured out a pill, pushing it into his mouth. “Don’t be afraid… I’ll heal you. Soon, very soon it won’t hurt anymore.” Without waiting for Xu Qingchen’s reaction, she directly picked up the Young Master Qingchen, who was taller than herself and flew toward her home.

Experiencing such treatment for the first time in his life, even the normally composed Young Master Qingchen, who wouldn’t change expression if Mount Tai collapsed before him, couldn’t help but twitch. But the pain in his body reminded him that unless he planned to lie there forever, he could only accept the current situation.

Qing Yun Ge’s home was in a hidden valley among the mountains. Xu Qingchen only needed one glance at the valley entrance to know that quite sophisticated formations were arranged there—someone without expertise in formations would find it nearly impossible to find this place. When he learned that the young girl had been living alone in the valley since her father’s death three years ago, seeing her bright-eyed and happy expression as she looked at him, Young Master Qingchen couldn’t help but sigh softly in his heart. Young Master Qingchen had met countless people in his life, but he had never seen such a pure and innocent young girl. It was truly difficult to understand how Qing Yun Ge’s father could feel at ease leaving such a naive young daughter alone in these deep mountains. Although Qing Yun Ge’s martial arts were not weak, martial arts couldn’t determine everything in this world. Compared to martial arts prowess, the treachery of human hearts was far more dangerous.

Qing Yun Ge was a very simple girl like a newly hatched bird instinctively trusting the first person it sees. After her father’s passing, Young Master Qingchen was the first person Qing Yun Ge had close contact with, so he naturally became her most trusted person. Thus, after learning of Qing Yun Ge’s father’s arrangements, Young Master Qingchen convinced the young girl to leave the valley with him without any effort. Later, after confirming that the Mu family had no intention of taking care of Qing Yun Ge, he naturally brought the young girl back to Li City.

“Xu Qingchen…” The bustling Li City made Qing Yun Ge somewhat uncomfortable, her beautiful face full of unease and worry. The already visible Xu mansion made her stop in her tracks. Although Xu Qingchen said the Xu family would be her home from now on, even someone as unworldly as Qing Yun Ge understood that the Xu family was Xu Qingchen’s home, not hers. She… no longer had a home.

“Don’t be afraid. Everyone in our family is very nice; they’ll all like you. Just like Li’er—don’t you like her too?” Young Master Qingchen softly comforted her.

“Sister Li’er?” At the mention of Sister Li’er, Qing Yun Ge’s eyes brightened. Sister Li’er was her first friend besides Xu Qingchen, and Sister Li’er was so beautiful and gentle. Throughout their journey north, she had heard many people speak of Sister Li’er as the most remarkable woman in the world—not only beautiful and skilled in martial arts but also capable of leading armies in battle. Unfortunately, Sister Li’er had gone to war, and she couldn’t follow and cause trouble.

Xu Qingchen nodded and smiled, “Yes, Li’er is my cousin. We’re all family. Does Qing Yun Ge not like the Xu mansion? You could also stay at the Prince Ding’s mansion, but there’s no one there now, and if Qing Yun Ge lives there alone…”

“No, no need. I’ll… stay at the Xu mansion,” Qing Yun Ge quickly shook her head.

Young Master Qingchen’s lips curved in a faint smile. “That’s good. Let’s go then; everyone has come to welcome us.”

Young Master Qingchen had returned from his ordeal, and he had brought back a beautiful young lady. Having received the news earlier, the entire Xu household had come out to welcome them at the gate. As soon as the two appeared, almost everyone’s attention was drawn to the beautiful, delicate young woman in yellow beside Young Master Qingchen. Madam Xu was especially pleased, coming forward to hold Qing Yun Ge’s hands and examine her carefully while smiling and asking, “Are you the little Qing Yun Ge? Was the journey difficult?”

Held by this seemingly gentle and noble lady, Qing Yun Ge felt somewhat embarrassed but still nodded and said, “Yes, I am Shen Yun Ge. I…”

“This is my mother and second aunt. Qing Yun Ge, you may call them Aunt,” Xu Qingchen said with a faint smile beside her.

“Aunt… Hello, Aunt,” Qing Yun Ge called softly.

“Good, good child.” Madam Xu nodded repeatedly, her gaze on the young woman before her showing ultimate satisfaction. This was the first time her son had personally brought a girl home, and one could tell at a glance that she was an obedient and well-behaved good girl. Even her niece’s letters had praised her repeatedly, and Madam Xu had complete trust in Ye Li’s judgment.

Seeing Qing Yun Ge’s blushing and helpless expression, Qin Zhong covered her mouth and smiled, “Aunt, Mother, let’s go inside first. Sister Qing Yun Ge must be tired from the journey. Sister Qing Yun Ge, I’m Qin Zhong. You can call me Sister Zhong’er. Did Li’er mention me?”

Qing Yun Ge quickly nodded, “Sister Li’er said Sister Zhong’er is a good person. Thank you, Sister Zhong’er. I’m not tired; my martial arts are very good.” Seeing the young girl’s honest demeanor, everyone burst into laughter together. Second Madam Xu smiled and said, “Alright, Zhong’er is right. Let’s go inside first. Qing Yun Ge, from now on just treat the Xu family as your own home.”

Madam Xu nodded and said, “Your Second Aunt is right. From now on, just treat this place as your own home. Let’s go inside and rest.”

“My own home?” Qing Yun Ge’s heart softened, and looking at the smiling faces before her, she blinked her eyes, feeling something slightly sour.

“Qing Yun Ge, let’s go inside,” Qin Zhong held Qing Yun Ge’s hand and said with a gentle smile.

“Mm, thank you, Sister Zhong’er.” Qing Yun Ge nodded firmly. Xu Qingchen’s family members were all good people like Sister Li’er. The heart that had been uneasy throughout the journey north with Xu Qingchen finally settled gently, and Qing Yun Ge couldn’t help but give Qin Zhong a sweet smile.