The white smoke was thick. Liu Yan only felt something like a rope wind around his body several times, then suddenly yank him from the chair and out. Immediately someone used that thing to bind him tightly and carry him on their back, rushing forward. After the white smoke cleared, the person carrying him forward in swift flight was a black-clothed youth in tight clothing. A long sword hung at his right waist, a small black bow at his left – needless to say, the short arrows that had killed people earlier were his.

But Liu Yan was startled. This was a very young youth, probably only seventeen or eighteen years old. The wheat-colored skin at the back of his neck radiated freshness and tender youth.

Yet he had killed the Shaolin monks without hesitation, rescuing people cleanly and efficiently. His actions were completely at odds with the youthful innocence that permeated his being. He recognized this youth. This black-clothed youth was surnamed Ren, called Ren Qingchou – an incongruous name for a quiet youth who rarely spoke in front of others. When living at Piaoleng Eyebrow Garden, he rarely left his room. Even when seeing people, he always kept his head down, as if saying two more words to anyone would make him shy. Liu Yan had almost never spoken with him. He’d heard this youth was Qu Zhiliang’s disciple, naturally gifted with very high martial arts, yet the disciple had none of his master’s domineering air and never even mentioned his master’s name.

“Ren Qingchou.” Liu Yan said in a low voice. “Put me down.”

Ren Qingchou shook his head, his voice sounding particularly innocent. “Sister Hui told me to bring you back.”

Liu Yan was slightly startled. Sister Hui? After thinking for a long time, he barely remembered that among the white-clothed servants, there was vaguely a woman surnamed Wen, called Wen Hui. That woman was from Emei Sect. Among all the white-clothed servants, her martial arts weren’t high, her appearance wasn’t outstanding, and she didn’t seem to have any eloquence or literary talent, so his impression of her was quite vague. After the battle at Haoyun Mountain, she should have been taken back by Emei Sect too. How could she still be together with Ren Qingchou? “How are you in Luoyang?”

“Miss Bai told me to work with Wei Beiyin and bring four leather-winged people to intercept and kill Tang Lici on the road, to seize the Green Enchantress pearl.” Ren Qingchou’s tone wasn’t dejected, but carried a trace of frustration. “But Tang Lici was really too difficult to deal with. He killed Wei Beiyin and the four leather-winged people in one move. I…”

Liu Yan laughed. “So you ran away?”

Ren Qingchou nodded. “Yes, but if I practice martial arts for a few more years, perhaps I’ll be able to kill him.”

Liu Yan laughed softly. “Really? Actually, you could have killed him last night…”

Ren Qingchou was stunned. “Why?”

Liu Yan exhaled a long breath. “Because that’s the kind of person he is. The more unfavorable the situation, the more he insists on showing off…”

Ren Qingchou remained sullenly silent. After a long while, he sighed. “Sister Hui said the same thing.”

Liu Yan said indifferently, “What do Bai Suche and Wen Hui want to do with me? I’m already disabled and useless to Fengliu Shop.”

“You…” Ren Qingchou paused, then said in a low voice, “How can you say that? Although you’re disabled, Sister Hui still…” The skin at the back of his neck suddenly reddened. “Sister Hui still worries about you very much. She said… she said as long as I bring you back, she’ll spend her whole life serving you.”

Liu Yan looked coldly at the black-clothed youth’s unconcealed shyness. “What else did she promise you?”

Even Ren Qingchou’s ears turned red, but he still said, “She said she’d spend her whole life serving you, being your maid, and then spend her whole life with me.”

Liu Yan sneered. “She promised you, and you believe it?”

Ren Qingchou said, “Sister Hui wouldn’t lie to me.”

Listening to his completely trusting voice, Liu Yan had been full of mockery, but for some reason his heart suddenly cooled down. He sighed. “What if she lied to you?”

Ren Qingchou said, “I would forgive her.”

Liu Yan didn’t speak for a long time. After a long while, he slowly said, “Why did you join Fengliu Shop? For your Sister Hui?”

Ren Qingchou nodded. “Yes.”

Liu Yan said coldly, “For your Sister Hui, you can just kill people randomly?”

Ren Qingchou was stunned. “But… but they were going to capture you. If they took you away, I couldn’t save you. Shaolin Temple’s Six Paths of Reincarnation has tight defenses, and the Shaolin monks have very high martial arts. If you were captured by them, you would definitely die. I don’t want to make Sister Hui sad.”

Liu Yan said indifferently, “Don’t kill people in the future.”

“Why?” Ren Qingchou’s voice sounded very confused.

Liu Yan didn’t answer. After a long time, he said, “Just be obedient.”

Ren Qingchou stopped talking. He had indeed always been an obedient child. After a while, Liu Yan said, “The monk you killed was a good person.”

Ren Qingchou said, “He was going to kill you. Why are you speaking up for him?”

Liu Yan looked at his neck. “I don’t want to speak up for him. I just don’t want to see you regret it in the future.”

Ren Qingchou carried him forward in swift flight, his steps both fast and steady. “Then you’ve killed so many people – will you regret it in the future?”

Liu Yan laughed once but didn’t answer.

Before long, Ren Qingchou carried him to the foot of a hillside on the outskirts of Luoyang City and stopped. Liu Yan looked up. At the foot of this hill was a dense forest with no houses. In the woods stood two women – one with her back turned and sleeves folded, gazing at the mountain; the other leaning against a tree with her head down.

Ren Qingchou walked to the woman leaning against the tree. “Sister Hui.” His call was full of joy and careful caution.

That woman raised her head. Liu Yan saw her gentle appearance – not beautiful, but not unpleasant either. Seeing him, her eyes reddened as she said to Ren Qingchou, “You’ve worked hard.”

The woman who had been gazing at the mountain with folded sleeves turned around, revealing a delicate oval face – it was Bai Suche. “Master.”

Liu Yan said indifferently, “After the defeat at Haoyun Mountain, for Fengliu Shop, I’m already a useless person. Don’t mention the title of Master anymore.”

Bai Suche didn’t answer – not answering was tacit agreement. But Wen Hui said, “No matter what Master becomes, to me, Master is Master and will never change.”

Liu Yan ignored her and looked at Bai Suche. “You had someone snatch me back, also for the antidote to the Crimson Ghost Nine Hearts Pill, right?”

Bai Suche nodded. “That’s right. Everyone in Fengliu Shop takes this medicine. Although when the medication period expires, continuing to take the medicine keeps one safe, he still hopes for a safer method.”

Liu Yan’s voice was gloomy and pleasant. “The Crimson Ghost Nine Hearts Pill has no antidote.”

Bai Suche was startled. “I don’t believe it.”

Liu Yan raised his hand and gently arranged the black gauze on his face. His fingers were white as jade, as if cast from porcelain. “The Crimson Ghost Nine Hearts Pill’s medicinal properties come from its toxicity. The toxicity allows people to break through limitations, numbs some pain, and enables martial arts to reach higher levels. If there were medicine that could eliminate this numbness, the Crimson Ghost Nine Hearts Pill would lose its effectiveness. Moreover, the pain people feel when exceeding the medication period is mostly because the body has become accustomed to enjoying the medicine’s pleasure, not because of the poison itself. So there is no antidote.”

Bai Suche looked at Liu Yan, her tone flat. “I see. Then you—” She turned around. “Have no meaning left to remain.”