The Ministry of Justice relied on evidence when investigating cases—this was an ironclad rule. Now that she could name the demon that had attacked, she was certain he couldn’t find any connection between Wuyou and herself, and couldn’t convict her.

Shen Qiyuan’s heart suddenly flared with anger.

He looked at her coldly: “You’re very confident?”

“Why wouldn’t I be confident?” She twisted a strand of hair around her temple. “You can’t out-argue me, and you can’t kill me either.”

The most arrogant demons dared to challenge the Azure God.

Song Zhenshan broke out in a cold sweat, fearing Shen Qiyuan would fly into a rage and attack.

However, after being angry for a while, Shen Qiyuan calmed down. He stood up, brushed off his crimson official robes, his dark eyes reflecting the distant mountains and waters, serene and profound: “Between you and me, we’ll determine the victor sooner or later.”

Ruyi smiled and curtsied to him: “I await the good news.”

This exchange was much gentler than their earlier argument, but somehow Song Zhenshan felt even more chilled to the bone.

Determine the victor? If these two were to compete, one of them would inevitably have their soul scattered.

Shen Qiyuan had waited for Liu Ruyi for so many years, even refusing to go to the Nine Heavens for her—how could he be called heartless? Liu Ruyi was the same, able to support the firmament and develop kindness to save the common people for Shen Qiyuan’s sake—how could she be called unfeeling?

The two clearly should have had a good ending of growing old together, but because of their opposing identities and positions, they now had to fight to the death.

He sighed with melancholy.

The laborer’s corpse was carried away. Song Zhenshan mounted his horse to return to the city, but saw Shen Qiyuan standing motionless.

He scanned the surroundings and belatedly realized there weren’t enough horses. Besides Shen Qiyuan’s carriage, there was only Zhou Tingchuan’s horse nearby.

Ruyi was still admiring the babbling stream, showing no intention of leaving.

Figuring Lord Shen would stand there like a statue rather than speak up, he simply asked directly: “Would Miss Liu be willing to ride in Lord Shen’s carriage back to the city? It’s quite far from here to the city gates.”

Then he said to Shen Qiyuan: “Lord Shen wouldn’t mind even this, would he?”

Shen Qiyuan naturally wasn’t so petty as to mind even this. After all, Ruyi had helped him today—he couldn’t make her walk back. With her delicate body, she’d be crying about pain again.

Realizing he was feeling sorry for her, Shen Qiyuan pinched the web between his thumb and forefinger, trying to make his expression appear more indifferent.

However, Liu Ruyi said, “No need, someone will come to pick me up shortly.”

In this wilderness, who would come for her? Shen Qiyuan couldn’t help but taunt: “You don’t even dare share a ride—now it’s Shopkeeper Liu’s turn to have a guilty conscience?”

Ruyi lazily glanced at him without arguing, only bending down to remove her embroidered shoes. In her silk stockings, her jade-like feet broke free from their constraints and entered the ice-cold stream water.

Before Zhou Tingchuan and the others could turn their heads, they felt the surroundings suddenly turn dark.

“My lord?” He puzzledly reached forward. “The sky was fine—how did it suddenly turn dark?”

“Don’t know.” Shen Qiyuan said lightly. “Maybe it’s going to rain.”

This pitch darkness where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face—even an idiot wouldn’t believe the rain excuse. Song Zhenshan shook his head.

“I see.” Zhou Tingchuan had an epiphany.

Song Zhenshan: “…”

The early spring stream water was bone-chillingly cold. Ruyi’s lips were somewhat pale, but her eyes were very happy. Her toes kicked up water to the opposite bank, startling the foraging cuckoos into flight.

She looked up at the sky, they flew toward—clear and boundless, vast and pure.

“Miss Liu.” Someone called to her from afar under that sky.

Ruyi turned back to see Zheng Qingyi riding toward her, a handsome youth with a golden whip, his spring shirt dancing in the wind, his smile clearly visible even from a great distance.

She smiled sweetly, obediently waiting for him to approach.

The blue horse stopped by the stream. Zheng Qingyi dismounted and pulled her from the water, chiding: “In this weather, you dare play in water? Be careful not to catch a cold—you’ll complain of headaches when we get back.”

Ruyi obediently followed him ashore. Seeing him squat down, she placed her foot on his robe hem to dry it.

Green robes against snow-white feet—this scene made the woman appear particularly pampered, yet irresistibly alluring.

Shen Qiyuan didn’t intend to interfere. After all, they now served different masters—who she was close to had nothing to do with him.

But his mouth reacted faster than his brain. Before reason could return, he had already sneered: “Plenty of romantic flair, but not a bit of modesty.”

Ruyi supported herself on Qingyi’s shoulder, putting on her embroidered shoes with his help, looking up inexplicably: “Modesty? What use is that thing?”

If she lived according to Great Qian’s propriety and modesty, she would have drowned in gossip at the Liu manor on the first day—where would all these later events be?

Song Zhenshan glanced at Shen Qiyuan and smiled to smooth things over: “Who is this young gentleman? I haven’t seen him before.”

“I am Zheng Qingyi.” He bowed politely, then looked up with a smile revealing a white canine tooth. “I’m a new server at the Heavenly Immortal Tavern.”

Zheng Qingyi?

Song Zhenshan found the name familiar. After thinking for a long time, he turned to ask Shen Qiyuan: “When you discussed matters with those old men from the Ministry of Justice until noon the next day, wasn’t it about someone named Zheng Qingyi?”

Light returned to their surroundings. Zhou Tingchuan rubbed his eyelids, puzzledly surveying the area, just in time to see the people by the stream.

“Isn’t this the Zheng fellow?” He said to Song Zhenshan. “It’s him—originally hired by the black market as an assassin with many lives on his hands. But considering his merit in exposing Xu Houde and his determination to reform, our lord decided to reduce his imprisonment from three years to one year. Due to his many contributions in prison, he was released early.”

Zheng Qingyi also smiled and bowed to Shen Qiyuan: “I haven’t yet thanked you for your grace, my lord.”

“No need.” Shen Qiyuan said sarcastically. “I can’t accept it.”

Qingyi was puzzled, looking at Ruyi beside him in confusion.

In just over half a year, why had Lord Shen’s speech become so strange and bitter?

Ruyi soothingly touched his hair: “It’s getting late, let’s go back.”

“Alright.”

Shen Qiyuan watched coldly.

Someone who had originally mounted horses with great vigor now needed to be held around the waist to get on, appearing soft and weak, frightening the young man into quickly mounting and embracing her from behind.

She had the nerve to lean back like that, not even taking the reins.

“We’ll go ahead.” Qingyi nodded to them and rode away in a cloud of dust. Even from a great distance, you could see the green robe entwined with that peach-colored flowered gauze.

“My lord.” Song Zhenshan said. “Do you regret pardoning Zheng Qingyi?”

“How could I?” Shen Qiyuan said. “Punishments have their considerations. His early release was due to merit, offsetting his crimes—it has nothing to do with whether I pardon him or not.”

Nodding in understanding, Song Zhenshan was still confused: “Then why were you glaring at them?”

“You saw wrong.” Withdrawing his gaze, Shen Qiyuan stepped onto the carriage shaft with apparent indifference. “I was just checking if it would rain.”