Amid green grass and secluded flowers, where bees and butterflies danced playfully, the sound of a zither drifted melodiously across the water’s surface.

During this time of clashing swords, having someone playing the zither was indeed eye-catching. The white-robed swordsman sat quietly, his well-defined fingers brushing across the strings, still playing that same piece “Shaoguang Man.”

He knew many pieces, but over these years, this was the one he played most often. He had already set up formations around him, and the zither’s music had the power to confuse minds. When the Wutuo people arrived here, they would be bewildered by the formation, making it difficult to find the entrance. He could buy some more time for Cui Yuezhi, waiting for heaven’s delayed east wind.

As the Wutuo people’s ships slowly approached and people disembarked with aggressive intent, Liu Buwang sat quietly, just as he used to meditate on Mount Qiyun, calm and composed. While Master Yunji rarely praised anyone, he had always been especially lenient with him. Everyone used to say that among the seven disciples on the mountain, he was the most outstanding, and his senior brothers would often joke that he would bring glory to their sect one day.

However… he had long been expelled from the sect.

His fingers faltered on the strings, seemingly disturbed by external thoughts, missing a beat as Liu Buwang became slightly distracted.

Back then, at the foot of Mount Qiyun, he met Mu Hongjin, only later learning that she was the beloved daughter of King Mengji of Jiyang City. Mu Hongjin refused to marry the son of a court minister and begged Liu Buwang to take her away. After much hesitation, Liu Buwang decided to let her wait at an inn while he returned to Mount Qiyun with his junior sister to report this matter to Master Yunji.

But once he went up the mountain, he couldn’t come down again. When he finally descended, it was already a year later.

Mu Hongjin always believed that he had deceived her, deliberately revealing her whereabouts to King Mengji, and personally delivering her back to the Mengji Manor. In truth, it wasn’t so.

Back then, Liu Buwang had indeed hurriedly ascended the mountain. Upon reaching the top, he informed Master Yunji about a young lady fleeing from an arranged marriage, hoping the master could help him bring Mu Hongjin up the mountain.

Liu Buwang had always been honest and kind-hearted, but for the first time, he lied to Master Yunji. He only said Mu Hongjin was from an ordinary family, concealing her identity as King Mengji’s daughter. Liu Buwang worried that if Master Yunji knew Mu Hongjin’s true identity, he might not help.

But Master Yunji knew even more clearly than him.

“Are you speaking of Mu Hongjin from the Mengji Manor?”

Liu Buwang froze: “Master…”

“You fool!” Master Yunji looked at him, sternly rebuking, “Do you know her status? She is King Mengji’s only daughter, the future heir to his position. The reason King Mengji arranged her marriage is precisely because she will become the female king of Mengji.”

“How could you be so rash as to bring her to Mount Qiyun? Do you know what disaster this could bring to Jiyang City? What trouble it would cause Mount Qiyun? Even if you disregard the lives of Jiyang City’s common people, your fellow disciples grew up with you – do you not care for their safety either?”

“Master, it’s not like that…” Liu Buwang tried to explain.

Master Yunji sighed: “Do you think King Mengji would spare Mount Qiyun if he knew you were hiding his daughter here?”

“He won’t know.”

“Buwang, you’re too naive.” Master Yunji waved his sleeve dismissively. “Give up. I will not help.”

Liu Buwang knelt on the ground, thought for a moment, then stood up and bowed to Master Yunji: “Disciple understands.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“Disciple will find his way.”

Liu Buwang thought, though he couldn’t match Master Yunji’s abilities, heaven never cuts off all paths – there must be another way. The urgent matter was to first descend the mountain, as the appointed time with Mu Hongjin was approaching.

“You still plan to find that girl?”

Liu Buwang said: “Yes, the disciple has made a promise to her.”

Master Yunji: “You cannot descend the mountain.”

“What?”

“I cannot watch you destroy Mount Qiyun.” Master Yunji said, “You must remain here.”

“Master, she’s still waiting for me!”

Master Yunji’s face showed complete indifference.

Liu Buwang slowly drew his sword from his waist. He didn’t intend to fight his master, but he was desperately anxious. However, his swordsmanship was no match for Master Yunji’s mastery, and he was ultimately defeated.

Master Yunji confined him in a water cave on the mountain, surrounded by waterfalls and fragrant orchids – a beautiful sight to behold. But Master Yunji had set up formations around it, and he couldn’t leave even half a step, trapped inside.

Liu Buwang’s expertise in the art of formations still couldn’t compare to Master Yunji’s. He desperately pleaded: “Master, I just need to go down and tell her one thing. I cannot break my promise – she’s still waiting… Master!”

“If you can break my formation, you may descend the mountain.”

Master Yunji turned and left.

Liu Buwang studied the formation, trying to break it. But this formation proved more formidable than all he had encountered before combined. Anxious, he worked day and night to break it, until he finally fell ill, his spirit damaged.

Yushu came to see him, bringing medicine. Seeing Liu Buwang covered in wounds, she felt heartbroken and softly said: “Senior Brother, why do you torture yourself so?”

“Can you ask Master to release me?” Liu Buwang leaned against the cave wall, barely alive, yet still stubborn: “I want to go down the mountain.”

Yushu stepped back, crying out: “Even if you go down, what then? She’s already married! She didn’t wait for you – Mu Hongjin has married her prince consort!”

Liu Buwang’s eyes widened slightly.

Trapped in the mountain formation, he couldn’t sense the passing of time outside, only counting the nights. He marked each day on the cave wall and turning to look, over two hundred days and nights had passed.

That girl, wearing a red dress with bells tinkling in her long braids, who always smiled and clung to him – she was married? What feelings did she harbor – hatred for his broken promise, or despair at being forced onto the bridal sedan with no help in sight?

Liu Buwang’s heart ached violently.

“She didn’t wait for you. She forgot your promise,” his junior sister stood before him, tearfully saying: “So you should forget her too.”

Forget her? How could that be possible? One doesn’t recognize love while in its midst, only realizing its depth after separation. He had grown accustomed to being depended on, pursued, even deceived – though annoying, it had been sweet. How could he simply forget?

“When was she found by the manor’s people, and when did she marry?” he asked slowly.

Yushu answered: “Shortly after you left, she was found by the imperial guards. She married not long after. Senior Brother,” she tried to persuade him, “why don’t you apologize to Master? Couldn’t we live well on Mount Qiyun afterward? Why not let this matter rest?”

Liu Buwang remained silent.

“Senior Brother?”

He raised his head – his youthful gaze, once pure and clear as spring sunshine, now carried a hint of coldness and distant detachment.

Yushu was frightened by his look.

“Leave,” Liu Buwang said. “Don’t come again.”

He redoubled his efforts to break the formation, studying and analyzing. Disregarding whether his body could bear it, he had only one thought – he must descend the mountain.

Liu Buwang’s mastery of formations advanced rapidly during these days of bitter practice. Meanwhile, he noticed that Master Yunji’s formation was gradually weakening.

When another spring arrived, he finally broke through.

Spring rain wet the grass under the eaves, and mud splattered the young man’s white robes, but he paid no attention, walking forward with determination.

His fellow disciples gathered around Master Yunji’s bed. The weakening formation hadn’t been his imagination – Master Yunji was approaching his end.

Liu Buwang was stunned.

He fell to his knees beside Master Yunji’s bed. Master Yunji looked at him and asked, “You broke the formation?”

Liu Buwang nodded.

The master reached out, briefly touched his pulse, sensed something, and sighed deeply.

“You still wish to descend the mountain?” he asked.

Liu Buwang knelt straight and firmly: “Yes.”

After a long silence.

“Go then,” the master who had raised him said word by word. “From today forward, you are no longer my disciple. Do not return to Mount Qiyun.”

“Master!” His fellow disciples were shocked and pleaded for him.

Master Yunji said nothing more, closed his eyes, and when they looked again, he had passed away.

In one night, he lost both the master who raised him and his right to stay on Mount Qiyun. After helping his fellow disciples bury Master Yunji, Liu Buwang descended the mountain alone.

With this parting, he knew it would be an eternal separation, never to meet again.

His wounds ached faintly – forcing himself to break the formation had ultimately damaged his foundation. The rain fell heavily, but he carried no umbrella, stumbling along the muddy mountain path without stopping until he reached the bottom and entered Jiyang City.

The city remained as warm and lively as that spring day, unchanged. Liu Buwang walked to the Mengji Manor. He hid under the eaves across from the manor, wearing a bamboo hat, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mu Hongjin. Though he didn’t know what he could say if he saw her – he was the one who failed to keep their appointment, who was late by more than a year. He had asked her to wait, yet he hadn’t come.

But if she wanted to leave, if she shook his arm as she had done before, asking him to take her away, Liu Buwang thought perhaps he would still be helpless, would still do as she wished.

Then he saw Mu Hongjin.

Different from the proud young girl of the past, she had become more beautifully alluring, wearing elaborate and luxurious robes, stepping down from a carriage, and turning to speak with the man beside her. The man had gentle features and held her waist from behind, her robes unable to hide her slightly swollen belly.

Mu Hongjin was pregnant.

That rumored “old man” wasn’t old at all, and his gaze toward her was very gentle. Her returning glance was equally tender, completely different from the willful girl in his memories.

The rain soaked his boots and robes, but Liu Buwang felt this was nothing compared to the turmoil in his heart.

They were in perfect harmony as husband and wife, looking like celestial lovers, while he stood there, awkwardly out of place.

But what right did he have to expect Mu Hongjin to wait for him forever? This girl, as vibrant and bright as the peach blossoms at the foot of Mount Qiyun, is full of life – beautiful people and things never lack appreciative eyes. Just as he had unknowingly fallen in love with her, Mu Hongjin’s “prince consort” had done the same.

Mu Hongjin already had her peaceful life; there was no need for him to disturb it anymore.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense and pained; Mu Hongjin seemed to sense something and looked back. Liu Buwang shifted slightly, hiding in the shadow of the eaves.

“What’s wrong?” the man beside her asked, holding her hand.

“Nothing,” Mu Hongjin shook her head. “Probably just my imagination.”

The rain was cold, and though he stood under the eaves, why were his cheeks wet? He tasted bitterness on his lips – so even spring rain could be bitter.

He strode away.

The zither’s melody painted a poetic scene, concealing the deadly traps in the forest. Some Wutuo people walked in unsuspectingly, suddenly crying out in terror. As screams continued, someone finally realized the danger and shouted to those behind, “Don’t come in, it’s an ambush!”

Liu Buwang smiled slightly.

After descending the mountain that year, he had been lifeless for quite some time, not knowing what to do with himself. Unable to return to Mount Qiyun or seek out Mu Hongjin, he found no joy in living.

Until Yushu found him.

His junior sister was no longer the adorable, jade-like beauty of before, having grown quite haggard. Standing before him, Liu Buwang suddenly realized that Yushu had become a young woman, no longer the little sister who used to run after him.

“Senior Brother,” the girl looked at him, tears welling in her eyes, “I’m sorry.”

“What?” He didn’t understand.

“The reason Miss Mu was found by the manor’s guards was because I informed them.”

Liu Buwang froze.

“I liked you, liked you very much, and didn’t want you to be with her.” Yushu seemed desperate to confess all her wrongs, seeking liberation. “I overheard your conversation, so I told King Mengji where she was hiding. I thought once she was married, you would forget her, stop thinking about her! I never thought you would remain so fixated for so many years.”

“I’m sorry, I was wrong,” she broke down crying, “I ruined everything, Senior Brother, I’m sorry.”

She wept unrestrainedly, while Liu Buwang stood cold as stone.

In his youthful naivety and simple-mindedness, he had never noticed the deep affection in his junior sister’s eyes when she looked at him, nor the fleeting hostility when she looked at Mu Hongjin.

A young girl’s love and hate came directly, her thoughts simple, acting only on impulse without considering how she would separate two lovers. Only after time passed and regret snowballed did she realize her mistake.

“How could you do this?” He was angry with Yushu for the first time. “Do you know, do you know…”

He didn’t continue.

Know what? Back then, even he didn’t know he loved so deeply.

Like a fool.

The First Senior Brother came looking for him and said: “Little Seven, don’t blame Yushu. She was young and didn’t know better. And don’t blame Master for seemingly abandoning you and confining you in the formation on Mount Qiyun.”

Liu Buwang responded numbly: “I’ve never blamed anyone.”

Only himself.

“Do you know why Master confined you on Mount Qiyun back then?” First Senior Brother said: “Master was always kind and generous. Having taken in seven orphans, even if Mu Hongjin was a princess if Master truly wanted to protect her, would he have feared the dangers her status brought?”

Liu Buwang looked at him, not understanding his meaning.

“Master did it for you.”

Master Yunji had once divined for Liu Buwang, and the hexagrams showed that one day, he would be destroyed by a woman, dying young.

Deep love would kill him.

“You were Master’s most beloved disciple. Master feared you would lose your life because of Mu Hongjin, that’s why he confined you in the formation,” Senior Brother said. “Though his actions were extreme, they were all for your sake.”

Liu Buwang found it absurd.

It was just a divination – why should he miss his chance for that? Master Yunji did it for him, so whom could he blame?

He could only blame fate’s fickleness for toying with lovers.

He stayed in Jiyang City, hidden in the shadows, doing the same things as before. Until one day, Yushu was captured by Mu Hongjin’s guards at a temple.

Yushu didn’t dare to assassinate anyone. When the news spread, Liu Buwang knew Mu Hongjin was forcing him to show himself. Not only was he not angry, but deep inside, he felt a hint of joy. After so many years, he could finally see her properly again.

He met Mu Hongjin in the temple’s hall at night.

The years had made her even more gorgeous and alluring; she was like ripe honey fruit, exuding an unfathomable charm and grace. Liu Buwang thought bitterly, who had transformed her into this? Was it her current “prince consort”?

Indeed, they even had a child now. She had her own family, growing ever more distant from him.

Her red robes were magnificent, her golden crown reflecting crystalline light in the night, but her eyes were even brighter as she stared at him, no longer holding the mischief and innocence of years past.

He had countless words he wanted to tell her, but in the end, didn’t know where to begin. When he finally spoke, he only asked, “Where is Yushu?”

Liu Buwang still remembered Mu Hongjin’s gaze then, showing both surprise and understanding. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He shouldn’t have been so harsh; he should have said something else. Asked how she’d been these years, apologized for breaking his promise – anything would have been better than this demanding question.

Mu Hongjin looked at him as if he were a stranger, answering casually: “In prison.”

Their conversation was as distant as strangers, as if they stood on opposing sides, with none of their past intimacy remaining.

Liu Buwang felt conflicted. He wanted to stay, to talk with her more, to look at her longer. But he also feared that if he stayed too long, he wouldn’t be able to control his feelings, causing her trouble.

Too much time had passed. Back then, he hadn’t arrived in time; now, Mu Hongjin had someone else by her side and no longer needed him. Why should he disturb her and embarrass himself?

He asked Mu Hongjin to release Yushu and take him instead. Master Yunji had raised him, and Yushu was his daughter – he couldn’t watch Yushu be imprisoned. Besides, Mu Hongjin’s real target was him.

Liu Buwang thought Mu Hongjin must hate him deeply, but people are stingy with their emotions toward things they don’t care about. So perhaps in Mu Hongjin’s hatred, after all these years, there might still be a tiny trace of their past love.

“Just a junior sister, yet you protect her so – do you love her?”

Liu Buwang answered: “Yes.”

“What did you say?”

Liu Buwang gazed at her, as if trying to engrave her current appearance forever in his heart, and said word by word: “I love her.”

He admitted that he was the one who had informed her, admitted that he had casually made false promises to Mu Hongjin, and admitted that he had never had feelings for Mu Hongjin.

Mu Hongjin laughed. Her laugh was contemptuous and mocking as if his feelings were insignificant and laughable. She wanted Liu Buwang to become her lover, as a condition for releasing Yushu.

Liu Buwang was angry – angry that she would humiliate both him and herself like this. Yet within his anger, a hidden desire emerged. He was shocked to discover that deep down, he had never given up. Like countless seeds buried underground, just one word from her could easily make them sprout and spread like wildfire.

He agreed.

But Mu Hongjin withdrew her offer.

Instead, she ordered him to take Yushu and leave Jiyang City forever, never to return. She wanted to separate herself from Liu Buwang, to have no connection ever again.

This was his last conversation with Mu Hongjin.

Liu Buwang later took the name Cloud Forest Recluse, wandering far and wide. He visited many places, cutting a graceful figure in his white robes, with superior swordsmanship that earned admiration wherever he went. Yet he remained aloof, seemingly detached from everything.

He never saw his fellow disciples or Yushu again – in this world, everyone must ultimately face their solitude. But every year during the Water God Festival, he would return to Jiyang City. He would enter the city secretly, unknown to anyone, just to see the city that Mu Hongjin protected.

Just as he protected her.

Divining only about matters and not people – this became his rule later in life. When divining for others, one inevitably foresees obstacles. In trying to avoid these obstacles and circumvent potentially ill-fated encounters, one fails to realize that every encounter in life has its precious destiny. In avoiding disaster, one falls into another trap of fate, just as he had.

A lifetime of regret, a lifetime of being so close yet unable to grasp happiness.

Deep in the forest, the screams grew more intense as more people came ashore. His zither music gradually became fierce, like clashing armies, revealing itself among the deadly formations.

Formations weren’t omnipotent. The more people there were, the shorter they could be maintained, and the more energy they required. Back on Mount Qiyun, when Master Yunji had confined him in the formation, he had desperately studied how to break it, disregarding his injuries, ultimately damaging his spirit. In all these years, he had never set up such an energy-consuming formation.

A trace of blood slowly seeped from Liu Buwang’s lips.

In the spring light, he smiled serenely, as otherworldly as when first seen. As if he were still that young swordsman in white robes, standing before his beloved.