Zhou Zixi didn’t return to Bei Dou. Instead, he stood to the side watching Ming Li and Dou Lanmin handle the aftermath of the merchant association, waiting for Ming Li to finish her work and come to him.

Dou Lanmin received a message and said as he walked, “Qiu Hong told me Qian Li won’t be coming. He’s in the Zhao family’s old house staring blankly.”

Ming Li walked up to Zhou Zixi and uttered a soft “Oh.”

Zhou Zixi glanced at Dou Lanmin, who stroked his chin hesitantly and said, “It’s been over a year already. Hasn’t Qian Li’s mindset changed yet? I’ll go check on him.”

Ming Li said, “Let’s go see him too.”

“Why go see him?” Zhou Zixi said with a cold face. “I have no interest in watching people go crazy.”

Ming Li held his hand and walked forward. Despite his words, Zhou Zixi followed along.

“I’ll take you to experience some different emotions,” Ming Li explained. “He helped me when I was in the south. Since he’s someone you and Qing Ying saved, let’s see him through to the end.”

Zhou Zixi said, “Not going.”

Ming Li: “Let’s go.”

Zhou Zixi: “Not going.”

Ming Li turned to look at him.

Zhou Zixi said nothing but continued following Ming Li.

*

The old house in the remote countryside was lit with lamps at night. The wind swayed the lanterns back and forth, and spider webs filled the corners of the courtyard walls, with spiders hanging in the webs, secretly watching the person sitting under the eaves.

This was the Zhao family’s old house connected to the Ji Dan secret passage.

Once, three people had forcibly broken out from the passage below, causing half of the old house to collapse. When Cui Yaocen was trapped in the formation, and Qian Li took over the Nan Que sect and fought against the Jiang family, he had personally come to renovate this old house.

But too many things happened afterward, and he never returned.

Qian Li lived in a daze. One day, after waking from drunkenness in the courtyard of the old house, with sunlight streaming through the branches of a flowering tree above and the secret passage to Ji Dan behind him.

Qian Li lay on the ground, looking at the dazzling, piercing daylight through the branches, and suddenly realized: what was left of himself after losing even his hatred?

He couldn’t provide an answer. He got up from where he was and sat under the eaves, watching flowers bloom and wither, the sun rise, and the moon appear.

When Ming Li arrived, she saw a young man sitting under the eaves, looking up at the stars. He seemed to have aged, yet also to have grown up.

“Qian Li!”

Dou Lanmin jumped over the wall into the courtyard, waving casually at the person sitting under the eaves.

The dazed young man was startled awake. He turned his head stiffly and froze when he saw Ming Li, who had also climbed over the wall and was standing on top of it, looking at him.

His gaze moved from Ming Li to Zhou Zixi, and he felt as if he were dreaming.

After a moment of silence, Qian Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked at Zhou Zixi and asked hoarsely, “Why is he… transparent?”

“Shadow technique,” Ming Li said. “Yin-Yang Dual Meridians, Heavy Eyes, and Spiritual Court Meridian can all achieve this. Haven’t you learned it?”

Qian Li asked again, “Can the shadow technique also make oneself smaller?”

“That’s not an issue with the shadow technique,” Ming Li said with a smile, secretly stopping Zhou Zixi, who was about to take action.

Qian Li’s gaze returned to Ming Li, blank. After a moment of silence, he raised his hand to wipe his face and said, “I find it awkward to face you now.”

Ming Li: “I don’t find it awkward.”

Zhou Zixi glanced sideways at Dou Lanmin and asked Qian Li, “You don’t feel awkward when he comes?”

Dou Lanmin raised both hands and turned around, obediently answering, “It must be because I’ve already come several times.”

“Should I leave then?” Ming Li slightly raised her chin, gesturing to Qian Li.

Qian Li discreetly withdrew his hand from his side into his sleeve and pressed his lips together, saying, “No need.”

He sat cross-legged, straightening his body, but with his head hanging low, looking dejected and speaking wearily: “If it’s about the merchant association and sect matters, I don’t handle these things anymore. You can do as you please.”

“If it were for the merchant association and sect, why would I come to find you?” Ming Li looked at him, puzzled.

Qian Li was slightly startled by her words, but quickly understood. These matters couldn’t stop the Pilgrims of Bei Dou, and Ming Li wouldn’t come to negotiate with him over such things. Realizing this, he felt both bitter and amused.

“Then why have you come?”

Qian Li’s head dropped lower and lower, almost burying into the ground.

Ming Li jumped down from the wall: “I brought my junior brother to see you, to let him recall the feeling of saving someone.”

Zhou Zixi still stood on top of the wall without moving, casually surveying the surroundings with boredom, showing no intention of recalling any feeling of saving someone, as Ming Li had suggested.

After a moment of silence, Qian Li said, “You must regret saving me.”

Dou Lanmin asked, “Who?”

Qian Li slowly raised his head to look at Zhou Zixi.

Zhou Zixi belatedly looked back, meeting the complex, indecipherable gaze of the young man below. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his smile tinged with malice: “If I say I regret it, will you die?”

Qian Li said softly, “That’s not out of the question.”

Just as Zhou Zixi was about to speak, he saw Ming Li turn back and extend her hand to him, saying, “Come down.”

Dou Lanmin walked to Qian Li’s side and patted his shoulder. “There’s no need for that. How can anyone live without making mistakes? You’re half wrong, fate is half wrong, and the divine oracle bears full responsibility.”

Qiu Hong entered through the side door carrying several jars of wine. Seeing the people in the courtyard, he paused: “So lively. When did you all arrive?”

Dou Lanmin waved to him: “Just now.”

Qiu Hong glanced at Zhou Zixi standing with Ming Li and asked her while holding the wine jars, “Want some?”

Ming Li reached out to catch the wine jar he tossed over and sat down under the eaves, pulling Zhou Zixi with her.

Zhou Zixi said stiffly, “I can’t even drink.”

Ming Li: “I’ll drink for you.”

Zhou Zixi stared at her, watching as Ming Li removed the seal and smelled the wine’s fragrance before taking a small sip. He asked her, “Is it good?”

“It’s okay,” Ming Li said after thinking for a moment. “A bit sweet, it’s fruit wine.”

Zhou Zixi’s gaze lingered on her wine-moistened lips for a moment. Ming Li lowered her head and took another two sips. Noticing her junior brother watching her, she replaced the seal on the jar and said, “I’ll save this for you. You can drink it when we get back.”

“Senior Sister, do you think I’m craving this wine?” Zhou Zixi said with an inscrutable expression.

“Whatever you’re craving, you can have it when we get back,” Ming Li tilted her head toward Qian Li, gesturing for Zhou Zixi to ask him something.

Zhou Zixi was reluctant. He leaned against the veranda pillar and looked away, ignoring her.

Ming Li watched Zhou Zixi for a while without speaking.

Zhou Zixi eventually turned his head to ask Ming Li, “Senior Sister, why are you looking at me?”

“I don’t know,” Ming Li smiled, looking up. “Looking at you just makes me happy.”

Her smile made Zhou Zixi smile too.

The three—Qian Li, Qiu Hong, and Dou Lanmin—holding wine jars nearby: “…”

Qiu Hong said with an honest face, “Those two seem to be in a different world from us.”

“Haha, never mind, never mind,” Dou Lanmin waved his hand and turned back to Qian Li. “I’m going to raid the Nan Que-related merchant associations for money tomorrow. Are you sure you don’t want to be involved?”

“I’ve already withdrawn from Nan Que and discarded the spirit techniques I learned there. I’m just a wanderer now,” Qian Li held the unopened wine jar, looking dispirited as he said, “These matters aren’t under my management anymore, and I can’t manage them either. Go raid wherever you want.”

“Good, good, good. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Dou Lanmin raised his hand, lightly nudging Qian Li’s shoulder with his elbow. “So what plans do you have as a wanderer?”

Since Zhou Zixi refused to talk to Qian Li, and Ming Li wasn’t particularly good at comforting people, the task of conversation fell to Dou Lanmin.

Qian Li’s fingers trembled slightly as he held the wine jar. His dark eyes looked at Dou Lanmin as he asked hoarsely, “I was in the Youyou region before and nearly got your senior brother killed. How can you act like nothing happened… and still be willing to see me?”

“Huh?” Dou Lanmin was stunned by his words. He spread his hands and said, “That’s simple. If you had killed my senior brother at that time, I would be here to kill you. But I heard you were beaten up severely by the senior sister from Yaoguang Hall, and my senior brother wasn’t hurt even a single hair.”

Qian Li: “…”

Qiu Hong interjected, “In the future, remember to stay away from Li Bushuo when you see him.”

Qian Li said in a muffled voice, “I’ll let him hit me back.”

Qiu Hong shook his head and said, “You might not survive.”

Dou Lanmin said, “There’s no immediate danger. Cheng Jingbai and the others are busy in Dong Yang and won’t leave for the next few years.”

After the great battle, Song Tianyi recovered the Divine Martial Awakening Marrow of Dong Yang and took Lin Xiao and several Bing Mo earth ghosts back to Dong Yang to work for him.

According to Song Tianyi, he greatly appreciated Lin Xiao and the others’ infiltration abilities in Dong Yang. Coincidentally, with the world in chaos and issues concerning life veins, he needed people with awakened life veins to help manage these problems.

Song Tianyi had pursued Lin Xiao for several days: “Didn’t you stay in Nan Que before? You know all the rules of major sects. You’re very suitable!”

Lin Xiao said, “I was there as an undercover agent. Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray Dong Yang just like I betrayed Nan Que?”

Song Tianyi: “We’ll deal with that when you betray us!”

Lin Xiao turned to look at him with an inscrutable expression: “How could Dong Yang have a sect leader like you?”

“There’s no other way,” Song Tianyi was also helpless. “If you can’t stand it and want to take my place, that’s not impossible.”

Ultimately, he just wanted to recruit some capable people to help him manage Dong Yang.

When Dou Lanmin asked Qian Li about his plans, and he couldn’t answer, Dou Lanmin then asked Qiu Hong, “What about you?”

“Continue cultivating,” Qiu Hong replied without hesitation. “Before, it was to eliminate the divine oracle. Now that the divine oracle has been destroyed and the world has seen new changes, but these have little to do with me anymore, I’ll focus on cultivation and breaking through my limits.”

Qian Li listened, stunned.

“You had already thought this through, hadn’t you?” Dou Lanmin was also surprised by the speed of Qiu Hong’s answer.

“Of course,” Qiu Hong took a sip of wine, raising his head. “Things come one by one, and they can all be resolved. For example, first resolve the divine oracle issue.”

Qian Li opened his mouth and said hoarsely, “What if… what if you had failed following him?”

Qiu Hong: “Then I would die.”

Dou Lanmin sighed, “I didn’t expect you would approach matters with such a determination to die.”

Qiu Hong looked at Qian Li and put his hand on his shoulder, saying, “You are Sui Qiusan’s son, so I won’t ignore you.”

Dou Lanmin looked around and asked, “What about Fang Hui? He certainly wouldn’t ignore you either.”

Qian Li’s eye twitched slightly as he said, “He has his unresolved matters.”

Due to issues concerning Princess Chang Xi, Fang Hui temporarily had no time to look after Qian Li and only learned about Qian Li’s situation from Qiu Hong.

“Then there’s no choice but for you to convince yourself,” Dou Lanmin took a sip of wine and looked up at the stars. “My master said that when you discover your inadequacies, there’s no need to be too afraid. Instead, learn to restrain and control yourself.”

“Hatred magnified your obsession and negative aspects, causing you to do many things you regret, but you will find ways to resolve this,” Dou Lanmin said. “At least on Bei Dou’s side, you didn’t cause substantial harm, so Senior Sister Ming won’t do anything to you, and neither will I.”

“How do I resolve it?” Qian Li’s words were bitter.

“Like Qiu Hong said, resolve things one by one,” Dou Lanmin said irritably. “That’s better than dazing around in a stupor all day!”

Qian Li shook his head. “If someone comes to make trouble for me, seeks revenge, wants to kill me, and my death can solve the problem, I can die.”

Dou Lanmin blinked, thinking to himself that it was over—this kid had already entered the stage of not wanting to live.

He exchanged a glance with Qiu Hong, signaling him to step in.

Qiu Hong thought for a moment and asked Qian Li, “What kind of person was your father?”

Qian Li froze.

It was the first time someone had asked him what kind of person his father was.

In the past, people would only say your father was a disaster.

Qiu Hong said, “I know what kind of person Sui Qiusan was when controlled by the earth ghost’s resentment, but I don’t know what this vessel, Sui Qiusan as Zhao Qianli’s father, was like.”

What was his father like? Countless images flashed through Qian Li’s mind, scenes treasured in his heart that left deep impressions on him.

“He… he loved my mother very much,” Qian Li opened his mouth, the words coming out with a heavy sob.

Qian Li looked up at the night sky, speaking as if to himself: “My father looked like a fragile scholar, but he wasn’t just good at reading and writing.”

“Except for not knowing how to cultivate, he seemed to know everything.”

“With a blade of grass or a piece of bamboo, he could weave little trinkets that children loved.”

“When doors, windows, tables, or chairs at home broke, he could fix them. He could even mend torn clothes.”

“He could also cook the meals my mother and I liked. Ours was the only courtyard in the mansion that didn’t need food sent from the kitchen.”

“He also loved to laugh, was generous, and understood reason.”

“He cared for my mother. Even when bullied by relatives in the clan, he wouldn’t cause trouble, especially not tell my mother. But if my uncles said even half a bad word about my mother, I wouldn’t tolerate it.”

“He was very intelligent and helped my mother a lot with business. He never made my mother feel burdened, and never made her sad.”

As Qian Li spoke, he broke into loud sobs, hugging the wine jar and weeping, yet still intermittently sharing all the beautiful moments from his memory with others.

Everyone listened quietly.

Ming Li opened another jar of wine, sniffing it lightly, while glancing sideways at the person beside her.

Zhou Zixi had changed from his earlier impatience to a state of calm. Initially leaning against the corridor pillar, he had now crouched down, his gaze seemingly looking far away.

In Qian Li’s continuous narration, Zhou Zixi recalled his first entry into Yaoguang Hall when he learned that Dong Yeshou was his master.

Dong Yeshou taught him calligraphy, taught him cultivation, and taught him how to be a person.

During those first two years at Yaoguang Hall, Dong Yeshou took his small disciple wherever he went, watching as his writing became more beautiful day by day, the spirit techniques he knew grew more numerous day by day, and the fierceness in him lessened day by day.

From someone who initially would challenge his master with provocative words, to later becoming obedient, accepting whatever his master said.

Dong Yeshou gave Zhou Zixi the care, indulgence, and recognition of an elder, and in return received Zhou Zixi’s admiration, respect, and affection.

“Master he…”

Zhou Zixi had just begun when he stopped.

He no longer had a master.

A belated sorrow surged into his heart. This force came so violently that before Zhou Zixi could even react, his pitch-black eyes were instantly covered with a thin mist. Under the night lamp’s illumination from the eaves, there was a glimmer of tears.

Ming Li opened her arms to Zhou Zixi, letting him come close and embracing him, gently patting his back as she said softly, “If you want to know, I can also tell you what kind of person your master used to be.”