“It seems this time the soul artifact is a Qiang flute,” Yusang said.

As Yusang spoke, the woman playing the music had already descended onto the high platform. She lightly turned her wrist to put away the Qiang flute, holding it horizontally across her chest. Though her face was covered with red gauze, it was still recognizable as Helian Yu.

Helian Yu looked up at the crescent moon in the sky with a smile, then her gaze swept coldly across the audience below. Before Yusang could understand what was happening, she suddenly heard Zi Feng shout a warning. Zi Feng pulled her forward into a crouch, and a whooshing sound swept over their heads. The white gauze on the platform shot out like a snake from its den. Missing its strike at Yusang and Zi Feng, it formed a circle around the two of them, spinning continuously.

“The Helian Clan swears to guard the soul artifact to the death. All who come to seize the soul artifact must die,” Helian Yu said as she turned sideways and launched hidden weapons from her sleeve, then quickly raised the Qiang flute to her lips and began playing again.

The melodious music drifted like delicate silk threads pulling at one’s heart. Yusang felt her emotions surging and found herself completely unable to focus her qi, let alone cast spells to counterattack. As the music grew faster, Yusang saw the tables and chairs around them begin to shake violently and gradually turn to powder, while those white castle walls slowly turned black, developing cracks that flaked away bit by bit.

“We’ve fallen into a trap. This isn’t a performance at all—this is a Soul-Capturing Music Formation. I’ll send you out,” Zi Feng said through gritted teeth, gripping Yusang’s shoulder tightly.

“What about you?”

“I have my clever plan,” Zi Feng said as he raised his paper fan and scattered it with a wave, turning sideways toward Helian Yu and fanning fiercely. A surge of spiritual power transformed into a phantom blade heading toward her.

To dodge the phantom blade, Helian Yu had to turn sideways, creating a momentary weak gap in the music. Yusang quickly condensed her qi and, with a push from Zi Feng, shot toward the moon in the night sky. But as she turned her head, she saw Young Master Sang unconscious in his seat. She turned back, landed on the ground, reached out to grasp his shoulder, half-embracing him as she gritted her teeth and used all her remaining spiritual power to head toward the barrier’s edge.

A thunderous roar erupted from below. The magnificent and luxurious rear courtyard of Helian Castle turned to yellow sand powder beneath them. Feeling a scorching airflow carrying yellow sand engulfing her, Yusang tightly gripped the hand of the person beside her, then lost consciousness in the raging sand.

…

…

Sunrise, dawn clouds, yellow sand. Yusang opened her eyes and blinked several times, moved her arms and legs, and immediately fine sand scattered away with a rustling sound as aching pain spread throughout her body.

Yusang grimaced as she struggled to sit up, discovering she was lying on a dune. On the sand peak ahead stood a white, slender figure with his back turned, hands clasped behind him. The white silk ribbons on his head fluttered in the wind. That noble bearing and demeanor were infinitely familiar to Yusang.

“Yan Qige,” Yusang called out.

“You’re awake.” Yan Qige turned around, speaking with a gentle smile against the morning sun. Seeing that kind of smile on his face, Yusang’s heart sank as an ominous premonition arose within her.

“Do you know who I am?” Yusang asked.

Yan Qige looked Yusang over, then after a moment shook his head and said, “I woke up just now, but I can’t remember what happened before. Do you know me, Miss?”

Yusang parted her lips slightly, looking at the Yan Qige before her, who was refined and polite like any ordinary mortal, courteous and well-mannered. She suddenly felt somewhat relieved, yet also somewhat sad.

“Miss? Miss?” Seeing Yusang lost in thought and dazed, Yan Qige called to her twice.

“Do you still remember Helian Yu?”

Yan Qige raised his head to think, then shook his head with a completely bewildered expression.

“Let’s go,” Yusang turned and walked away. She felt somewhat unwilling to see Yan Qige in such a confused and ignorant state.

“Where to?”

“I’ll take you to a place with people. Though you’ve lost your memory, you’re not stupid. You’ll surely be able to live well.”

“Then I thank you, Miss,” Yan Qige smiled and cupped his hands in gratitude.

Yusang stopped and looked at the smile on Yan Qige’s face. She had always thought of him as someone full of schemes, who could always calculate her every move perfectly. This kind of smile without any pretense was something she had imagined many times, curious about what Yan Qige would look like if he showed such a brilliant, warm smile. But now that she truly saw this kind of smile on his face, she couldn’t feel happy about it at all.

Leading Yan Qige out of the desert to reach a border town took until dusk. Yusang ordered tea at a roadside tea stall and also ordered some food for Yan Qige. Yan Qige didn’t mind his wind-tousled hair and dust-covered face as he picked up the coarse-grain steamed buns and began eating. Watching Yan Qige like this, Yusang became lost in thought.

If this were in the past, he would have surely walked away in disgust immediately. He was a proud person who loved beauty—everything he ate and used had to be of the finest quality. His hair was always perfectly arranged without a strand out of place, and his clothes were always made from the finest materials with the best tailoring. But now he seemed like a down-and-out scholar who, as long as he could live and have coarse grain to eat, would no longer concern himself with anything else.

“Take these. Hire a carriage yourself and go south—it’s better there than here,” Yusang handed a pouch containing silver to Yan Qige.

Yan Qige’s hand stopped as he was eating, looked at the pouch in his hand, then frowned as he studied Yusang’s face and asked, “Miss, do you know me?”

“I… don’t know you,” Yusang said somewhat unnaturally, then got up and left the tea stall.

“Miss, Miss… what’s your name?”

Yan Qige called out loudly from behind. Yusang felt something lightly sting her heart, the pain making her unconsciously close her eyes. She sensed Yan Qige’s gaze following her from behind, but stubbornly didn’t turn back. She clenched her fists under her sleeves and quickened her pace to leave the town’s streets.

Leaving the town, Yusang bought a horse from a merchant, determined her direction, and rode forward. Passing through the Gobi desert, she saw a group of fierce-looking men wielding large sabers approaching, each one strong with vicious expressions. Two travelers riding camels, upon seeing that group, ran like they’d seen ghosts, abandoning their camels to hide behind dunes. Without needing to ask, Yusang could guess these people’s profession—they were all desert bandits making their living through robbery.

Those people didn’t trouble Yusang, and she had no intention of interfering in mortal conflicts. She pulled her horse and continued forward, but after a few steps, she thought of something and turned back to look. Sure enough, she saw that group of bandits heading toward the town she had just left.

“You’re just strangers now. He doesn’t recognize you at all. Whether he lives or dies depends on his fate,” Yusang said this to herself, pulling her horse forward a few steps. But the next moment, her hands and feet seemed to disobey her as she tugged the reins to turn around and rush back toward the town.

Returning to the town, the already simple and dilapidated streets were in even greater chaos. Children were crying loudly by the roadside, elderly people hid behind walls, not daring to show their heads, and that group of bandits was snatching things from people’s hands. Yan Qige was surrounded by several bandits against a wall by the tea stall. The silver pouch Yusang had given him was being weighed in one bandit’s hand, but it seemed they weren’t satisfied with just taking money—they appeared to have taken an interest in Yan Qige himself.