While snow fell year-round in the snow valley, it was raining in the Hawksbill territory.

This rain had been falling for nearly half a month – a persistent drizzle that never ceased. All the scenery and buildings seemed to have acquired a layer of moisture, making everyone’s faces appear blurred and indistinct.

Thirty li outside Shangyuan City in the Hawksbill territory, at the Jade Stream Manor, someone was hanging red lanterns under the eaves, adding some vibrant color to this desolate rainy scene.

They said the Master was returning.

Early this morning, Great Protector Xianyu had led people on horseback for dozens of li to personally welcome the Master.

Since establishing the Shadow Pavilion five years ago, the Master had always remained abroad, only controlling the Shadow Pavilion remotely. The pavilion’s affairs were presided over by Great Protector Xianyu.

Now Great Protector Xianyu said that the Master’s external affairs had reached a conclusion, and he would return to the Shadow Pavilion to have a proper gathering with the brothers in the organization.

Everyone in the Shadow Pavilion was excited about this. The Shadow Pavilion had been established for five years and had developed well, but most people had never seen the Master. The Master himself, like the “Shadow Pavilion” he had single-handedly created, followed a low-key and secretive operating style – as elusive and intangible as a shadow. Apart from Great Protector Xianyu, no one else seemed to have seen his true face.

The people of the Shadow Pavilion looked forward to the Master’s return for another reason as well.

The power struggles in the Hawksbill territory had recently become more intense. Among the Three Gates, Four Alliances, Seven Gangs, and Thirteen Protectors, friction was constantly escalating due to various competitions for influence and territory, with conflicts deepening.

It was said that this frenzied scrambling was related to the imminent arrival of the Black Water Queen. Each faction wanted to gain more strength and territory before the Queen’s arrival, truly becoming the number one gang of Hawksbill Black Water, thereby holding the Queen in their grasp. Controlling the Queen meant controlling the Hawksbill tribal army, and for these gang forces, once they had tribal army support, they would rise to the next level, truly crushing the other gangs and becoming the Hawksbill’s number one.

The current Hawksbill tribal chief, though powerless against the territorial power struggles, was an extremely slippery character. He constantly huddled in the royal palace, holding the Hawksbill tribal army in a death grip, guarding himself and the royal city.

Though the Three Gates, Four Alliances, Seven Gangs, and Thirteen Protectors all coveted Hawksbill’s royal city of Shangyuan, no one dared make the first move. They all feared that once they acted, they either couldn’t swallow this hard bone of the Hawksbill tribal army, or even if they did swallow it, their strength would be greatly damaged and others would take advantage of their weakness. That would be counterproductive.

Hawksbill’s current situation was somewhat like a microcosm of the entire Dahuang political situation – forces standing in opposition, mutually restraining each other, each with their own concerns, temporarily coexisting peacefully.

But any complex situation becomes difficult to maintain balance over time. Now that the Queen was coming, everyone hoped to use this opportunity to break this balance and truly control Hawksbill.

Control the Queen, support the Queen in legitimately seizing military and royal power from the Hawksbill tribal chief, and afterward, the world would be theirs.

As for what the Queen herself thought? No one had ever considered this question. When someone was asked this, they looked at the questioner strangely.

A fallen woman – who cared what she thought? If she obeyed, they’d let her be a puppet queen. If she didn’t obey… heh, they heard the Queen was very beautiful. Did the brothers want to all have a taste?

…

Under such circumstances, the Shadow Pavilion also faced choices. The Shadow Pavilion had been established for a short time and had always maintained a secretive style, never participating in these power struggles. But just because they didn’t participate didn’t mean others didn’t covet them. No matter how secretive the Shadow Pavilion was, over time it would be noticed. Such a seemingly leaderless piece of fat meat was naturally a target for all gangs eager to expand their strength. The Shadow Pavilion was finding it increasingly difficult to avoid various disputes and friction. Constant avoidance wasn’t a solution – they either had to formally enter the stage of hegemonic struggle or be annihilated. At such a critical moment of choice, most people naturally hoped the Pavilion Master would return to take charge of the overall situation and point them in a direction.

Times were changing. It was impossible to implement one plan forever. The Shadow Pavilion also needed to change. If they forever remained sneaky and unable to see the light, acting with hands and feet bound, the Shadow Pavilion couldn’t develop and grow stronger, and would sooner or later be swallowed up.

Previously, the Master had always refused to give a clear attitude about this, leaving the gang members anxious, fearing the Master lacked great ambitions and would thus delay the Shadow Pavilion.

Some had asked Great Protector Xianyu about this – he was the person closest to the Master and knew the Master’s thoughts best. Great Protector Xianyu’s attitude was equally ambiguous, always saying the Master had unspeakable difficulties and everything awaited the Master’s decision.

Now the Master had finally returned. Thinking that the Shadow Pavilion’s fate for the next decades was about to be decided, the gang members all felt somewhat excited and deeply uneasy.

This excitement and joy didn’t necessarily spread to everyone. At the very least, on a tall building within the Shadow Pavilion, someone stood looking down at the road below with cold eyes.

He seemed to have prepared a welcoming smile on his face, but his projected gaze was sharp as a sword.

Suddenly there was a commotion on the road ahead, accompanied by excited cheers: “The Master is here! He’s here!”

The person upstairs cast his gaze far down.

In the misty rain curtain, a line of pale yellow oiled paper umbrellas moved slowly and gently forward. From far away, they looked like clusters of round flowers blooming on the dark earth.

A dark mass of heads swarmed up like ants. The red lanterns under the eaves swayed in the wind stirred up by the crowd’s frantic rushing to welcome them, creating a patch of bright light and shadow that illuminated the desolate rain.

The person upstairs brushed his clothes and slowly went downstairs, preparing to welcome them.

As he walked, he slowly smiled. His smile was like the rain – slightly cool.

…

A moment later, in the Shadow Pavilion’s main hall, all the high-ranking leaders waiting to welcome the Master looked at each other in bewilderment.

They had joyfully received the Master, but the Master hadn’t met with anyone. He had directly taken Great Protector Xianyu and hurriedly entered the inner chamber, leaving them to wait here.

Most leaders were somewhat stunned. Their expressions remained respectful, but some leaders showed dissatisfaction.

Someone observed coldly, a sinister smile at the corner of his lips.

In the inner chamber of the main hall, Xianyu Qing stood somewhat uneasily. Across from him, a man in blue brocade robes sat with an unmoved expression, slowly drinking tea.

“The Master is said to be nearby too. Perhaps he’ll arrive soon. You doing this like this…” he spoke after a long pause, his tone fearful but not respectful.

“He temporarily can’t come,” the man in blue interrupted him.

Xianyu Qing’s expression was like he’d swallowed a fly.

“Of course, you can hurry and tell him that something’s happened at the main hall,” the man in blue slowly drank his tea, then said after a long pause.

This time Xianyu Qing’s expression was like being smeared with fly excrement.

“What will you do when he comes?” he couldn’t help asking.

The man in blue glanced at him, and he immediately shut up – was he meddling too much? Wouldn’t it be better if this guy was discovered by the Master?

“Hurry and go,” the man in blue waved his hand. “I’ll take care of your hall’s affairs for you.”

Xianyu Qing gritted his teeth and turned around helplessly. Of course he didn’t want to hand over the hall’s affairs to an outsider like this, but he was even more uneasy if he didn’t bring the Master back quickly.

He didn’t know why – clearly he had people under his command and wasn’t incapable of fighting desperately, but he just couldn’t muster the will to resist. No, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to – he simply didn’t dare.

This person before him possessed an inherently stern and imposing aura. Where he was, even the air flow seemed to become slow, making people suffocate.

Even when his tone was light and his expression blank, he made people believe that with just a lift of his hand, countless people would bleed rivers and be reduced to ashes.

Xianyu Qing had followed the Master for many years and knew this was the aura that only those who truly controlled enormous power and held high positions could possess. This kind of aura was far beyond what many powerful leaders and bosses in Hawksbill could match.

Even the Master, though also possessing an extraordinary aura, was not the same as this person’s stern and weighty presence.

So he was certain this person commanded vast power and wouldn’t covet the Shadow Pavilion’s share. But why this person went to such trouble to come to the Shadow Pavilion and pretend to be Master Mu, he didn’t understand.

Did all big shots like playing various games?

After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned back. “I want to know – who is the mole?”

For this person to know all of the Shadow Pavilion’s important secrets, there must be a mole within the pavilion. This was a major matter that had to be clarified.

The man in blue gently lifted the tea cup lid and slightly lowered his head. The clear tea water reflected his composed features.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you solve this matter,” he smiled without mirth. “Consider it repayment for taking your Master’s things.”

Xianyu Qing hurried out. He hoped to bring the Master back quickly so the two dragons could fight it out and stop tormenting his heart and brain.

He really didn’t understand – with so many forces in Black Water Marsh, why did that person specifically choose Master Mu’s identity? Was one Master Mu so important? Could it help him marry the Queen?

…

Inside the inner chamber, he calmly stood up, preparing to meet “his” subordinates.

His steps were steady and composed, full of a superior’s bearing of controlling everything.

Every step was walking toward the plan, every step was walking toward her, and every step was also walking away from her.

…

On this day, the Three Gates, Four Alliances, and Seven Major Gangs of Hawksbill Black Water Marsh also had movements.

A considerable portion of sect leaders and alliance chiefs called leadership meetings. The meetings had two agenda items: first, to report the news of the Shadow Pavilion Master’s return to Black Water Marsh and discuss their future attitude toward the Shadow Pavilion; second, because the Queen would arrive soon, they needed to discuss how to control the Queen.

At the various major gangs’ meetings, everyone’s attitude toward the Shadow Pavilion was the same: while the other side hadn’t fully grown yet, devour them early! If they didn’t submit, fight until they did!

However, on the question of how to control the Queen, there were many divergent suggestions. Some said to drug her, some said to threaten her, some said to show her favor…

There were also alliances between gangs to form strategic coalitions. For example, Rakshasa Gate, Blazing Fire Alliance, and Flame Gang constituted one alliance. At this time, the big shots of these three forces, along with some leaders of scattered smaller gangs under them, were also discussing this matter.

Blazing Fire Alliance’s bearded Alliance Leader Meng Liehuo was saying: “I heard the Queen has lingered at Seven Peaks Mountain without emerging. Could she have sought out Purple Micro Master as a backer? If so, that would be somewhat troublesome.”

The Rakshasa Gate’s seductively beautiful female Sect Leader with an evil air sat sideways above them and snorted lightly. “She went to ask for help detoxifying. Given Purple Micro’s personality of hating involvement in worldly affairs, if he helps her detoxify, that’s already great luck for her. Would he bother to come down the mountain to support her? When the Hawksbill tribal chief spent so much effort trying to win him over, did he ever pay attention?”

The Flame Gang’s leader, who appeared very honest-faced, chuckled: “Or perhaps she learned some techniques from those Seven Peaks Mountain people – that’s something we can’t be unprepared for.”

“Enough, enough!” The female Sect Leader laughed even more contemptuously. “You all know Jing Hengbo has no martial arts. We martial artists know best – the path of martial arts requires building foundations from childhood, years of hard practice, aided by talent and opportunity before achieving natural success. For a superior heart method, even someone with excellent spiritual aptitude needs three or four years to touch the threshold, and many people can’t even touch the threshold in their entire lives. Not to mention that afterward, years of hard practice, large amounts of medicine and martial techniques, and countless battle experiences are needed for achievement. Have you heard of anyone who could master a discipline in half a year? In half a year, even if her poison injuries healed, it would only be enough to learn some crude techniques. What could she do? Beat the cats in your Blazing Fire Alliance, or the dogs in my Rakshasa Gate?”

Everyone burst into laughter, their expressions delighted. As martial artists, everyone knew the difficulty of learning martial arts and absolutely didn’t believe anyone could become a master in half a year – it was just something to joke about.

“Speaking of Seven Peaks Mountain being a paradise on earth, especially the seventh peak is said to have rare snow valley snow bears. Using that creature’s heart to make medicine can cure almost any serious injury in the world. You could say as long as someone still has a breath left, they’ll definitely survive. This is a supreme treasure that we martial artists dream of. The Iron-Faced Man, who has the best martial arts in my gang, was recently seriously injured and is counting on this thing to save his life. It’s hateful that Purple Micro Master, that old fellow, has occupied Seven Peaks Mountain for years, making it inconvenient to make a move…” Flame Gang Leader sighed.

“Gang Leader needn’t worry. I heard Purple Micro Master actually rarely goes to the seventh peak,” someone said. “My territory is very close to the seventh peak, and I pay attention daily. I’ve truly never seen Purple Micro Master go to the snow valley. If Gang Leader really needs it, since we’re allies, it’s our duty to help. I can certainly guide Gang Leader there.”

“That would be excellent.”

“Going to Seven Peaks Mountain?” The female Sect Leader leaned over with a smile. “If so, it’s perfect for implementing my plan.”

“Oh?”

“When doing something, winning without bloodshed is best.” The female Sect Leader smiled again. “As for subduing the Queen, those other families are probably also discussing strategies. In my opinion, she’s a delicate little girl – why make it so bloody?”

“Sect Leader Luo is Black Water Marsh’s foremost female strategist and surely has a brilliant plan. We’d like to hear the details.” Everyone showed interested expressions.

That woman from Rakshasa Gate named Luo Sha smiled mysteriously without speaking, then clapped her hands lightly. A curtain in the inner hall lifted, and someone walked out gracefully.

Everyone felt their eyes brighten and couldn’t help but examine him closely. Some with narrower temperaments even showed slight jealousy.

The young man standing in the hall had clothes white as snow and a clear, proud bearing. Though being scrutinized by many top-level bosses present, he showed no discomfort. Instead, his manner was proud, adding several degrees of the clear and lofty temperament of green bamboo on precipitous cliffs.

“Such an outstanding young man… it’s hard to imagine where Sect Leader found him!” Flame Gang Leader Hua Yan sighed, though he was thinking that Luo Sha was said to love handsome young men most, with many beautiful disciples under her command. Now it seemed this was absolutely true.

Luo Sha smiled with great satisfaction.

Meng Liehuo of Blazing Fire Alliance, who had once been to Imperial Song, examined the young man with somewhat strange eyes, seeming to ponder something.

Luo Sha’s gaze turned and specifically pointed at him, smiling: “Is Old Meng thinking of something?”

Meng Liehuo showed a sudden understanding expression, stroking his beard and laughing: “Indeed! Sect Leader has such far-reaching thoughts.”

“How does he compare?” Luo Sha’s eyes flashed with anticipation.

Meng Liehuo examined the young man carefully again, first nodding, then thinking and shaking his head.

“What does Old Meng say?” Luo Sha raised an eyebrow.

“At first glance, he does have three parts of that person’s temperament,” Meng Liehuo said. “But looking more carefully and longer, I feel he’s far inferior!”

“Where does he fall short?” Luo Sha’s expression was clearly unconvinced. Though the others couldn’t make heads or tails of this conversation, they could tell the young man was far inferior to someone, and couldn’t help being curious – this young man’s elegance and appearance could be called peerless, yet what person could far surpass him? Even the consistently proud young man couldn’t help turning his gaze over.

“He only has the form but not the essence,” Meng Liehuo sighed. “That year this old man had business in Imperial Song and sought help from a distant nephew. I caught a glimpse of that person from afar – such divine bearing is unforgettable for life.” He pointed at the young man. “This boy’s appearance may be good, but it’s merely good appearance. His expression and temperament compared to that person only show immaturity. Moreover, he somehow heard secondhand accounts and knows that person is cold and proud, so he specifically learned that person’s proud manner. But he doesn’t know that person never affected pride – he need not be proud, and the world naturally yields and bows to him.”

This time Luo Sha wasn’t angry, but faintly showed a yearning expression. She had always felt the young man before her was already of extraordinary appearance and truly couldn’t imagine what person could surpass him by so much.

“People say Jade White Golden Pivot is a rarely seen handsome man in Dahuang. But I’ve heard people mention that Dahuang’s Left and Right State Preceptors have even superior appearance. I truly don’t know what kind of elegance these two must possess – hard to imagine…”

The people present, seeing the strange light in her eyes, couldn’t help but secretly laugh – among Black Water Marsh’s various forces, this female Sect Leader was most lustful, naturally for male beauty. This was probably her new target.

But Meng Liehuo turned his face away and smiled contemptuously – she was thinking too much! That person wasn’t just any handsome man. He was the one whose power controlled all of Dahuang, the number one person, and might soon be the master of Dahuang. A wilderness martial force leader with a few subordinates – did she dare covet him?

And the Left and Right State Preceptors too – did she want to collect them all as guests under her command?

It was just that they were in Imperial Song, noble sons who didn’t venture into the outer wilderness. They wouldn’t know that someone in Black Water Marsh coveted them, otherwise this female Sect Leader would be in trouble.

“I still don’t understand Sect Leader’s purpose in bringing out this person,” someone pointed at the young man in the hall and asked Luo Sha.

“Sect Leader probably heard about the Queen’s romantic history,” Meng Liehuo said. “Rumor has it the Queen and State Preceptor Gong once had a romance that completely broke apart on the night of Imperial Song’s forced abdication. Sect Leader found this young man who bears three parts resemblance to State Preceptor Gong – is she planning to use this boy to move the Queen’s heart and make her willingly ally with us?”

Everyone, hearing Gong Yin’s name, erupted in discussion and couldn’t help whispering among themselves.

“Exactly! Old Meng is wise!” Luo Sha’s eyes seemed to hold strange light. “How is my strategy? They say the human heart is most important – without using a single soldier, win the Queen’s heart, and we needn’t fear she won’t become one of us.”

“But the Queen and State Preceptor Gong have long since broken apart. Under Imperial Song city, the Queen in her rage even chopped down the State Preceptor’s Imperial Song banner with axes…” Meng Liehuo’s expression was somewhat incredulous. “Someone who resembles State Preceptor Gong would probably be killed by the Queen as soon as they meet, wouldn’t they?”

“Not so, not so.” Luo Sha waved her slender finger painted with red nail polish. “Old Meng, you don’t understand such matters. I’m a woman, I understand women’s thoughts. They’re mostly contradictory. Those they hate most are often those they love most. No matter what, the first person they loved will always most easily move their heartstrings. Even if she doesn’t love anymore, driven by revenge psychology, she’ll still pay more attention to someone who resembles Gong Yin. I believe,” she smiled proudly, “as long as she pays attention, she can never escape the web of love from this person I’ve carefully trained.”

The bosses were silent for a long moment, then all smiled: “We truly don’t understand women’s affairs. But since there are no bad consequences anyway, we might as well try.”

Some also showed regretful expressions, though it was unclear whether they regretted for the young man or for Jing Hengbo.

“I heard the Queen is still a virgin, but don’t feel sorry about that, gentlemen.” Luo Sha’s eyes flashed with cunning and malicious light. “When a woman hasn’t been deflowered, she ultimately lacks flavor in matters of love between men and women. Such an innocent beauty should be properly trained. Once she experiences love and her charm matures, then we can let her properly accompany you gentlemen…”

Everyone smiled ambiguously and said they were grateful for the Sect Leader’s thoughtfulness. Some also disdained Rakshasa Gate’s debauchery and licentiousness – discussing such matters openly in such occasions – but their faces showed nothing as they laughed and expressed thanks.

After all, it was Rakshasa Gate providing the effort and people. Whether it succeeded or not, others had nothing to lose.

“However,” Sect Leader Luo Sha’s eyes flowed seductively as her finger tapped the table, “since my Rakshasa Gate is putting great effort into cultivating talent for this matter, providing people and effort while献计, when things succeed in the future, I want the lion’s share of Shangyuan City’s territory and army.”

When it came to dividing the spoils, everyone immediately became serious, energized, and began a new round of competition, arguments, and debates. Though nothing was yet certain, everyone was excited and invested, as if those territories and armies were already before their eyes, just waiting for them to reach out and seize them. Countless hands waved, creating continuous light and shadow that obscured the colorful Hawksbill map on the wall…

…

He sat in the highest part of the Shadow Pavilion, silently drinking tea and listening to his guard’s report about what had just happened at Rakshasa Gate.

The reporting guard dared not conceal anything, but when speaking of that young man and their plans, his tone couldn’t help becoming somewhat nervous.

He wasn’t sure what kind of anger his master would show upon hearing such a “great plan.” He secretly cursed the other party for seeking death – how dare they think of such a wicked scheme.

But his master’s expression didn’t change. After a moment, he waved his hand.

After the guard withdrew, he gently set down his teacup.

His fingers were warmed by the teacup. He stared absently at those shell-like nails, slowly taking on a blood-red color.

The color grew deeper and deeper. The suppressive power of Prajna Snow was growing weaker. His remaining time was running short.

If he cut off his finger at this moment, he might see that the bone had already turned red. After a while longer, it would probably turn black.

Of course, he didn’t know if his reaction was the same as others in his family, since he had undergone additional changes later.

He thought of that piece of bone sent from Jade Mirror Palace that day.

A bone belonging to his deceased elder.

Those black bones had finally shown some white areas.

Those people hadn’t lied to him. They had indeed found a way to solve the shadow of blood poison that had hung over his family for so many years.

The experiments on ancestral bones in the tomb had shown initial success.

But the results were unsatisfactory – they could only maintain effectiveness for three months.

Whether it was lack of ability or a desire to continue controlling him through this, he had no answer. He only knew that if initially he had only shouldered the lives of one family, later, one more important person had been added.

His entire life was spent walking on a tightrope, with abysses on both sides. So this path could only be walked by him alone.

Even if mountain winds were bitter and his sleeves carried the ice and snow of solitude.

He gently raised his head. Today his emotions had fluctuated slightly, and he knew it was because of something he’d just heard.

“I’m a woman, I understand women’s thoughts. They’re mostly contradictory. Those they hate most are often those they love most. No matter what, the first person they loved will always most easily move their heartstrings.”

A soft whisper like a murmur.

“Tell me… is it true?”

…

Another moonlit night.

Jing Hengbo slowly raised her head on the snow shelter roof, exhaling a breath of frost-white air. From far away, that breath seemed to have dark light, like moonlight.

She nimbly leaped down from the snow shelter, carrying prey in her hand.

As they say, thick accumulation leads to natural breakthrough. After Jing Hengbo’s first strand of true qi appeared, it broke through various barriers that ordinary martial artists faced with an almost devastating momentum. Though her appearance was still slender and showed few traces of martial practice, the strength and explosive power of her attacks were incomparable to before.

Afterward, surviving in the snow valley naturally posed no major problems. Jing Hengbo found it somewhat strange – was this snow valley training just like this? Except for the first day being difficult with harsh living conditions, there wasn’t much to it once you adapted. Yelu Qi’s injuries basically healed after half a month. He recovered his fighting ability, making survival even less problematic. But then she discovered the truly frustrating part – there were no animals left in the snow valley!

The animals that could survive in the snow valley were limited to begin with. This area wasn’t very large either, and probably many animals had been driven away by Master Purple Micro. Jing Hengbo and Yelu Qi walked for an entire day, searched the whole valley, dug through all the burrows, and finally confirmed – there was no food left.

The last remaining rabbit was eaten with extreme preciousness over five days. The three people kept deferring to each other, all claiming the rabbit was too unpalatable and they were tired of it. To avoid eating this unpalatable rabbit, the three almost came to blows.

During those days, Jing Hengbo discovered while practicing that when practicing in a hungry state, true qi flowed especially swiftly and abundantly. But! She looked up at the moon while rubbing her growling stomach – practicing martial arts on an empty stomach felt truly awful! Why did the moon look so much like a mooncake!

There were figures in the snowy ground ahead. She climbed down from the roof to look, and saw it was Yelu Qi, crouching in the snow, doing something unknown.

Hearing her footsteps, he stopped and turned to look at her: “Hungry?”

His smile in the snow light was clearer than the snow itself.

“I’m okay.” Jing Hengbo wanted to say she wasn’t hungry, but the noise from her stomach was too loud to deceive anyone.

Yelu Qi smiled and took out a small cloth bundle from his chest. Opening the bundle revealed paper wrapping inside, layer upon layer. Jing Hengbo watched curiously, not understanding what could be so precious as to be hidden so carefully. A precious pill? Secret medicine? Food?

Thinking of the last possibility, she couldn’t help swallowing saliva, though she knew it was impossible. Three days ago they couldn’t find any food, and Xunru was lying there, already seeing snow clumps as the pig trotters she most detested.

The paper opened to reveal a piece of roe deer leg, only a quarter the size of a palm, but it was enough to make her throat gulp again.

“You really know how to hide things…” she sighed in admiration.

“Here.” He offered the deer leg, his dark pupils deep and bright.

The oil fragrance from the meat had never been so enormously tempting. Her stomach contracted tightly, as if small hands wanted to reach out and grab this precious food. She quickly backed away, repeatedly refusing: “Give it to Xunru, or eat it yourself. I’m fine.”

But he directly stuffed the meat into her mouth, smiling: “Xunru asked me to give it to you. Her stomach is weak and can’t handle this tough dried meat.”

“What about you…”

“I already ate.” He smiled at her. “We each had one piece.”

Jing Hengbo stepped forward and pulled away his hand. In the snow pit behind him, several short grass roots were exposed.

Jing Hengbo felt the piece of meat stuck in her throat, unable to swallow or spit out.

Tender care and concern, others’ sacrifice – sometimes these were also pressure. She felt she could hardly bear it anymore.

She suddenly turned and walked toward the valley exit.

“Where are you going?” Yelu Qi followed.

“Since we can’t survive in the valley, naturally we must find a way out. Even if we don’t complete the full month and lose points, it’s better than starving to death in the valley.”

After a few more days of hunger, they truly wouldn’t have the strength to break through formations. It was said there were savage snow mountain people deep in the seventh peak, extremely fierce and cunning. With their current nearly starved physical condition, encountering them would likely end badly. Anyway, Purple Micro had said that if they could break out of the formation, they wouldn’t lose points either.

No sooner said than done. Yelu Qi carried Yelu Xunru on his back. However, when they reached the valley entrance, though they clearly saw an exit with flowing light, taking one more step forward immediately changed the scenery. Before their eyes was an identical snow valley, complete with the large and small snow shelters. They tentatively walked in – still knee-deep snow, bone-piercing wind, animal bones scattered around the snow shelters from leftover meals, even their footprints from when they left.

“Mirror image formation,” Yelu Qi murmured.

“How do we break it?” Jing Hengbo felt his expression seemed to know how to break it.

Yelu Qi showed a bitter smile.

“Kill him.”

“Huh?”

“Master Purple Micro excels at human-powered formations – formations with himself as the eye. This kind of formation is both difficult and simple. As long as your martial arts surpass his, you can easily break the formation. But if you’re inferior to him, then you can only be trapped. For Master Purple Micro, his formations are equivalent to being unbreakable by anyone in the world.”

Jing Hengbo sighed. Indeed, among all the people she knew, no one’s martial arts surpassed this old immortal. With himself as the formation eye, he could trap people however he wanted.

“Is there a way to break the formation without killing him?” She didn’t give up.

“Yes. Make him give up voluntarily.”

“Heh.” Jing Hengbo laughed.

But Yelu Qi said: “Everyone has weaknesses. Find his weakness and you’re set.”

Jing Hengbo’s heart stirred, and she grinned: “Let me tell you a story.”

She told them about her first encounter with Master Purple Micro and the fox nursery rhyme. After hearing it, both looked thoughtful and remained silent.

Yelu Qi looked at Yelu Xunru. She raised her face, seeming to recall faintly.

That encounter years ago when she and he silently watched the sea of clouds together was also because of that nursery rhyme that drifted through the window at midnight.

In the darkness, there were destined connections that would stir up answers buried for years.

“Do you know who the real culprit is?” Jing Hengbo rested her chin on her knees and asked lazily.

She had her own answer but didn’t know if it matched theirs.

She was somewhat worried about Xunru. With Xunru’s intelligence, she could definitely guess that in this story, there was someone crucially important to Master Purple Micro, which was why he’d been crazy and obsessed for so many years.

Though Xunru was broad-minded and understanding, when directly facing such truth, she would still be hurt, wouldn’t she?

Yelu Xunru kept her face turned away. She couldn’t see her expression.

After a long while, Yelu Xunru said: “I think you all have the answer. Since you want to make that guy give up, then act out the answer according to your thoughts!”

Would it work? Jing Hengbo looked up at the sky, but at this moment, this was their only option.

Forcing their way out wouldn’t work. They’d been hungry for days and couldn’t compete with Purple Micro maintaining the formation at peak condition.

Yelu Xunru walked away. She seemed unwilling to watch old events related to Purple Micro reenacted.

Jing Hengbo and Yelu Qi faced each other, standing at the boundary point of the valley entrance. Once Purple Micro’s control of the formation showed distraction, they’d have a chance to break the formation immediately.

“Should we compare scripts to see if we’re thinking the same thing?” She thought it would be amusing if their scripts didn’t match.

“I’d rather see if we have understanding between us,” Yelu Qi seemed quite confident.

She sighed. Well, it was a desperate measure anyway. What the truth actually was, no one could be certain. She could only deduce the most likely scenario.

“Senior Brother.” She stepped forward and extended both hands to Yelu Qi. “Help me.”

Yelu Qi gazed at her, his eyes flickering.

Though it was acting, being able to see her tone and expression like this was also fortunate.

She was always carefree and smiling, hiding wounds beneath her nonchalant demeanor. Even when injured so severely before, she had never been seen yielding or pleading.

He had always wanted to see her truly soften, to see her complain to him, cry, act spoiled, throw tantrums… do the things many ordinary women in this world would do.

Not that he wanted to see her cry, but rather he wanted to see her lay down her burdens and have ordinary sorrows and happiness.

He had thought he’d never have this chance in his lifetime, so today, he suddenly felt grateful to Master Purple Micro.

“Junior Sister.” He stepped forward and reached out to grasp her hands. “Whatever you ask, I’ll die ten thousand deaths without regret.”

Jing Hengbo had only extended her hands casually, originally just planning to put on a show, deliberately standing somewhat far away. She hadn’t expected him to suddenly step forward. She couldn’t help being startled and forgot her prepared lines.

His palm was burning hot, his fingertips very warm. She struggled slightly, but he wouldn’t let go.

She looked up into his eyes. His expression was clearly innocent, fully written with “act properly.”

Helplessly, she had to continue: “Help me solve them.”

As soon as these words were spoken, there seemed to be a sound of wind above. Neither of them seemed to hear it.

“Junior Sister’s words exactly match my thoughts.” Yelu Qi smiled. “You are so wise and outstanding, truly the strongest woman in our sect. None of these dull senior brothers are worthy of you.”

Jing Hengbo looked into his smiling eyes, but her heart felt slightly cold.

Many years ago, in that otherworldly sect, had such a scene really taken place?

Those bloodshed and corpses, that fratricide – was there someone else behind it all, coldly raising the knife for a cruel purpose?

Earlier in the mountains, when they had leisure time, she had discussed this story with Yingbai and others. They finally reached a conclusion: the one who seemed most innocent and least likely was often the mastermind behind it all.

In that story, why was the one who cried really crying?

He had said that women were the most terrible foxes in the world. Was this a joke, or recognition from his subconscious?

All these years, he sang that song, wore the dresses that woman loved to wear, yet never searched for her or mentioned her. In the story, since she didn’t die, why did he choose to give up searching and only remember her as she was then?

What never returned – was it the innocent Fifth Fox who died, or those years of mutual understanding and companionship?

Whether he was Fourth Fox, Fifth Fox, or Sixth Fox, after the incident, in the nursery rhyme, he was Ninth Fox.

He wore Ninth Fox’s dress, sang Ninth Fox’s song, maintained the image of Ninth Fox in his heart, crying for her about Fifth Fox never returning, crying for that irretrievable past.

In that past, ten senior brothers and sisters were young, harmonious and happy, with falling flowers and flying swords, walking hand in hand.

In a flash, time washed away, leaving paleness.

Yelu Qi was asking her: “Look, who should we start with?”

She collected herself and said: “Fifth Brother. Fifth Brother is easiest to handle.”

Her palm was somewhat cold. He gripped it tightly.

Above their heads, wind and snow howled more fiercely, but no crack had yet appeared between heaven and earth.

“And then?” he asked.

She was silent for a moment. She felt Master Purple Micro wasn’t Fifth Brother, but couldn’t determine his exact ranking, so she said vaguely: “Of course the most capable one. He and Fifth Brother have the best relationship. If we leave him, he’ll definitely seek revenge later.”

There seemed to be a thunderous sound above, but the scenery before them still didn’t change.

“With these two eliminated, the rest won’t matter.” Yelu Qi said cheerfully. “Since that’s the case, you and I will defeat them one by one. Once we’ve eliminated them all, you and I can…” He smiled lightly.

Jing Hengbo’s voice trembled slightly: “Senior Brother… I’m a little scared.”

This wasn’t her line. This line might be wrong. In Jing Hengbo’s guess, it must have been a determined woman who wouldn’t hesitate or fear once she decided to act. But at this moment, her heart was filled with desolation and reluctance. She knew betrayal was the most painful taste in the world and couldn’t help wanting to use this somewhat weak, somewhat inappropriate line to comfort Master Purple Micro.

Maybe it wasn’t her… maybe she was also deceived… maybe before acting, she had also hesitated and felt uneasy…

Thinking this way might not be impactful enough, but Master Purple Micro would feel better, wouldn’t he?

Though she knew that to open the formation eye, she needed to properly stimulate Master Purple Micro, she ultimately couldn’t bear it. The scab of betrayal was too painful to tear open.

Yelu Qi paused.

The line was wrong, but he wasn’t surprised. His eyes were full of admiration and understanding – deep down, she was always so kind.

He suddenly extended both arms and gently embraced her.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.” His voice was light as a dream whisper, yet his tone was firm as rock. “Whether it’s fate or sin, retribution or consequences, I’ll bear it all for you.”

Jing Hengbo hadn’t expected this embrace. Just as she was about to struggle free, hearing this sentence, she couldn’t help but shudder.

This sentence… she instinctively felt it wasn’t a line either.

There were words that became vows the moment they were spoken, entrusted in all gentle smiles.

There was a thunderous sound above, and the scenery before them shook. Jing Hengbo’s heart leaped with joy, knowing Master Purple Micro had been shocked and, unwilling to face the “past and truth” again, was about to leave.

She looked up and could vaguely see a corner of purple robes.

But at this moment, she suddenly heard faint sounds of commotion outside, as if people were rapidly approaching.

Master Purple Micro, whose concentration was scattered, was disturbed by this and paused. The formation entrance shook, and the scenery began returning to normal.

Jing Hengbo was greatly anxious. If they failed at this crucial moment, doing it again wouldn’t have the same effect.

Just then, Yelu Xunru suddenly rushed over.

As she rushed over, somehow a knife had appeared in her hand. With disheveled hair and a shrill voice, she cried: “Senior Brother! I know I’ve wronged you, wronged all the senior brothers and sisters. I know you hate me… Now, I’ll free myself and free you too!”

She closed her eyes and drew the blade across her throat!