“Yan Qige, perhaps this is for the best—you’ll never know what happened.” Yusang took one last look at the simple border town inn, mounted her horse, and pulled the reins.

“What if I do know?” a voice suddenly came from behind, startling Yusang.

“Are you planning to leave without a word again, like last time? You are a petty little demon. I just tricked you into putting on an act, and you wouldn’t even give me a chance to explain. You even badmouth me behind my back—you’re the fool, you foolish demon. You say I didn’t come looking for you, but you don’t understand that I was on my way to find you when I was plotted against, had my cultivation sealed, and became a good-for-nothing scholar for you to mock…”

It was a voice Yusang knew all too well—somewhat arrogant, somewhat conceited, and indifferent, just like before. Hearing it, Yusang couldn’t believe it for a long time. She slowly turned her horse around and discovered a figure on horseback standing in the center of the dark passage ahead.

“Yan Qige, are you Yan Qige?” Yusang called out, her voice slightly trembling with disbelief.

“Who else would I be?” The figure in the shadows lightly kicked his horse’s belly and approached her. Under the moon’s reflection, Yusang saw that all-too-familiar face—handsome and distinguished, with natural nobility.

Finally, certain this wasn’t her imagination, Yusang felt many emotions surge in her heart, yet couldn’t speak a single word. She stared unblinkingly at the person ahead, as if afraid that if she blinked, the person there would disappear.

Yan Qige pulled his horse closer step by step, finally stopping in front of Yusang. Yusang carefully examined his face, her eyes suddenly becoming sore. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep from crying out, but tears still rolled down like pearls.

“Why are you crying? Your face is all streaked,” he said as he reached over to gently wipe Yusang’s face. His hand was warm, his fingertips somewhat rough, but that feeling was real.

“Do you know who I am? Do you remember me?” Yusang asked through her sobs.

…

…

“Of course. You’re an annoying little demon who likes to steal the demon pills I collect and likes to sleep in trees.”

Yusang burst into laughter through her tears, but cried even more. She batted Yan Qige’s hand away and said, “Mind your own business. Who do you think you are?”

“Getting temperamental, and not afraid of me anymore,” Yan Qige smiled as he lightly flicked Yusang’s forehead.

“Who’s afraid of you? I’ve never been afraid of you.”

“Alright, alright, never afraid, never afraid. You’re the most capable. Stop crying now,” Yan Qige coaxed gently, reaching over again to wipe Yusang’s tears. Yusang wrinkled her nose and grabbed Yan Qige’s wide white sleeve to wipe her face, smearing snot and tears all over it.

Yan Qige, who loved cleanliness, naturally frowned so deeply he could have crushed a mosquito, but now he looked on with amusement rather than anger. When Yusang finished wiping her face clean and looked up, their eyes met. He blinked, then suddenly reached out to embrace Yusang.

Completely unprepared, Yusang found her cheek pressed against Yan Qige’s shoulder and neck, her chin resting on his shoulder, her back held tightly in his embrace with such force that it hurt her bones.

“You… you…” Yusang sat stiffly on her horse like a fossil, gripping the reins tightly, her heart beating rapidly while her mind went blank.

“Don’t leave alone without a word anymore. I worry about you,” Yan Qige said softly against Yusang’s ear. Yusang’s hand gripping the reins hurt from the pressure as she stared at the half-crescent moon in the distance, not knowing how to respond.

“When did you remember?” After a long while, Yusang finally managed to ask.

Yan Qige released Yusang and looked down to take the purple compass from his waist. “I saw you place this outside the door, watched you leave, and when I picked it up, I suddenly remembered everything.”

“Just like that? So simple?” Yusang was somewhat skeptical, feeling that things couldn’t be that simple.

However, Yan Qige didn’t want to explain further. Instead, he lightly tapped Yusang’s forehead again and said, “You little demon, are heartless. That day in the capital, you wanted to abandon me and run off alone without even saying goodbye. After how well I treated you back then, and now you want to do it again.”

“I… I saw you had someone else by your side, so I was being tactful. Consort Chen is so wonderful—beautiful, and she even knows you like to drink osmanthus tea. I can’t compare to her,” Yusang muttered indignantly.

“That’s not being tactful—that’s being narrow-minded and petty.”

Yusang rolled her eyes, pulled her horse away, and complained irritably, “You’re bullying me again as soon as you’re back.”

Yan Qige pulled his reins and followed Yusang, riding alongside her toward the moon on the horizon, sighing almost imperceptibly, “No matter how wonderful Consort Chen is, she’s not you.”

Upon hearing this, Yusang, who had been sulking petulantly, immediately brightened up. She smiled and raised her chin to ask, “Really? You think I’m the best?”

“Mm.”

Yusang was delighted, raising her chin even higher as she looked at the sky and said proudly, “I knew it! Look at me—not only am I beautiful, but I can hunt demons, perform in plays, manage the parlor and the kitchen. Such a wonderful demon that’s rare in heaven and earth—it’s just that you had no eye for quality before and always bullied me.”

Since Yan Qige rarely praised her, Yusang thought the opportunity was precious and wanted to hear more nice things, so she continued asking, “Oh right, there’s also that Helian Yu. She was quite beautiful when she wasn’t killing people, and she could play the Qiang flute to capture souls. Am I better than her?”

“Helian Yu? Who’s that?” Yan Qige frowned in confusion.

“You don’t remember? You were even her son-in-law, and you smiled at her like a blooming flower,” Yusang looked at Yan Qige with half-belief and half-doubt.

“I don’t remember. Alright, let’s go quickly,” Yan Qige smiled and lightly kicked his horse’s belly, taking the lead toward the outside of the earthen city.

“Where to?” Yusang spurred her horse to follow and asked.

“To retrieve my belongings and help you find what you’re looking for.”

“You… you know everything?” Yusang asked carefully, her tone somewhat stiff.

“Mm,” Yan Qige looked ahead and responded indifferently.

“When? You… why didn’t you say anything? I was still worrying about…”

“Did you think your little tricks could fool me?”

Being dismissed like this by Yan Qige made Yusang somewhat indignant. She pouted defiantly and said, “Fine then, tell me when you discovered I had ulterior motives.”

“We met in Yunsui City. Before Yunsui City, I was chasing a rat demon that deliberately led me into the city. At first, I didn’t understand, but later I realized someone had arranged it intentionally. From the first time I saw you, I knew you weren’t an ordinary little demon. I didn’t expose you because I wanted to see what your purpose was. It wasn’t until you secretly took the first soul artifact that I finally understood your goal.”

“Then why did you still let me follow you?”

“At first, I was curious to see what other tricks you could pull. Later, I became somewhat accustomed to it. Besides… besides, I always felt you looked familiar, as if I’d seen you before.”