Mei Ruyan wanted to speak, but for a long while, she was choked with emotions.

Following Wei Yuzhi in acts of treason, her thoughts day and night were solely focused on seeing him once more.

Master Mo, known in the jianghu as “Sound Killer,” had another well-known name: Wei Chuzhi. Beyond this, only a very few people knew that he was a direct descendant of the Yelü royal family of Liao, and his real name was Yelü Quancang.

The world knew that Misty Mountain Villa had a Grand Master Wei Chuzhi and a Second Master Wei Yuzhi, but they only ever saw Wei Yuzhi in charge. No one had ever seen what Wei Chuzhi looked like.

At this moment, he was not the mysterious leader of the assassin organization, not the feared Sound Killer, nor was he the ethereal and eccentric Master Mo from Mei Ruyan’s memories. He was the emperor who ruled over an empire.

Mei Ruyan felt at a loss for a moment.

That year, in the valley entrance of Meihua Li, amidst the scorched ruins, she identified Master Mo’s body by his clothes and weapons. At that moment, she truly felt that nothing could be more painful than heartbreak. She never imagined that someone like her, who had always struggled merely to survive, would one day feel so despondent over something as luxurious as love.

Mei Ruyan buried “Master Mo’s” body in the bamboo forest of Mei Manor, where he had most loved to sit quietly and play the zither… After sitting lifeless by his grave for several days, she encountered Wei Yuzhi, who had come looking for his old friend.

Wei Yuzhi’s appearance was not a coincidence; he had come specifically to assist Yelü Quancang.

“You’ve lost weight,” Mei Ruyan observed, looking at that thin yet increasingly majestic face, her heart filled with a myriad of emotions.

“Sit down,” Yelü Quancang said, taking a seat by the window.

Mei Ruyan hesitated for a moment before choosing a spot neither too far nor too close to him. Even after being apart for so long, she still clearly remembered that he disliked people getting too close.

“You said if you died, you wanted me to avenge you. Does that mean you accepted my feelings?” If it were the Mei Ruyan of the past, she might have deliberately flattered him to secure the position of Empress of Liao that was now within reach. But at this moment, nothing in her heart was more important than this matter. Even if he were still Master Mo, still having to hide and wander the world, she would willingly follow without hesitation or regret.

Yelü Quancang looked at this girl seriously, his face devoid of any excess emotion.

The hall was extraordinarily quiet. Mei Ruyan felt her heartbeat thundering in her ears like drums.

“We grant you ten thousand gold pieces,” Yelü Quancang’s first words caused Mei Ruyan’s expression to change, but he seemed not to notice and continued, “Return to Song and live well.”

Mei Ruyan’s face turned pale, but her gaze grew more stubborn. “Regardless of the outcome, I want to know the answer!”

Yelü Quancang, as the emperor of a nation, was not anger at Mei Ruyan’s demanding tone. He answered her seriously, albeit in a cool tone, “I have never had feelings for you.”

“Then why did you want to see me today? Why grant me ten thousand in gold?” Mei Ruyan persisted.

Yelü Quancang replied, “You married Hua Rongjian and stole many secrets for Liao, rendering great service. By rights, you should be rewarded. However, I no longer wish to see you.”

“If what you say is true, then why did you say those things back then!” Mei Ruyan had already vaguely guessed the answer in her heart. She feared hearing it from Yelü Quancang’s mouth, but if she didn’t hear it herself, she would probably never be able to let go.

Yelü Quancang lowered his gaze and slowly said, “If I hadn’t said those things, would you have willingly served Liao?”

“You…” Tears welled up in Mei Ruyan’s phoenix eyes. “You’re not that kind of person.”

Mei Ruyan had thought that hearing the answer would make her give up, but after hearing it, she still couldn’t accept it. How could someone as proud as Master Mo do such a base thing just to secure a woman’s service?

Yelü Quancang looked up, his majestic gaze mixed with surprise and helplessness. Mei Ruyan was far smarter and more stubborn than he had imagined.

After a moment of heartache, Mei Ruyan’s mind gradually cleared. Memories surfaced, vivid and real. She became increasingly certain that Yelü Quancang’s feelings for her were not nonexistent. “I heard you’re plagued by illness. Is that why you’re sending me away?”

Yelü Quancang didn’t answer. Mei Ruyan continued, “I just don’t understand. If you’re the Emperor of Liao, why did you grow up in the Great Song? Why were you the Sound Killer? Why did you hide in Meihua Li?”

Yelü Quancang tilted his body slightly, resting his chin on one hand, appearing somewhat languid. “The struggle for imperial power was too fierce. I had to avoid the sharp edge.”

The previous Liao Emperor came from a branch of the Yelü royal family. Years ago, when the Liao founder was 35 years old – considered quite old at the time – he had no sons. So he had to select and groom excellent boys from the collateral branches. Who would have thought that after three years, Empress Xiao would give birth to a son? While having a son in old age should have been a joyous occasion, how were they to deal with those collateral sons who had been groomed as heirs?

If the Liao founder had lived longer, Yelü Quancang might have smoothly inherited the throne. But time waits for no one. When Yelü Quancang was eight years old, he was named Crown Prince. The following year, the founder was injured during a hunt. The injury lingered, and after a year of suffering, he finally passed away.