He sat down in the chair beside the bed and rubbed his hair. Actually, he didn’t know what he was doing here. Even if these two suddenly woke up, he wouldn’t know what to ask them. But somehow, sitting here made him feel slightly better than sitting in his own room lost in thought.

Kuanglan Wuxing had handsome features with a pale complexion. His disheveled hair was dry and fluffy, with faint traces of gray-white. Fu Zhumei sat beside him, observing. This man had a robust build and was extremely tall—when standing, he would probably be a full head taller than Wanyu Yuedan. He was indeed worthy of being a man who could wield an eight-foot-long sword.

A gentle breeze blew past, carrying the icy chill of early winter. Fu Zhumei had been sitting for a long time when he looked up at the plum blossoms blooming outside the window. Suddenly, his neck felt slightly cold. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the eight-foot sword beside the bed disappearing in a flash. The sword’s edge, ice-cold, was already positioned at his throat.

“What year of the Yongxi era is it today?” The voice behind him was clear and cold, slightly hoarse, yet still quite charming for a man’s voice.

“The eleventh month of Yongxi’s third year…” Before Fu Zhumei could finish his sentence, the long sword at his throat suddenly pressed harder. Fu Zhumei drew the blade from his sleeve to parry the long sword. With a crisp “ding” like ice meeting fire, scorching energy and freezing cold swept past his face together as he gracefully retreated, looking in amazement at the disheveled man before him.

Kuanglan Wuxing had already stood up. The instant he rose, there was an illusion that heaven and earth were tilting. Fu Zhumei’s mind hadn’t quite caught up yet. He only saw Kuanglan Wuxing’s lips curl slightly—whether in appreciation of his blade work or just a trace of an enigmatic smile was unclear. He lowered his head slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting, then turned away with desolate elegance. With a “crack,” he hurled the eight-foot sword into a corner and strode outside with large steps.

The eight-foot sword penetrated more than three feet into the ground. The portion not buried made a crisp “crack” sound as it shattered piece by piece, scattering broken iron across the floor. Only then did Fu Zhumei shout, “Wait! You—” His Plum Imperial Blade shot out, its momentum like swift snow and lightning, stirring up an icy chill as it struck directly toward Kuanglan Wuxing’s back. “Come back quickly!”

Kuanglan Wuxing’s sleeve fluttered behind him, and an extremely scorching true force surged like an undercurrent. Fu Zhumei hadn’t used his full strength in this strike, but he saw the icy blade energy transformed by the blazing solar true force waver in the air with a soft “tss” sound. The blade energy cut a gap in Kuanglan Wuxing’s sleeve, passing through to also slice a long tear in the clothes on his back.

But that was all. Kuanglan Wuxing continued forward with large strides, passing through the door. The Plum Imperial Blade, having missed its target, spun back with accumulated force. Fu Zhumei reached out to catch the blade, his face pale. Though he hadn’t used his full strength in this blade strike, having his attack only tear two gaps in clothing was unprecedented in his life. Despite suffering from the Bright Yellow Bamboo poison for years, Kuanglan Wuxing still possessed such skill—shattering a sword with one throw, striding away with large steps—where exactly was he going? What did he intend to do?

“Wait!” Fu Zhumei chased to the doorway, but Kuanglan Wuxing’s figure had already vanished without a trace. He truly didn’t know what to do. Wanyu Yuedan and Tang Lici had worked hard to save Kuanglan Wuxing, hoping to learn the Romantic Shop’s secrets from him. Yet the moment this man regained consciousness, he departed decisively without showing the slightest gratitude or reluctance. Though he stood here, he had neither asked anything nor been able to keep the man.

He was truly… utterly useless. Fu Zhumei’s thoughts were in chaos for quite a while before he rushed out of the bedroom and burst into Meihua Yishu’s room. Fortunately, Meihua Yishu was still in his room and hadn’t departed like Kuanglan Wuxing.

Meihua Yishu wasn’t lying in bed either. He sat at the table in his room, drinking tea sip by sip as if he were drinking strong liquor. When he saw Fu Zhumei burst in, he only smiled without showing any surprise.

Fu Zhumei instead felt somewhat awkward. “You… hello…”

Meihua Yishu raised his teapot and toasted him. Fu Zhumei understood this was a gesture of goodwill, so he took a step closer. “I… I live not far from here…” Meihua Yishu smiled, revealing a row of snow-white teeth. “I know you’re the one who saved Third Brother.”

Fu Zhumei was stunned—he had completely forgotten about that incident. “Ah… but he—” He pointed toward the adjacent room, clearly wanting to explain what had just happened, but only said, “He left.”

Meihua Yishu poured a mouthful of tea from the teapot. “Of course he would leave. You’ll regret saving him someday…” His voice was quite hoarse and unpleasant. “You should know the poison in his body was three times what I had—not three times the normal dose, but even the Bowstring Soul-Seizing technique couldn’t completely control him. The Seven Flowers Cloud Wanderers are famous throughout the world for their extraordinary arts. Fifth Brother is strongest in formations and mechanisms, Sixth Brother dominates in hidden weapons and mental techniques, but in terms of true martial arts… none of us six can match Third Brother. He is absolutely powerful.”

Fu Zhumei nodded. Kuanglan Wuxing was the first person who could depart so calmly under his Plum Imperial Blade. “But why did you and he get poisoned and become puppets of the Romantic Shop?”

Meihua Yishu took another gulp of tea. “Third Brother probably knows the real inside story much better than I do. I’m still very confused even now. That day… Sixth Brother invited us to drink at the Beautiful Lady Residence in Jiaoyu Town. His alcohol tolerance was always poor—he’d get drunk after two cups—so when he rarely extended an invitation, we all went.” He smiled. “It turned out that day’s wine was heavily poisoned. Sixth Brother got drunk himself, and I collapsed too. Though I was poisoned, I have a good alcohol tolerance, so in my dazed state, I knew Third Brother and Seventh Brother tied me up and stabbed poison needles all over my body. Seventh Brother disguised himself as a woman. I don’t know what they were plotting… but I remember later, after they moved me to some place and locked me up, Second Brother tried to rescue me but was killed by Third Brother.”

Fu Zhumei was horrified. “He… he killed your Second Brother?”

Meihua Yishu nodded. “So—Third Brother won’t tell you anything. He’s different from me. He was involved in the Romantic Shop’s initial plans from the beginning.”

Fu Zhumei vigorously rubbed his hair. “But… but how did he also end up in that state…”

Meihua Yishu burst into loud laughter. “Haha… cough cough… Who told him to get involved with Seventh Brother? Though Third Brother’s martial arts are high and his schemes run deep, he’s not a despicable villain. But Seventh Brother… that sissy who likes to disguise himself as a woman is more sinister and vicious than any woman. When Third Brother fought against Seventh Brother, how could he possibly win? Hahaha…” He laughed for a while, then took another gulp of tea. “Besides, Third Brother was obsessed with Seventh Brother’s younger sister. With such a huge weakness in Seventh Brother’s hands, how could he not be manipulated? I only wonder why Seventh Brother was bold enough to spare Third Brother’s life—isn’t he afraid of death?”

“Seventh Brother… who is he…” Fu Zhumei saw his emotional agitation and felt quite worried. “Stop drinking water—be careful not to choke.”

Meihua Yishu drank the tea like alcohol, gulp by gulp. “The Seventh Brother of the Seven Flowers Cloud Wanderers—Yu Konghou of One Peach Three Colors! Don’t tell me you don’t know?”

Fu Zhumei asked in surprise, “Isn’t One Peach Three Colors called Xifang Tao?”

Meihua Yishu was stunned. “He has a female cousin surnamed Xue, called Xue Tao. The three characters ‘Xifang Tao’ probably come from his cousin’s name. But that cousin…” He suddenly laughed. “I only saw his cousin once. Over ten years ago, he and Third Brother competed for that cousin. His cousin liked Third Brother, so Seventh Brother hid his cousin away. It’s been over ten years now, and no one can find her.”

Fu Zhumei frowned. “How could he do such a thing? Aren’t you sworn brothers? Why would he poison you with drugged wine? Why wouldn’t he let his own cousin be with his own Third Brother?”

“Seventh Brother…” Meihua Yishu murmured. “Some people are naturally treacherous and malicious. He wanted to establish his own sect under the name of Seven Flowers Cloud Wanderers, claiming he would create another martial world sect that could rival Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun, Emei, and others. Big Brother and Third Brother supported this. I was never enthusiastic about it, but I never expected that just not being enthusiastic… would make him treat me this way. Hey! He’s infatuated with his cousin—how could he possibly let her fall into Third Brother’s hands? He always has ways to make those who oppose him suffer fates worse than death…”

Fu Zhumei felt a chill run through his entire body. “But… but this happened ten years ago. Originally, he just wanted to establish his own sect—how did it become the terrifying organization that is the Romantic Shop today?”

Meihua Yishu shook his head. “I don’t know… Ten years is too long. Everything has changed.”

Fu Zhumei looked at his dazed expression. After restraining himself repeatedly, he finally couldn’t help asking, “Yu Konghou… what is his relationship with the Ghost-Faced Demon Yu Cuiwei…”

“Hahaha…” Meihua Yishu collapsed on the table, laughing loudly. “That demon’s reputation is indeed resounding. One of Seventh Brother’s purposes in establishing the Romantic Shop was to recruit people to destroy Bingzhu Temple. He hates Yu Cuiwei to the bone—that’s his half-brother from the same mother.”

Fu Zhumei cried out, “He’s Yu Cuiwei’s blood brother…”

Meihua Yishu continued laughing and was about to drink more tea, but the teapot was already empty. “According to what Seventh Brother said personally, after his unfaithful mother gave birth to him, she was beaten to death by his father. His father drove both him and Yu Cuiwei out while he was still in swaddling clothes. Yu Cuiwei raised him until he was eight, but he felt he couldn’t endure another day of that thieving, prostituting life, so he escaped. Though Seventh Brother is ungrateful, he’s naturally gifted. With just the little foundation Yu Cuiwei taught him, he was able to cultivate outstanding martial arts on his own.”