Cold stars flickered with faint halos, the moon like a hook, the night like a blanket.

The rift valley in the night was desolate, damp, and cold. Moss covered the rock walls everywhere, slippery all the way up to the sky. With this mountain formation, unless one sprouted wings, even with heaven-reaching abilities, there was absolutely no possibility of climbing up.

After Changling sealed thirty-six acupoints on Scholar Xue with gold needles, she hung him on a crooked-neck tree. He fully experienced a round of “what goes around comes around.” Probably worried he might still cause some trouble, Ye Qi also used cloth strips to blindfold him and wrapped him together with the tree using green vines before leaving him behind to continue forward.

Following the clear stream upward, wading all the way, when the water reached their knees the stone banks gradually widened. Further ahead was a bottomless mirror lake.

On one side of the shore was a small path leading directly to a cave entrance, about seven or eight feet high. Wild wormwood grew everywhere in front of the cave. It looked devoid of human traces. Occasionally a gust of wind would blow out, wailing like ghosts and howling wolves—utterly sinister.

Changling unconsciously slowed her steps, stopping three paces from the entrance.

From the moment she learned that her elder brother had been trapped here back then, her heart had been suspended in the clouds. She had even prepared herself to jump off the cliff to investigate if everything fell through.

She hadn’t expected Ye Qi to be so capable. With a series of linked stratagems, he actually made Scholar Xue obediently open the mechanism. Everything went smoothly beyond belief.

Now that she had truly entered the valley, she dared not continue forward.

She feared there would be nothing in this mountain cave, that from the start Qu Yunzhen had misunderstood, that her only brother had long since departed this world… that it was all a wasted effort.

Just then, a hand gently took hers, palm to palm. She raised her eyes to see that gaze sparkling like a river of stars.

“I’m here.”

Ye Qi only said these two words, but behind these two words lay such powerful conviction and support—he didn’t need to say more. She understood.

For that instant, Changling suddenly felt that as long as this hand was clasped with hers, fingers intertwined, even if what awaited ahead was another vicissitude of reincarnation, at least she would no longer be lonely.

The mountain air was rich with moisture. No matter what, the tinder they brought couldn’t be lit. Fortunately, Changling still carried her luminous pearl with her. She removed it and held it in her hand—it could serve for the time being.

Cold wind whistled through the cave. Even Changling would occasionally be blown into slight shivers. By the faint light, she could see some natural stalactites on the cave walls. The path alternated between wide and narrow. If one wasn’t careful underfoot, it was easy to slip on the moss.

The deeper they went, the more they could appreciate the hidden wonders within the gorge cave—one path led in all directions, caves within caves, and what lay beyond a path might be a dead end. The winding path with seven turns and eight bends was more like mistakenly entering a labyrinth.

In this pitch-black place, everything looked like an impenetrable thick darkness. Forget about getting out—even if mouse traps were set halfway through, stepping on one wasn’t impossible.

Ye Qi was just hesitating whether to wait until daylight to continue exploring when Changling suddenly shuddered and pulled him forward with determination.

Seeing her tilting her ear slightly, as if she heard something that he couldn’t hear at all, he asked, “Movement?”

“It’s an aura.”

Changling walked with her eyes closed, sensing as she went. Ye Qi dared not disturb her, only helping her avoid various jagged rocks. Strangely enough, after passing through the most complex cavern, the path began to smooth out again. Even the air wasn’t as damp and cold as before. It was as if they had crossed some watershed—that bone-chilling sensation suddenly faded.

Just as Ye Qi relaxed slightly, he suddenly noticed faint light flickering ahead. In just the blink of an eye, Changling pushed him away. At the same time, the Muling Sword lifted and slashed. Several “clang clang” sounds rang out as several steel needles were swept out in a “heavenly maiden scattering flowers” pattern, firmly nailing into the wall.

Ye Qi immediately shouted, “Don’t act rashly—it might be one of our own…”

Before the word “own” left his mouth, the unsheathed sword “swoosh” retracted. That luminous pearl had somehow been wrapped around the sword tip by Changling, thrust straight forward—positioned precisely at the throat of the newcomer, illuminating that person’s face.

“Academician Shu?”

All three were shocked. Old Man Shu saw who had come and his eyes widened, “Marquis He? How are you… how are you here?”

Shu Juan’s tone carried a few traces of wariness. His palms were still raised in midair with no intention of withdrawing. Ye Qi immediately understood his concerns and quickly said, “Academician Shu, actually the sachet Zhou Qin gave you was entrusted by Changting’s master. We’ve also been tracking this matter all along…”

“Changting’s master?!” Shu Juan stared at Changling in disbelief. “Speak clearly. Who is your master?”

“My master is Master Jiaye of Tianzhu. I am his twenty-ninth disciple. My dharma name… is Changling.” Changling said word by word, “Academician Shu, I’ve come to find my brother.”

Shu Juan would believe it when hell froze over, but standing before him was the genuine Second Young Master Yue. No matter how incomprehensible the situation, it could answer all his questions one by one.

But Changling’s heart was concerned with Changsheng. In just the brief back-and-forth of words, she had already asked several times “where is my elder brother.” Shu Juan observed the anxiety and trepidation in her eyes and finally completely let down his guard—an imposter wouldn’t interrupt their self-proving dialogue three or four times before the situation was clarified.

Changling couldn’t stand still anymore, “Academician Shu, if you don’t believe me, after seeing my elder brother, he will naturally tell you the truth…”

Shu Juan gently shook his head, “If there were someone to ask, why would this old man go to such trouble?”

These words made one’s heart skip a beat. Changling’s spine stiffened, “No one to ask? Could it be that when you jumped down the other day, it wasn’t for my elder brother, or has he already…”

A light sigh was heard. “…Follow me. What the situation is, you’ll know when we arrive.”

Shu Juan led them to a stone chamber. A simple wooden door was installed in front of the chamber—it clearly had some years to it. Changling only looked once and her heart leaped with joy—Ye Qi and Master’s speculation wasn’t wrong. Someone had truly lived here.

The door was gently pushed open. The smell of burning charcoal for warmth rushed toward them. Two people originally sitting at the wooden table in the stone chamber stood up in unison upon hearing the noise. Seeing Changling and Ye Qi, they instinctively grabbed their weapons. Seeing Shu Juan walking in front, the younger man immediately asked, “Who are they?”

Shu Juan entered first, gesturing with his palm, “Don’t panic. They’re our own. She is Second Young Master Yue.”

“Second Young Master Yue is still alive in this world?”

“Second Young Master is a woman?”

Shu Juan concisely repeated what he had just heard. But Changling had no heart to engage in any verbal debate.

She stepped into the room, passing the obstruction of the three men, and slowly walked toward that corner of the low bed that was visible, until she could clearly see the person lying quietly on the bed.

Changling’s breath caught.

It was a man. Covering his body was a quilt woven from thatch and cotton. His clothes were so worn one couldn’t make out their original color. His hair was loose and disheveled. Short stubble grew at the corners of his mouth and on his jaw. Despite all this, his features were still gentle and refined, incomparably handsome.

Someone once said that the eldest young master of the Yue Family was bright as the sun and moon entering one’s embrace, with soaring ambition in his heart.

She moved herself with difficulty. Though it was only a few steps away, it seemed to take tremendous effort to reach the bedside. Her fists clenched and loosened. Several times she wanted to test his breathing but simply didn’t have the courage.

Ye Qi stood behind her, quietly watching her, until he saw her slowly place her hand on his.

In that instant, her entire body froze, her shoulders beginning to tremble.

The palm was still warm.

Changling stared at Changsheng without blinking. This was a scene… she dared not even dream of in her dreams. She held her brother’s wrist, feeling the pulse jumping and leaping at her fingertips. That rhythm seemed able to penetrate life and death, bringing one back to the days of old.

She knelt before the bed. Immense joy, excitement, grievance, and various other inexpressible feelings all transformed into tears that burst from her eyes, silently flowing down her cheeks.

Ye Qi lowered his gaze slightly, watching her lean over the bed, her entire body trembling uncontrollably. Sob after sob no longer suppressed, drop after drop of crystal tears falling on the bed board—like a lost child who suddenly found their family again, crying without restraint.

In this moment, for some reason, he remembered eleven years ago in the military camp, when his assassination attempt failed and instead his life was saved. Back then, he too had lost control, tears flowing endlessly.

But it wasn’t because of grief—it was because he saw hope he had never dared to expect.

But Changling after all wasn’t a child. Though she saw her living brother, she also detected something wrong with Changsheng’s pulse.

She tried her best to steady her myriad thoughts. When she turned back around, the tear tracks had been wiped away, though her eyelids were still somewhat swollen. She looked toward the two middle-aged men by the table and asked seriously, “You two must be Hero Luo Zhou and Second Hero Qu Yunzhen?”

The Three Heroes of Maoshan were originally sworn brothers close as life and death. Since Old Man Shu could jump off the mountain cliff without hesitation because of a sachet, the two naturally had no reason to find fault with what he said.

Especially after Qu Yunzhen went out of the cave to confirm Scholar Xue hanging on the tree, he also believed the full account Ye Qi had told.

“Back then, after I entered the valley with the eldest young master, we thought it was just temporary refuge. Initially, Scholar Xue was indeed devoted to dispelling poison and treating our injuries. When Shen Yao came, he hid us. Who knew the mountain gate would never open again—we then understood Xiaoyao Sect’s intentions.” Luo Zhou recalled past events. “The eldest young master’s five organs and six viscera were all heavily damaged. Though I know a bit about medical principles, there were no usable medicinal materials in this mountain valley. I could only channel my true energy to heal the eldest young master.”

At that time, Yue Changsheng knew his life wouldn’t last long. He refused no matter what to let Luo Zhou wastefully expend his internal power. But Luo Zhou had come to repay a debt of gratitude in the first place. From the moment he broke into the military camp to rescue him, he had already resolved to die. As long as he could keep the eldest young master alive one more moment, he wouldn’t easily give up.

“Perhaps even heaven couldn’t bear it… I channeled true energy to the eldest young master for three consecutive days. At least he no longer vomited blood frequently. Seeing signs of life, I was naturally overjoyed… Though there was no grain in this mountain valley, the fish in the lake were sufficient to fill our stomachs, so I decided to stay temporarily. After the eldest young master recovered, we would think of an escape method.” Luo Zhou sighed at this point. “Only I didn’t expect… the residual poison in my body remained. When channeling energy, I also transferred the poison into the eldest young master’s body… From then on, if the eldest young master went two days without receiving true energy, his breathing and pulse would weaken drastically. How could I dare stop?”

No matter how powerful Luo Zhou’s original internal power was, this life-saving method couldn’t possibly continue long-term. Yue Changsheng truly couldn’t bear for Luo Zhou to die like this, so he leaped into the lake intending to end his life.

When Luo Zhou was rescuing him, he inadvertently discovered a broken stone stele at the lake bottom—carved on the stele was a set of healing and energy cultivation mental techniques. These techniques weren’t particularly advanced; they simply allowed one to recover some of their depleted vital energy in a short time. But for Luo Zhou, this was like a life-saving straw, making him believe in heaven’s will again.

From that day on, he spent one day channeling true energy to Changsheng, one day practicing martial arts to recover his true energy. Day after day, year after year, he spent his time in the valley like this.

However, time flowed on. Even with deep bonds of loyalty, it ultimately couldn’t match this supply-falling-short-of-demand method of prolonging life. Until a year ago, Luo Zhou’s internal power was finally nearly exhausted—and Changsheng, who had been unconscious for years, had reached the edge where his life could no longer be salvaged.