She looked at Tang Lici, her expression very desolate. “What did I do wrong… to have to become like this?”

Tang Lici slowly lowered the arm pressed against his left eye. He opened his eyes but didn’t look at her, only quietly gazing at the roof beams. The room was pitch dark, and his pair of eyes glowed brilliantly in the darkness, just like the stars outside the window.

Two gentle knocks came from outside the door. Yu Tuan’er tapped lightly and asked quietly, “Sister A’Shui, is he dead?”

A’Shui smiled faintly, pulled Tang Lici’s hand away, stood up, and went to open the door. Yu Tuan’er stood at the doorway, pointing toward the room. “Is he dead?”

A’Shui shook her head. “He’s fine, just feeling sad in his heart.”

Yu Tuan’er asked in wonder, “He can feel sad in his heart too?”

A’Shui grasped her hand. “No matter who it is, everyone feels sad in their heart. You do too, don’t you?”

Yu Tuan’er made an “mm” sound, then said, “But being sad is useless anyway. He still doesn’t want me more than others. Oh right, it’s almost the third watch. Young Master Lin is asking how to go rescue people. If we don’t go to Wangting Villa soon, there’ll be nothing left but heads outside.”

Rescue people? A’Shui was momentarily dazed. It had only been one day, yet it felt like it had lasted very, very long. How to rescue people? She smoothed her hair. “Sister, how are your hidden weapon techniques?”

Yu Tuan’er’s eyes widened. “I don’t know! I’ve shot birds and wild cats in the forest.”

A’Shui reached into her robes and took out the “Kill Willow” blade that Bai Suche had given her. “This is a precious sword that cuts through iron like mud. I think since Fengliu Shop has hung people in trees, there should be ropes. You shoot the ropes to break them, and they should be able to come down.”

Yu Tuan’er took “Kill Willow” but asked, “What if they’ve had their pressure points sealed? What if their hands and feet are also tied with ropes? They don’t know martial arts! Even if they come down, how could they outrun Fengliu Shop’s pursuing soldiers?”

A’Shui said in a low voice, “Having you shoot to break the ropes is already very dangerous. What if Fengliu Shop’s people chase after you? I don’t know how to protect you, and I don’t know how to protect Young Master Lin either.”

Yu Tuan’er cried out, “So Sister A’Shui also has times when she doesn’t know what to do! I thought you weren’t afraid of anything!”

The threshold creaked. Lin Bu approached with hands behind his back. “Many torches have been lit outside Wangting Villa. Even trying to approach stealthily won’t be easy. Two people have already been hung up with knives at their necks…” He shook his head, a faint trace of compassion showing in his eyes. “I’m afraid…”

The three looked at each other speechlessly. How could they bear to let innocent people lose their lives for their sake?

A’Shui suddenly said, “There’s one method. I’ll go throw myself into their trap, say that Young Master Tang has already left, and have them release those people.”

Yu Tuan’er didn’t even want to hear it. “Nonsense! They’ll kill you immediately upon catching you. Why would they listen to you?”

A’Shui shook her head. “They won’t kill me, but if you or Young Master Lin are found, then you might not necessarily survive.” She bit her teeth and glanced inside. “I’ll entrust Fengfeng to—”

Her words stopped abruptly. Lin Bu turned around. “What is it?”

A’Shui pointed at Tang Lici’s room door. Fengfeng still sat on the bed, but Tang Lici, who had just been lying on the bed, was nowhere to be seen.

“He was feeling so unwell—how could he go rescue people?” Yu Tuan’er cried out in alarm. “Just now I thought he was going to die! How did he suddenly disappear?”

A’Shui stared blankly at the empty bed. He went to rescue people, didn’t he?

When someone’s… mind becomes as disordered as his, do they still know to rescue people?

He could only save others, yet could never save himself.

Kuanglan Wuxing had left.

The shock he brought to Biluo Palace had not yet dissipated. Biluo Palace’s fatal weakness remained—lacking first-rate masters as pillars of support. Although masters of Zhu Yan’s martial arts caliber were extremely rare, with at most three to five in the world, if Fu Zhumei hadn’t been present today, they would inevitably have been swept aside by Zhu Yan. Though Zhu Yan had already departed, the blood stains he left covering the ground had not yet been cleaned. Biluo Palace was briefly filled with panic, but everyone quickly forgot their fear and turned to worry about Bi Lianyi’s injuries.

Bi Lianyi was severely wounded. Besides being internally injured by Zhu Yan’s powerful true force, what was critical was that his chest had solidly received the “Chimei Spitting Pearl Qi.” The wounds left by Zhu Yan’s five fingers quickly turned black, while the flowing fresh blood was strangely red—a frightening sight. Wen Renhe had him take pills to treat internal injuries, but was helpless against that evil “Chimei Spitting Pearl Qi.” The chest wound couldn’t heal and bled continuously. The burning true qi eroded inward along his blood vessels toward his internal organs. If not for Bi Lianyi’s own deep foundation, he would have long ago been burned into a charred, dried corpse under the “Chimei Spitting Pearl Qi.”

In the room, Fu Zhumei was channeling energy to force out the “Chimei Spitting Pearl Qi” from Bi Lianyi, with Wen Renhe coordinating his energy circulation through acupuncture. But this evil martial art was extremely powerful—whether they could save him, no one could say for certain.

Wanyu Yuedan stayed in Bi Lianyi’s room for a while, then quietly withdrew without disturbing his rest.

Several courtyards away from Bi Lianyi’s room, Miss Hong sat in her chamber. She had heard commotion outside for quite a while but hadn’t gone out to see what had happened. Watching Biluo Palace disciples hastily assemble then gradually return, she heard everyone privately discussing that Kuanglan Wuxing had broken into Biluo Palace to kill Wanyu Yuedan. Everyone was very indignant—Kuanglan Wuxing had clearly been saved by Biluo Palace, yet this repaying kindness with enmity was too conscienceless and mad.

Listening, Miss Hong knew that Zhu Yan wanting to kill Wanyu Yuedan must have been due to Miss Tao’s instigation. She wasn’t acquainted with the real “Kuanglan Wuxing” Zhu Yan—what she had seen was Zhu Yan after losing his sanity from poison. But she had heard some rumors about Zhu Yan. It was said he was obsessively in love with a woman, that joining the “Seven Flowers Cloud Wanderers” back then was for that woman’s sake, and now wanting to kill Wanyu Yuedan was also mostly for that woman. That woman was surnamed Xue, called Xue Tao. She had once seen a portrait of Xue Tao, who looked almost identical to Miss Tao.

She didn’t know what was so good about that Miss Xue, but to make someone like Kuanglan Wuxing risk life and death for her, she must be an extraordinary woman. After thinking blankly for quite a while, thinking until even she didn’t know what she was thinking about, she sighed softly. The Master had sent news but his whereabouts were still unknown. She had to think of a way to have Wanyu Yuedan find Liu Yan, then hide him somewhere no one knew about. She still had a small group of loyal followers in Fengliu Shop, and with the Master’s Scarlet Ghost Nine Heart Pills under her management, there would still be opportunities for the Master to contend for supremacy in the martial world in the future.

“I think we should still go take a look…” Voices drifted faintly from the courtyard outside. Several Biluo Palace disciples who had returned earlier came back again. “Big Brother Bi is seriously injured. If we don’t go see him now, perhaps… perhaps…” Another person shushed, “Don’t say it, it’s too heartbreaking to hear.” A third person also said, “Yes, although Big Brother Bi always follows the Palace Master and isn’t familiar with us, just now he stepped forward to save people. Though he couldn’t match that Kuanglan Wuxing, he truly showed heroic spirit.” The first speaker’s voice was very mournful. “I’ve always looked up to Big Brother Bi as a model…”

Speaking thus, those several people gradually walked past.

Miss Hong stared blankly at the doorway. Bi Lianyi was severely wounded and about to die? She hadn’t seen Bi Lianyi for several days, but she remembered his appearance clearly—a handsome, upright man, resolute, calm, and gentle. If she really had to say what was wrong with him, she could only say his fault was that he wasn’t Liu Yan. Bi Lianyi’s martial arts were very high, higher than many people in Biluo Palace, but when he said he would devote himself wholeheartedly to Biluo Palace until death, he truly meant it without the slightest falsehood.

Of course Bi Lianyi wasn’t as handsome as Liu Yan, of course… he also didn’t have that melancholy that Liu Yan seemed to carry as if he could never be happy, didn’t have that emptiness as if something was missing. He could neither play the qin nor compose lyrics, but… but how could he just die like this? She rushed to the doorway, watching those people’s backs gradually disappear into the distance. Bi Lianyi was about to die—was it really true?