The rain seemed to have fallen for a long time, and the sky gradually brightened.

Chi Yun lay on the stone, his fingers trembling slightly. Because he had been drenched all night, most of the filth on his body had been washed away, and the red spots from the poison outbreak on his skin had also faded. However, due to catching cold, his complexion was deathly pale. Tang Lici sat leaning against the stone, his robes trailing on the ground. Sunlight gradually shone on his soaked sleeves. Compared to Chi Yun’s deathly pale complexion, his face still looked good. After being illuminated by sunlight for a while, he seemed to have warmed up. He turned his gaze to look at Chi Yun, the corner of his lips curving slightly in an indescribable expression. “Still not getting up?”

Chi Yun’s whole body trembled for a moment, his right hand’s five fingers moving as if trying to grasp something. He turned his head and slowly opened his eyes. His right hand rose to cover his face as he said hoarsely, “I… how did I end up… here…”

Tang Lici turned his face to look at him and smiled gently. “Naturally, I rescued you.”

“What the hell… what the hell did I do?” Chi Yun sat up. “Where’s my sword?” Tang Lici didn’t answer. After quite a while, he asked, “What do you remember now, and what don’t you remember?” Chi Yun frowned, coughed a few times, and shook his head. “Cough cough… I remember jumping down that damned prison. As soon as I left Haoyun Mountain, I was pursued and attacked all along the way. Everyone had martial arts skills that didn’t seem human, and everyone wore masks. I couldn’t resist them, so I jumped down that flower prison.” Tang Lici’s brow furrowed. “You don’t remember what happened after that?” Chi Yun looked at him blankly. “How did you rescue me? There’s a pit at the mountain top, so deep you can’t see the bottom. Did you break through the mountain top?”

“I’ve already said before—I have divine foresight and the best martial arts in the world.” Tang Lici’s tone was very flat, impossible to tell whether it was a joke or not. “Rescuing you wasn’t difficult.” Chi Yun let out a long breath. “What happened to me after I jumped down the Camellia Prison?” Tang Lici looked at him again, his eyes changing unpredictably, with a flash of indescribable coldness passing through them for an instant. “What happened to you after you jumped down the Camellia Prison—you don’t know yourself, so how would I know?” Chi Yun was stunned and held his head, thinking hard. However, his mind was completely blank. Aside from the darkness of that moment when he jumped down the Camellia Prison, there seemed to be hundreds of shadowy figures swaying back and forth in his mind, but he couldn’t make sense of it. It was as if there was a shackle in front of those hundreds of figures, preventing him from grasping even the slightest fragment. The more he thought, the more confused he became; the more he thought, the more uneasy he felt. “I…”

“After you jumped down the Camellia Prison, your head hit the ground and got a bump. You knocked yourself unconscious, and until I rescued you, nothing happened.” Tang Lici said coldly. “So there’s no need to think about it—nothing happened at all.”

Chi Yun frowned. “Really… really?” Tang Lici curved his lips in a shallow smile, smiling without any trace of amusement. The corners of his eyes and brows were raised with nothing but icy coldness. “Really.” Chi Yun shook his head vigorously and said in confusion, “Did I fall so severely?” Tang Lici looked at him for a long time, his expression gradually softening from extremely cold to warmer. After quite a while, he said, “Yes.”

Had he really been knocked unconscious from the fall? Listening to Tang Lici’s explanation, Chi Yun felt indescribable unease in his heart. Suddenly turning his head, he saw the collapsed and damaged building, and his heart was greatly shocked. “This is—”

“I tore that down.” Tang Lici slowly stood up from the ground and grabbed Chi Yun from the large stone, lifting him up. “Since you’re awake, let’s go.” Chi Yun’s vital pressure point at the back of his neck fell into his hand. Caught off guard as he was lifted up, he was both shocked and angry, opening his mouth wide. “Ahh—” Before he could speak, Tang Lici lifted him and rushed forward rapidly. Strong wind poured into his mouth, and immediately he couldn’t say a word.

Many things were not right. He truly couldn’t remember anything that happened after jumping down the Camellia Prison. The unease in his heart grew stronger, but he was unwilling to think about it carefully. His mind was alternately chaotic and blank. In a moment, Tang Lici had already carried him to another wing room. There was originally one person in the room, who was greatly startled to see these two burst in like this. “Young Master Tang…”

“Master Shao,” Tang Lici stepped into Shao Yanping’s room, his expression immediately becoming gentle as he smiled slightly. “Chi Yun has awakened. Please trouble someone to bring hot water so he can wash up.” Shao Yanping had just gotten up and was smiling wryly in his heart—this young master didn’t sleep himself and didn’t expect others to sleep either. Fortunately, he was in the habit of rising early. Seeing that Chi Yun’s mind was clear, he was immediately overjoyed. “He’s recovered?”

Tang Lici’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Since he knocked himself unconscious, he’s finally awakened.” Shao Yanping was stunned. With his quick wit and ability to understand much from little, he immediately laughed heartily. “Hero Chi was unconscious for quite a long time. It’s wonderful that he’s finally all right—truly cause for celebration. Please wait here for a moment, and I’ll immediately have someone bring hot water.” Chi Yun frowned. Shao Yanping’s words were strange and didn’t make sense, but having just awakened and with his mind still unclear, he couldn’t say anything for the moment. Shortly after, servants brought hot water, and Chi Yun began bathing. Steam rose up, everything hazy and indistinct. When the hot water splashed on his skin, there were waves of stinging pain, but he didn’t know when he had become covered in wounds all over his body. He spat and poured a ladle of hot water over his head. Both the white-haired fox and Shao Yanping were not honest people—their words were incomplete and untrue. Someday he would remember what had actually happened.

Outside the room, Shao Yanping and Tang Lici walked out more than ten zhang, and their expressions immediately changed. “Chi Yun he…” Tang Lici said in a low voice, “He’s forgotten.” Shao Yanping exclaimed, “Forgotten? He’s forgotten that he was poisoned by Crimson Ghost Nine Hearts Pills and spider gu, was refined into a gu person, killed hundreds in that Camellia Prison, and even tried to kill you?” Tang Lici turned his back to Shao Yanping. “That’s right. Deep in his heart, he doesn’t want to admit what happened, so he forced himself to forget.”

“Forgotten?” Shao Yanping smiled bitterly. “Perhaps forgetting is for the best. Hero Chi is heroic and chivalrous. If he were to be destroyed by Crimson Ghost Nine Hearts Pills and spider gu poison, it would truly be heaven’s injustice. Forgetting is for the best.” Tang Lici slowly turned around. “He hasn’t truly forgotten—he simply doesn’t want to admit it. Whether he’s forgotten or unwilling to admit it, what happened won’t change because of it.” He said flatly, “People must learn to bear things, not escape from them.” Shao Yanping lost his smile and sighed. “But not everyone can be so clear-headed from the start. Escape is an instinct.”

“Once you escape once, it becomes very difficult to stand up again, and even harder to think well of yourself.” Tang Lici said plainly, his tone revealing no emotion. “He disappoints me greatly.” Shao Yanping smiled even more bitterly. “Hero Chi has suffered a great calamity. That he survived is already a miracle. Moreover, he’s still young. For Young Master Tang to demand that he accept everything that happened the moment he awakens is perhaps too much.” Tang Lici said slowly, “Can’t do it? If he can’t do it, then he’s childish and cowardly.” Shao Yanping was horrified in his heart and glanced at Tang Lici. Tang Lici’s eyes held no trace of amusement, yet his face still bore a slight smile. This smile made Shao Yanping feel even colder. It was one thing for him to hold himself to high standards, but if he looked at people with such harsh and extreme views, how many could meet his requirements? In his eyes, how many people in this world could there be?

“What are you thinking?” Suddenly, Tang Lici’s pair of eyes stared intently at him. Shao Yanping felt cold sweat breaking out all over his body and forced a smile. “I’m thinking… hahaha… dawn has broken.” Tang Lici looked at him for quite a while, then turned around with a faint smile. “Indeed, dawn has broken.” Shao Yanping let out a long breath. The closer he got to this young master and the more he understood him, the more he feared him. This young master had an indescribable coldness about him—a solitary, frigid coldness that emanated from his heart, like how the higher a person climbs, the colder the wind becomes, and looking down, all earthly matters seem insignificant. Because he was too high, too distant, too proud, he had developed a distrust of people. He had seen quite a bit of the world and had encountered even the most arrogant and conceited swordsmen, but none had this kind of coldness that Tang Lici possessed. It usually wasn’t obvious, but at moments like this, it was clear to the bone.

It was as if he was distant from everything in this world, and his desires and pursuits were something that people and things in this world could never satisfy—a kind of hollow, solitary coldness, an unsolvable loneliness.

It was also a kind of clarity that bordered on despair.

So it was very cold.

Very chilling to people.

“I heard Master Puzhu has already returned to Shaolin?” Tang Lici stood quietly for a while, then turned around with a slight smile, his expression now gentle. Shao Yanping nodded. “According to the schedule, he should arrive soon.” Tang Lici nodded. “The next few days will also be crucial days for the martial arts world’s situation.” Shao Yanping’s heart stirred. “The Shaolin Temple abbot selection meeting—will the Sword Society send someone to participate?” Tang Lici’s gaze flowed. “Master Shao can represent the Sword Society in observing, expressing the Central Plains Sword Society’s respect for Shaolin Temple.” Shao Yanping was overjoyed. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. I’ll take ten Sword Society disciples to attend the meeting. With Young Master Tang at Shanfeng Hall, I’m completely at ease.” Tang Lici said peacefully, “Master Shao can go without worry. I’ll be here.”

“There are still Hero Cheng and Miss Tao in the Sword Society, and Elder Dong is also returning from Luoyang. The remaining sixty-six disciples will all be under your command.” Shao Yanping had been waiting for exactly these words. The Central Plains Sword Society was a hot potato that he was only anxious to hand over to Tang Lici as soon as possible. “Tomorrow I also plan to depart for Shaolin Temple. Chi Hero’s poison injuries…”

“Don’t worry. Now he can’t remember, but someday he will remember.” Tang Lici said slowly. “And that black-clothed person wandering around Shanfeng Hall—I guarantee he absolutely won’t appear at Shaolin Temple, and absolutely won’t dare attack you again.” He spoke very mildly, but Shao Yanping was greatly shocked. “You—you know who that black-clothed masked person is?” Tang Lici smiled slightly. “I know.” Shao Yanping stared wide-eyed. “Who is it?” Tang Lici’s eyes moved, his gaze very deep. “This… it’s better not to say before the Shaolin Temple abbot is selected. If Master Shao trusts me, just go ahead.”

“Of course I trust you.” Shao Yanping smiled awkwardly. Saying he trusted Tang Lici was natural, but it wasn’t a kind of wholehearted trust—it was more like a kind of fearful awe. If Tang Lici were a general, he, Shao Yanping, would definitely not die for such a general. But if Cheng Yunpao were a general, the situation might be different. Tang Lici walked out three or five steps with light steps, then suddenly smiled slightly. “Are you very afraid of me?”

After hesitating for a moment, Shao Yanping said frankly, “Very afraid.” Tang Lici walked away slowly, his retreating figure outstanding and graceful. “Those who fear me are all intelligent people.”

Shao Yanping was speechless. Hearing these words, he couldn’t describe what he felt in his heart. With a bitter smile, he returned to his room to check on Chi Yun’s condition, then selected personnel and prepared luggage for the journey to Shaolin Temple.

The autumn colors gradually deepened. In the mists of Haoyun Mountain, the cold air gradually intensified. The heavy moisture made the cold feel ten times colder.

Weeping willows met frost and gradually turned white-headed. The lush greenery throughout the garden transformed into a scene of desolation. In the bamboo pavilion in the garden, one person in peach-colored clothing was like a painting, holding a light purple padded jacket, leaning in the pavilion. Whether viewed from far or near, she was a beauty like jade with myriad graceful bearings.

She was naturally Xifang Tao.

She was waiting for someone.

The mist was heavy, water condensing from the treetops and falling as if it were raining. Someone came carrying an umbrella, in gray clothes and cloth shoes. In the misty water vapor, it was like a painting of Jiangnan’s misty rain.

“Miss Tao.” The person put away his umbrella, his smile warm and elegant, his manner serene. “Have you been waiting long?”

Xifang Tao smiled sweetly, infinitely charming and gentle. “I’m waiting for Young Master Tang. No matter how long I wait, I won’t be bored.” She turned around to look at Tang Lici in his gray clothes and silver hair. “Young Master Tang’s divine abilities are vast and have exceeded my expectations again.” She sighed softly. “I thought the many masters outside the Camellia Prison plus the gu-infected Chi Yun inside the Camellia Prison should have been enough to take Young Master Tang’s life. The result… you actually emerged without a scratch…”

“Are you very disappointed?”

“No,” Xifang Tao said softly. “I’m very happy. In life… it’s rare to encounter an opponent you really want to defeat…” She raised her hand to arrange her hair. “These past few days I’ve had many opportunities to kill Chi Yun, especially the night you were unconscious. I didn’t act. Did you find this surprising?”

“Chi Yun’s current state is beneficial to you and harmless. I’ve never worried that you would kill him.” Tang Lici sat down in the pavilion, his figure dappled with shadows, his eyes slightly downcast, his lips not curved, yet from his lowered eyelashes one could see traces of a smile. “The person you want to kill… has never been Chi Yun.”

“Oh?” Xifang Tao smiled ambiguously, flicking her sleeve. “Then who is the person I want to kill?”

“The person Miss Tao wants to kill has never changed. Without killing Shao Yanping, you have no chance to get your hands on the Central Plains Sword Society, isn’t that right?” Tang Lici’s eyes flowed as he looked at Xifang Tao with a seemingly amorous gaze. “Unfortunately, you’ve never found the opportunity.”

“With Young Master Tang here, even if I saw an opportunity, I wouldn’t dare act.” Xifang Tao smiled charmingly. “But you’re letting him go out to Shaolin Temple. Aren’t you afraid I’ll set up an ambush on the road and quietly kill him?” Tang Lici leaned against the bamboo pavilion’s railing, his fingers supporting his cheek, gazing at the misty water colors in the distance, his lips holding a shallow smile. “Killing Shao Yanping is one thing… I guess that these past few days you haven’t acted not only because you couldn’t find an opportunity and suspected I was deliberately creating a false impression, but also because you’ve thought of a good idea…” He slowly turned his head, his pupils beautiful and deep as he looked at her. “You plan to kill Shao Yanping and frame me for it—killing two birds with one stone, absolutely perfect.”

A flash of surprise crossed Xifang Tao’s eyes, her cherry lips slightly parted. “Sometimes… you really make people wonder whether you’re human or ghost…” Tang Lici smiled slightly and said softly, “I asked Miss Tao to come today to remind you of something—” Xifang Tao’s eyes flowed. “What thing?” Tang Lici said, “If you kill Shao Yanping but can’t successfully frame me for it, then you’ll be facilitating my taking control of the Central Plains Sword Society…” He breathed out lightly, and in the cold weather it became a puff of white frost. “If I truly hold power, I’ll kill whoever I want to kill, never considering anyone’s thoughts. Do you understand?”

Xifang Tao’s expression changed slightly, biting her lip without speaking. Tang Lici slowly stood up, turning his back to Xifang Tao. “The reason I haven’t dealt with you the way I dealt with Yu Qifeng is simply because I don’t want the Central Plains Sword Society to be stimulated into falling apart, weakening the righteous path’s strength. If I become the master of the Central Plains Sword Society… then the first thing I do to establish my authority will be to kill you.” Having said this, he suddenly turned his face and smiled gently, his cheeks snow-white with a rosy blush on his face, extremely beautiful. Then he walked away with elegant steps, leisurely departing.

Xifang Tao watched his retreating figure, a flash of murderous intent passing through her eyes that was chillingly terrifying. Her palm clenched into a fist within her peach-colored sleeve, her knuckles crackling. Suddenly she flicked her sleeve and turned around, letting out a long breath. After a moment, her slender fingernails lightly tapped the bamboo pillar of the bamboo pavilion twice with soft sounds. Her mind was made up. She shook open the purple padded jacket, and from within the jacket, a small blue-yellow bird spread its wings and flew up, soaring freely into the sky.

After a long time.

“Miss Tao.” Someone approached, his tone cold. “Shanfeng Hall is currently experiencing troubled times. You’d better stay in your room and go out less.” Judging by this person’s tone, it was precisely Cheng Yunpao. Ever since the Sword Society had the incident of a masked black-clothed person wandering around at night, he had given up returning to his master’s school and stayed behind to strengthen the Sword Society’s forces.

Xifang Tao turned around, her expression seeming somewhat worried. “Hero Cheng, I’m thinking… when I traveled together with Master Puzhu, we once encountered several female servants from Fengliu Store. I heard them discussing privately, and they seemed to mention a place called ‘Feng Yi.’ I never paid attention to it, but today I suddenly remembered that it seems to be where the martial world’s ‘Famous Physician Valley’ is located. So I’m wondering… could those retired old famous physicians who have withdrawn from the martial world for many years have some connection with Fengliu Store? Or perhaps Famous Physician Valley is Fengliu Store’s next target?”

Cheng Yunpao was slightly stunned. “This… has the young lady mentioned this to Master Shao?” Xifang Tao shook her head and sighed softly. “By the time I remembered, Master Shao had already left for Shaolin. And Young Master Tang… he… he…” Her cheeks flushed, and her expression showed considerable resentment. “He doesn’t listen to anything I say. I think he… he’s starting to dislike me.” Cheng Yunpao was quite surprised. Not long ago he had seen these two embracing intimately, very affectionate. Had problems appeared in just a few short days? Was Xifang Tao exaggerating and having ulterior motives, or was Tang Lici truly frivolous by nature, using and then abandoning people? Seeing Xifang Tao’s cheeks flushed red and showing great shame, Cheng Yunpao couldn’t say much more. Full of doubts, he took his leave and departed, but in his heart he thought to find time to make a trip to Feng Yi. Feng Yi wasn’t far from here. Although the old people of Famous Physician Valley hadn’t appeared in the martial world for many years, they should still be given some warning.

Seeing Cheng Yunpao leave deep in thought, Xifang Tao smiled lightly, and her mood suddenly improved again.