A gentle, soothing fragrance permeated the air. The bedding was soft and comfortable as if floating on clouds. Cai Zhao felt pain throughout her body as if she had just been beaten. Well, she had been beaten.
When the room’s light shifted from bright to dim, she finally awoke. Mu Qingyan sat by her bed in a wide, sapphire-blue brocade robe, holding another bowl of intimidating medicine. His expression was stern, brows furrowed with a gloomy air. Seeing the girl awake, he wordlessly lifted her to administer the medicine.
Cai Zhao, teary-eyed from the bitterness, leaned against a large pillow and gasped, “Where’s the candied fruit? I want candied fruit.”
Mu Qingyan kept a straight face: “No candied fruit. Bear with it.”
Cai Zhao curled up into a small ball, whimpering like a newly weaned cub, “When you were pretending to be ugly, I always prepared candied fruit for you when you took medicine. Sweet when you wanted sweet, sour when you wanted sour. Now times have changed, and you’ve turned your back on me, wuwuwu…”
“You need to taste some bitterness, lest you forget the pain once the wound heals!” Mu Qingyan scolded, but still fetched a small purple jade-inlaid copper jar.
As the sweet and sour flavor melted on her tongue, Cai Zhao felt alive again. Sitting up, she noticed her dantian was warm and her meridians were flowing smoothly. Apart from the bruises covering her skin, her depleted inner strength from the night before had mostly recovered.
Cai Zhao, feeling her strong pulse with surprise and joy, exclaimed, “I didn’t expect that I could now heal my internal injuries even while unconscious!”
Her words were barely out when she received a flick on her forehead. The handsome, refined man’s face was frosty, his eyes betraying annoyance.
Cai Zhao, rubbing her forehead, immediately became meek. Her beautiful eyes drooped softly, looking adorable and submissive: “You must have helped me recover with your energy while I was unconscious. I’m very grateful…”
“Just grateful?” Mu Qingyan’s eyebrows arched.
“No, no, I’ve been thinking of you too,” the girl hurriedly pulled out a thin, long gold chain from her collar. “Look, I’ve been wearing this chain around my neck, as if you were always by my side.”
Mu Qingyan seemed somewhat moved, softening his tone, “I thought you had lost it. Did you redeem it specially?”
Mu Qingyan smiled coldly, “Really? You redeemed it, not Song Yuzhi?”
“?” Cai Zhao’s smile froze.
Mu Qingyan reached out with his long arm, his large hand grasping the small girl, kneading her like a millstone. Cai Zhao, knowing she had been exposed, smiled apologetically and begged for mercy: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to take credit. It’s just… Here, I’ll give you back the gold chain. I’ll put it on for you, okay?”
Mu Qingyan snorted coldly, sitting still as the girl wrapped the thin gold chain around his neck. A small gold whistle rolled out from his sleeve, and Cai Zhao, being very astute, eagerly took it and hung it at the end of the gold chain.
“By the way, where did Song Yuzhi and Fan Xingjia go? The captured black-clad men said you seemed to have arranged to meet up outside,” Mu Qingyan said casually.
Cai Zhao’s big eyes rolled: “You caught the black-clad men? That’s great. I don’t know where Third Senior Brother and Fifth Senior Brother are. We only said we’d break out separately…”
Mu Qingyan’s face changed instantly as he stood up abruptly: “After all we’ve been through together, you still don’t trust me! Fine, very well! Come, send people to search along all the small paths leading from Yinxiu Stream. Find Song Yuzhi and Fan Xingjia!”
“Ah no, no, no!” Cai Zhao quickly grabbed his robe. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. You’ve always disliked my Third Senior Brother, and I was afraid you might kill him! Great Sect Leader Mu, please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against me!”
Mu Qingyan slowly turned his head: “… What did you call me?”
“Sect, Sect Leader Mu.”
Mu Qingyan flew into a rage, shouting orders outside: “Come! Release the hounds across the mountains. Find Song Yuzhi and kill him without mercy, just like those black-clad men!”
“Why are you going crazy again? Can’t we talk properly?” Cai Zhao firmly hugged his waist, pulling him down onto the large soft couch, then pressed herself on top of him.
Mu Qingyan lay down, pointing at the girl’s forehead covered in red marks, “I’ll give you one chance to make amends.”
Cai Zhao buried her head in his chest, muffling her voice, “… Brother Yan.”
“You certainly know how to adapt.”
“My mother said – there’s no shame in being coquettish.”
The girl became increasingly coy, snuggling closer and whispering in his ear, “Brother Yan, don’t be angry with me anymore. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Mu Qingyan stretched out his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace. His hands unconsciously caressed her, feeling the warm, jade-like skin beneath the thin silk sleeping garment. So soft and tender, he suddenly understood the meaning of ‘soft jade and warm fragrance.’ Combined with her cloying, lingering calls, his breathing became unsteady.
Seeing the tall young man beneath her gradually flush, his breathing becoming heavier, Cai Zhao was about to tease him further when she suddenly felt the world spin. She was lifted up and tightly wrapped in a blanket. Mu Qingyan silently pulled down the brocade rope hanging the bed curtains, tying her up with the fluffy blanket in a crisscross pattern.
“Stay put!” Mu Qingyan’s chest heaved violently, his fair skin flushed as if painted with rouge, spreading from behind his ears down his long neck to his smooth chest visible through his slightly open collar.
“You’re not allowed to touch me anymore!” he pointed at the girl’s nose, righteous and solemn.
Cai Zhao bundled up like a plump dumpling: …
“In any case, before we’re properly married, we mustn’t overstep boundaries.” Mu Qingyan, having regained his composure, wore an air of righteousness and morality, as if he could be placed on an altar with three sticks of incense.
Cai Zhao rolled her eyes: “Hurry up and untie me, I’m hungry.”
Watching Mu Qingyan ‘untie’ her, she couldn’t help but say: “You’re really not well. When I don’t pay attention to you, you’re always flirting. When I actually want to be with you, you back off. What’s this, playing hard to get?”
Thinking about it, she realized it wasn’t quite right. Playing hard to get usually ends with ‘getting,’ but this guy was genuinely ‘hard to get.’
Mu Qingyan maintained his cold expression: “Put your clothes on properly and come down for dinner.”
He left the room, returning moments later with a tray. Cai Zhao sat down at the table, fuming. She opened a large celadon bowl in the center, and a familiar aroma wafted out – it was her favorite chicken wonton soup.
“… Actually, after returning to Luoying Valley, I found that the wontons in town aren’t as good as yours,” she said, gobbling them down, unsure if it was the heat of the food or her heart that made her feel warm all over.
Mu Qingyan sighed, “If only you thought of me as much as you think about wontons.”
As Cai Zhao ate, she noticed the matching porcelain plates and cups were elegantly colored and simply designed. Looking around the room, she saw it was similarly furnished in a simple yet refined style, unlike the luxurious atmosphere of the Palace of Extreme Pleasure.
“Where is this place?” she asked curiously.
“This is the Busi Study,” Mu Qingyan ladled her a bowl of yam and pork bone porridge. “My father and I lived here for ten years. After he passed away, I moved to Fanghua Yishun near the Palace of Extreme Pleasure, intending to compete with Nie Zhe.”
Cai Zhao tilted her head, eating and observing, “Your father had good taste. My aunt would surely like it.”
Mu Qingyan’s hand paused while ladling porridge, “You don’t like it?”
Cai Zhao’s face reddened slightly as she spoke softly, “Actually, I prefer a livelier house, filled with delicious snacks and fun things everywhere. When you open the window, the courtyard should be full of grapes, persimmons, and large yellow pears.”
Mu Qingyan remained silent, but his dark eyes seemed about to overflow with laughter.
“Ah my aunt always complained that I had too many things in my room,” the girl said, resting her chin on the porcelain spoon with a melancholy expression.
Mu Qingyan tried to keep a straight face, “… Having more things is good. It makes the place feel cheerful.”
“It would be best to have a gentle little cat too, even one that purrs is fine,” Cai Zhao said, getting more excited.
Mu Qingyan hesitated, “Wouldn’t a dog be better? A big dog that can guard the house and hunt.”
“Hmm, that’s not impossible, but if it’s too big, how can I cuddle it while sleeping?”
“So that’s why you’re worried about a cat purring,” Mu Qingyan couldn’t help but chuckle, imagining the plump little girl hugging an equally plump cat, sleeping soundly. “How big is the cat you had before now?”
“I’ve never had a cat,” Cai Zhao replied.
“Hm?” Mu Qingyan’s hand, holding a piece of date paste cake, stopped midair.
Cai Zhao spoke softly, “Cats have fur — my aunt later became prone to coughing. We didn’t even plant willows near our house, fearing the willow catkins might drift in.”
“…” Mu Qingyan placed the date paste cake in her bowl. “My father was lonely from childhood, so he raised a dog from a young age. The dog was loyal and obedient but was later poisoned. To avoid reminding Father of his grief, we didn’t keep any pets at Busi Study.”
They both sighed and fell silent.
“Are you full?” Mu Qingyan suddenly asked. “If so, come with me. I’ll take you to meet my father.”
Cai Zhao thought she had misheard, “What did you say?!”
Mu Qingyan tapped her forehead with a chopstick, laughing, “The mountain behind Busi Study is the burial ground for generations of the Mu family. There’s no better time than now. I’ll take you to pay respects to my father and let him meet you.” Speaking of his deceased father, he showed unusual tenderness and sincerity.
“Oh.” Cai Zhao hesitated.
Mu Qingyan frowned, “I’ve met your parents. What, you don’t want to meet my father?”
“No, no!” Cai Zhao quickly waved her hands. ” I greatly admire your father. Just hearing about his conduct, I know he was a truly good person, like a lotus rising from the mud!”
“…” Mu Qingyan narrowed his eyes, “Who are you calling mud?”
Cai Zhao: …
“When we meet my father, speak less. I’m afraid he might come back to life out of anger.”
Mu Qingyan was well-prepared, from a hooded cloak made of fine wool to thick leather boots. Cai Zhao didn’t feel cold walking in the snow-covered mountainous region, though she wrapped wounds still ached slightly when moving.
Mu Qingyan put an arm around her as they walked, constantly admonishing her, “Think about it, what good has following Song Yuzhi brought you? You’re either being chased or falling off cliffs and waterfalls. When you’re with me, whether in snowy peaks or blood swamps, when have I ever let you suffer…”
“I might not have suffered much in the snowy peaks and blood swamps, but what about by the river?” Cai Zhao retorted. “If it weren’t for the retired Hero Shi’s rescue, we both would have been buried by the landslide and flood!”
She grew more agitated as she thought about it, “My aunt was right, you can’t rely on others, only on yourself!”
At that moment, familiar clear whistles came from the sky. Two golden figures soared across the evening sky, circling the mountain peak with grace and strength.
Cai Zhao looked up, smiling, “Their wounds must have healed. I’ve missed them.”
Mu Qingyan glanced at her, “If you treat me better, I’ll let you ride them.”
Cai Zhao seemed to think of something and smiled secretly, “Let’s not talk about that. Tell me about how you saved me. When did you know we were in trouble?”
Mu Qingyan lowered his long lashes, “Actually, I knew as soon as you arrived at Yinxiu Stream, but considering Elder Sister Jing Yuan and your father, I had to pretend I didn’t know anything.”
“Why pretend?”
“What else could I do? Bring chickens, ducks, fish, meat, and several jars of fine wine to visit — ‘Elder Sister, Sect Leader Cai, how have you been? Since we’ve met by chance, why don’t we have a drink together’?”
“Alright.” Cai Zhao deflated a bit. “Do you know why we went to Xuankong Temple?”
Mu Qingyan replied, “With Song Yuzhi and Fan Xingjia there too, what else could it be? Did you find the Purple Jade Golden Mallow?”
Cai Zhao felt annoyed, “We did find it, and Third Senior Brother’s old injury had healed. We intended to destroy the Purple Jade Golden Mallow on the spot, but those black-clad men arrived just in time and snatched it away — I guess the person behind this must have been monitoring Luoying Valley, following our tracks.”
Mu Qingyan said, “It doesn’t matter. When the real culprit sneaks into the blood swamp and finds that the Night Orchid has been destroyed, they’ll realize that taking the Purple Jade Golden Mallow was all for nothing.”
Mentioning this, Cai Zhao’s face fell, “Last night, in that critical moment, Fifth Senior Brother told me that on the night we were in the blood swamp, he secretly took a branch of the Night Orchid. Just as he was about to tell me who instructed him to do so, he took a blow from a black-clad man meant for me and fell unconscious.”
“He took a branch of the Night Orchid? This is truly troublesome.” Mu Qingyan frowned, “But don’t worry too much. Over a decade ago, when Nie Hengcheng was cultivating the third level of the Purple Microheart Sutra, he also had the Purple Jade Golden Mallow, but he still failed. If Nie Hengcheng couldn’t succeed, the person behind this might not either.”
“Speaking of this…” Cai Zhao paused, “During our time apart, did you find out anything? How did Mu Zhengyang trick Nie Hengcheng into practicing this evil technique?”
Mu Qingyan pondered for a moment, “It’s a long story.” He pointed ahead, “Let’s go in first.”
Cai Zhao turned around and was struck by a solemn, cold atmosphere. More than ten huge, grayish-white stone beams stood straight ahead. The central beam bore the large, blood-red characters for “Forbidden Tomb,” with sixteen smaller characters below — “Ancestral sacrifice ground, burial boundary, entry strictly forbidden, violators will die.”
Stepping through the stone beam gate, Cai Zhao felt enveloped by a gloomy, primitive aura. Surrounding them were countless huge black trees with sturdy roots and twisted branches. The large, knotted tree bark resembled half-open giant eyes, each as big as a child’s head. The intertwining thick branches blocked out the sky, casting the entire burial ground in deep black.
After walking for an unknown distance, a vast field of tombs and memorial stones came into view. Bai stone tablets, dense black trees, blood-red inscriptions, and strangely shaped, sharp, and steep mountain peaks and odd rocks created an eerie, ghostly landscape.
Mu Qingyan stopped, his voice dry, “We’re here.”
Cai Zhao was slightly surprised — compared to the grand and magnificent ancient tombs around, Mu Zhengming’s grave seemed small and simple.
“This was Father’s last wish,” Mu Qingyan said softly. “He said he had never been a sect leader, nor had he done anything beneficial for the Divine Sect, so a simple burial would suffice.”
Cai Zhao spoke quietly, “My aunt also didn’t want us to make a fuss. Her ashes are buried next to a large peach tree. She said just pour a few jars of peach blossom wine on her grave during festivals.”
Mu Qingyan smiled, “Alright, when we go to pay respects to Lady Cai, I’ll bring plenty of good wine.”
He stepped forward and bent down, skillfully arranging the offerings, “Father, I’m here, and I’ve brought her to meet you. Her name is Zhao Zhao, Cai Zhao. Her aunt is Cai Pingshu…”
Cai Zhao gazed at the simple, flat tombstone, thinking of the person buried beneath. His life of non-interference, a lifetime of loneliness and helplessness, finally withering away quietly, like a calm, flowing stream, indifferent to life and death.
After helping Mu Qingyan arrange the offerings, she knelt properly before this kind elder, bowing and praying as earnestly as she would for her aunt, “… May you be blessed with both parents in your next life, spared the pain of losing a father; may your family be complete and happy, free from the sorrow of separation; may all your affairs be smooth, unburdened by constraints. May you soar freely in the vast sky and sea.”
The girl’s tone was gentle and compassionate. Mu Qingyan stood quietly beside her, gazing at the tombstone for a long time.
After paying their respects, they sat far away on a crooked, protruding thick tree branch.
“… Yan Xu reviewed many records and compared them with other accounts from that period. I’ve roughly deduced how Mu Zhengyang deceived Nie Hengcheng.”
“In his later years, Nie Hengcheng became extremely paranoid, unwilling to accept that his great work was unfinished, yet fearing his aging and decline. Mu Zhengyang seized this opportunity, indirectly leaking information to the Palace of Extreme Pleasure — that the Purple Microheart Sutra could indeed be mastered. The eldest son of Sect Leader Mu Song had succeeded, but unfortunately died young, causing the technique to be lost.”
Cai Zhao tensed, “This is all false, right? No one has ever mastered the Purple Microheart Sutra.”
“No, it’s true. Mu Song’s eldest son did master it.” Mu Qingyan’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile. “The story Mu Zhengyang leaked to Nie Hengcheng was 99% true, with only one falsehood at the very end.”
Cai Zhao was skeptical.
Mu Qingyan continued, “Someone like Nie Hengcheng wouldn’t just believe hearsay, so he sent spies everywhere to verify the details. The concubines and maids of the Mu family’s children, personal guards, even the hundreds of servants in the Palace of Extreme Pleasure, and the elders from Sect Leader Mu Song’s time — their private letters, notes left for descendants, even stolen fragments of conversation…”
“From thousands of minor details, Nie Hengcheng deduced that Mu Song indeed had a sickly eldest son who mastered an incredibly powerful divine technique. It not only cured his congenital weaknesses but could also prolong his life. Unfortunately, while open attacks are easy to avoid, hidden arrows are hard to guard against. The day after he mastered the technique, he was killed by his jealous siblings who joined forces against him.”
“This was the Mu family’s greatest scandal in over a hundred years since the Divine Sect’s founding. Sect Leader Mu Song strictly forbade all his children from mentioning it and killed all the guards and servants present. Even the Seven Star Elders only knew bits and pieces. Because all the children were involved in this conspiracy, Mu Song couldn’t punish them all. Filled with endless guilt towards his eldest son, he became obsessed with Taoist practices and alchemy, eventually dying in his alchemy room.”
Cai Zhao’s throat felt dry as she listened, “Is all this true as well?”
“Most of it is.” Mu Qingyan’s face was expressionless.
Cai Zhao was speechless for a long time. “As descendants of the Mu family, your father viewed the position of sect leader as worthless, while these others coveted it so much they were willing to kill their siblings. It’s really… really…” She couldn’t find the words to comment. “Please continue.”
“Nie Hengcheng’s next task was to decipher how to cultivate the ‘Purple Wei Heart Sutra’,” Mu Qingyan explained. “During Patriarch Mu Song’s era, the chief scribe was named Qu Linglong. Nie Hengcheng went to great lengths to find her descendants and obtain Elder Qu’s notes. However, this was all part of Mu Zhengyang’s plan, as he had already forged a complete set of Elder Qu’s notes.”
“According to these forged notes, on a certain day, the eldest young master Mu suddenly began searching for the saliva of the Snow Scale Dragon Beast, eventually finding the last small vial in a remote corner of the storehouse. Months later, he started cultivating a species of orchid that only bloomed at night.”
“Ah!” Cai Zhao exclaimed, “The blood swamp! The night orchid in the blood swamp, and Cai Anning, right? Isn’t it?”
Mu Qingyan nodded. “This orchid was difficult to grow, so the eldest young master planted an entire garden, even extending to the back hillside. After the orchids matured, he suddenly ordered someone to retrieve the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower from the storehouse, without explaining its purpose. Finally, in the two months before his murder, seven experts from the sect mysteriously vanished.”
“At first, Elder Qu suspected the Northern Chen Six Sects were behind it. It wasn’t until Patriarch Mu Song died suddenly and his sons fought for power, throwing the Divine Sect into chaos, that someone accidentally discovered the mummified bodies of these seven people buried at the foot of the mountain.”
Cai Zhao was incredulous. “So this eldest young master wasn’t a good person after all!” She had initially felt pity for this gifted yet ill-fated youth who had struggled to overcome his destiny only to be killed by his siblings.
Mu Qingyan asked curiously, “The seven who died were from our sect. Why do you care?”
Cai Zhao stood up angrily. “Regardless of who died, using such vicious methods to drain others’ essence and inner force for personal gain is unforgivable!”
Mu Qingyan patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Well, he was killed by his siblings right after mastering the ‘Purple Wei Heart Sutra’. Isn’t that good enough? Don’t be angry.”
Cai Zhao was speechless. “Never mind,” she said, giving up on arguing with him. “With so many clues, why didn’t anyone else notice? Didn’t Nie Hengcheng suspect anything?”
Mu Qingyan explained, “Elder Qu recorded these events chronologically, with all the details scattered among other incidents. It was difficult to spot any anomalies just by reading through. Nie Hengcheng painstakingly pieced everything together, eventually identifying three key elements: the Snow Scale Dragon Beast’s saliva, the night orchid, and the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower combined with the inner force of the seven experts.”
Cai Zhao sighed, “Don’t tell me all of this was true.”
“If it were all true, how could Nie Hengcheng have gone mad while cultivating the third level?” Mu Qingyan’s smile was both pleasant and cruel as if envisioning Nie Hengcheng’s despair and confusion in his final days, nearly abandoned by all.
Cai Zhao pondered, “Nie Hengcheng passed the first two stages of the ‘Purple Wei Heart Sutra’, so it seems Mu Zhengyang tampered with the instructions for the third level.”
“Correct,” Mu Qingyan said. “Because the first two stages went smoothly, Nie Hengcheng became increasingly convinced he had found the correct method and continued cultivating.”
Cai Zhao couldn’t help but ask curiously, “How should the third level of the ‘Purple Wei Heart Sutra’ actually be cultivated? Nie Hengcheng clearly did it wrong, but did Mu Zhengyang know the correct way?”
Mu Qingyan replied, “He went to the blood swamp a second time to get the night orchid, obviously intending to cultivate it himself. So he must have known—but your aunt killed him early on, and I couldn’t find any traces he left behind.”
Cai Zhao sighed in relief, “It’s better that the method for the third level remains a mystery. This way, no one will covet it, and hopefully, the person behind all this will also go mad if they try to cultivate it!”
She continued, “To ensure Nie Hengcheng passed the first two stages, Mu Zhengyang personally went to the Snowy Ridge and blood swamp to obtain the Snow Scale Dragon Beast’s saliva and night orchid cuttings. But why did he bring my aunt along? Wasn’t he afraid of revealing his secret?”
Mu Qingyan explained, “If Mu Zhengyang could piece together the scattered information about the ‘Purple Wei Heart Sutra’ from vast records and set up this poisonous plot against Nie Hengcheng, uncovering the secrets of your Falling Petal Valley wouldn’t be difficult for him.”
He continued, “Although people say the Snow Scale Dragon Beast is extinct, careful research reveals that the last one disappeared in the great snow mountain of the far north along with Gu Qingkong from Falling Petal Valley. The night orchids in the Extreme Pleasure Palace’s back garden were burned, but many remained on the back hillside. However, after years of neglect, few probably survived, and decades later, Cai Anning moved them all away. Without your aunt’s help, Mu Zhengyang might not have succeeded.”
Cai Zhao felt sad. “Are you saying Mu Zhengyang deliberately befriended my aunt just to obtain the night orchid and the Snow Scale Dragon Beast’s saliva? If he already had everything he needed, why did he kill my aunt’s brothers?”
“For power, for absolute control,” Mu Qingyan’s expression was inscrutable. “By then, Nie Hengcheng had already gone mad and was beyond redemption, nearing death. When the time came for Mu Zhengyang to reveal his identity, my father wouldn’t have contested him. All he needed to do was eliminate Nie’s followers like Zhao Tianbai and Han Yisu one by one.”
“Mu Zhengyang wasn’t afraid of people like Yin Dai or Yang Yi. The only one he worried about was your aunt. Even if he could fight your aunt one-on-one, what about her brothers? They were all first-class experts of their time, united and loyal to death. How could he defend against their combined seven-person formation? It was better to eliminate them in advance, as long as your aunt remained unaware. If he could deceive your aunt, unifying the world wasn’t impossible.”
“However, he didn’t anticipate that Lu Chengnan would betray the Extreme Pleasure Palace at the cost of his life, revealing the secret of the ‘Purple Wei Heart Sutra’ before dying. This caused your aunt to become suspicious of Mu Zhengyang, ultimately leading to his complete defeat.”
Cai Zhao was both shocked and heartbroken, feeling as if her throat was blocked, unable to breathe. “Mu Zhengyang, that bastard!” she cursed bitterly. “And Nie Hengcheng was useless too. Mu Zhengyang practiced and plotted right under his nose, yet he knew nothing. No wonder he fell for the trap in the end!”
Mu Qingyan slightly raised his head, “Moreover, Mu Zhengyang came and went freely in the Hanhai Mountain Range, and Nie Hengcheng didn’t say a word. His guard was far too lax.”
The two then proceeded to thoroughly criticize Mu Zhengyang and Nie Hengcheng, with Cai Zhao’s curses full of righteous anger and Mu Qingyan’s insults precise and cutting. After they both vented their frustrations, the girl tugged at the young man’s sleeve, rubbing her stomach with a worried expression. “I think I’m hungry again.”
Mu Qingyan laughed, “Even a wealthy family might struggle to keep you fed! Alright, let’s have a late-night snack.” After a pause, he glanced at her sideways. “Are you really not going to reveal the whereabouts of your two senior disciples? You’re enjoying comfort and good food, while they might be cold and hungry somewhere.”
As night deepened, Cai Zhao lay in bed with her full stomach, tossing and turning contentedly. She couldn’t help but think of Song Yuzhi and Fan Xingjia, recalling Mu Qingyan’s teasing words. She hesitated, wondering whether to ask You Guanyue to bring her two senior disciples back, and if Mu Qingyan would harm them. But Fan Xingjia had said that Song Yuzhi had already settled his differences with Mu Qingyan. Should she only bring back her fifth senior disciple and leave the third one outside? It was so troublesome!
Perhaps due to her troubled thoughts, Cai Zhao had another nightmare that night. She woke up breathing heavily, drenched in sweat, feeling as if something terrifying had a firm grip on her. Yet the path ahead was shrouded in thick fog, preventing her from seeing what caused such fear. After waking from this inescapable, web-like terror, she found it impossible to fall back asleep. She got up, put on some clothes, and opened the window slightly to admire the snowy landscape under the moonlight.
People say moonlight is like water, but in Falling Petal Valley, it had a slight yellow tinge, exuding the warmth of human life. In Qingque Sect, the moonlight was like scattered silver, cold and clear. Tonight in the Hanhai Mountain Range, the moonlight was extremely faint, not as bright as the reflection from the snow, as if covered by a dense layer of… vines and leaves?
Cai Zhao suddenly became alert, her mind buzzing, ears filled with a sharp whistle. She couldn’t move her body, feeling stiff all over. A numbness crept up from her fingertips to her heart, as if thousands of tiny needles were pricking her skin, painful to the point of numbness. After a while, she slowly managed to move to the bedside, woodenly feeling for her clothes. Instead, her hand touched her Blazing Sun Sword. She hugged the precious sword tightly, as if it were her only support.
Silently calling out to her aunt, she gradually gathered her strength and made a resolute decision. Outside, it was bitterly cold. The night sky was as black as ink, with layers of fog-like dark clouds pressing down, making it hard to breathe. After walking only a few dozen steps towards the mountain path, she suddenly saw a straight, black figure blocking her way.
Cai Zhao stopped abruptly, demanding fiercely, “Why are you here?” The young man before her was neatly dressed and composed, as if he had never gone to bed but had been guarding outside her door all along.
“Zhaozao, where are you going? You should be resting,” he said, slowly approaching. “Did you not sleep well earlier? I should have lit some calming incense for you.”
The handsome young man spoke gently, but Cai Zhao felt a chill in her heart. “I want to go home. I’m going down the mountain,” she said firmly.
Mu Qingyan smiled, “Rest for two more days, and then I’ll accompany you down the mountain, back home together.”
Cai Zhao refused outright, “I don’t need your company. I want to go alone!”
“What’s wrong? Are you unhappy about something?” Mu Qingyan smiled, reaching out to caress her cheek.
Cai Zhao recoiled as if shocked, “Stay away from me!” As she spoke, she gathered her energy and leapt over him like a kite, rushing straight down the mountain. However, a group of silent, martial-arts-trained Demonic Sect members, led by You Guanyue, suddenly appeared from a mountain recess.
“Miss Zhaozao, please go back,” he said, bowing respectfully.
Cai Zhao gritted her teeth, pivoted on a rock, and gracefully turned towards another path down the mountain. But she hadn’t gone far before another group of experts blocked her way, this time led by Shangguan Haonan.
He stood with his chest puffed out, “Little Miss Cai, the Sect Leader has made arrangements. You can’t go down!”
Filled with anger, Cai Zhao suddenly turned and dashed uphill. You Guanyue and Shangguan Haonan were both stunned—that direction led to the Mu family’s ancestral graves, a forbidden area with no way out of the Hanhai Mountain Range.
Mu Qingyan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Cai Zhao ran at full speed towards the ‘Forbidden Tombs’. She didn’t know where to go, only wanting to get as far away from him as possible.
“Zhaozao, Zhaozao, where are you? It’s very cold here. Don’t catch a chill, come out quickly!” His voice grew closer, indicating he was catching up.
When he first called “Zhaozao,” his voice seemed to be dozens of feet away. By the last “come out,” he sounded as if he was right beside her.
Cai Zhao had just passed a grayish-white stone bridge when she saw dense, pitch-black woods ahead. Suddenly, a figure with fluttering robes leapt over her head, blocking her path.
Mu Qingyan stood on a waist-high rock, his jaw tense. “At least explain clearly why you’re suddenly leaving without a word!”
Cai Zhao responded with hatred in her voice, “You knew all along about Fifth Senior Brother stealing the night orchid cutting.”
Mu Qingyan laughed incredulously, “What are you talking about, Zhaozao? How could I know about Fan Xingjia’s petty theft?”
“Before Fifth Senior Brother passed out, he said one thing—’That night after stealing the night orchid, on his way back to his room, he saw me and Third Senior Brother returning from outside’…” The girl’s gaze was cold and determined. “I remember clearly, when Third Senior Brother and I returned, you had just come down from the roof.”
Mu Qingyan’s pupils contracted violently.
Cai Zhao knew she had guessed correctly, feeling a sharp pain in her heart. The sweeter the previous moments had been, the more painful this realization was.
“The night orchids were planted in the courtyard at the center of the small building. You could see everything clearly from the roof!” she shouted. “Before you came down from the roof, you must have seen Fifth Senior Brother go to the courtyard to steal the night orchid!”
“You knew all along! Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You did this on purpose. You intentionally let me believe the ‘Purple Wei Heart Sutra’ couldn’t be cultivated anymore!”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “If I had known earlier that the night orchid had been stolen, I would never have found the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower! I would never have ruined my aunt’s efforts!”
“How many things have you hidden from me? What are you really trying to do?”
Mu Qingyan stood calmly on the rock. Under the cold moon in the deep mountains, his robes fluttering, it was hard to distinguish between the divine and the demonic.