The next day, at dawn, there was no delay. Ziqing had originally thought she would be early, but to her surprise, the moment she reached the front gate, she saw Patriarch Gu and Jiang Chen already prepared. As expected, Gu Suying was also coming along. The three of them were on horseback, traveling light, with only a few guards brought by Patriarch Gu.

Ziqing, on the other hand, had brought quite a number of people. Yingzi and Physician Gu rode in the carriage tending to Jun Beiyue, Shiliang followed closely by her side, and only Guxi and the mercenaries remained behind to guard the main residence.

The place they’d return to still had to be lived in—she absolutely would not allow anyone to encroach on it.

Patriarch Gu went to the carriage to check on Beiyue, asked Physician Gu about his condition, and gave instructions for him to be well cared for before he finally felt at ease.

“Patriarch Gu, where is Madam?” Ziqing asked. By rights, for an occasion this grand, the Patriarch’s wife should be attending.

“Madam is unwell. I’ve had Suying attend in her place,” Patriarch Gu said flatly.

Ziqing nodded. “Then let’s go. My carriage is slow, so I’ll follow behind.”

Patriarch Gu sent guards to guard the rear of the procession, and only then did everyone set off, riding swiftly toward Qinse Valley.

Liuxian Mountain was the highest point on Liuxian Island, while Qinse Valley was the lowest—a sunken valley. Legend had it that at the very center of Qinse Valley lay a lake that connected directly to the sea!

No matter the season, the lavender on Liuxian Island bloomed in full glory. The entire island, mountain and field alike, was covered in lavender, stretches of dreamlike purple, and no matter where one walked, one could catch the intoxicating fragrance.

Ziqing wove through the flowers, unable to help but sigh with feeling—what a shame such an enchanting island wasn’t simply a private resort, free of so many conflicts, so many schemes.

Inside the carriage, Jun Beiyue’s slender fingers gently lifted the corner of the curtain, gazing at the boundless field of lavender stretching ahead like a dream. Something seemed to cross his mind, and the corner of his lips slowly curved into a faint smile.

The horses galloped on, and the group gradually receded into the distance. But they had no idea that, on a nearby hillside, a slender man was looking down at their retreating figures.

He was tall and slender, seated on a large white horse, dressed in a brocade-white riding outfit, his black hair bound up high. His face couldn’t be seen, but his back alone gave off an air of dashing heroism.

Strangely, though dressed for riding, he carried no bow and arrows—only a green vine held in his hand, seemingly a vine whip, yet not quite that either. It hadn’t been specially processed, and a few small yellow flowers still bloomed along its length.

Suddenly, without warning, he flicked the whip, and the vine moved with astonishing agility, deftly snapping off a sprig of lavender.

He picked it up, brought it beneath his nose, and inhaled lightly, then immediately laughed aloud, seeming in high spirits. He tucked the flower behind his ear, and with a clear, handsome shout of “Hyah—!” he spurred his horse straight down the mountain…

A few days later, Ziqing’s group finally arrived at Qinse Valley as scheduled. Qinse Valley lay between two great mountains, in a massive sunken meteor crater running east to west. To the east was the Qu family estate, its palace towers and pavilions built against the mountainside, wreathed in mist like a fairyland nestled in the peaks. To the west were the guest quarters, and in the middle stood a massive, towering terrace—the Qu family’s zither platform, the site of the gathering.

It was truly a grand occasion for Liuxian Island—all the great families of the island had gathered, and quite a few heroes and prominent figures from the Longyuan continent had also arrived in time to attend.

That morning, everyone took their seats one after another as the gathering was about to begin. To the Qu family, the zither was both treasure and life itself; the grandeur of the gathering rivaled that of a sacrificial ceremony.

But to the various figures who had been invited, the gathering was a golden opportunity to forge ties with the Qu family and with other factions—did they really come merely to listen to music?

Jiang Chen and Gu Suying sat to Patriarch Gu’s right, Ziqing to his left. They had only just sat down when, right across from them, they spotted the Situ family—Situ Cheng, his wife, Situ Haonan, and Situ Xin’er.

When Ziqing had left the Longyuan continent, she’d had someone release Situ Xin’er. Master Situ surely knew the truth of the matter by now—and indeed, the look he was giving her now was one that could have hacked her to a thousand pieces.

Ziqing paid him no mind. Master Situ’s friendship with Jun Beiyue wasn’t enough for him to make trouble for her here—if he wanted to settle scores privately, he could go find Jun Beiyue. It was Jun Beiyue’s romantic debt to sort out after all; she had no intention of cleaning up after him.

She looked away. As for the martial world of the Longyuan continent, she wasn’t familiar with it and had little interest either. After searching for a while, she spotted the Yu family—ranked third among Liuxian Island’s families—but saw no sign of anyone in white from the Bai family.

The Yu family made their living through banditry—plainly put, they’d risen from mountain bandits. That they’d managed to reach third place on Liuxian Island was no small feat, one had to admit, and their formidable bird-taming arts couldn’t be overlooked either—every member of the Yu family understood bird speech and could command birds.

“It was the Yu family’s people who blocked my path that day, their faces covered so I couldn’t tell who they were!” Jiang Chen said in a low, harsh voice, his cold gaze sweeping over every member of the Yu family.

Gu Suying paid this no mind, only asking quietly, “Isn’t the young master coming?”

At that moment, Ziqing also spoke up, asking Patriarch Gu in a low voice, “I heard the Bai family holds considerable power on Liuxian Island—surely they were invited this time?”

“This old man wonders about that too. They must have been invited,” Patriarch Gu said, then gave a disdainful cold snort and added, “I doubt the Bai family would dare arrive late—they’ve probably sent word ahead to the hosts.”

Just as they were speaking, the hosts finally emerged, and the noisy hall immediately fell silent as everyone rose to their feet.

There stood the two heads of Qinse Valley, Elder Qin and Elder Se, walking out side by side, one to the left and one to the right. Both elders had the look of vigorous old age—white hair, ruddy complexions, full of spirit, long white beards, long grey robes, both exuding refined elegance.

The two of them took their seats at the head table together, and it was Elder Qin who spoke first.

“Honored guests, you have traveled far and endured much hardship. That our Qu family’s zither gathering could invite all of you here is our family’s honor!”

The moment these words left his mouth, Patriarch Gu immediately laughed aloud. “Ha, the two elders remain hale and hearty after all these years, still as modest as ever… and still as courteous as ever!”

His voice rang out clearly, audible to the entire hall—polite words, yet not lacking in wit. Ziqing listened beside him, unable to help but feel a pang of admiration; though Patriarch Gu might not handle his household affairs well, out in the world, he still carried himself well as Liuxian Island’s foremost patriarch.

“Patriarch Gu, why don’t I see Madam here?” Elder Qin asked.

“Madam is unwell. I’ve had my daughter attend in her place,” Patriarch Gu said. Gu Suying immediately rose and bowed. “This junior is Suying. On behalf of my mother, I pay respects to the two esteemed elders.”

“No need for such formality, no need. Please, be seated, everyone!” Elder Qin said, gesturing for everyone to sit. This brief exchange of pleasantries, though only a few sentences, was enough to prove the Gu family’s standing on Liuxian Island—after all, Elder Qin had exchanged words with the Gu family alone; no one else had gotten the chance, nor did anyone dare speak up rashly.

Everyone took their seats, and Elder Se spoke up with a smile. “Honored guests, Qinse Valley has always made friends through the zither and welcomed guests through music. This old man won’t waste words—everything unspoken lies within the music itself! Come, begin the performance!”

The moment these words fell, before anyone could fully recover, a tall, slender figure appeared out of nowhere atop the great zither platform at the center. Amid billowing white robes and silver hair was a face of cold, quiet stillness.

Ziqing was faintly startled—she’d known he would appear, but she hadn’t expected him to appear like this.