The time when Bai Lige loved Ye Ye was mostly bleak. She never knew what she truly wanted. Did she want to replace her sister? Did she wish he had never loved her sister and had been with her from the start?

Waking from Shen’s illusion, she finally understood that deep down, what she most hoped for was to have never loved Ye Ye at all.

Her life would have been different if she had never loved him. She wouldn’t have been so fragile, seeking comfort in the slightest bit of affection from others. She wouldn’t have been so afraid of loving someone, fearing the pain of rejection once more.

But life offers no second chances.

She had once longed for Lu Li’s redemption. She had opened her heart, only to be met with distrust and mockery. Her life seemed to be an endless cycle of these despair-inducing emotions. She yearned most for mutual love, yet it forever eluded her grasp.

“Gelin?” Bai Changyue called her name several times. She had fallen silent after mentioning Ye Ye being hunted, her expressions changing rapidly, alarming to witness.

Bai Lige smiled faintly at her, her demeanor gradually calming. She spoke softly, “Sister, please don’t make me continue. Do you want to see me break down in tears? Do you think that would help me release my emotions? Just let me be quiet. Everything will pass.”

Bai Changyue was finally moved. She embraced her tightly, unable to utter a word for a long while. Bai Lige spoke flatly, “Actually, it’s not that I didn’t want to write this past year, but that I couldn’t. It wasn’t until August, when Lu Li went on a trial with the elders, that I could sneak out when they were far away. Anyway, that’s how it is. It’s so good to see you all again. Let’s never be apart from now on, okay?”

Bai Changyue nodded, large tears falling onto her sister’s hair.

Gelin wrapped her arms around her sister’s neck. Her heart, agitated by memories, slowly settled. As long as her sister was in this world, as long as Ye Ye was here, and as long as her family was around, she could be healed no matter what injuries she suffered.

“It’s been so long since we slept together,” she hummed with a smile. “I don’t want to return you to Ye Ye’s side. Sister, he’s been monopolizing you all these years. Sleep with me tonight?”

Bai Changyue tapped her forehead lightly, then spread out the bedding. Like when they were little, the sisters helped each other remove their hairpins and ornaments, brushed each other’s hair, and snuggled under the covers to whisper secrets.

“Sister, does Ye Ye ever bully you?”

“It’s good enough that I don’t bully him.”

Bai Lige snorted with laughter, but then heard Changyue say softly, “Gelin, no matter what kind of love it is, loving someone is not shameful. You should hold your head high. The fact that you can still love shows that your heart is alive, which is far better than those with cold hearts.”

Bai Lige hugged her, smiling, “Of course my heart is alive. Haven’t I always loved my dear sister?”

Bai Changyue pinched her nose, “Smooth talker. Go to sleep now. We still need to pack tomorrow and question Xiao Bang Chui.”

Interrogate Li Fei? Bai Lige shook her head inwardly. That girl wouldn’t reveal anything she didn’t want to, no matter what. It would be useless to try, soft or hard.

As the sky gradually darkened, the howling wind outside the window, which had been quiet for a while, began to rage again. Hailstones pelted the windows, creating various crisp sounds. The candlelight on the table flickered dimly. Li Fei was inserting hairpins into her coiffure in front of a bronze mirror by this firelight. She had already washed and groomed herself meticulously, clean and fresh from head to toe, without a speck of dust.

The face reflected in the bronze mirror showed eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like autumn waters. She tried to find traces of her master in this face, but she couldn’t find even a hint of his appearance anymore. Once, she had looked so similar to him.

What kind of body was this, concealing her Yuan Power, hiding her true aptitude and real appearance, allowing her to live safely in the Central Plains until she was seventeen?

On the chair lay a bundle. Li Fei walked over slowly and unwrapped it. Over the years, no matter where she went, her bundle always contained three old things: the only pink luo dress her master had bought for her, a jade-colored swaddling cloth, and the letter and paintings he had left for her.

She first held the blood-stained swaddling cloth that could never be washed clean, looking at it for a moment. Then she took out the luo dress. She had outgrown this dress when she was fourteen, but every year she would take it out, wash it carefully, smooth out the wrinkles, and put it away neatly.

She couldn’t bear to throw it away.

Finally, she slowly opened the long-yellowed letter. The familiar handwriting appeared before her eyes again, much more rounded than the characters in the notebook. The ten years her master had spent with her must have been happy too? The sharp edge had been softened into gentleness.

Li Fei carefully packed these things back into the bundle, tied it securely, and slung it over her back. She looked back; Lei Xiuyuan was lying on the bed, sleeping motionlessly. She went over and placed a letter in his arms, gazing down at him for a moment. He had that innocent and naive expression that only appeared when he was sound asleep.

“…I’m leaving first,” she said softly, as if speaking to herself. “You’ll probably catch up soon, but let me be alone for a while.”

She just wanted to be alone for some time, to think things through.

Li Fei turned towards the door. With a thought, the strange fragrance emanating from her body suddenly disappeared without a trace. After her near-successful molting, her cultivation had advanced again, and she could even control this innate fragrance. If she made it stronger, it could put people nearby into a deep sleep within a few breaths. If she locked it inside her body, even if someone came close, they wouldn’t smell a hint of fragrance.

With a wave of her hand, several Earth Elemental protective talismans neatly adhered to her body. A fire spell burned away the hailstones and rainstorm within three feet of her. In the shadows of the courtyard, the centipede spirit raised by Bai Lige silently sent out fearful wails to her. Although she still couldn’t sense any demonic aura, no matter how small the demon was, it couldn’t escape her eyes.

The Horn of Xi lifted her high into the air, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared into the night sky. Countless streams of spiritual energy came from all directions, presumably from the immortals of the mountain sects who had arrived. The Horn of Xi trembled slightly with hunger; it wanted to absorb spiritual energy, the vast and domineering spiritual energy of the immortals. Just as a wolf can never forget the taste of blood once it has tasted it, the Horn of Xi could never forget the taste of an immortal’s spiritual energy after absorbing it once.

Li Fei patted it soothingly, and it reluctantly quieted down.

“There will be a chance for you to eat your fill,” she said softly.

Ji Tongzhou stood in front of Prince Ying’s mansion, quietly surveying this familiar yet luxurious princely residence. Since he left for Xingzheng Hall, he hadn’t returned for about six years. The last time, Jiang Li Fei had also been here.

Six years, yet the memory felt like it had happened just yesterday. He could even recall every detail vividly.

The guards at the gate had long noticed this young man exuding a noble aura. After careful observation, they finally realized he looked exactly like their prince. Panicking, they knelt and said in unison, “Welcome back, Your Highness!”

Ji Tongzhou waved his hand casually and slowly walked into the mansion. He dismissed the maids and stewards who hurried to welcome him. He walked step by step along the small path he knew from childhood. At that door, he had fought with Lei Xiuyuan. By that willow tree, Jiang Li Fei had once broken off a willow branch to play with.

As he walked back to his courtyard, he suddenly felt a sense of having nowhere to escape. In his mansion, every place reminded him of Jiang Li Fei. How absurd, he couldn’t forget even if he wanted to.

Two stunningly beautiful maids, about fifteen or sixteen years old, stood at the entrance of the courtyard. They looked unfamiliar, probably newly recruited. They curtsied to him shyly. Ji Tongzhou slowly came to a stop. The maid standing on the left had features vaguely similar to Jiang Li Fei’s. Under his gaze, her expression became bashful yet full of anticipation, reminding him of the fantasy hidden in his heart.

“What’s your name?” Ji Tongzhou asked softly.

The maid was overjoyed and could barely stand steady. She replied tremblingly, “This… this servant is called Miaoqing…”

“Miaoqing.” Ji Tongzhou nodded slightly, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into the courtyard. The main gate was suddenly opened and then abruptly closed. The stewards following behind didn’t dare to enter, but neither did they dare to leave. They could only wait with bowed heads outside the courtyard gate.

It wasn’t until the sky turned dark that the gate finally opened again. Ji Tongzhou had changed into a set of magnificent clothes. He was no longer a child, and wearing these clothes gave him a completely different aura from before. The stewards immediately filed in and knelt to pay their respects. The head steward respectfully said, “Your Highness, His Majesty has been waiting for a long time in the front hall.”

Ji Tongzhou’s face, which had remained expressionless, finally showed a hint of a smile. “My royal brother is here? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

He walked quickly towards the front hall. After six years, his royal brother had aged considerably, with some white hair appearing at his temples. Upon seeing him, tears welled up in the eyes of this Emperor of the Yue Kingdom. He took Ji Tongzhou’s arm with joy and relief.

“You’ve grown so tall!” The Emperor brushed Ji Tongzhou’s hair behind his back. “Has your cultivation been going well?”

Ji Tongzhou helped him sit down, noticing that in just six years, he seemed to have aged ten years or more. He frowned and said, “Let’s not talk about me first. Does my royal brother have something troubling him?”

The Emperor laughed bitterly a few times, looked around, and those standing by immediately retreated. The doors of the front hall were gently closed. Only then did the Emperor speak softly with tears in his eyes, “Master Xuanshan Zi’s cultivation has never recovered. These past few years, I’ve been worried day and night. If it weren’t for the Academy’s protection during the last provocation at the Dragon Throne, the consequences would have been unthinkable! Tongzhou, although Master Suquan is Master Xuanshan Zi’s disciple and occasionally returns to protect us, these immortal sects only care about their cultivation. We can’t rely on them every time. You must work harder. I don’t know if I’ll live to see you achieve immortality.”

Ji Tongzhou’s frown deepened. “Royal brother is hiding something from me. Has someone else come to cause trouble in these years?”

The Emperor wiped away his tears and sighed deeply. “You’ve grown up and become much more perceptive than before. I shouldn’t hide it from you. Wu Gou has been harassing our borders in recent years, annexing dozens of prefectural cities, big and small. Even in our capital, immortals often come to provoke and probe. Previously, Master Suquan would occasionally come to protect us, but we haven’t seen him for a year or two. Tongzhou, I have nightmares every day, living in fear. But when I think of you working hard on your cultivation, how can I bear to ask more of you?”

Wu Gou? The Dragon Name Seat again! With the Sea Calamity approaching, all the major immortal sects were busy dealing with natural disasters, yet the Dragon Name Seat was busy stabbing others in the back! Ji Tongzhou remembered those scenes from his fantasy that drove him mad. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and he stood up, about to walk out.

Unexpectedly, the steward’s voice sounded from the door again: “Reporting to Your Majesty and Your Highness, Master Xuanshan Zi has sent a message saying he will arrive at the Prince’s mansion in three-quarters of an hour.”