When the words “that year” came out, Changling was already alarmed. Upon hearing “Second Young Master,” her entire being became filled with shock and uncertainty.

If this Second Young Master referred to her, could it be that the person who hired Seven Kills Hall to kill Changsheng back then was Jing Wuwei?

In the moment Changling was distracted, that Guo Si and the Seven Kills Hall Master had already departed in different directions. She pressed down with her wrist and floated back to the hillside, reviewing what she had just heard, then suddenly raised her head.

“Rendered service to the eight sect leaders,” “young marquis”—wasn’t the person mentioned between the lines Ye Qi?

In the bamboo forest, Fu Yanyang had smoothly performed the five Lone Crane moves once and was secretly pleased with himself when he saw Changling running toward him. Before his boastful words could leave his mouth, he heard her ask, “Has Marquis He recently been entertaining masters from various sects who came to Jinling?”

“Huh?” Fu Yanyang was taken aback. “Yes, that’s right. How did you know?”

Changling looked up at the sky. Less than half an hour remained until sunset.

She grabbed his arm. “Come with me to the He residence. I have urgent business to see him.”

“Again?”

“Do you have an objection?”

“No, no,” Fu Yanyang hurriedly waved his hands. “I heard that tonight the He residence is hosting a banquet for distinguished martial guests. Besides the major sect leaders of our Eastern Xia, there are also several important figures from Western Xia. His Majesty wants to use this to win over the Central Plains martial world, so he had Marquis He take the lead… So what I mean is… a small fry like me, even if I went to knock on the door, they wouldn’t have time to pay attention… How about we wait a couple of days and try again?”

“So you can’t get in either?”

Fu Yanyang nodded. “Obviously.”

“Then you…”

“What?”

She had originally wanted to ask if Fu Yangui could help. On second thought, since the mastermind behind this assassination was Jing Wuwei, then given the marriage alliance between the Fu and Jing families, Fu Yangui might even be in league with them.

Even if he wasn’t an accomplice, he might not necessarily save anyone… Moreover, as the sky gradually darkened, every minute of delay meant another minute of danger.

Things being what they were, Changling stopped wasting words with Fu Yanyang. She mounted her horse and flew out of the bamboo forest like the wind.

On the evening market streets, pedestrians came and went in an endless stream. When they suddenly saw someone riding a fast horse urgently, nearly overturning small stalls and vendors, it inevitably drew a heap of angry curses.

“Which young master rides a horse like that! In a rush to meet the King of Hell?”

Changling hadn’t experienced this kind of urgency in a long time.

Never mind that Ye Qi had spent years searching for that ring-jade and was the last person to see her elder brother. Never mind the internal power she had once transferred to him and the bold promises she hadn’t yet collected. Just for that one night, for that one sentence—”No matter who killed her, I will avenge her”—she couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye.

She didn’t think much about it, nor did she have time to think. Her heart held only one thought—whoever dares target him, I’ll slaughter them!

Changling spurred her horse with the whip. The steed galloped like a swift wind, its hooves flashing across a hundred zhang in an instant.

The evening glow was brilliant, illuminating the cherry trees before the marquis gate like flames and fireworks.

The security before the marquis residence was even stricter than usual. As soon as the horse paused, the gate guards came forward to drive her away. Changling dismounted directly and said, “I am the young lady of the Jing family. Please inform your marquis that I wish to see him.”

“Miss, do you have an invitation letter?”

Changling’s brow furrowed. She bypassed that guard and directly stepped onto the stairs. The other guards also came forward to stop her. “Miss, if you have an invitation, we will naturally invite you in. Otherwise, please return.”

“I have already stated my identity,” Changling said coldly. “I truly have urgent business with Marquis He. If he cannot spare the time, you can first notify your residence’s steward to come. Why forcibly refuse someone at the gate?”

“Miss is naturally a distinguished person, but we have our duties. Without an invitation, no one has the authority to let you in.” That attendant’s attitude wasn’t too bad. “Today there are many distinguished guests in the residence. The stewards are all busy. If Miss is truly anxious, why not wait until after the banquet ends and come back? We will certainly go and notify them.”

After the banquet dispersed would be too late.

Changling finally exhausted even her last shred of patience. She glanced coolly at the attendant before her. “Fine. Then go in now and notify the steward. If the steward also says he has no time, I’ll leave.”

The several attendants exchanged glances. One of them nodded. “Alright, please wait a moment, Miss.”

As soon as the words fell, the attendant knocked twice on the door ring and said to the person inside, “Open the door.”

The door bolt slowly moved. Changling’s eyes shifted. Just as the vermilion-lacquered door was pulled open from inside to outside, her form moved like lightning and electricity—whoosh—she darted through the gate. The several guards only felt a hazy flash before their eyes. Looking again, that beautiful woman had disappeared before them. Only then did they belatedly rush into the residence, shouting urgently, “Someone is breaking into the residence—”

Of course, the marquis residence’s defenses weren’t so useless. As soon as the gatekeepers’ voices rang out, the residence soldiers emerged like spring wind brushing the earth. Changling had just passed through the front courtyard when people from all directions had already surrounded her—roughly a hundred people by estimate.

“What brazen thief dares to trespass into the marquis residence!”

Changling’s gaze darkened. Just from their footwork and skills, she could tell every one of them was a martial practitioner. Trying to simply use lightness skills to leap over them probably wouldn’t work.

But if she forced her way through… wouldn’t that confirm the identity of “thief”?

The daylight was visibly beginning to dim. Who knew if the Seven Kills Hall people were already planning to strike?

Thinking about how difficult this fellow surnamed He was to see, and how so many people were watching to kill him, Changling immediately became furious. She tossed aside her hesitation and thought: Fine, let’s turn everything upside down. I refuse to believe those sneaking rats can still succeed!

She flipped her left hand and raised her right palm, taking a fighting stance. “Tell your marquis—either come out and greet me, or prepare to collect your corpses!”

“Bold madwoman!” The leading residence soldier was furious at these words and immediately swung his sword to strike. Before it could land, his back was struck by some tremendous force. His entire body flew into the air and crashed heavily to the ground. The sword in his hand, along with its sheath, vanished without a trace.

The crowd couldn’t see clearly at all how their leader’s sword had been taken. They only felt that within this small area, an undercurrent swept through, even the flower petals floating in midair mixed with a spark-like energy.

Changling carried the seized sword, her gaze calmly sweeping in a circle before finally settling on a certain direction—though barely audible, the direction from which music and song faintly drifted.

That lead residence soldier leaped up abruptly, pointing at her angrily. “Quickly capture her!”

At one command, several dozen residence soldiers surged forward. Changling’s eyes flickered slightly. Gathering momentum, she swiftly sheathed the sword and met them head-on.

The marquis residence’s banquet hall resounded with clear music.

Who knew where He Song had found these music performers and dancing girls. Something about slender waists and warbling tongues—throughout the whole performance, he just watched their skirts spin. The dancing girls hadn’t gotten dizzy from spinning yet, but Ye Qi was somewhat dizzy from watching.

Perhaps because daily martial training was too monotonous, those sect leaders and elders watched with considerable interest. Combined with fine wine and delicacies, they seemed to talk and laugh, the atmosphere harmonious. Only occasionally would people exchange glances and discreetly look toward the main seat.

Ye Qi absentmindedly used his chopsticks to play with beans on his plate. These past few days he’d been busy receiving distinguished guests, his eyes showing several traces of fatigue. The assignment Shen Yao had given him wasn’t difficult, but handling it was quite mentally exhausting. Just as he was pondering whether to finish saying everything early and dismiss the gathering, a guard suddenly rushed in from outside, urgently saying, “Marquis, something’s wrong! A woman is saying she absolutely must see the marquis, otherwise she’ll go on a killing spree. She’s currently breaking into the inner courtyard!”

Everyone was startled at these words. Ye Qi inexplicably raised his head. “A woman?”

Since Changling began learning martial arts, she had fought for over ten years. Fighting one against many was nothing unusual, but she had almost never encountered such a frustrating situation as today.

These residence soldiers were clearly well-trained, orderly in offense and defense. As soon as one batch was beaten down, another batch pressed forward tightly, leaving no room to catch her breath. The key point was, don’t let them see her stabbing to kill—while dodging and evading, she still had to be careful not to strike vital points.

After all, she was the one who came to cause trouble. If she really killed these soldiers dutifully performing their duties, it would seem too much like bullying—but continuing to be hampered left and right like this, who knew how long it would take to break through? If this dragged on and the main target was worn to death, what then?

Changling’s feet touched down once and she leaped up, sending sword qi along with the sword body toward the sabers, spears, staffs, and clubs overhead, immediately shaking off another round of attackers. Before the people behind could fill the positions, she took advantage of the momentum to break into the human formation. The unsheathed sword became a hammer in her hands, seemingly carrying bone-chilling wind, forcibly smashing a gap through the barrier formed by the human wall.

In an instant, all the orderliness fell into chaos. Changling’s form flashed like a fine falcon piercing clouds, charging toward that opened fissure. The residence soldiers only felt that form flickering unpredictably. Whenever they saw an afterimage, they desperately slashed and hacked randomly, but they simply couldn’t block her speed and momentum in breaking the formation.

In the blink of an eye, she had swept to the end. Several tears had appeared on her clothing at some point, and a blood mark appeared on her left shoulder. The wound wasn’t deep, but stained on the twilight cloud gauze sleeve, it was particularly striking.

Changling paid it no mind, treating it as if she’d been scratched for an itch. At this moment, the human formation had already collapsed and scattered. That ragtag group behind her had been left far behind. How could the residence soldiers rushing forward still intercept her?

As she moved, everyone within three chi of her was repelled by a single strike, not daring to meet her edge.

On the horizon, fire clouds surged ferociously, sweeping away the circling twilight crows.

When Ye Qi arrived, he saw his own renowned residence soldiers circling around a woman. However, the surrounded person moved with ease, while the attackers instead seemed like trapped fighting beasts, at her mercy.

The sword in that woman’s hand had not been unsheathed, yet as she wielded it, the sword momentum created fierce wind, flowing like clouds and water. Even so, she could still halt abruptly at critical moments, holding back. She had no killing intent, but was enough to make all unmatched people around her cower in awe.

Ye Qi only looked that one glance, and his entire being froze.

His ears suddenly fell silent. All things became hazy. Only a pale blue clear shadow remained, carrying a lone sword freely moving east and west. Behind her was the scorching, brilliant setting sun like blood. Before her was soul-stirring danger, yet she was unaware.

“Everyone stop!” His voice carried uncontrollable trembling. “Whoever dares move again will be killed without mercy!”

She heard the commotion and turned her head to look, seeing him standing at the high steps ahead. She paused slightly, then gently curved the corners of her mouth upward.

That smile, neither deep nor shallow, was untainted by a speck of dust.

Ye Qi’s mind was still in chaos, but his body had already taken a step forward, running to her side.

But he stopped three steps away.

He stared at her unblinkingly, his throat moving slightly. “You…”

“Ha, you’re still alive.” Changling breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes and brows naturally curving upward. “Your life is truly substantial.”

Her eyes were bright and clear. Though the sky hadn’t yet darkened, he saw a river full of stars.

With eyes like these, how could he not recognize them?

How had he only recognized them now?

Ye Qi didn’t know what was happening to him, didn’t know what he should say. He only felt some emotion was either suddenly arising from nothing or had been hidden away for a long time, fiercely crashing until his heart nearly stopped, leaving him at a loss.

Seeing him open his mouth but not speak, Changling walked forward two steps and extended her left finger, arrogantly poking his cheek.

“What, you couldn’t still…”

Before the words finished, Changling’s form tilted. She was pulled into an embrace by the person before her.

Author’s Note:

The two greatest sights I can never quit in this life are: one, the fire clouds like blood; two, you arriving draped in sunset glow.

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Eleven years ago, He Yu’s gratitude toward Yue Changling didn’t necessarily contain love, but eleven years later, Ye Qi… emmmmmmmm…