On another road, several carriages were also slowly approaching Haoyun Mountain. These carriages were adorned with jade-green silk curtains and jade bells, elegant and otherworldly—they were precisely Biluo Palace’s carriages.

Inside the carriages sat Bi Lianyi and Miss Hong, with Tie Jing leading thirteen members of Biluo Palace’s “Heaven” group to escort them up Haoyun Mountain. After two months of treatment, Bi Lianyi’s injuries had greatly improved, which naturally involved Miss Hong’s careful nursing. Wanyu Yuedan’s decision to send these two to Haoyun Mountain at this time had many considerations, but mainly it was because before the battle with Fengliu Store, Tang Lici hoped to learn more details about Fengliu Store’s Piaolin Mei Garden from Miss Hong. As for Bi Lianyi accompanying them, firstly, after his severe injuries, Wanyu Yuedan intentionally wanted him to travel around, and secondly, the relationship between him and Miss Hong was showing signs of improvement—no one wanted them to be separated.

Inside the carriage, Bi Lianyi sat with closed eyes in meditation, silent and tranquil. Miss Hong rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window. Outside the carriage, the mountains were clear and waters beautiful, spring was abundant—no longer showing winter’s frosty coldness. She had lived at Biluo Palace for most of a year. When she went there, she carried a heart prepared for death, but now emerging from Biluo Palace, her state of mind was completely different.

The reason she agreed to help Tang Lici was because he promised to let her meet Liu Yan once.

She wasn’t surprised that Liu Yan would be in Tang Lici’s hands. Tens of thousands of people in the martial world wanted to obtain Liu Yan, but speaking of who could truly hold him in their grasp, who else could it be besides Tang Lici?

She wanted to see Liu Yan, then go with him wherever he went—whether to revive his hegemonic ambitions or fade from the martial world, it would all be good. When she used to think this way, her blood would boil with excitement. Now when she thought this way, it felt very plain. She couldn’t tell whether her persistence in wanting to go with Liu Yan was truly her heart’s desire, or merely a form of escape.

Bi Lianyi’s steady breathing was beside her, and she tried her best not to look at him. His injuries weren’t completely healed yet. Occasionally when his breathing became irregular, she would follow suit in becoming restless and troubled. But no matter what kind of pain he endured, he never spoke of it. Whether during the initial critical period of his injuries or now during his gradual recovery, he always said he was fine. Men who always said they were fine were very annoying. She steeled her heart to believe he was fine, yet often couldn’t control herself from paying attention to his expressions and breathing.

The wind outside swept through the curtains, very cool and refreshing. Miss Hong silently gazed outside. At this very moment, what was Liu Yan doing? Did he still remember her? At the thought that Liu Yan might have long forgotten her, tears burst from her eyes.

She felt she had suffered so much hardship, though actually… actually she hadn’t suffered any harm at all. Actually, during this half year at Biluo Palace, she had acted recklessly and willfully—those who suffered harm were all others. But she just felt she had suffered so much hardship… while he… very likely had long forgotten her.

A handkerchief was passed to her face. Miss Hong took it and silently wiped away her tears. Bi Lianyi withdrew the handkerchief and continued sitting upright with closed eyes, as if nothing had happened.

Biluo Palace’s carriages gradually entered Haoyun Mountain’s territory. Suddenly hoofbeats thundered loudly as a swift horse overtook the carriages, racing straight toward the mountain peak. Tie Jing was slightly startled—the rider had a graceful figure and was clearly a young maiden. Looking at her riding posture, not only was her horsemanship poor, but her martial arts were only second or third-rate. How could such an inexperienced young woman be traveling alone, racing up Haoyun Mountain?

As the swift horse flashed past, Tie Jing suddenly pressed his hand to his sword hilt and waved to signal stopping the carriages. Everyone from Biluo Palace stopped their carriages, all pressing hands to sword hilts in alert preparation. Though Bi Lianyi was inside the carriage, he heard very clearly—several swift horses were tracking that maiden, galloping together with her, but after discovering Biluo Palace’s carriages, they suddenly stopped and hid their traces in the forest.

Who was tracking that maiden? Who were these people?

Tie Jing remained on guard with his hand on his sword. After a moment, discovering that the trackers bore no hostility toward Biluo Palace, he signaled to continue forward. Everyone from Biluo Palace silently proceeded in the quiet. After the woman in the carriage remained silent for a while, Miss Hong said in a low voice, “They’re people from Fengliu Store.”

Bi Lianyi opened his eyes. “How can you be certain?”

Miss Hong said, “This kind of tracking and lurking is a method I taught. Can you smell a faint fragrance? That’s the scent of the Yinxian Sheming technique’s medicinal water.”

Bi Lianyi carefully distinguished the scents, but his nose wasn’t as sensitive as Miss Hong’s. Even after paying attention for a long while, he couldn’t smell any faint fragrance. “That is to say, if you had a qin in hand, you could control the movements of those people behind us?”

Miss Hong slowly nodded, biting her lip. “But I can’t control them as well as the Master.”

“Are you willing to help Biluo Palace?” Bi Lianyi asked.

She didn’t answer. After a while, she slowly said, “Why don’t you ask if I’m willing to help you?”

Bi Lianyi quietly replied, “Helping Biluo Palace is helping me.”

Miss Hong raised her hand and slightly arranged her hair that had been blown about by the wind. “Are you begging me?”

Bi Lianyi said, “Biluo Palace disciples never beg anyone.”

A flash of anger passed through Miss Hong’s eyes, then she sighed and closed her eyes. “Even if I were willing to help you, I don’t have a qin.”

Bi Lianyi lifted a piece of brocade from the carriage seat cushion. Miss Hong was greatly shocked—what she had always thought was a cushion was actually a yao qin. The qin wasn’t large, one-third shorter than an ordinary yao qin. It also had seven strings, with smooth and lustrous wood and strings that gleamed brightly—it was an unprecedented qin. “This is…”

“This qin is called ‘Liupu,'” Bi Lianyi’s gaze was very calm. “Though the qin body isn’t long, the sound quality is very good.”

“Liupu Feilong is the finest qin made by the Qiwu family in fifty years, worth a thousand gold pieces.” Miss Hong asked in a low voice, “Did you buy it?”

Bi Lianyi lifted the qin horizontally and placed it on his knees. With a pluck of his finger, “Liupu Feilong” produced a long, resonant sound. “Do you like it?”

Miss Hong’s gaze became gentle as she stared at the qin in a daze. “When did you buy it?”

Bi Lianyi said, “The day after you smashed the jade pendant.”

Miss Hong remained silent, then embraced the yao qin. “What do you want those people behind us to do?”

“Surrender without resistance, so we can ask them a few questions.” Bi Lianyi said, “I didn’t give you the yao qin for Biluo Palace’s sake.”

Miss Hong sighed deeply. “I know.” Her ten fingers like scallions played a serene and harmonious melody on Liupu Feilong. Before long, hoofbeats sounded as five horses walked step by step into Biluo Palace’s alert perimeter. Tie Jing gave a great shout, and the clinging sounds of weapons falling to the ground could be heard. The five people outside offered no resistance and surrendered.

Bi Lianyi lifted the window curtain. Tie Jing had subdued one of them. “These people have scattered gazes—were they controlled by Miss Hong’s qin music?” He had heard the qin music arise from the carriage, and these people had approached as if in a dream, so he could guess somewhat.

Bi Lianyi glanced at the person Tie Jing had restrained. The man had an unfamiliar appearance and wasn’t recognizable. “Were you tracking that young lady just now?”

The man wore purple robes and had a vacant expression. “Yes…”

“Why were you tracking that young lady?”

“She came out of Fengming Mountain. In that mountain… there are ghosts… there are ghosts…” the purple-robed man mumbled. “She is Yu Tuan’er. She’s always been with Liu Yan. I wanted to find Liu Yan’s whereabouts…” He suddenly became agitated. “But there are ghosts in that mountain. Water turns into blood—suddenly, all the water on the ground turns into red, red blood. Underground there are zombies, monsters, making woo-woo-woo, eek-eek-eek sounds…”

Tie Jing and Bi Lianyi frowned and looked at each other. Though they didn’t understand what this person was saying, they could comprehend that the maiden he was tracking had a great connection to Liu Yan, and his purpose in tracking her was to find Liu Yan’s whereabouts.

“Liu Yan… is he… is he still alive? Is he well?” The carriage curtain lifted as Miss Hong asked in a trembling voice.

“He’s making an antidote for the Xinggui Nine Heart Pills. Master says… can’t let him make the antidote, must capture him, must kill him, hee hee hee… whoever captures him can unify the martial world, whoever captures him can unify the martial world…” the purple-robed man said incoherently, his mind clearly still immersed in thoughts of “ghosts.” “The ghosts captured him, the ghosts turned him into a pool of blood, ha ha ha…”

“Antidote?” Miss Hong said through gritted teeth. “That young lady knows where he is, doesn’t she? She… she’s always been with him? Always been with him? Who is she? Who is she?”

“She is Yu Tuan’er, is Yu Tuan’er, is Yu Tuan’er…” the purple-robed man said.

Miss Hong looked at Bi Lianyi. Bi Lianyi remained silent, Tie Jing was also speechless. Everyone was very quiet, and the looks they gave her contained not only regret but also sympathy. She drew in a sharp breath. “You… you already knew… already knew he was with another woman, already knew… everyone knew… yet you only kept it from me alone?”

“No, Miss Hong, Biluo Palace didn’t intentionally deceive you. It’s just this kind of matter, we… we never thought we should tell the young lady.” The Biluo Palace disciple driving the carriage said, “Which family’s daughter Liu Yan is with—we all thought that was a trivial matter not worth mentioning…”

“Don’t say anymore!” Miss Hong’s chest heaved. “It’s a trivial matter not worth mentioning, it’s Biluo Palace being honorable and upright, never spreading gossip, it’s you—” She looked at Bi Lianyi. “It’s you being broad-minded, never using such matters to force me to change my heart. You… none of you did anything wrong.” She collapsed dejectedly. “From beginning to end, the one who was stubbornly obsessed was me, the one with unrequited feelings was also me. I was wrong, I was wrong…”

“Speed up the journey.” Bi Lianyi said nothing more. Tie Jing nodded. The Biluo Palace group bound up those five dazed and confused people and raced their horses toward Haoyun Mountain.