Generally speaking, when a woman is crowned with the title of “someone’s foremost beauty,” it indicates that this beauty is not only beautiful but also high-profile enough to become the talk of the town.

The Lu family had once been wealthy merchants dominating Jiangdong, conducting imperial business for generations. With such family background plus heaven-gifted stunning looks, even when Lu Bi Qiong was still in her tender years, many gentry clans eagerly sought marriage alliances with her.

Father Lu was quite selective. In the end, he settled on the eldest son of the Chen family of Lujiang—at that time the Emperor’s own nephew. The two families joyfully signed the marriage contract and counted the days waiting for Bi Qiong to come of age for a glorious wedding.

However, good times didn’t last. The imperial city suddenly suffered a palace coup. First, Emperor Liang was assassinated and the imperial clan fled in panic. Then various lords responded to the banner of rebellion one after another. In one night, heaven and earth fell into chaos.

The Liang dynasty perished. As imperial relatives, the Chen family naturally became the primary target of “killing the chicken to warn the monkey.” Before long, the Chen family was eliminated by the rebel army. The Lu family inevitably suffered by association—their vast fortune was looted clean in an instant.

In that era of rampant bandits, even weak women from common families lived day to day uncertainly, let alone a renowned beauty. Even though Father Lu took his wife and daughter into hiding everywhere, they ultimately couldn’t escape their fate. The family of three encountered the blade of Sun Heiqi, the first bandit lord of Maihua Mountain, during their wandering.

In fact, the year Changling went up Maihua Mountain, she was originally following Yue Changsheng’s orders to persuade the bandits to reform.

Since the Yue family had established roots in Jiangdong, they naturally hoped to protect this territory. For bandit leaders like Sun Heiqi who were quite organized and operated on a considerable scale, they’d first try to win them over—if that didn’t work, then wipe them out. Of course, before going up the mountain, Changling had already eagerly prepared to thoroughly cleanse the bandit stronghold.

Who could have imagined that just as she reached the stronghold entrance, she witnessed a scene of bandits forcibly seizing a beautiful woman?

Father Lu lay in a pool of blood. Mother Lu and Lu Bi Qiong had already been stripped nearly bare by several bandits’ assault. Just as one bandit lost patience and intended to “execute the law on the spot” with Lu Bi Qiong, a flash of light suddenly streaked past. That person’s neck immediately split open. His head tilted backward as fresh blood sprayed into the air like a flower.

The dozen or so bandits present were completely dazed by the unexpected bloodshed. Sun Heiqi, as the leader, reacted first, drawing his long blade: “Who’s there?! Show yourself!”

Changling stepped out from the bushes half a beat late.

The bandits saw the newcomer was a slender youth wearing a silver half-mask on his face, carrying no visible weapons—only holding in his right hand a green… leaf?

Seeing the visitor was alone, Sun Heiqi immediately put on his boss’s imposing manner, roaring angrily: “Which road are you from? How dare you cause trouble at our Black Wind Stronghold?!”

“Ah, so this is Black Wind Stronghold. Then I’m not mistaken.” Changling nodded imperceptibly. “Which of you is Sun Heiqi?”

Sun Heiqi said: “I am the master of Black Wind Stronghold! Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m surnamed Yue.” Changling perfunctorily cupped her fists. “I’ve come on my elder brother’s orders to discuss a matter with your stronghold’s Sun Heiqi…”

Just as Sun Heiqi was about to speak, a second-in-command with leopard-like head and ring-shaped eyes warily approached: “Big brother! This person looks sinister. Third brother inexplicably died at his hands. Don’t waste words—before his accomplices arrive, capture him…”

“Then there’s nothing to discuss?” Changling heard this whispered exchange. “Not discussing is fine too. I wonder how many men your stronghold has? Just you… seventeen?”

That second-in-command grinned wickedly, showing a mouthful of fierce teeth. “Our stronghold still has sixty-eight people. You just killed my brother—now if you want to run, it’s too late!”

“That is a bit many…” Changling’s brow furrowed. She hurried to the tree clump and grabbed another handful of leaves. “This should be enough now.”

Everyone hadn’t yet understood when suddenly a short bandit said in a trembling voice: “Third leader, Third leader—he had his throat cut by a tree leaf…”

These words were frightening. Sun Heiqi looked back and saw that what was stuck in the third leader’s throat was indeed a tree leaf. The second-in-command didn’t believe in such evil. Being stupid and bold, he pointed his blade: “One by one, you cowards! Don’t believe this kind of bluffing trick! I still don’t believe it—we have so many people, can’t handle this skinny bastard! Nobody attack!”

“Wait!” Sun Heiqi blocked with his long arm, taking another step forward. “May I ask your full name, sir?”

So troublesome.

Changling reluctantly lowered her restless hands.

“I am Yue Changling of Jiangdong.”

Under the scorching sun, hot winds gusted, yet sent a chilling sensation up the bandits’ spines.

Just three months ago, Sun Heiqi had led a group of brothers down the mountain intending to join the rebel army. Halfway there, they learned that eighteen highly skilled rebel military leaders had their heads arranged in rows hanging before the city gate. Their tens of thousands of troops had overnight surrendered to the Yue family of Jiangdong. And the person who cut off heads like harvesting chives was named Yue Changling.

The Black Wind Stronghold bandits heard of this and were so frightened they galloped back to their stronghold overnight, resting for an entire winter. Only recently, hearing that the Yue family was away campaigning against barbarians, did they dare come out again for small-scale activities.

Today they were just slaughtering fat sheep at their own doorstep—how did they summon this plague god?!

Now no one dared make a sound. Even Sun Heiqi’s voice dropped three levels: “You, you just said Young Master Yue asked you to come discuss business with me—what, what is it?”

“My brother heard that your Black Wind Stronghold has long occupied Maihua Mountain, constantly preying on the villages, running rampant. Recently you’ve become increasingly brazen…” Hearing this, everyone broke into a hot sweat. Then they heard Changling say: “So he sent me to make a trip and see if you can reform from evil to good, abandon banditry for military service, and use the butcher’s blade in your hands for truly useful purposes…”

Even she felt this speech was truly too long-winded, so she skipped a long string of her elder brother’s earnest instructions from before departure and went straight to the conclusion: “In short, if you’re willing to submit to our Yue family, this matter is settled. If you stubbornly resist… forget it, given the current situation…” Changling glanced at the miserable state of the dead bandit’s corpse. “Alright, I can see you’re all bandits with firm wills. Talking is useless…”

She took a step forward. Stepping on a branch with a “crack” startled Sun Heiqi’s heart, liver, and courage. He hurriedly said: “Wait, wait, wait! We didn’t say we were unwilling.”

“Eh?” Changling’s brow furrowed. “You’re willing to submit?”

“Will…” Before Sun Heiqi’s second character “ing” could emerge, that second-in-command spoke first: “Originally it wouldn’t be impossible, but you came and killed our third brother over some unrelated woman. Now you say to submit and we submit—wouldn’t that make our Black Wind Stronghold seem weak and easily bullied?”

Changling loosened her neck without a care. “That makes sense. Alright, attack together. Don’t…”

“Who, who said she’s unrelated?” Sun Heiqi shoved the second-in-command aside and pointed at Lu Bi Qiong cowering and trembling in the corner. “She, isn’t she Second Master Yue’s woman? I heard about this before and wanted to invite Miss Lu to the stronghold as a guest. Who knew… who knew that blind third brother actually wanted to force himself on her! Wasn’t it perfectly justified for you to act, Second Master? Brothers, am I right?”

The brothers, who a moment ago had been scared speechless by the stupid second-in-command, heard these words and grasped them like a lifeline, eagerly echoing: “Right! Right! Miss Lu is Second Master Yue’s woman!” “How could we touch Second Master Yue’s woman?” “The third leader deserved to die! How could we mind?”

“…”

While they scrambled to shout over there, on this side Changling and the woman meeting for the first time silently looked at each other. Only then did she clearly see that pitiful beautiful face and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Very well. Since this group of bandits had already built the steps down, she’d go along with it.

“Yes, she is my woman. Now, are you all voluntarily submitting to the Yue family?”

Mother and daughter Lu were thus incidentally brought back to the Yue family of Jiangdong by Changling.

After hearing the entire process, Yue Changsheng praised Changling’s performance profusely and had people properly settle the mother and daughter. However, as Changling was a woman, she naturally couldn’t actually take a woman home. After a few days, she found time to sit down and talk with Lu Bi Qiong. The gist was “I was just speaking casually then, no need to take it seriously. You mother and daughter can leave whenever you want. If you want to stay temporarily, that’s fine too.”

Who knew that after listening, Lu Bi Qiong remained silent for a long time, then suddenly knelt down: “That second-in-command Xu Yi is the murderer who killed my father. If Second Young Master would kill him for me, Bi Qiong is willing to serve Second Young Master for life.”

Changling shook her head. “Since they’ve already submitted, they’re Yue family soldiers. I have no reason to execute my own troops.”

“Young master, I only want Xu Yi’s life. He commits all kinds of evil and is only pretending to submit based on Sun Heiqi’s face. If you kill him, won’t you also eliminate future trouble?”

“If he truly harbors different intentions or causes trouble again, military law will handle it. But before that, I cannot fabricate charges from nothing…”

“How is it fabricating from nothing!” Lu Bi Qiong was momentarily agitated, pounding the table. “My father died miserably under his blade. You, you didn’t fail to see…”

“That was what he did before submitting.”

Seeing Changling unmoved, Lu Bi Qiong’s eyes slowly filled with mist. “Second Young Master Yue, do you know what it feels like to lose a loved one? My father, to save my mother and me, pleaded desperately, resisted with his life, but that Xu Yi still dealt my father a vicious blow… You have superior martial skills and command troops. Killing him would be as simple as crushing an ant—why won’t you avenge me?”

“Miss Lu, that is your revenge.”

Lu Bi Qiong froze.

“If you want revenge, go take it yourself. But you cannot demand I do it just because I’m capable.” Changling said calmly. “I have no responsibility to avenge you.”

Lu Bi Qiong was unwilling. “I also want to personally end that dog thief’s life, but my martial skills are poor. I, I can’t possibly…”

“That’s your affair. Whether poisoning, seeking other help, or you could start training diligently in martial arts from now. If Xu Yi is still alive in ten years, take revenge then.” Changling slowly stood up. “In this world, people die every day. Every day people carry blood vengeance. If you think revenge is something that can be accomplished through a few words by borrowing another’s hand, I have nothing to say.”

Lu Bi Qiong was completely stunned, not even noticing her falling tears.

For the first time, she realized that without her father, she was like a duckweed drifting to sea, tossed by wind and rain, unable to ever hope for another harbor.

Seeing Changling turn to leave, Lu Bi Qiong suddenly knelt down: “Please teach me martial arts, Second Young Master.”

“I never teach people martial arts.”

“Thud” “Thud”—heavy kowtowing sounds. Changling turned back to see her tightly biting her teeth, forehead knocked bloody. “Please teach me martial arts, Second Young Master!”

Changling’s gaze condensed slightly.

In Lu Bi Qiong’s eyes, she saw a certain familiar tenacity.

No one is born as hard as stone—it’s just that circumstances don’t permit softness.

“I’m about to campaign north with the army. I’ll only teach for three days.” Changling said. “Three months later when I return, I’ll see if you have the makings of a martial artist.”

Afterward, it was said that Miss Lu, who couldn’t carry on her shoulders or lift with her hands, was like a person reborn. In just half a year, she could perform a complete set of flowing, powerful pear blossom spear techniques.

As for Black Wind Stronghold’s Xu Yi, early on after submitting, he’d already been beaten with sixty military rods for disobeying orders and lay paralyzed in prison with half his body disabled. Strangely, Young Master Yue specifically instructed people to keep him alive. That breath held on for over half a year before finally dying beneath a sharp spear.

At that time, seeing this girl’s skills were barely sufficient for survival, Changling pondered starting to send her away. Who knew that Lu Bi Qiong stuck like clay, refusing to leave, even saying she would serve the Yue family loyally until death.

Loyal your grandmother’s bear! If she’d known it would be so troublesome, she shouldn’t have listened to Yue Changsheng and should have just directly killed that Xu Yi and been done with it.

That year’s Yue Changling certainly couldn’t have imagined that later, before she could get around to driving Lu Bi Qiong away, she herself had gloriously sacrificed her life on the battlefield.

She even less could have imagined that eleven years later, Lu Bi Qiong would put a “green hat” on her and become Madam Qiong of the Eastern Xia dynasty’s Prime Minister’s Residence.

Changling’s thoughts drifted in circles through the heavens until Bi Qiong gently called: “Miss Nan?”

Coming back to her senses, Changling looked at this graceful young matron. The long hair originally scattered on her shoulders was now coiled into an elaborate bun. When she smiled, a few shallow fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes. Still beautiful, but no longer purely so.

“I didn’t expect the master had already told the young lady my name.” Bi Qiong lowered her eyes and curtsied. “Then Bi Qiong needn’t introduce herself. Please be seated, Miss. Ziqing, go warm a pot of osmanthus wine.”

That’s right—she could recognize Bi Qiong, but Bi Qiong couldn’t recognize her.

Never mind her greatly changed appearance—even her female identity had never been revealed in the slightest.

After all these years, what exactly had happened, how much had the current Bi Qiong changed—she had no way of knowing.

Then there was even less reason to acknowledge each other.

Thinking this, Changling couldn’t help but smile faintly. “I heard from the servants. I didn’t expect Master Fu’s lady to be so beautiful—truly an immortal couple that makes others envious.”

“Bi Qiong is merely the master’s concubine. In the future, Miss Nan will be the lady the master marries in with eight grand sedan chairs. After Miss Nan enters the residence, by the rules, I’ll have to call you elder sister.” Bi Qiong smiled considerately at this point. “Miss Nan, the dishes cool easily. Please eat while hot. If the hospitality is inadequate, please forgive me.”

On the small stone table sat various exquisite Jinling dishes. The only familiar one was a dish of braised jumping fish. In the past at the Jiangdong camp, the rare river delicacy they could eat was this kind of small jumping fish. Bi Qiong would always find ways to prepare it, making even Yue Changsheng reluctant to drive her away.

Changling picked up a small piece of meat. It was still that flavor from years ago. A wave of melancholy flowed through her heart. Remembering her purpose for coming, she asked: “I wonder how Madam Qiong came to know Master Fu?”

“I don’t know if Miss Nan has heard.” Bi Qiong took a small sip of wine. “I once lived in Jiangdong. My family suffered misfortune. Through various circumstances, I was taken in by a benefactor. Unfortunately, fate is unpredictable—the benefactor encountered difficulty and passed away. I originally intended never to marry and just guard the benefactor’s home. Who could have imagined someone would come seeking revenge? It was the master who saved me… Later, I brought my mother to Jinling and entered this Prime Minister’s Residence.”

“Your mother is also in the residence?”

“She passed away two years ago, though very peacefully.” Speaking of these things, Bi Qiong’s expression showed not too much sorrow. “I heard Miss Nan also had some trouble at home, which is why General Jing had the master bring you back, correct?”

“Mm… there was a bit of trouble…” Got flattened by artillery.

Changling chewed over Bi Qiong’s previous words, bit into a soup dumpling, and asked casually: “You said Master Fu saved you—so he was also from Jiangdong in the past?”

“The master is from Jinling. That year he followed His Majesty to Jiangdong to recruit troops—it was only by chance that he passed through…”

“That year?” Changling put down her chopsticks. “You’re talking about how many years ago?”

“It was ten years ago. At that time, His Majesty hadn’t yet ascended the throne…”

Changling’s brow furrowed. “You’re saying that ten years ago, Master Fu was already following Shen… following His Majesty?”

“Yes.”

“How long has he been with His Majesty?”

“This…” Bi Qiong gently shook her head. “I never asked…”

Changling momentarily couldn’t find the thread—when had someone like Fu Yangui been at Shen Yao’s side?

Bi Qiong glanced at Changling strangely. “Miss Nan seems to want to know about the master’s past. Why not ask the master directly?”

Changling coughed lightly. “He, if he doesn’t bring it up voluntarily, I won’t ask voluntarily either.”

Bi Qiong couldn’t help but smile. “Miss truly has a child’s temperament.”

“…” Child what now?

This meal finished quickly. Seeing black clouds spreading as if it would rain heavily, Bi Qiong didn’t insist she stay longer.

On the way back, Changling sorted through her feelings about reuniting with an old acquaintance while strolling and falling into deep thought.

At Canglang Mountain, Fu Yangui had single-handedly infiltrated the Five Poisons Sect. Moreover, from their first encounter in the grove, his skills were extraordinary—so restrained that one couldn’t discern his true abilities. Over ten years ago, Shen Yao was from a Luoyang clan. At that time, Jinling’s greatest lord was the Wang family. Would Fu Yangui forsake what was near to seek what was far, following Shen Yao, if not for the honor of being martial alliance leader?

Speaking of which, that Shen Yao would entrust this position of one person below, ten thousand above to Fu Yangui showed considerable trust in this person.

But in Changling’s impression, whether the Shen family or the entire martial world, she’d never noticed anyone surnamed Fu…

Unless he wasn’t surnamed Fu at that time.

Then who could it be?

“Someone my age back then…” Changling arranged various famous figures from the past in her mind in a row, turning them over and over without finding anyone who matched.

She passed through a corridor bridge. The sound of gurgling water inadvertently drilled into her ears. Suddenly, as if possessed by a ghost, she stopped, raising her eyes to gaze at the jade-green lake ahead.

A baseless thought rushed at her face, exploding tremendous waves in the still, deep waters of her heart.

Fu… Fu.

One character difference, only one bamboo radical apart.

How had she never thought of it?

Fu Yangui was Fu Liujing.