Master Zhu didn’t look at Li Buyan but stared directly at Yan Sanhe.

“Miss Yan, the family head of each Zhu generation must protect the entire family’s safety. This is the responsibility on my shoulders—my duty. I…”

He gritted his teeth. “No one else in the family can have any more incidents.”

Seeing how thin he’d become, reduced to just a skeleton with skin, Yan Sanhe tossed out two words and strode out of the courtyard.

“Keep up!”

Zhu Yuanmo’s expression relaxed. He quickly exchanged a look with Second Master, then hurried after her.

Second Master Zhu didn’t dare delay a moment. Turning to Zhu Weixi, he said, “You go guard your third sister-in-law’s courtyard. I’ll stay here with Mother.”

“Alright.”

“If anything happens, send someone to report.”

“I know, Second Brother!”

Men—every one of them is like a candle that won’t light until you ignite it.

Li Buyan cursed inwardly and was about to lift her leg when suddenly it felt heavy. Looking down, Young Master Pei had grabbed onto her leg.

“Hero Li, I’ll go with you.”

Young Master Pei looked ready to die heroically. “Protecting Yan Sanhe’s safety is the responsibility on my shoulders.”

Xie Wushi had instructed him to watch over her even if it killed him.

“Ha…”

Li Buyan suddenly felt the man on the ground was just a tiny bit cute.

“Let’s go!”

She exerted force with her hand and lifted him up like picking up a chicken.

Young Master Pei steadied himself, not even daring to glance at Li Buyan: The way she lifted me was too humiliating!

Just then, shouting came from the distance—

“Imperial Physician Pei! Imperial Physician Pei! Imperial Physician Pei…”

Both Li Buyan and Pei Xiao’s expressions changed simultaneously.

That voice was Zhu Qing’s.

Why was he here?

Wasn’t he supposed to be at the yamen helping Third Master Xie?

And why was he shouting so urgently?

Li Buyan employed her lightness skill. In no time, she came face to face with Zhu Qing.

“What happened?”

“Something terrible! Third Master just entered the Zhu Manor and suddenly fainted!”

“That can’t be.”

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Li Buyan’s back. “Would Master Zhu harm Third Master too?”

Before Zhu Qing could ask “What does that mean?”, a figure flashed before his eyes like lightning, moving incredibly fast.

The figure ran while shouting.

“Father, my dear father! Xie Wushi is in trouble—we must save him first!”

At the critical moment, Li Buyan remained relatively calm. Right now, forget dear father—even if it were a dear Bodhisattva or dear immortal, they couldn’t split themselves in two.

“Zhu Qing, carry Third Master to Third Madam’s courtyard. I’ll go get Sanhe.”

Zhu Qing still didn’t know what had happened at the Zhu Manor and was still asking, “Where is Imperial Physician Pei?”

“Right in Third Madam’s courtyard.”

Li Buyan had already flown more than ten zhang away. Turning her head and seeing Zhu Qing still standing there dazed, she was furious.

“What are you standing there for? Hurry!”

Chaos!

Complete chaos!

Total goddamn chaos!

…

Yan Sanhe had already reached the entrance to the ice cellar and was about to descend the stairs when she heard Li Buyan calling her. She abruptly stopped and turned around.

“What is it?”

“Sanhe.”

Li Buyan caught her breath. “Third Master Xie just fainted.”

Yan Sanhe’s expression froze. “What was the cause?”

Li Buyan: “Unknown. Zhu Qing said he fainted inexplicably as soon as he entered the Zhu family gate. Could it be Master Zhu…”

“Impossible.”

Yan Sanhe said, “Xie Zhifei and Master Zhu are completely unrelated. It absolutely cannot be Master Zhu’s doing.”

“What if…”

Li Buyan glanced at Master Zhu. “What if Master Zhu indiscriminately harms people? That’s also possible.”

Master Zhu had wanted to retort “Nonsense, my father was most reasonable,” but seeing Yan Sanhe’s expression, he swallowed the words that had reached his mouth.

Yan Sanhe’s thin eyelids lowered as she pondered for a moment, then spoke with great certainty.

“There’s no indiscriminate harm or reasonableness about it. Third Master’s fainting must have another cause. Buyan, you go watch over Third Master. Zhu Yuanmo, we’re going down.”

“Third Master doesn’t need watching—Zhu Qing and Young Master Pei are there anyway.”

Li Buyan didn’t dare let Yan Sanhe go down to the ice cellar alone with Master Zhu. “I’ll take the lead, you follow behind me.”

Yan Sanhe gave Li Buyan a slight nod, then followed behind her.

Master Zhu watched her back and took a deep breath of cold air.

Just now he had been standing beside Yan Sanhe and had clearly seen the worry in Li Buyan’s eyes when she mentioned Third Master’s fainting.

That worry flashed by, quickly replaced by calmness.

This girl really could keep her composure!

Only now did Zhu Yuanmo truly gain a new respect for Yan Sanhe.

He quickly followed. Upon descending the first step, he reached back and gently closed the door.

Yan Sanhe was now standing in the cellar.

Master Zhu still lay rigidly on the door plank. Different from yesterday, the black qi on his face seemed to have thickened by another layer.

Moreover…

“Yan, Miss Yan, when we left yesterday, my father’s eyes were clearly already…”

Master Zhu couldn’t continue. His hands hanging at his sides began trembling slightly.

The eyes had clearly been closed, but now they were open again—wide open, in fact, as if the eyeballs were about to burst out.

How could this be?

Wrong!

Master Zhu shuddered violently.

There was something flowing from Father’s eye corners—not tears. Tears were colorless, but what flowed from his eyes was—

Black tears!

Master Zhu’s already fragile nerves completely collapsed.

He practically threw himself before the corpse, extending his trembling hand, wanting to wipe his father’s eye corners.

“Don’t touch it!”

Yan Sanhe quickly strode over and knocked Master Zhu’s hand away. “Don’t touch it!”

Master Zhu deflated and collapsed to the ground, his hands grasping the door plank, saying weakly, “Miss Yan, what is this about?”

Yan Sanhe was struck speechless.

Because she had never seen this before either.

Black tears meant sorrow and also meant grievance.

Could it be…

Zhu Xuanjiu still had words he hadn’t told her?

Yan Sanhe steeled her heart. She took out a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped each finger clean one by one, then placed her hand over Master Zhu’s face.

Black mist instantly surged up and swallowed her whole again.

Almost at the same instant, Li Buyan beside them suddenly shouted, “Master Zhu?”

It was fine that the black mist had swallowed Yan Sanhe, but why had Master Zhu disappeared too?

Where was he?

How could such a large living person suddenly… vanish?

Li Buyan was so frightened that her legs went weak. The hand gripping her soft sword loosened, and the sword clanged as it fell to the ground.

…

Familiar suction force.

Familiar wilderness.

Still that towering tree.

The tree was still covered with flocks of crows.

The only difference was that when the crows saw her, they suddenly fluttered their wings, as if about to rush over and peck her.

Yan Sanhe was secretly puzzled when a low exclamation came from behind her.

“Miss Yan.”

Yan Sanhe turned around and took a moment to react. “Why did you come?”

How could Zhu Yuanmo explain it clearly?

He had been kneeling before his father’s door plank when suddenly an enormous force sucked him in. After a bout of dizziness, he arrived at this place.

“This, this, is… where?”

As soon as he opened his mouth, white vapor formed at his lips. Only then did Zhu Yuanmo belatedly realize his entire body was trembling.

So cold!

Yan Sanhe saw frost forming on his eyebrows and eyelashes. After hesitating for a long while, she spoke coldly.

“This is the Yin Realm.”