“Fleeing for your lives?” A’Shui was slightly startled. From this person’s tone, he must be someone from the martial world. “There are no steamed buns or dumplings at home. If you three don’t mind, I’ll go to the kitchen and make some plain noodles.” She didn’t try to guess exactly who these three sudden arrivals were. Whether enemies or friends, whatever these three people wanted to do, she couldn’t resist. What harm was there in imagining the visitors as simple and kind? She turned toward the kitchen. The black-clothed person lying on the yellow-clothed man’s back heard her voice and shuddered all over, suddenly raising his head.

These three who knocked at the door in the middle of the night were naturally Liu Yan, Yu Tuan’er, and Fang Pingzhai. After the end of the Shaolin Temple Abbot Assembly, Fang Pingzhai had publicly declared at the meeting his intention to seize the abbot position, drawing everyone’s attention. The Shaolin Temple’s Dharma Hall dispatched monks to track the three, intending to investigate their identities and backgrounds. Fang Pingzhai didn’t care about having bald monks following him constantly, but Liu Yan’s disfigurement and broken legs had been publicized. He feared that if the bald monks followed too long they might recognize Liu Yan’s identity. These past few days, Fang Pingzhai had led Liu Yan and Yu Tuan’er in hiding here and there, fleeing from Mount Song as if for their lives straight toward Luoyang. They had finally shaken off the pursuing Shaolin monks, only to encounter a thunderstorm. With nowhere to stay in the middle of the night, seeing one household with lights on, they had no choice but to knock and ask for help. By unfortunate coincidence, they had knocked on A’Shui’s door.

Liu Yan suddenly raised his head. He heard A’Shui’s voice. This place was – his gaze pierced through the black gauze covering his face, seeing the unremarkable table and chair furnishings. The simple hall didn’t even have a Buddha painting pasted up, but… but he could still sense it – this place had A’Shui’s presence.

He had taken her away from Hao Wenhou’s house. At that time she was Hao Wenhou’s household courtesan. He had never asked what kind of woman she had been before being captured as a household courtesan. A’Shui herself never spoke of the past either.

The past… consisted of meaningless stories. The clearer one remembered, the more unwilling to give up, the more sorrow there would be.

“Hey? Do you want to get down?” Yu Tuan’er saw him raise his head. “Are you hungry?” Fang Pingzhai set him down in a chair. “Guess whether that beauty will make delicious food or… fresh-tasting strange flavors?” Liu Yan didn’t answer. After a while, he suddenly raised his voice and shouted loudly, “A’Shui!”

“Clang” – a crisp sound from the kitchen. Yu Tuan’er and Fang Pingzhai both froze, only to see Liu Yan say sternly, “Come out!” The kitchen was quiet for a moment, then the purple-clothed woman slowly came out, her face somewhat pale. “You… you…”

“Me what?” Liu Yan said coldly. “Now that I’m gone, you can go home? Who gave you permission to go home? Who gave you permission to leave? Who said that because I was defeated, disappeared, disfigured, broke both legs, and lost all my martial arts – you could stop being my dog?” He lifted his face veil toward A’Shui, revealing that bloody and mangled face. “Come here!”

A’Shui stared blankly at Liu Yan’s terrifyingly shaped face. Her thoughts had been in confusion tonight anyway, and in this instant her mind went completely blank. She opened her lips but didn’t know what to say.

She had once been saved by him, she had once been humiliated by him… Between them, there had even once been a child, though he didn’t know it. She had received hatred and jealousy because of him, she had received beatings and abuse because of him, but seeing him suddenly, her heart held no thousand words, only blankness.

She had never hated this man, but she had never loved this man either.

“Come here!” Liu Yan slammed the table with a bang, making a loud commotion.

She slowly walked toward him. Yu Tuan’er looked at her in amazement and couldn’t help saying, “He’s shouting and yelling like this and you still listen…” Before finishing the sentence, her mouth was covered by Fang Pingzhai’s hand. She heard him quietly “shush” in her ear. “Don’t speak.” Yu Tuan’er was full of unwillingness. Liu Yan was inexplicably harsh and severe – if it were her, she would definitely slap him and scold him a few times. How could she just comply like this? Clearly Liu Yan was in the wrong!

“Lord… Lord.” A’Shui walked in front of Liu Yan, her slightly pale lips moving once as she called out in a low voice.

Liu Yan sat in the chair, raised his hand to pinch her chin, and stared intently at her face. “Are you afraid of me?” A’Shui smiled faintly and shook her head. Whether devastatingly beautiful or bloody and mangled, Liu Yan was Liu Yan, that was all. Liu Yan’s pale fingers applied slight pressure, his tone very calm. “Do you pity me?” A’Shui slowly shook her head. She should have many things to say. Opening her lips, perhaps she wanted to say something about… the child, but… no matter what, she couldn’t speak. This man… had committed extreme crimes, he had killed many people, but he… wasn’t a bad person. He had already received part of his retribution and punishment, and she didn’t want to cause him more pain.

The child… was just a mistake. As long as she alone forgot, it would be as if it never happened. So why remember it bitterly… Did she pity him? Looking at his terrible face, she didn’t pity him. There were many humble people in this world, but those who still had self-respect and confidence to shout at others weren’t pitiable. Seeing her stare intently at him with gentle yet desolate eyes, Liu Yan suddenly gripped her face hard. “Have you fallen in love with someone else?”

At these words, Fang Pingzhai exclaimed “Aiya” and Yu Tuan’er was stunned again. The two looked together at the purple-clothed woman firmly grasped by Liu Yan, only to see her eyes gradually become indifferent – that kind of indifference was the calm of helplessness and powerlessness overlapping. They heard her cough softly and say, “Lord, I’ve long said that A’Shui’s heart belongs to another. Lord’s talent covers the world. Even having lost looks and martial arts, you’re absolutely not ordinary. There’s no need to worry about A’Shui.” She spoke very indifferently but very truthfully. “I only make people feel pain, not happiness. Really… there’s nothing good about me.”

“Who have you fallen in love with? Who will you make happy?” But Liu Yan didn’t listen to the real meaning of these words and flew into a rage. “Did I say I was worried about you? How presumptuous! You’re my person – how can I let you love whoever you want? Did I give you permission to love whoever you want? Are you a slut? Shameless! Who does your heart belong to? Tang Lici?” A’Shui was pinched by his increasingly forceful fingers until she could barely breathe. “I—”

“Tang Lici again?” Liu Yan suddenly burst into mad laughter. “Hahahaha… I knew it! No matter what I like, what I want, what I care about, he has to find ways to destroy it! Even a small maid like you, he has to compete with me for!” He released A’Shui and said sinisterly, “Don’t worry – next time I see his face, I’ll definitely bring back his head to keep you company forever, making him supremely happy, hahahaha…” A’Shui staggered back two steps. “Cough cough… you… you’ve lost your martial arts, how can you kill him…” Liu Yan snorted coldly. Fang Pingzhai drew the red fan from behind his neck and waved it slightly. “When the master has business, disciples serve. Since master has lost his martial arts, naturally it’s the martially supreme, clever, handsome, and respectful disciple – me – who will do the killing. Though – I hear Tang Lici’s martial arts are also world-shaking and terrifyingly formidable, but – since I dare say ‘but,’ that shows I have the confidence and ability for ‘but,’ don’t you think?”

There was no sound from the guest room. A’Shui retreated until her back was against the wall, looking at the composed Fang Pingzhai, the clear-eyed Yu Tuan’er, and the murderous Liu Yan. These three, for Liu Yan’s sake, truly intended to kill Tang Lici – this was no jest.

The person her heart yearned for wasn’t Tang Lici, but even if she spoke in defense, Liu Yan wouldn’t listen.

He hated Tang Lici simply to hate – he deeply believed all reasons that let him hate Tang Lici, because hating Tang Lici was the meaning and motivation of his existence.

Whether he was a leader among heroes didn’t matter, whether he was devastatingly beautiful was meaningless, whether his legs were whole or crippled was irrelevant. The reason he could face everything calmly, could firmly live on, could even maintain self-respect and confidence, was entirely because he hated Tang Lici.

The guest room remained completely silent. She stood quietly to one side, suddenly feeling… actually, letting him continue hating like this wasn’t bad. But Tang Lici… the lofty Young Master Tang, could he really tolerate being hated like this?

Just then, there came three more “knock knock knock” sounds from outside the door. Several impatient voices rang out: “Open the door, open the door! Someone said you’re harboring suspicious outsiders in this house. Open the door, open the door – soldiers are searching for people! Anyone who dares harbor criminals shares their guilt!”