Whether it was heaven’s mercy or the underworld’s reluctance to claim such a graceful and refined figure as the eldest Young Master Yue, Qu Yunzhen happened to pass by Longmen Mountain at this critical juncture. Perhaps moved by nostalgia for his three brothers going their separate ways, that night he sat cross-legged among the mountains, entrusting his longing to the melody of his flute.

Upon hearing it, Luo Zhou immediately recognized who was playing. Nearly beside himself with joy, yet terrified that his second brother might leave, in his desperation he cut down a bamboo branch and poked several holes in it to fashion a makeshift flute—this hastily crafted bamboo flute was truly discordant, its notes failing to form any melody, but Qu Yunzhen recognized his eldest brother’s flute sound.

The flute and xiao conversed through the night.

Qu Yunzhen, experienced in worldly matters, knew that if his eldest brother was trapped at the mountain’s base, it must be connected to either Longmen Mountain or Xiaoyao Valley. Not daring to alert anyone, he instead scattered feed and released several messenger pigeons to chase into the valley.

Luo Zhou then wrote in blood a detailed account of what had transpired years ago and the eldest young master’s critical condition, sending this letter out of the valley.

Qu Yunzhen was both shocked and overjoyed.

So not only was his eldest brother still alive, but the eldest young master was alive as well.

Among the Three Heroes of Maoshan, though he, the second hero Qu, was the most worldly and sophisticated, when it came to loyalty and righteousness, they were all cut from the same cloth.

After hearing of Xiaoyao Valley’s evil deeds, he had once hired expert fighters to attempt an assault, only to discover a traitor among them, and instead found himself pursued and hunted.

It wasn’t until Jiaye rescued him that he deeply understood the eldest young master’s time was running out. Especially after receiving Luo Zhou’s ten years of true qi, only Maoshan true qi could continue to save him.

Qu Yunzhen hesitated no longer and, after embroidering the fragrant pouch, threw himself into the valley.

“So that great master was none other than Jiaye, the Dharma Master from Tianzhu. Had I known he was the second young master’s shifu, I wouldn’t have needed to be so roundabout.” Qu Yunzhen said, “I had also considered writing directly to our third brother, but I’d heard that the Qingcheng Courtyard was full of loose tongues. If word got out to those with ill intentions that the eldest young master was still alive in this world, it might bring disaster… Originally, I only wanted our third brother to think of another method, to see if during the martial arts conference there might be some way to force Master Xue to open the stone door. I never expected…”

At this point, Shujuan coughed awkwardly, “I had intended to first scout the area around Jiulian Pool Valley, but unexpectedly those old codgers from the Xiaoyao Sect set their sights on me. Before I could figure out why they were trying to kill me, seeing I was outmatched, I had no choice but to jump off the cliff first…”

Qu Yunzhen clapped Shujuan on the shoulder, “Fortunately, our third brother jumped down. Last night, the eldest young master’s condition was critical. It took the combined strength of us two to temporarily get through that crisis…”

As they spoke to this point, they suddenly saw Changling lift her robe and kneel before them in a grand gesture of respect. The three men hastily reached out to stop her, but she solemnly bowed her head, saying, “That my elder brother has lived to this day is entirely due to the three seniors’ profound righteousness. Changling is deeply grateful. Should you have any request in the future, I will certainly spare no effort and shrink from no sacrifice.”

“Why does the second young master say such things? The eldest young master is a hero of this age—who in the jianghu doesn’t respect and admire him? All those years he devoted himself heart and soul to the people of the world. If we could save him but remained indifferent, wouldn’t we be ashamed of the deep gratitude the Maoshan Sect owes the Yue family?”

As Luo Zhou spoke, Qu Yunzhen and Shujuan echoed in agreement, forcibly pulling Changling to her feet. Shujuan looked her up and down, torn between laughter and tears, “Had I known you were the second Young Master Yue, you should have delivered that fragrant pouch to me earlier. Perhaps we could have helped the eldest young master escape his predicament long ago.”

Changling asked, “When I checked my elder brother’s pulse, the old injuries to his internal organs should have healed long ago. Why does he still need true qi constantly to preserve his life?”

At this moment, Ye Qi had also taken Changsheng’s pulse. He glanced at Luo Zhou, “I’m afraid it’s caused by the poison Hero Luo was struck with back then, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Though I don’t know what poison it was, when it flares up, internal fire surges falsely throughout the body, and the blood vessels throughout the body swell as if about to burst. If the internal heat cannot be dissolved with true qi in time, the body will explode and die.” Luo Zhou said with considerable self-reproach, “Eleven years ago, I was only concerned with keeping the eldest young master’s life hanging by a thread. I didn’t expect to instead embed the root of this poison deep within his body. Over these years, I’ve tried many methods but have been unable to expel the toxicity…”

Ye Qi said gently, “Hero Luo need not blame himself. From what I’ve heard of the circumstances back then, without administering true qi, the eldest young master would have been hard-pressed to survive.”

Qu Yunzhen said, “It’s just that recently, I’ve noticed that what the eldest young master can absorb is extremely limited. Of the true qi we transfer, at least half of ten parts dissipates upon entering his body. Last night, it may have been less than even three parts. If this continues, I fear…”

The implication was clear—once the body reached the limits of what it could endure, even if immortals transferred qi, it would be useless.

Shujuan suddenly remembered something, “I wonder if the second young master’s Nanhua Golden Needles could cure the poison?”

How could Changling not have thought of this?

Although the Nanhua Golden Needles could only cure short-term poisoning, to dissolve stubborn poison that had long attached itself to the body, the only method was the one she and Jiagu had used together to save the villagers in Yanling Village that day.

“The golden needles to expel poison must be supplemented with yin and yang qi,” Changling said in a heavy voice. “Elder brother’s body is already saturated with Maoshan Sect’s true qi. If at this time we forcibly inject yin and yang true qi, I’m afraid that too would be fraught with danger…”

Ye Qi immediately said, “Just expel the true qi then.”

Everyone was stunned, but heard him say, “As long as we inject yin and yang qi at the moment the true qi is expelled, wouldn’t that dissolve the toxins in the blood?”

The three heroes of Maoshan had never heard of expelling qi, but Ye Qi had deep personal experience with it.

In his youth, he had been given new life by Shimo true qi. Afterward, he traveled throughout the land, but unfortunately never found anyone who had mastered Shimo true qi. Ji Beilan had once said that unless he could expel the Shimo true qi from his body while simultaneously having another life-sustaining qi injected into his body, this would be a chance to snatch back his life—however, while Shimo true qi could dissipate all other true qi under heaven, no technique could dissipate Shimo true qi.

Speaking of it, he and this “prospective” elder brother-in-law of his truly had similar circumstances—both sustained by true qi, yet both could potentially lose their lives to true qi at any moment.

Changling seemed to see through his intentions and immediately rejected it, “No.”

Ye Qi was taken aback, seeing her walk up to him and ask, “You’re not thinking of having me dispel the true qi in elder brother’s body, then having you transfer the yin and yang qi?”

Seeing her face full of panic, Ye Qi said with a mixture of laughter and tears, “Are you foolish? Don’t I know my own capabilities? With my meager cultivation, how could it be enough for our elder brother? After Shifu and Shishu arrive, we’ll proceed. Have Shishu expel the qi, then you and my Shifu can transfer qi and apply the golden needles. Won’t that solve the problem?”

Usually, Changling remained relatively calm and composed when facing situations, but today it was as if her mind had turned to mush, unable to think straight. Only after hearing Ye Qi’s words did she belatedly nod, “Yes, I actually forgot about Shifu and Shishu… It’s just that right now there are many people outside in chaos. If we rashly open the mountain gate, would it…”

“Who said there’s only the mountain gate as a route?” Ye Qi looked at Changling with an expression of “rotten wood cannot be carved,” “How did the second hero Qu and old man Shu get down here? Have you forgotten?”

Seeing the light of sudden realization dawn in Changling’s eyes, Ye Qi patted her shoulder with infinite emotion, “Alas, it’s fortunate I’m here. If we could only rely on you, our elder brother would have to spend his lonely final years in these desolate mountains…”

Changling watched his smug expression and mercilessly rolled her eyes at him, “Whose elder brother?”

Having caught only fragments of the conversation, the Three Heroes of Maoshan, still confused about the situation, finally managed to interrupt the young marquis’s one-sided “flirtatious banter.” Old man Shu asked, “Does the marquis have a way to notify the two eminent monks to come down?”

Just as Ye Qi was about to answer, hearing old man Shu’s stomach growl inopportunely, he couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth and asked a completely unrelated question, “The three of you have labored tirelessly all day. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

The stars gazed unblinkingly down at the earth, while fireflies winked playfully back at them.

The campfire was whipped by the wind into wild gestures, roasting several red crucian carp until they were half charred and half pale. The savory aroma permeated the surrounding air—just one whiff was enough to instantly lift one’s spirits.

“I imagine Shifu and the others are already keeping watch on Jiulian Mountain. When dawn breaks, we’ll extinguish this fire. When they see the smoke signal, they’ll naturally come down.” Seeing Changling reach for the grilled fish, Ye Qi quickly swatted her hand away, “Don’t rush, it’s not cooked yet…”

Changling glanced at him stubbornly, trying to save face, “I’m worried about my elder brother being hungry, and Hero Luo and the others…”

“Grilled food isn’t suitable for our elder brother to eat.” Ye Qi turned around and lifted the lid of the small pot over the fire beside him, gently placing the descaled fish into the boiling water, then poured in half a bag of rice he’d pilfered from Master Xue. “Someone who’s been bedridden for long has poor intestinal absorption. This fish congee needs to be cooked until it’s even more tender and soft.”

Watching him cook the congee while not forgetting to flip the grilled fish, and while grilling the fish not forgetting to emphasize the words “our elder brother,” Changling truly admired this young marquis from the bottom of her heart. “I’ve been meaning to ask—you’re a marquis with so many people attending to you normally. Where did you learn these skills?”

Ye Qi smiled, “Heh, you wouldn’t know this… I’ve been exceptionally clever since childhood, loved by people and flowers alike. I had quite a few uncles and cousin-uncles in the family who were very jealous of me. There was always something being added to my food that I couldn’t guard against, especially… after my mother passed away. I fell seriously ‘ill’ several times in succession and could only have Seventh Uncle and Seventh Aunt cook for me. Unfortunately, I disliked their cooking—everything they made was tasteless. So I had no choice but to be self-sufficient.”

Changling asked curiously, “I don’t know about Seventh Uncle, but isn’t Seventh Aunt a restaurant owner? How could her cooking be bad?”

“Yes, it was only after trying several times that I discovered… it wasn’t that their cooking was bad, but that my sense of smell and taste were damaged, much weaker than ordinary people’s,” Ye Qi spoke of this matter with a relaxed expression, as if he didn’t take it to heart at all. “So, I had to learn to cook for myself. That way I could add several extra handfuls of salt to the dishes, so at least I could taste a little flavor.”

When he said “taste flavor,” Changling’s heart felt anything but flavorful. She suddenly remembered something and asked again, “Wait, at the top of the Great Vehicle Tower in Dazhao Temple, didn’t you say you smelled lamp oil? If you can’t smell, how did you discover the lamp oil in the library?”

“I didn’t smell it with my nose, I smelled it with my brain. All the candles in that library were brand new—just thinking about it, you’d know something was fishy. Having been opponents with old Zhou for so many years, the tricks he knows would fill at most three pages—he can’t come up with anything new…” Ye Qi turned to her, “But you don’t need to worry. Ever since you saved me when we left Dazhao Temple, my sense of taste has recovered quite a bit. In the future, my culinary skills can reach even greater heights, and you’ll always have such good fortune.”

Somehow, the words “in the future” seemed like a warm current flowing through her heart. A strange light glimmered in Changling’s eyes, “In the future, with me here, I won’t let anyone have the opportunity to take advantage again.”

Ye Qi’s movements paused. Seeing her look at him with breathtaking beauty, he pressed his lips together but couldn’t suppress his smile, “Don’t get too cocky. With the mess outside right now, the trouble you’ve stirred up—won’t I have to clean it up?”

Changling couldn’t help but laugh, following his train of thought, “You’re right about that. While there are certainly those willing to acknowledge me as alliance leader, I’m afraid there are even more who are unconvinced in their hearts. Following me, you’ll have plenty of hard days ahead.”

“What do you mean I’m following you… Why do I feel like our conversation is getting more backwards…” Ye Qi set the grilled fish aside on an empty rack to cool, picked out the best-looking one and handed it to her, “Hey, blow on it before you eat…”

After Changling took it and obediently began blowing on the fish, Ye Qi smiled again, “I’ve always been quite curious about one question…”

“Mm?”

“Everyone in the world respects you, fears you, and still thinks about harming you. Aren’t you angry, pained, or resentful?”

Changling smiled nonchalantly, “What’s there to resent? I’m quite happy about it.”

The young marquis was bewildered, “Happy?”

“Mm.” Changling matter-of-factly blew on the fish and said, “If not for that, how would I have ever met you?”

Before Ye Qi could feel moved, he detected something off, “Wait, what’s the connection between the two?”

Changling said “Oh,” “Have you forgotten? If you hadn’t been thinking about harming me, strapping yourself with explosives wanting to blow me up, how would we have met?”

Ye Qi: “…”

In this moment of stunned silence, the campfire popped, making Ye Qi’s face even darker. Seeing the silver-tongued young marquis at a loss, the second Young Master Yue couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Ye Qi exaggeratedly snorted and, no longer paying attention to her, walked alone to the lakeside to wash his face. The cold moon was like frost, the lake water splashing across his face in icy sheets. But for some reason, gazing at the shimmering waves on the lake’s surface and hearing the laughter behind him, Ye Qi’s entire heart warmed.

At this moment, he suddenly heard Changling hiss. Turning his head to see Changling clicking her tongue, having burned her mouth, he immediately rushed forward to examine her carefully, “You silly egg, I told you to let it cool before eating. Why are you so disobedient? Where did you burn? Does it hurt?”

Before he could see clearly, suddenly soft lips moved closer, but stopped just before they were about to touch.

She gazed at him, seeming both extremely serious and playfully teasing as she nodded, “It hurts. My lips hurt, and the tip of my tongue hurts too. What should I do?”

Here it comes again.

She was always so unexpected, always able to effortlessly make his heart itch.

Ye Qi looked down at her, seeing her eyes full of twinkling starlight, absolutely breathtaking. Unable to resist any longer, he leaned down and kissed her.

Clouds and moon intertwined, stars embraced tenderly—heaven and earth don’t stop turning for anyone.

But at this moment, it seemed all things paused for that brief instant, just to witness this profound and unregretful devotion between mortals.

Not knowing how long had passed, he reluctantly separated, gazing deeply at her, “After we cure elder brother and leave the valley, let’s get married, all right?”

“Are you really so eager to become the alliance leader’s husband?”

“Eager.” Ye Qi said, “Extremely eager.”

The corners of Changling’s mouth curved into a warm smile, “All right.”