As it turned out, Yan Xia, who had invited everyone, disappeared the moment she entered South Garden, and the promised pastries were nowhere to be seen.

Xuan Yi leisurely walked a full circle along the jade corridor beside Hege Lake. The disciples gathered in groups of three to five around the lakeside—some drinking wine, some playing the zither or flute, some engaged in animated discussions with laughter reaching the sky—but Yan Xia was nowhere to be found.

How strange. Not only was Yan Xia missing, but both Shao Yi and Fu Luo were also nowhere to be seen.

Xuan Yi walked aimlessly along the narrow gravel path. This was her first time visiting South Garden. Although it couldn’t compare to the luxurious expanse of her own Purple Palace, it was delicate and exquisite in its own way. The path twisted and turned, with purple sun flowers planted along the roadside at times, and at other times various colorful flowering trees in brilliant purples and reds. The flower branches hung in profuse disorder, with blossoms weighing down the branches, creating a unique charm.

Xuan Yi picked a branch of pear blossoms and played with it while continuing to walk leisurely along the gravel path. After walking for an unknown amount of time, she suddenly saw in a small pavilion ahead the long-missing Yan Xia, leaning against a pillar and wiping away tears.

She was crying again. How could she have so many tears? Should she comfort her? Xuan Yi looked carefully behind her. The pavilion was empty—no pastries in sight.

She sighed in disappointment. Forget it, better to pretend she hadn’t seen her.

Xuan Yi turned her face to the side, admiring the peach blossoms blooming like fire along the roadside. Who knew that when Yan Xia spotted her from afar, she would run away without a word.

She wondered whether this little senior sister had thought up some incredible method of revenge or not.

Xuan Yi held the pear blossom as she made her way out of the gravel path and returned to Hege Lake. The disciples hadn’t left yet. Someone had brought Supreme Eternal Fusion wine, and the entire surface of Hege Lake was now permeated with an extremely strong wine fragrance.

She had never liked the smell of alcohol since childhood. Looking for an upwind location, she spotted Tai Yao, Fucang, Gu Ting, and Zhi Xi sitting around a stone table chatting. On the table sat a pot of tea and several boxes of pastries. When the wind blew, the fragrance was quite enticing.

The cakes Yan Xia had given her to eat this morning had gone somewhere unknown. She couldn’t help but move closer, staring straight at those few boxes of pastries without blinking even once.

Zhi Xi was just recounting amusing stories from Master’s past lectures, having reached the most interesting part when this little demon arrived. She unhappily darkened her expression and closed her mouth, saying nothing more.

Tai Yao saw Xuan Yi’s eyes glowing green with hunger and felt obliged to politely inquire, “Little junior sister, would you like to sit down for a cup of tea and some pastries?”

“Alright.”

Xuan Yi agreed with complete decisiveness. With a wave of her sleeve, an ice stool appeared on the grass, forcibly inserting itself between Gu Ting and Fucang. Then she conjured an ice teacup, elegantly poured it seven-tenths full, took a light sip, and slowly let out a breath. “A bit bitter.”

Eating and drinking for free and still being picky! Gu Ting and Zhi Xi glared at her angrily.

Xuan Yi carefully examined the pastries on the stone table. Alas, they were far inferior to those Yan Xia had prepared this morning. She reluctantly picked a piece of mung bean cooling cake, took a light bite, and suddenly asked, “Senior Brother Gu Ting, where did Senior Sister Fu Luo go?”

Gu Ting’s expression was completely unfriendly. “Why are you asking about her?”

Xuan Yi said casually, “Senior Sister Yan Xia invited me here, but I can’t find her. Senior Brother Shao Yi has also disappeared.”

Gu Ting became even more ill-tempered. “What does this have to do with Fu Luo?”

Xuan Yi swallowed the mung bean cooling cake and took another sip of tea. “Nothing at all. What were you all just talking about? It looked quite lively. Please continue, don’t mind me.”

With her standing here, who would still want to chat casually?! Zhi Xi turned her head away quite haughtily, pretending not to hear.

Tai Yao looked left and right—not one of them was willing to speak. Having no choice, since Xuan Yi was someone he had invited over, he had to smooth things over. He smiled and said, “I do have an amusing story about Master. He told it to me when he was slightly tipsy years ago. I’m afraid none of you know it.”

He deliberately paused, observing their expressions. Sure enough, Gu Ting and Zhi Xi had already pricked up their ears. As for Xuan Yi and Fucang—one was looking everywhere, the other was absent-minded… Sigh, never mind about those two.

“You all know that in the extreme west there is the Sea of Departed Regrets. Because two dijun once fought a battle there, it has now become a forbidden land. Actually, that place originally had reportedly beautiful scenery and, like the banks of the Three Lives Stone, was once one of the most frequented destinations for lovers. When Master was young, he made a grand vow, swearing to restore the Sea of Departed Regrets to its original state…”

Xuan Yi lowered her head, fastidiously selecting from the pastries on the stone table. None of them caught her eye. Suddenly she glimpsed a golden chestnut cream cake in the food box before Fucang. She reached out to take it, but unexpectedly a slender hand moved faster than hers, pulling the food box farther away.

“Master spent ten thousand years in the vicinity of the Sea of Departed Regrets. Inside it is profoundly cold and dark, where one cannot see anything, and because of this, countless demons were bred there. He stayed for ten thousand years and killed demons for ten thousand years, only to discover that no matter what he did, they could never be completely eliminated. In the end, he could only leave in disappointment…”

Xuan Yi moved her ice stool closer to Fucang’s side and reached out again. The food box was pulled farther away again. She looked up at him with extreme dissatisfaction and glared. Fucang slowly grasped the lid and covered the food box.

“Master had no choice but to abandon his grand vow, and at the same time abandon his practice of demanding hair from the then-Feilian Shenjun. It turned out that back then he had made a bet with the previous generation’s Feilian Shenjun—if he could restore the Sea of Departed Regrets to its original state, Feilian Shenjun would cut off all his hair and give it to him. Unfortunately, the grand vow was difficult to fulfill, so naturally the hair was out of the question too. The reason Master still obsesses over Feilian Shenjun’s hair to this day is because of that bet from years past…”

Tai Yao pretended not to notice the overt and covert struggle for pastries beside him. Just as he was preparing to continue, he suddenly heard Xuan Yi complain indignantly, “He’s even monopolizing the tea!”

Tai Yao turned his head away with a long sigh. Don’t pay attention to him. Right now he just wanted some peace and quiet…

Zhi Xi furrowed her brow tightly. This Princess Xuan Yi was truly a malignant tumor. Getting close to her had made even Fucang become so absurd.

She coughed lightly and stood up, looking coldly at Xuan Yi. “Princess Xuan Yi, please do not disrupt our refined interest in drinking tea and appreciating the scenery.”

Xuan Yi looked at her with the eyes of someone deeply wounded. “Senior Brother Fucang has monopolized all the pastries and tea. Why doesn’t Senior Sister Zhi Xi say anything to him?”

Zhi Xi took a deep breath. When it came to being fair and impartial, among all the disciples she took first place. She had always been proud of this and strictly disciplined herself. However, this virtue seemed to encounter the little demon Princess Xuan Yi like a snowflake meeting intense sunlight—it vanished without a trace.

Stay calm, stay calm. She absolutely must not lose her temper indiscriminately.

“Junior Brother Fucang is our colleague, but I have not yet acknowledged Princess Xuan Yi as a colleague.” Zhi Xi spoke solemnly. “Those whose ways differ cannot work together. I cannot approve of the princess’s words and conduct. To avoid making both sides unhappy, why doesn’t the princess move elsewhere?”

Xuan Yi smiled brilliantly. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

Zhi Xi was simply at a loss with her hot-and-cold temperament. After being stunned for a long while, she could only sit back down again.

The disciples around the corridor suddenly broke into clamorous commotion. It turned out that at some unknown time, a hazy thin mist had spread across Hege Lake, and within this mist, two very familiar figures were now slowly emerging.

“Is that Fu Luo and Shao Yi?”

“How are they in the lake?”

“No… this seems to be some kind of illusory spell… who created it?”

The onlooking disciples discussed among themselves, and the more mischievous ones kept turning their heads to steal glances at Gu Ting—the two figures displayed in the lake were standing rather too close, their postures rather too ambiguous, making the whole thing seem highly suspicious.

…This was the method of dealing with her that Yan Xia had thought up? Xuan Yi choked on her tea and quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve.

Gu Ting glanced back, his expression immediately changing drastically. He rose hastily and walked toward the lakeside, his voice more severe than it had ever been. “Who created this cloud and mist illusion spell?! To thus destroy a goddess’s reputation—such intentions are worthy of execution!”

The disciples all shook their heads to demonstrate their innocence. Gu Ting’s face was ashen. He raised his hand to dispel this spell, but unexpectedly the figures in the lake moved. Fu Luo grasped Shao Yi’s sleeve, her gaze brimming like water, and said in a low voice, “Do you have me in your heart or not?”

There was even sound! The disciples hummed with noise and began boiling over again.