The two men, one following close behind the other, fled upward in urgent haste, the vines pursuing relentlessly behind them like countless fanged demons lurking beneath the water!

By the time they burst through the water’s surface, the vines had vanished entirely!

As the waves surged forth, the strange stone benches surrounding the entire coral sea lake had already been completely submerged, the water level steadily rising!

The undercurrent they’d encountered underwater had likely been formed by the rising tide.

Everyone had already retreated to higher ground, buzzing with discussion. Patriarch Gu had already begun negotiating with the two Qinse elders!

The Bai family patriarch was still asking whether he should go down to help, but the moment he saw Jun Beiyue burst up first, his old face immediately darkened.

Ziqing couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief, only to frown deeply at the sight of the person Jun Beiyue was carrying.

Baili Weisheng… this… what happened?

As Jun Beiyue landed on the elevated stone steps, Xuanyuan Lige also shot up out of the water right behind him—yet everyone’s attention was entirely fixed on Jun Beiyue.

More precisely, on the corpse he’d set down.

Right at Ziqing’s feet, she stared in shock, momentarily unable to catch her breath. How could this be!

This wretched scholar… no… it couldn’t be. This wretched scholar’s abilities were far too formidable—he had clearly fallen in deliberately!

For a moment, Ziqing simply couldn’t accept it. Disregarding Jun Beiyue’s outstretched hand, she immediately bent down, beginning emergency resuscitation on Baili Weisheng.

Chest compressions, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation—these were the most basic techniques!

But just as she pursed Baili Weisheng’s lips, about to lean down, Jun Beiyue suddenly yanked her back. He didn’t lose his temper in front of everyone, only saying quietly, “What are you doing.”

Yet that low, heavy tone alone told Ziqing this man’s fury was boiling over!

“Saving him!” Ziqing likewise kept her voice low, and without waiting for Jun Beiyue to ask, quickly explained, “This is basic emergency procedure—don’t misunderstand!”

Yet Jun Beiyue’s next words utterly chilled her heart. He said, “The key to emergency procedure is ’emergency’—he’s already a corpse underwater. What is there left to save?”

Ziqing was momentarily stunned. Jun Beiyue took hold of her hand, suppressing his rage, no longer sparing Baili Weisheng a second glance. Instead, unexpectedly, right there in front of everyone, he pointed directly at Bai Xiongqi, the Bai family patriarch, standing several people away across from them.

Instantly, everyone was stunned, unable to comprehend what was happening!

The people standing between Jun Beiyue and Bai Xiongqi immediately, sensibly, stepped aside. The two men faced each other directly. A flicker of panic crossed Bai Xiongqi’s eyes—he’d never anticipated Jun Beiyue would issue such a warning, publicly, in front of everyone like this!

He said nothing at all. His tall, powerful frame utterly drenched, his water-streaked face frighteningly sharp, that single pointing gesture, that icy, cold expression, was unmistakably a warning—so commanding that even Bai Xiongqi didn’t dare say another word.

At that moment, the two Qinse elders hurried over. Only then did Jun Beiyue slowly lower his hand. The two elders had no time to address the confrontation, seeing the corpse on the ground and immediately falling into a panic—such a grand gathering, such a joyous occasion, how could it have resulted in a death like this!

This was Qinse Valley’s very first time opening the sea valley to guests!

“Prince Yao, this… can he not be saved?” Elder Qin asked anxiously.

“There was too much water,” Jun Beiyue said flatly.

Elder Se glanced toward Xuanyuan Lige nearby, not even bothering to address the faint bloodstain at his lips, hurriedly asking, “Even the two of you together couldn’t save him?”

“The water was cold and swift, with many undercurrents. It took us a long time just to find the body,” Xuanyuan Lige answered flatly.

The murmuring among the crowd grew even louder—what exactly lay beneath this lake!

Yet the two Qinse elders were, after all, heads of their own household, and possessed at least the basic composure required to handle an emergency!

Elder Qin said earnestly, “Qinse Valley expresses its deepest condolences for young master Baili’s tragic death. This was Qinse Valley’s failure to provide adequate care—we will absolutely give young master Baili’s family a proper accounting of this matter!”

With that, Elder Se immediately ordered his attendants to handle the body, while Elder Qin led everyone away. “Everyone, please follow me this way. The tide is already rising—we must move to higher ground immediately!”

Just as the guards were about to lift Baili Weisheng’s body, he suddenly let out a loud “pah!” spewing out a great mouthful of water, mixed with bits of seaweed debris!

Instantly, everyone froze, turning back in unison to look, as water continued spewing steadily from Baili Weisheng’s mouth!

“He’s not dead! He can still be saved!” Ziqing cried out, immediately breaking free of Jun Beiyue’s grip and rushing forward, urgently pressing down on Baili Weisheng’s abdomen!

At this, mouthful after mouthful of water gushed out of Baili Weisheng’s mouth, and after a moment, he suddenly began coughing violently.

Ziqing immediately stopped, her heart leaping with joy—if he could cough, that meant he’d caught his breath again!

After a good while of coughing, Baili Weisheng’s originally ashen face gradually regained color. He slowly opened his eyes, glancing around at the stunned crowd surrounding him, his gaze sweeping past Jun Beiyue’s distinctly displeased face before settling on Ziqing. He suddenly sat up, abruptly pulling her into a tight embrace. “My savior! You saved me, didn’t you! My savior!”

Just as Ziqing was about to pull away, Jun Beiyue violently tore Baili Weisheng’s hands away, forcing him to stand up.

Jun Beiyue still didn’t spare him so much as a glance, directly shoving him toward Elder Qin, saying coldly, “Elder Qin, it seems this prince did manage to save him after all.”

He paused, then turned a cold gaze toward Baili Weisheng, saying, “No need to thank me for saving your life. Be more careful next time.”

“It was you who saved me. Thank you, thank you—I’ll treat you to drinks sometime,” Baili Weisheng said with a smile, showing not the slightest trace of having just been resurrected from near-death, acting entirely as if nothing had happened at all!

A flicker of suspicion crossed Ziqing’s eyes. Just as she was about to ask something, a large wave crashed against their feet—the tide was rising extraordinarily fast.

“Good thing he’s fine, good thing! Many thanks to Prince Yao! Let’s head to higher ground first and discuss the rest later!”

“Indeed, indeed! This lake’s tide rises extremely fast—everyone, let’s move up now!”

…

The two Qinse elders hurriedly urged everyone to leave, expressing great gratitude toward Jun Beiyue. Yet Elder Se, walking alongside Xuanyuan Lige at the very back, deliberately slowed his pace, unable to wait any longer, clearly having something to ask.

“Lige, tell me honestly, what exactly happened down there? Are you injured?” Elder Se asked quietly.

“Just a minor injury from the force of the waves,” Xuanyuan Lige said flatly. How could he possibly tell the truth?

“Did you reach the lakebed?” Elder Se asked again.

“No, why do you ask?” Xuanyuan Lige asked back, inwardly suspicious.

Though they hadn’t quite reached the lakebed itself, they’d come quite close—the water below was remarkably bright, everything clearly visible. Beneath this coral sea lake, there seemed to be almost nothing at all—perhaps that sound really had formed naturally after all!

Though “Sorrow’s Parting” had been brought to Qinse Valley by Madam Ci, its composer must surely have some connection to Qinse Valley itself!

Perhaps Madam Ci had known all along. Across the vast ocean, with so many countless islands scattered about, of all the places she could have drifted to, why had she ended up specifically on Liuxian Island, specifically encountering the people of Qinse Valley?

Xuanyuan Lige’s mind swirled with suspicion, countless clues tangled together in an intricate web, yet no matter how he tried, he couldn’t untangle them into any coherent conclusion!

The isolated island, Madam Ci, “Sorrow’s Parting,” the two zithers, and Qinse Valley—what exactly was the connection between them all?