Green trees and babbling streams.

Deep in the dense forest stood a small wooden cabin. An azure-clad woman with flowing hair sat by the stream, quietly washing clothes.

Water droplets splashed lightly, creating faint rainbow glimmers in the gentle sunlight. Fish in the water leaped far away before diving back in. A black and white bird rested briefly beside her before flying away with flapping wings – all very peaceful and serene.

The sound of a flute drifted through the air as someone played in the forest. The melody was melancholy and sorrowful, filled with complex and winding emotions. Halfway through, the player put down the bamboo flute and sighed softly, “You… you’re in quite a good mood.”

The woman washing clothes stopped her movements, “Miss Hong, dwelling too heavily on worries makes life very difficult. Things you can’t obtain or endless hopes… if they’re meant to be yours, they’re yours. If they’re not meant to be yours, no amount of heartbreak will help.”

Miss Hong, who had been playing the flute in the forest, slowly stood up, “You enjoy all his favor – how could you know others’ feelings? Only when you’re also abandoned by him will you know what that feels like.”

The woman washing clothes was naturally A’Shui. Hearing this, she smiled faintly, “Everyone thinks he’s wonderful in every way, but I…” She paused slightly and shook her head, “In my heart…” Miss Hong’s eyes moved slightly, “Your heart belongs to someone else?” A’Shui gazed at the stream and sighed softly, “That was also a long time ago. At this moment, there’s no use mentioning it again.” Miss Hong asked, “Who is the person in your heart? Could the Master not compare to him?” A’Shui immersed the clothes in water, her snow-white fingers rippling like jade in the water. On her right ring finger was a faint, extremely thin knife scar that became suddenly apparent in the water, “He… is not Tang Lici.” Miss Hong was slightly shocked – she had indeed hit upon her suspicion, “I didn’t say it was Tang Lici. Who is he?” A’Shui slowly lifted the clothes and wrung them dry, “He’s just a cook.” Miss Hong’s eyes flashed, “A cook? What cook from where?” A’Shui smiled slightly, “A cook with terrible skills. Though I often go to see him, he doesn’t recognize me.” Miss Hong frowned slightly, “He doesn’t recognize you?” A’Shui nodded, wrung the clothes dry and placed them in a bamboo basket, then stood up, “Of course he doesn’t recognize me. He… his eyes only see the turtle he keeps.” Miss Hong said curiously, “Turtle?” A’Shui smiled gently – Miss Hong had known her for nearly a year, and this was the first time she’d seen her smile so cheerfully. She heard her say, “He keeps a very large turtle. When he has nothing to do, he watches the turtle. Wherever the turtle crawls, he follows. He only talks to the turtle. Sometimes he sits on the turtle, and it crawls everywhere, carrying him into the water, but he doesn’t mind. It’s quite amusing.”

Miss Hong was astonished and immediately felt three parts disdain, “You… you like such a person?” In her mind, A’Shui possessed inner charm and restrained elegance – truly a rare beauty seen once in a hundred years. The Ice Ferret Marquis abandoned his wife and children for her and ultimately died for her. Liu Yan, though frivolous and unrestrained, wielding life and death power in the Romantic Shop, still suffered for her. And Tang Lici had held A’Shui hostage at Mudan Tower, inviting her to drink together through the night, which also carried romantic implications. For such a woman, the man in her heart was actually a turtle-keeping cook? It was truly incomprehensible.

“Mm… some people, when you look at them, you only worry and fret for them, fearing that even if you do everything for them, you still can’t keep them safe and sound. The Master… and Young Master Tang are both such people.” A’Shui said gently, “Their martial arts are very strong, they’re very intelligent, they wield power – dragons among men. But… they only make people worry, worry… after worrying comes more worry… until you’re in constant anxiety, because you don’t know what people like them will do today, tomorrow, the day after, what dangers they’ll encounter, and how many people’s dangers they’ll cause…” She sighed leisurely, “Loving such people is exhausting and will never bring happiness, isn’t that so?” Miss Hong smiled lightly, “If they weren’t such people, would they be worth loving?” A’Shui picked up the basket, “But he’s different. When I look at him, everything feels simple, my mood is peaceful, and it’s very pleasant.” She carried the basket slowly into the forest. Miss Hong picked up a small stone and threw it into the water. She had always resented not having A’Shui’s natural inner charm, but at this moment she looked down on her somewhat. A turtle-keeping cook – what was good about that? Dirty and stupid.

“I heard you’re going out tomorrow?” A’Shui was in the forest when she suddenly asked.

“Mm,” Miss Hong said indifferently, “Wanyu Yuedan of Biluo Palace is also an anticipatable man, worth meeting.”

A’Shui sighed softly, “I think…” She didn’t continue, pausing before saying, “You should be careful.”

Miss Hong smiled charmingly, “You want to say that Fu Cui sending me to deal with Wanyu Yuedan is ill-intentioned? I know, but precisely because he’s betting I’ll die at Wanyu Yuedan’s hands, I’m determined to go, determined not to die. Am I… someone to be toyed with in the palm of another’s hand?”

“You must take care for the Master’s sake. Though he’s not good at expressing himself, he relies heavily on you in his heart.” A’Shui said gently, then slowly walked away.

Miss Hong sat alone by the stream. After a short while, she also walked leisurely back into the forest and entered the small wooden cabin.

Someone leaning behind a tree saw this and quietly stepped out. His figure swayed as he followed behind Miss Hong, stepping in her footsteps, silently following to the back of the house. Looking through the window, he saw Miss Hong enter the house, her figure flickering before disappearing. The wooden house appeared normal inside with tables and chairs arranged as in an ordinary home, but it was completely empty, as if everyone who entered had quietly vanished without a trace.

There must be passages in this house, and naturally there must be traps. The person investigating outside quietly withdrew, melted into the forest, and hurried back dozens of zhang. Suddenly he saw someone blocking his path with a sword, and he immediately stopped.

“Are you Yu Qifeng’s son?” The person blocking the path said hoarsely. His silhouette was tall and long, with broad shoulder bones. The hand gripping the sword was covered in scars, shocking and frightening to behold.

The investigator’s whole body shook, “You… you…”

The blocking figure turned around, revealing a face covered in injuries, his left eye blind, his appearance completely ruined. At his neck was a dark wound. His mouth was tightly closed, and his speech came from the neck wound, his voice hoarse and unclear. “Yu Qifeng never married in his lifetime – how could he have a son like you?”

The secretly investigating person wore azure clothes and carried a sword – it was Yu Furen. Seeing this scarred swordsman, he trembled uncontrollably, “You – didn’t die?”

“Hehe,” the man said, “Yu Qifeng dominated the martial world for decades – how could he die from mere gunpowder? Who exactly are you?”

Yu Furen stared intently at the scarred swordsman, “I… I… who exactly are you?”

The man said in a low voice, “If it weren’t for seeing you bear some resemblance to me in my youth, and your sneak attack on Tang Lici at Haoyun Mountain last night, Yu would never have met you. Who am I – hehe -” He raised his sword and struck. A earth-shaking loud sound rang out, trees swayed and grass flew everywhere. Four intersecting sword marks split open in the ground before Yu Furen, each exactly two cun and three fen deep – not one fen more, not one fen less. When he sheathed his sword, there was a crisp “crack” sound, and the earth before Yu Furen sank another three fen, collapsing into a bowl-sized deep pit. If this sword had struck a human body, this second hidden force, though only penetrating three fen deeper, would be enough to shatter the five internal organs.

“Heaven’s Movement of Sun and Moon…” Yu Furen murmured, “You… you really are Yu… Yu…” Halfway through speaking, he was suddenly alarmed, “You have spies in Haoyun Mountain?” Otherwise, how would Yu Qifeng know about his sneak attack on Tang Lici last night? That matter was extremely secret – aside from the three people involved, very few could know. Who had leaked the information?

“Whose child are you?” The scarred swordsman who had performed “Heaven’s Movement of Sun and Moon” asked hoarsely, “Do you know Jiang Siqi?”

Yu Furen staggered back two steps, “Jiang Siqi… you actually still remember her. She was my mother.” Was this scarred swordsman really Yu Qifeng? Even someone as shrewd and calm as Yu Furen felt confused, “You really are Yu Qifeng.”

“She was your mother…” Yu Qifeng’s neck wound suddenly erupted in violent coughing, “Cough cough… cough cough cough… then you’re my son. How is Siqi now?” He coughed and spoke at the same time, bloody saliva constantly spraying from the hole in his throat, his left eye twitching constantly – a miserable and frightening sight, so far from the mighty “Sword King” who commanded with a single call.

“She… she once went to the sword manor to find you and was swept out by your servants.” Yu Furen said word by word, “You must say you didn’t know, mustn’t you?”

“Cough cough cough… I truly didn’t know. How is Siqi now?” Yu Qifeng said, “I regret not being able to marry her back then, so I vowed never to marry for life. Where is she now?”

“She’s dead.” Yu Furen said, “Fortunately she died early, to avoid being deceived by you for her entire life, thinking day and night… still thinking you were a good person.” By the end, his voice couldn’t help trembling, “Why did you take forbidden drugs? Why did you become a running dog of the Romantic Shop? You… as the Sword King of the Central Plains Sword Assembly, with glory and honor that everyone admired and respected, why did you ruin your own reputation… Don’t you know that though you were heartless and fickle, you were always the hero in my heart…”

“Hehe, matters of the martial world – how could they be as simple as you youngsters think,” Yu Qifeng laughed harshly, “To be a hero, one naturally must pay a price! Boy! Tang Lici set off explosives to blow up my sword hall, harming me so terribly – you’ve seen it! You’ve seen it, haven’t you?” Though his appearance was wretched, holding a sword in hand, he still possessed an imposing presence different from others.

“A hero should naturally wield a three-foot sword to sweep away injustice, earned through blood and sweat. Even with ninth-rate martial arts, conducting oneself uprightly, punishing evil and eliminating wickedness – how is that not heroic?” Yu Furen said through gritted teeth, “Why must you collude with the Romantic Shop and do such base things?”

“Everyone knows I was defeated by that boy Shi Tinghe, but they don’t know he’s fundamentally a sinister and cunning fraud! How can I bear the name of defeat because of such a person? Everyone thinks I’m inferior to that boy – what a huge joke! If I don’t tear him to pieces, I can’t eliminate the hatred in my heart!” Yu Qifeng said coldly, “If that boy Chi Yun hadn’t acted so quickly, how could he have died so easily?”

“You’re determined to ally with the Romantic Shop, determined to fantasize about dominating the martial world someday?” Yu Furen heard his words and felt utterly cold and disappointed, “Victory and defeat – are they truly so important? You fundamentally… fundamentally don’t care about my mother at all.”

“Boy! Whether you believe it or not, in Yu Qifeng’s lifetime, there was only one woman – Jiang Siqi.” Yu Qifeng said harshly, “Even if she were hideously ugly, even if she were missing limbs and covered in sores, she would still be the most beautiful woman in my heart.” He paused, “Now Siqi is dead, I was harmed by Tang Lici into this appearance, blinded in my left eye, covered in injuries. That Liu from the Romantic Shop didn’t despise me and took great care to heal my wounds – only then is there your father today! When Yu Qifeng was at the height of glory, you didn’t come to acknowledge your father. Now that I’m down and disabled with a ruined reputation, I suppose you’re even less likely to acknowledge me?”

Yu Furen slowly exhaled a long breath, “Haha, others despise poverty and love wealth, but I despise wealth and love poverty. I didn’t acknowledge you when you were famous throughout the world, but if I don’t acknowledge you when you’re down and fallen, taking the wrong path… wouldn’t that be abandoning you?” He placed his hand on his sword, drew out the Azure Jade, “I’ve studied swordplay for eighteen years for this very moment – to defeat you. Defeating you is for your own good, because I acknowledge you as my father.”

Yu Qifeng’s eyes flashed, “Just with you? Just with you?” His thoughts raced – sometimes wanting to kill this unexpected son, sometimes wanting to keep him by his side, sometimes knowing this foolish son was an obstacle on his path to supremacy. Suddenly he said, “Liu Yan of the Romantic Shop saved my life. Tang Lici is Liu Yan’s mortal enemy. If you truly kill Tang Lici, first it would avenge me, second it would repay Liu Yan’s favor for me… Perhaps by then, Yu Qifeng would be disheartened and would retreat into seclusion with you.” He looked contemptuously at Yu Furen’s sword, “At this moment, boy, you’re no match for me at all. Put away your sword. When you kill Tang Lici, you’ll see me again.”

Yu Furen shouted urgently, “Stop! Come back with me!” His loud shout shook the treetops, leaves rustling down. Yu Qifeng laughed heartily, twisted his long sword, and struck toward Yu Furen’s chest with “Heaven’s Movement of Sun and Moon.” Yu Furen hastily blocked with Azure Jade. The sound of clashing metal rang out as four sword energies swept past his body, creating four intersecting sword marks two cun and three fen deep in the ground. This sword was actually a feint. Yu Qifeng’s wild laughter echoed as he departed with long strides. Yu Furen gripped Azure Jade, cold sweat dripping from his palms – he couldn’t even block one feinting move from Yu Qifeng! Yu Qifeng’s power was originally strong, and after taking forbidden drugs, he was even more fierce and unparalleled. Without such power, how could he have survived the explosives? Just as he stood in shock, white shadows flashed at his side, and over ten figures surrounded him. White robes fluttered – all were young women with white veils covering their faces. Yu Furen only smelled a faint fragrance before someone in the distance shouted “Let him go!” The dozen white shadows scattered gray powder and disappeared gracefully. Yu Furen held his breath and retreated quickly, his mind in complete chaos. If he killed Tang Lici, would Yu Qifeng truly retreat with him? If Tang Lici died, who could annihilate the Romantic Shop? But Tang Lici had harmed Yu Qifeng so badly, blinding his left eye and further forcing him onto a path of no return. This vengeance… how could it not be repaid?

The faint fragrance continued entering his nose. Yu Furen felt lost and slowly returned to Haoyun Mountain, not noticing the fine gray powder on his clothes that was quietly falling onto his skin and drifting into his nose with the wind.

It was powder from the “Forgetting Dust Flower” – a soul-capturing, spirit-confusing bloom.

“Nephew Yu, this old man was just looking for you.” As soon as he stepped into Shanfeng Hall, Jiang Wenbo came toward him, smiling cheerfully, “Tonight you and I will explore Bifeng Forest together.”

“Mm.” Yu Furen responded, gripping Azure Jade as he passed by him and entered the courtyard.

Eh? Jiang Wenbo was greatly puzzled – Yu Furen’s sword wasn’t sheathed. Had he just fought with someone? Who exactly had he fought with to become so dispirited?