There are many things in this world that are so coincidental they seem like heaven’s will.

Like fate placing its pieces, never considering whether the chess game is a sure victory.

The beggar picking lice in the ruined temple might be a former great figure with a sorrowful past, but the beggar scraping dirt in the ruined temple was definitely a subordinate of Huang Meng.

People from all walks of life, those of the lower classes, often have more well-informed news closer to the truth, because they have no concerns about various vested interests, no blindness from floating clouds obscuring their vision from high positions. Compared to upper-class figures, they are more frank, direct, clear, and don’t begrudge sharing.

Huang Meng’s subordinates each had their own duties and identities in daily life, mingling in the mortal world with those dust-laden identities. They could be courtesans in brothels, street vendors, government officials entering and exiting grand halls with fine horses, or second-generation disciples of any random small martial arts sect. There was no hierarchy of status, only different positions, tasks, and roles.

For example, that beggar scraping dirt in the ruined temple of Chiyan City was a rookie assigned to a field position after graduating from Huang Meng University. The position wasn’t ideal, but the employee was very dedicated.

That day, the dirt-scraping beggar didn’t scrape out any dirt, but sensitively scraped out the meaning in those words. And Qin Chang Ge, the boss of Huang Meng who had been thinking about how to enter Xuanchi Palace more advantageously, keenly grasped the source of this information.

“What a dirty path…” Qin Chang Ge carefully followed behind Xiao Jue as they crawled through the hole, examining the small path covered with fallen leaves and mud that extended into a semi-circular passage built of green bricks. Vaguely, one could see some filth of ambiguous color and shape. This was originally something like a drainage ditch of Xuanchi Palace, later abandoned and unused. Judging by its age, it had been there for some years, probably built when Yin Cai was still alive. Grand Priest Yin Li was naturally too busy with daily affairs to know about an abandoned pipeline.

“Dirty is good – it means no one has been here.” Xiao Jue covered his nose. There was no help for it. Although His Imperial Majesty usually had no airs and didn’t hesitate to charge into battle for his beloved, his noble nose accustomed to scents like dragon sandalwood really couldn’t accept such putrid odors at the moment and kept wanting to sneeze, so he had to desperately cover it with his sleeve.

Looking back at the others, their faces also showed great forbearance, except for Chu Fei Huan being carried by Qi Fan, who remained calm as if he hadn’t smelled anything.

Xiao Jue’s heart suddenly sank, remembering Chu Fei Huan when he emerged from the jungle demon flower – that whole body of filthy embarrassment yet unchanged expression, remembering his three years of life. He momentarily lost focus and put down his sleeve.

Qin Chang Ge glanced at him sideways, her gaze passing over Chu Fei Huan, seeing his increasingly poor spirits. When she turned away, her expression darkened.

Those two days and one night of heart-burning waiting had exhausted Fei Huan’s last remaining vitality.

From the moment Yilan collapsed, eighteen hours of heart-scorching waiting – minute by minute, second by second, did each passing moment transform into hard, sharp-edged sand particles, constantly grinding against Fei Huan’s heart that was hard as a shell on the outside but soft and painful within? Until it was covered with wounds and bloody?

Qin Chang Ge slowly used her left hand to stroke her finger bones… That day, when she threw herself onto the fire line and was helped up by Fei Huan’s trembling hand extended in surprise and joy, she was actually scratched by his protruding knuckles.

That gaunt, hard touch immediately chilled and pained Qin Chang Ge’s heart – when had Fei Huan become so thin?

In the past, he always wore loose robes. Because he was afraid of cold, his hands were tucked in his sleeves. Day by day the robes became looser, fluttering in the wind without needing movement. One could see he was thin as a chrysanthemum, but without touching him directly, it was truly hard to imagine such an extreme degree of emaciation.

Startling and heartbreaking.

That brief contact with his gaunt frame had since lodged hard in the depths of Qin Chang Ge’s heart, oppressing her breathing and smile. She didn’t know when she began to find it increasingly difficult to achieve the casual indifference she’d had at the beginning of her rebirth, when she could smile lightly at any scene or person with scattered indifference. Since her rebirth, with each step forward, each additional glance at those around her, each time she survived treacherous and scorching iron-blooded dangers, those constantly occurring people and events, those lives of others that were sorrowful or heavy or lonely or helpless, those persistent waiting and guarding, those fearless following and sacrifice, all came with vivid colors and compelling brilliance, breaking into the depths of her heart that she’d always preferred to keep still as deep water. Once ripples arose, they could never cease.

When did she stop turning away indifferently?

When did she stop smiling with light composure?

Was it because of that resolute decision to throw her ahead first when his sleeve tore on the cliff? Was it because of that thunderous strike before the two cliffs met, when as a master he desperately exerted himself to exhaustion? Was it because of that fearless moment under the gunpowder mountain, when knowing he’d be shattered to pieces yet not avoiding or yielding, he calmly bent down to bring the spark to the fuse?

Or was it because of that night with quiet flowing water, that child who died in her lover’s arms, clearly living a life of regret yet overflowing with joyful smile?

The water channel was filthy, the road bloody, but those feelings that bloomed during the long journey were pure and spotless as green lotus.

The dirty water channel finally reached its end.

Qin Chang Ge raised her head, looking at the rusty iron cover overhead. In her eyes, this thing wouldn’t be any great difficulty, but the key was – what would she encounter after opening this cover?

Overwhelming mechanisms and great formations?

Neatly arranged, well-prepared Xuanchi subordinates?

The delicate kisses from Little Red and her companions with charming smiles?

Or those Xuanchi monsters that were either missing a leg or had extra heads?

Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it.

His Imperial Majesty’s fearlessness was always famous in all countries, so he reached out faster than Qin Chang Ge, quietly and accurately, his diamond-like fingers quickly traced a circle around the iron cover.

His fingers could penetrate stone and split steel. The heavy iron cover immediately fell down silently.

The iron cover dropped.

Something red and round seemed to plop down with a thud.

Nearly pressing right in front of Xiao Jue and Qin Chang Ge’s eyes.

Then that red shadow flashed, pulling upward with a whoosh of rustling sleeves creating wind, a dizzying flurry of movement.

This was followed by a series of squeaking cries.

The sound was quite familiar.

Qin Chang Ge and Xiao Jue exchanged glances – bitter smiles.

Oh my, they’d been separated from the young ladies for so long, tossing and turning in longing, who would have thought their extraordinary fate would bring encounters with old friends everywhere. No matter which corner they crawled out from, they could always meet the beautiful and intelligent Miss Little Red.

Truly moving enough to bring tears…

And that round object just now, with vaguely familiar contours that nearly fell onto Qin Chang Ge’s face.

It seemed to be…

Grand Priest Yin’s.

Noble buttocks.

What could be more tragic than sneaking through someone’s dog hole intending to steal from their house, only to crawl out and discover both their dog and master squatting right at the hole’s entrance?

No misfortune in the world could compare to this.

Qin Chang Ge frowned, trying hard to forget the tragic fact that Grand Priest’s noble buttocks had nearly pressed against her flower-like face, viciously thinking that Yin Li should have just fallen down directly earlier. If he’d fallen straight down, they could have covered the hole and all thrown themselves up with a bang, crushing him to death.

Unfortunately, his martial arts were too good, and now she had become the turtle in the jar.

Cursing internally that the guy who provided this entrance was unscrupulous – she’d definitely dismember him when she got out.

Before she could get vicious, from the hole opening, Grand Priest Yin was already saying coldly: “Five friends below, why suffer that foul air in the cellar? Why not come up and let this seat properly entertain you.”

Qin Chang Ge remained silent – originally she’d wanted Qi Fan to protect Fei Huan and stay underground to find a way to retreat, but the Grand Priest had already pointed out exactly how many people there were, so further concealment was really unnecessary.

Sigh… she should have had her fortune told before coming to Nanmin. This degree of bad luck was truly outrageous.

But… he said cellar?

Yin Li didn’t know what this underground place was?

That meant the beggar hadn’t deceived them, except he probably hadn’t returned to Xuanchi Palace for many years and didn’t know about internal layout changes. The original great formation at the exit had now apparently been converted into Yin Li’s practice and seclusion place, and the iron cover that sealed the water channel had now become a cushion under the Grand Priest’s buttocks.

Yin Li’s gaze was deep and eerie, ghost fire flickering as he looked down at the hole from afar without approaching. Qin Chang Ge awkwardly prepared to crawl out, but was pulled back by Xiao Jue, who went out ahead of her.

As soon as she crawled out of the hole, she felt dazzled by swirling colors that hurt her eyes. The ground below was carved with a seven-star diagram in gold and silver thread, and all four walls were hung with various mirrors. Most of the mirrors had ancient and strange styles in all colors, interwoven and reflecting each other to form a crisscrossing network of light. Below the mirrors, Little Reds formed a circle, and seeing five people emerge, their heads moved in unison.

With that movement, somehow the light network immediately shifted, causing another bout of dizzying cold light to shoot forth.

Besides this, in this spacious room that completely lacked any human presence, there was nothing else. Oh right, there was also a broken cushion that had fallen into the hole.

Rong Xiaotian stepped forward to block in front of Chu Fei Huan, preventing him from direct contact with that light. Qin Chang Ge covered her head, murmuring: “Oh my… what is this place?”

“What is this place?” Yin Li, positioned high beneath an octagonal red bat-shaped mirror in the distance, his wooden face showing no expression, “I’d also like to ask you all – where did you originally think this was?”

Qin Chang Ge, dressed quite shabbily and looking rather sleazy, scratched her cheek and grinned: “I thought it was a brothel.”

Yin Li’s withered yellow face that looked carved from wood still showed no expression. He stared gloomily at Qin Chang Ge, his finger slowly stroking along a Little Red’s head, saying: “Speak up – Shui family? Or Dayu Palace? I’ll give you different ways to die.”