Ye Qi’s lips completely drained of color after hearing those words.

Changling didn’t know that this brief sentence was like a whip to him, each word mercilessly severing the last thread of hope in his heart.

Seeing him clutching the dagger and refusing to let go, she couldn’t help but add, “What, did the young marquis follow me in the dead of night to commit murder…”

Before she could finish, Changling’s voice stopped. She saw a surging murderous aura come crashing down upon her.

“You think I wouldn’t dare?”

The blade tip thrust forward, and several drops of fresh blood seeped from the edge. Though it only scratched the skin, Changling was still startled—she had thought that dispelling Ye Qi’s doubts would make him stop, but who would have thought he actually harbored killing intent toward Nanxu?

Changling furrowed her brow, “I don’t recall ever offending the marquis?”

“Sect Leader Nan.” Ye Qi’s expression was dark and inscrutable. “You wouldn’t have forgotten where you got that skin of yours, would you?”

Skin?

How did he learn about the skin exchange?

No wonder he had that twisted look from the moment they met. It turned out he mistakenly believed Nanxu had skinned her, and worried he might have the wrong person, which was why he went through such elaborate lengths, making such a big detour to verify her identity.

Changling naturally wouldn’t admit it. “What does the marquis mean by that?”

“Very well.” Ye Qi said coldly, “When you reach the underworld, you can take your time remembering.”

“Wait!” Seeing his towering rage, Changling had no doubt he would actually slit her throat. “If you kill me now, then… Brother Yangui will never forgive you!”

She deliberately emphasized “Brother Yangui,” trying to lure Fu Yangui into action, but that fellow remained hidden outside with no intention of helping. The four girls inside were also like they didn’t exist, not making a single sound.

Changling found herself in a difficult position—if she changed her story now, she didn’t know if Ye Qi would even believe her.

“Since I’m standing here, there’s nothing I wouldn’t dare to do.” Ye Qi said, “However, if you can answer me one question, I can at least let you die quickly.”

“A question?” Changling was taken aback.

This guy looked so clever—how did he also fall into the foolish trap of “rambling before striking”?

“Before you took her skin, you made her write a letter. Was the content of that letter something you forced her to write?”

Changling didn’t immediately understand. “What letter?”

“That handwritten note,” Ye Qi exhaled as if restraining himself, “saying she willingly gave you her skin… What did you do to her?”

Changling understood now. “I didn’t do anything to her. It was her own will.”

“You think I’ll believe that?”

“Since you don’t believe it, why bother asking?”

Ye Qi knew he shouldn’t drag this out, but he just wanted to know—what circumstances would make a woman as resolute as her write such a letter?

Was she subjected to inhuman torture? Was she threatened by something?

Every time he thought of this, he felt as if thorns were stabbing his back. Various horrific scenes kept flashing through his mind, with no intention of stopping.

Changling secretly watched the way he gripped the dagger. Seeing his eyes full of confusion, she was about to seize the opportunity to escape when she heard Ye Qi say, “I’m not distracted. Today I must kill you. You’d better answer my question honestly, or else I’ll let you taste the Seven Fragrance Soul Devourer too.”

“…” Changling sighed. “I’m a young lady of the Jing family. You’re a noble marquis. If you cause a murder case over this, is it worth it?”

“It’s worth it.”

“Just for that woman?”

“No matter who killed her, I will avenge her.”

His tone was flat when he said this, but it made Changling freeze, momentarily forgetting to continue the conversation.

Seeing she would rather die than say more, Ye Qi finally stopped talking. His wrist was about to exert force when he saw the corner of the person’s mouth suddenly curve up. His heart suddenly lurched, and he found he couldn’t bring himself to strike no matter what.

It was as if… he saw her smiling.

“You… what are you smiling about?” The young marquis’s imposing aura was instantly deflated by that smile.

He didn’t mention it, and Changling hadn’t even noticed she’d raised the corners of her mouth. Somehow, seeing his knuckles turn white from gripping the dagger and failing to strike several times, she couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Since childhood, she had traveled the Western Regions. Because her master was an enlightened monk, she rarely encountered difficulties from others. Regarding human nature and worldly matters, she was more bewildered by the Buddhist teachings of “all obstacles are ultimate enlightenment; remembrance and forgetfulness are both liberation.” Later, when she returned to the Central Plains, her father taught her much about the wickedness of human hearts and the coldness of the world. Though her mind could understand, her heart never deigned to accept it.

Until after the betrayal.

Since re-entering the world, she often felt a sense of alienation from this realm. No matter where she was or what kind of people she met, even when she shared that nostalgic meal with Biqiong, it was only a brief reminiscence of the past without revealing her true self.

But Ye Qi was different.

He was the first person who, even after eleven years, still hadn’t forgotten her. Even though he hadn’t recognized her, he would still treat her well.

Changling didn’t delve into the reasons for this. Just thinking about it made her feel particularly good. “Weren’t you going to kill me? Why haven’t you made your move?”

“You…”

Before he could respond, Changling suddenly deflected Ye Qi’s dagger. Her left wrist slipped out of the whip rope like a loach. At the same moment, a blue figure floated in from outside the courtyard gate. Fu Yangui caught Changling by the waist and carried her to a distance of five steps from Ye Qi. As soon as they stood still, he looked at her with concern, “I came late. Are you alright?”

“…”

If this fellow surnamed Fu didn’t still have some use, she really wanted to team up with the young marquis to crush him together.

Ye Qi’s gaze swept over the hand Fu Yangui had around her waist, and his displeasure inexplicably surged.

“I’m fine.” Changling subtly freed herself from his hand and pointed at Ye Qi. “This young marquis is very strange. He said a bunch of things I couldn’t understand, started shouting about killing the moment he saw me, and even talked about revenge… I only met him today. What grudge could I possibly have with him?”

Fu Yangui shielded her behind him, his gaze coolly drifting toward the front. “I don’t know what Miss Jing did to anger the marquis so much that he must personally take action?”

“What Miss Jing’s background is and where she came from, I think Prime Minister Fu knows better than anyone.” Ye Qi wasn’t surprised to see Fu Yangui appear. “Now that the Qingcheng Academy martial examination is approaching, the city is full of Martial Alliance members everywhere. Once her identity is exposed, it won’t be my turn to act—plenty of people will come to the Jing family’s door to feed knives to Miss Jing. How could Prime Minister Fu escape implication?”

Fu Yangui smiled. “Miss Jing is merely General Jing’s daughter who was lost outside. What other identity could she have? The marquis must have heard some false rumors and has some misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? The prime minister is playing a fine game indeed.” Ye Qi also lowered his head and smiled, pointing toward the temple. “Inside are remnants of the Five Poisons Sect. Tonight I personally heard them call Miss Jing their sect leader. If I speak up, who do you think everyone will believe—you or me?”

“The innocent will prove themselves innocent.” Fu Yangui glanced meaningfully at Changling. “She is not the Five Poisons Sect leader. No matter what the marquis says, he cannot distort the truth.”

“Good, very good. With those words, I need not have any more reservations.” Ye Qi tossed away the dagger. “Prime Minister Fu had better protect your fiancée at all times and not let her wander around. Otherwise, what might happen in the future cannot be predicted.”

Fu Yangui nodded slightly. “Thank you for your concern, Marquis.”

After leaving those words, Ye Qi departed at a leisurely pace. Changling watched his retreating figure and sighed inwardly—now the misunderstanding was even worse. Recognition would probably be quite troublesome… If Ye Qi tried to attack her again next time, she’d have no choice but to give him a sound beating to prove her innocence.

While she was thinking randomly, she suddenly felt pain at her neck. Fu Yangui had picked up a cotton handkerchief and gently pressed it against her wound. “Don’t move. It’s still bleeding.”

Changling turned her head, took the handkerchief herself, and said “thank you.” Thinking that the few girls from the Five Poisons Sect were still in the temple, and fearing Fu Yangui would meddle and ask more questions, she said, “It’s not safe here. I want to go back.”

Fu Yangui nodded gently. “Alright, I’ll escort you.”

They had originally come on foot, so naturally they would walk back. Though it was early spring in the third month, the night wind still howled. Seeing Changling’s thin clothing, Fu Yangui removed his outer robe and draped it over her.

“I don’t feel cold.” Changling tried to decline, but Fu Yangui considerately fastened the clasps for her and smiled faintly. “But I feel hot.”

“…”

First he rescued her, said some perfectly timed protective words, then personally escorted her back, and even gave her his own clothing… If this were an ordinary young lady, wouldn’t she be utterly charmed?

If she didn’t know how to identify locations by sound, she might really believe he was deeply in love with Nanxu.

Fu Yangui saw Changling looking at him. “Is there something on my face?”

“No, I’m just curious…” Changling asked anyway. “What a coincidence that you also appeared there?”

“It wasn’t a coincidence. I followed you the whole way.”

Fu Yangui’s frankness instead stunned Changling. “Ah?”

“I originally came to find you tonight. I didn’t expect that just as I arrived at your back gate, I saw you climbing over the wall… Since you snuck out, you naturally didn’t want others to notice. But it was late at night, and Jinling City hasn’t been very peaceful lately. I was worried, so I followed you all the way… I didn’t expect such a thing to happen.”

Barely… plausible…

But Changling didn’t believe it.

“You saw everything. That young marquis tried to kill me just now. Why didn’t you stop him?”

Fu Yangui tucked his hands into his sleeves and said unhurriedly, “Because he wouldn’t kill you.”

“You’re that certain?”

“You weren’t in Jinling, so you may not have heard. Though Marquis He seems dissolute, he always leaves room for maneuver in his actions. Forget killing someone—even when arresting someone, he thinks things through thoroughly… Unless he has absolute certainty that you are the Five Poisons Sect leader, he won’t easily make a move.”

She was slightly surprised. Thinking carefully, that day at Dazhao Temple when the situation was so critical, he still refused to easily harm someone from behind. Ye Qi was indeed, as Fu Yangui said, someone with a peculiar yet rigid way of conducting himself.

“Since that’s the case, wouldn’t it have been fine for you to just keep hiding? Why did you have to show yourself?”

“When you encounter trouble, how could I not act? It’s just that, you knew Marquis He was hostile toward you. As long as you firmly denied being the Five Poisons Sect leader, he naturally wouldn’t act rashly… I didn’t expect that not only would you not dispel his doubts, you’d actively admit your identity. In that case, I couldn’t be sure what he might do…”

Changling silently brushed her bangs—that was to dispel your doubts.

“I didn’t think that much… After all, I’m also a member of the Jing family. If I just died like that, could my father let it go?”

Hearing this, Fu Yangui slowed his steps and looked at Changling. “Whether General Jing would let it go is another matter and not within Marquis He’s consideration. If you encounter something similar next time, remember to preserve your life first. Put other matters aside for now.”

Changling had only spoken casually, but unexpectedly Fu Yangui began lecturing seriously, and there seemed to be deeper meaning in his words. She didn’t continue the discussion and glanced at Fu Yangui. “Don’t you have any questions to ask? Like why I appeared at that ruined temple, and what the young marquis mentioned…”

“No need to ask.”

“Hm?”

“The reason you went to that meeting must be because you’ve recovered some memories. When Five Poisons Sect disciples came to you, as their sect leader, you naturally couldn’t ignore them. As for what Marquis He mentioned…” Fu Yangui’s lips curved up. “If you’re willing to tell me, I’ll know sooner or later. If you’re unwilling, why should I ask?”

Listening to this phrasing, Changling immediately gained new understanding of Fu Yangui—not only did he not expose her, he even thought up excuses for her. He was the one who always left room for maneuver, wasn’t he?

“…You’re really clever.”

“You flatter me.”

Deep into the night.

On this end, one person looked up at the sky while the other looked down at the ground. Walking on the same path, their thoughts diverged to who knows where.

On the other end, the young marquis rode his horse alone at a gallop. Cold wind whipped his hair into disarray. Only when he returned to the marquis residence did his mind gradually cool down.

The more he pondered, the more something seemed wrong.

Why did Nanxu smile after hearing those words?

Shouldn’t a normal person’s first reaction in that situation be to argue, panic, or try to stall for time?

And that smile… didn’t seem like provocation at all, much less mockery.

Ye Qi rubbed his already disheveled hair, feeling Changling’s momentarily blooming smile linger in his mind, wishing he could take a hammer to crack open his skull and pick out that scene to throw it far away.

“Ye Qi, oh Ye Qi, beauty clouds judgment. Your cultivation is still insufficient.” While sighing self-reflectively, he walked along the corridor inside the residence toward the inner hall. After a few steps, he realized something was wrong—it was past midnight. Why were the lanterns in the residence still lit?

Ye Qi slowed his steps, looking at the brightly lit main hall ahead with two straight-backed attendants standing outside.

He squinted slightly, then walked forward a few steps and stopped at the entrance.

Inside the hall were three people. He Song and Seventh Uncle stood stiffly to one side, while someone sat in the seat of honor. That person wore ordinary clothes and was holding a teacup. When he raised his head, his gaze met Ye Qi’s directly.

“He Yu, it’s so late—where did you go gallivanting?” He smiled. “I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while.”