The candlelight flickered faintly in the hall, the scent of peach blossoms mingling with the cloying sweetness of Yu Fusheng.
Gu Meng bit her lip, tears rolling down her cheeks in large drops.
She pretended to turn away in sorrow, ready to flee, but hesitated—what if Big Brother Li didn’t chase after her?
For a moment, she stood rooted in place.
Luo Luo spoke weakly, "Help me up. I'll leave."
Gu Meng whirled around. "Stop pretending to be delicate! How disgusting!"
Luo Luo: "..."
Gu Meng fumed, "As a woman, how can you have so little self-respect? Don’t you understand? He doesn’t care about you! Do you really think drugging him with such underhanded tricks will make him yours?"
Luo Luo: "..."
What should have been a night of heartbreak and despair now felt absurdly comical.
Gu Meng clenched her teeth, enunciating each word, "Don’t even dream of it. I won’t let you succeed! As long as I’m here, you won’t taint Big Brother Li’s purity!"
Luo Luo: "..."
Chen Xuanyi, the so-called "pure" one, stood with his head bowed, his face shadowed and unreadable, an aura of eerie stillness clinging to him.
"Big Brother Li!" Gu Meng turned to him, eyes brimming with tears. "If you don’t explain yourself now, I’ll really be angry! And if I get angry, I won’t forgive you so easily!"
She grabbed his arm and shook him. "Say something! Speak!"
Gu Meng’s storm of emotions seemed to leave Chen Xuanyi dazed.
His eyelids twitched slightly, lips pressed tightly together in silence.
Luo Luo knew time was running out—Qing Xu could return any moment, and anxiety gnawed at her.
She had never been good with people, and after encountering Gu Meng, her "condition" had only worsened—every conversation felt like talking to a brick wall.
Then she remembered Li Zhaoye.
That guy always had a way of twisting words to his advantage.
Steeling herself, Luo Luo took a different approach: "Li Zhaoye and I are already betrothed. Once we consummate our union, no one can tear us apart."
Gu Meng sneered. "Oh, so now you drop the act! Finally showing your true colors!"
Luo Luo continued, "You may have the sect leader’s backing, but what does that matter? My relationship with Li Zhaoye is none of her concern."
Gu Meng trembled with rage. "You—get up! We’re going to the sect leader right now! I refuse to believe she’ll turn a blind eye to your shameless schemes!"
Luo Luo shrugged. "I have my master’s support. I’m not afraid of her. I won’t go."
"You’re going whether you like it or not!" Gu Meng stormed forward, yanking Luo Luo up by the arm. "Get up! Now!"
Luo Luo: "!!!"
It worked! It actually worked!
So it really was a communication problem—she knew it!
There was no such thing as an impossible person to deal with.
Letting Gu Meng pull her up, Luo Luo swayed unsteadily, her limbs weak, her head heavy and foggy as if stuffed with thick dust.
Chen Xuanyi’s gaze darkened, his hand twitching as if to stop them.
Gu Meng shrieked at him, "Big Brother Li! You swore you had no feelings for her! You promised to marry me after breaking the contract! Why are you still entangled with her?!"
She shoved him aside and dragged Luo Luo toward the exit.
Luo Luo glanced back and saw Chen Xuanyi standing rigid, his steps faltering like a resentful ghost. He reached out but couldn’t bring himself to follow.
A pang of guilt struck her. Did I hurt him this badly in the Yu Fusheng dream?
Now that she thought about it, she had been rather ruthless.
Luo Luo nodded to herself, then feigned distress, calling out weakly, "Master... Master, where are you? Master, come back quickly!"
Gu Meng’s expression hardened, and she tightened her grip, hauling Luo Luo out with renewed force.
"Master, save me..." Luo Luo whimpered pitifully.
Gu Meng, meanwhile, charged ahead with unrelenting vigor.
As they stepped out of the Hall of Heart’s Trial, Luo Luo’s heart pounded, her body tense.
She knew all the secrets now—how could they possibly let her leave so easily?
The hall’s barriers and seals should have been impossible to breach...
Yet the moment the thought crossed her mind, the door’s enchantments rippled like water, parting effortlessly for Gu Meng.
Luo Luo: "?!"
Gu Meng yanked her past the threshold. "Quit pretending! Move!"
Luo Luo: "..."
They passed through three gates without a single barrier stopping them.
She really must be his favorite disciple... Luo Luo thought, stunned.
The moonlight was radiant tonight, casting a silver veil over the mist-shrouded Thirteen Peaks of Tai Xuan.
A luminous trail cut through the haze, stretching from Mirror Twin Peaks to the back mountains—where the peach blossoms bloomed.
That was where Qing Xu had gone.
Luo Luo had a vague sense that, despite Chen Xuanyi being Qing Xu’s master, their dynamic felt inverted—as if Qing Xu held the upper hand.
Her mind was hazy, her chest numb, but the pain was distant.
She let Gu Meng drag her along, stumbling out of Mirror Twin Peaks until they reached the sect leader’s main peak.
The journey left Luo Luo gasping for breath.
Gu Meng, however, remained full of energy.
Luo Luo: "..."
She had always assumed Gu Meng was frail, but the woman was surprisingly robust.
That night, Luo Luo never got to see Master Lingxue.
The sect leader was busy dealing with the Holy Maiden of the Divine Palace—apparently, Luo Luo’s theft of Yu Fusheng had triggered an incident involving the palace’s lord.
An unnamed senior brother whispered, "Thank goodness Eldest Senior Sister Xu Junzhu is so resourceful. She managed to procure more Yu Fusheng overnight—otherwise, we’d be in deep trouble."
Luo Luo nodded absently. "Eldest Senior Sister Xu—wealthy beyond measure, awe-inspiring!"
Gu Meng scoffed. She and the Xu sisters had never gotten along.
The senior brother, pleased by Luo Luo’s praise for Xu Junzhu, cheerfully led them into the Frost Maiden Hall.
"Ding. Ding. Ding."
Luo Luo looked up at the eaves, now free of icicles.
It was strange—she had only just left this place (after distracting Master Lingxue so Qing Xu could steal something), yet it felt like an eternity since she’d last seen her sect leader.
The thought unsettled her.
Anxiously, she called out to the senior brother, "Do you think Sect Leader Lingxue... might get killed by the Holy Maiden?"
The senior brother: "..."
This junior sister was usually silent, but when she did speak, it was always something earth-shattering.
He sighed. "You should worry more about whether you’ll survive the beating waiting for you."
Luo Luo: "..."
The brother smiled kindly. "Stealing Yu Fusheng, hm? You ran, yet dared to return. I’m sure the sect leader will be thrilled to see you."
Luo Luo: "..."
For some reason, an overwhelming surge of emotion welled up, drowning her guilt and fear.
She suddenly wanted to cry.
Softly, she murmured, "I’ll be happy to see her too."
Her eyes burned, her nose stung.
A blink sent tears cascading down her cheeks.
"Ah, ah," the senior brother sucked in a sharp breath, "don't cry, don't cry! I didn’t say anything that bad, did I? That... that Sect Leader of yours may have a sharp tongue, but she’s soft-hearted. If you just apologize properly, she won’t do anything to you. Stop crying, please!"
As he pleaded, he watched helplessly as Luo Luo’s eyes grew increasingly misty with tears.
"Tsk... no, no," the senior brother floundered, at a complete loss. "How about this—I’ll plead for mercy on your behalf with Master, okay? Just stop crying, seriously, stop!"
A little junior sister like her—a man-eating flower, a domineering flower—was truly terrifying when she started crying!
Panicking, the senior brother blurted out nonsense: "If the Eldest Senior Brother finds out I made you cry, he’ll hang me up and turn me into dried ham!"
Gu Meng immediately protested, "Brother Li would never—never do something like that!"
The senior brother scoffed impatiently. "What do you know? How long have you even known the Eldest Senior Brother?"
Gu Meng stared at him blankly, her deer-like eyes quickly welling up with tears. "Senior Brother Qin... how could you treat me like this? Did... did Senior Sister Xu and the others say something to you?"
The senior brother grew even more irritated. "Don’t go making wild accusations! Senior Sister Xu isn’t like you—she doesn’t have time to gossip behind people’s backs!"
Gu Meng’s face flushed red and then paled, her lips trembling as she bit down on them in humiliation.
Luo Luo, meanwhile, was too grateful to her to stay silent. She quickly stepped in to mediate. "Haha, haha, Senior Brother, don’t blame Miss Gu. If it weren’t for her bringing me here, I’d still be locked up in the Hall of Heart’s Trial!"
The senior brother nearly jabbed her forehead in frustration. "Foolish junior sister! Do you really think she had good intentions?"
Luo Luo nodded vigorously. "She did!"
The senior brother sighed deeply, rubbing his temples in exhaustion. "Junior sister... when will you ever learn?"
Hopelessly naive—she’d even help count the money after being sold off!
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the Qingnv Hall.
The senior brother groaned as he looked out and saw a dense crowd of disciples from every peak marching toward them.
"What kind of day is this? Why is everyone here?! Hey, hey—what are you all doing? What’s going on?"
Zhao Yu, leading the charge, leaped over the threshold with a laugh. "Nothing much, really! We just... suddenly all wanted to see the Sect Leader. Guess we all had the same idea at once!"
Behind him, Bai Yi and the others nodded in unison.
"Right, right! Just wanted to pay our respects to Sect Leader Auntie!"
"Just really wanted to see her."
"Do you need a special occasion to visit the Sect Leader?"
"Yeah, what’s wrong with wanting to see her?"
The senior brother gave them a deadpan look. "Wake up. It’s the middle of the night."
The crowd exchanged awkward glances.
After a pause, Zhao Yu scratched his head and grinned. "Then... how about we just wish the Sect Leader goodnight?"
Luo Luo nodded eagerly.
The senior brother shot her a glare. "What are you nodding for? Every single one of you is a headache!"
Luo Luo shrank back meekly. "Oh."
"All here to plead for you, huh?" the senior brother sneered. "With this kind of scene, anyone would think you’re staging a coup. What’s next—brandishing swords and stirring up a bloody storm?"
"Ah! I knew the smell of blood would give us away!" The two Senior Sisters Nangong from Qingyu Peak stepped forward, cheerfully holding up two plucked and gutted spirit chickens. "Senior Brother, you’re absolutely right—we brought chickens! Already slaughtered!"
The senior brother: "..."
He stared blankly at the crowd, who all nodded again.
"No idea why, but I just really wanted the Sect Leader to try roasted chicken..."
"Same here! The thought of her never having tasted it before makes me want to cry."
"Strange, me too!"
The senior brother pressed a hand to his throbbing temple. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luo Luo nodding furiously again.
He muttered under his breath, "You all... must be possessed..."
Xu Junlan emerged, yawning.
The senior brother seized her like a lifeline. "Junior Sister Xu, deal with them, will you? This lot’s gone mad—every one of them!"
Xu Junlan lazily scanned the crowd. "What’s the matter?"
The senior brother lowered his voice. "They showed up in the middle of the night with chickens, saying they want to roast them for Master!"
Xu Junlan froze.
The senior brother’s lips twitched. "Tell me this isn’t terrifying."
Xu Junlan slowly turned, her eyes suddenly lighting up. She clapped her hands together. "Perfect! Let’s get this going—quick, quick!"
The senior brother: "..."
It’s over. They’ve all lost it.
The crowd surged into the Qingnv Hall, digging pits under the courtyard trees, burying the chickens, and lighting a bonfire.
A few disciples from Lao Jun Peak pulled out jars of Senior Uncle Fuling’s prized daughter-red wine, lining them up neatly beneath the trees.
"Now we just wait for Sect Leader Auntie to return!"
"No idea why, but I’m both excited and nervous!"
"When will Sect Leader Auntie be back?"
"This... this..." The senior brother from the main peak smacked his own forehead, feeling like he was in a dream. "Am I still asleep, or did I wake up too early?"
Were these people treating the sect rules—and the Sect Leader—as a joke?
This was outright rebellion.
The bonfire blazed to life, casting a warm glow over everyone’s faces.
"Junior Sister Luo!" someone called out. "Where’s the Eldest Senior Brother?"
Luo Luo hesitated. "He..."
Gu Meng couldn’t resist stepping forward. "Brother Li doesn’t have time for your nonsense!"
The crowd turned to her, their expressions blank.
"Oh... the Eldest Senior Brother lost his memory. Wait, lost his memory?"
"No way. There’s no chance the Eldest Senior Brother would just fall for someone else because of amnesia. Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Right, he and Junior Sister Luo are meant to be."
Gu Meng grew frantic. "Brother Li and I share true feelings! Love isn’t measured by time!"
"Ha!" Xu Junlan scoffed. "If he could fall for you, I’d lose all respect for him!"
Gu Meng: "You—!"
She scanned the crowd, spotting familiar faces like Zhao Yu.
"Senior Brother Zhao..." Gu Meng approached him, gently tugging his sleeve. "Look how Senior Sister Xu is treating me..."
Zhao Yu turned to her, his brow furrowing instinctively.
He frowned. "...Why do I find you so irritating?"
Gu Meng was stunned. "Senior Brother Zhao, what are you saying? What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing, really." Zhao Yu scratched his head, equally puzzled. "I just dislike you on sight."
Gu Meng forced a smile. "Senior Brother Zhao, don’t you love date cakes? How about I make some for you now?"
Zhao Yu sneered. "No, I’m not worthy. Stay away from me—and from Junior Sister Luo."
Gu Meng: "..."
Luo Luo gaped at the scene in bewilderment.
A thought bloomed in her heart: Master was wrong. Everyone believes in me. Just like me, they know Li Zhaoye isn’t that kind of person.
Her chest swelled with emotion, but she still spoke up for Gu Meng. "Miss Gu helped me a lot tonight. Without her, I wouldn’t have made it here."
The crowd was utterly speechless: "Could you at least use your brain?"
Luo Luo: "..."
She really wasn't good at communicating with people. Even though she was stating the facts, others looked at her as if she were an idiot.
So difficult.
As the aroma of roasted chicken began to seep through the soil, Master Lingxue returned, her presence icy and frost-laden.
"The sect leader is back!"
Everyone instantly sprang to their feet, holding their breaths, eyes wide and shining.
Luo Luo also widened her eyes, watching the figure approach—stepping over the threshold, passing through the corridor, and entering the courtyard.
Taking in the scene before her, Master Lingxue frowned, her expression one of disbelief.
"What are you all doing?"
The group exchanged quick glances before pushing Xu Junlan forward.
Facing the chilling pressure of her master, Xu Junlan couldn’t help but tense up. "Master, everyone just... thought you’ve been working hard and wanted to invite you... to eat some chicken."
"Yes, yes! Sect Leader, have some chicken, have some chicken!"
A vein twitched at Master Lingxue’s temple.
This situation was clearly beyond her comprehension. Her gaze swept slowly over the group, and her eyes flickered faintly.
Many were already shrinking back in fear.
But when Master Lingxue looked at them, not a single person avoided her gaze.
They stared at her, eyes growing moist one after another, their vision blurring with unshed tears.
Master Lingxue: "..."
"Hold on," the senior brother from the main peak who had followed her in couldn’t take it anymore. "Why do you all look like mourners at a funeral?!"
"Who’s mourning—" Xu Junlan’s voice cracked as soon as she spoke, and she awkwardly shut her mouth, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
Luo Luo held out a lotus-leaf-wrapped chicken, smiling even as two tears plopped down. "Sect Leader Auntie, I stole the lotus leaves from your pond to wrap this! It’s already roasted—come try it!"
Master Lingxue: "..."
She flicked her wide sleeves and strode forward, her face stern.
The crowd didn’t dare breathe.
Once close, Master Lingxue sat gracefully on the ground and nodded. "Sit."
"Whew—"
Everyone collapsed onto the ground as if pardoned from execution.
"Sect Leader, try the wine my master hid!"
"And my master’s appetite-stimulating pills!"
"Heh, our Flame Peak doesn’t have much to steal, so I just brought the spirit firewood from my master’s furnace to start the fire!"
Master Lingxue: "..."
She wanted to scold them, but seeing their hopeful, pleading expressions, she couldn’t bring herself to reject their goodwill.
Fine. It was already roasted.
She took a bite—delicious. No wonder, wrapped in her beloved lotus leaves.
Zhao Yu whispered to Bai Yi,
"Watching the sect leader eat our chicken feels like seeing an ancestor descend to accept offerings."
"Uh... honestly, same."
"Right?!"
Every now and then, a disciple would inexplicably start tearing up.
The chicken tasted fragrant in their mouths, but also bittersweet.
"Master..."
Xu Junlan finally couldn’t hold back, her eyes and nose red as she threw herself at Master Lingxue’s lap like a little rabbit.
"Master, master... I missed you so much..."
Her crying set off Luo Luo and the others, their eyes stinging too.
Master Lingxue was torn between laughter and exasperation. "It’s only been a few hours since you last saw me. Out with it—what trouble have you all gotten into?"
Everyone shook their heads violently. "None at all!"
Master Lingxue fixed her gaze on Luo Luo.
"Heh..." Luo Luo grinned sheepishly. "Auntie, I’ll accept any punishment."
Master Lingxue massaged her temples. "You!"
Luo Luo pleaded, "Auntie, I saw that person in the Yu Fusheng illusion. He really isn’t Li Zhaoye. I’ll find proof—can you stop them from taking me away?"
Master Lingxue lowered her eyes slightly. "You don’t want to return to Qing Xu?"
Luo Luo nodded firmly. "No!"
"Sect Leader, Sect Leader," Zhao Yu couldn’t help chiming in, "you have no idea—the amnesiac Eldest Senior Brother is nothing like himself. I’d believe a random fish on the road was him before I’d believe that guy!"
Xu Junlan agreed. "I feel nothing for him!"
Someone waved a hand. "Even the mosquitos here are more like him!"
Master Lingxue was exhausted: "..."
Mid-conversation, another person got bitten and angrily jumped up, chasing the mosquito around the courtyard.
"I’m a cultivator—how can I not kill a mere mosquito?!"
Laughter erupted.
"You... you..." Gu Meng fumed. "Is it a crime for Big Brother Li to like me? How dare you insult him like this!"
"Not at all," Zhao Yu said. "Even if Li Zhaoye died, he could only ever love Luo Luo."
The group nodded in unison.
Master Lingxue frowned. "You all think so?"
"Yes!"
"Eldest Senior Brother and little junior sister—a match made in heaven!"
"No one’s more perfect for each other!"
Luo Luo looked around, her gaze lingering on Master Lingxue, reluctant to look away.
Gu Meng opened her mouth to argue again, "Big Brother Li—"
Luo Luo swiftly shoved a chicken leg into her mouth.
"Mmph!"
Manually silenced.
Amid the laughter, Luo Luo suddenly felt a chill crawl up her spine.
She didn’t need to turn around to know—someone had arrived at the gate.
A thread of cold crept from her tailbone to the back of her skull. She could almost visualize the figure, half his face hidden in the shadows of the eaves, only a faintly smiling mouth visible.
"He’s here."
Master Lingxue set down her wine jar and turned.
"Qing Xu."
The man stepped forward, emerging from the shadows.
"Lingxue," Qing Xu smiled. "It’s getting late. I’ve come to take my disciple home."
Master Lingxue’s brows knitted as she stood, facing him from a distance.
"Will you stop me?" Qing Xu tilted his head.
Master Lingxue’s expression darkened. "I haven’t even settled the matter of you stealing Yu Fusheng. Forget taking Luo Luo—since you’re here, you won’t be leaving."
Qing Xu chuckled. "You—always so rigid. Tsk, this image of you is so deeply ingrained in my mind. But..."
His gaze fell on the remnants of the fire, lotus leaves, wine jars, and chicken bones. "I never thought I’d see the day you’d stoop to stealing Qingyu Peak’s chicken."
Master Lingxue: "...As sect leader, I will accept double punishment."
Qing Xu laughed softly, shoulders shaking.
"You... your very existence is nothing but trouble for me." He glanced at her lightly. "Even in death, you refuse to let me rest."
The words sent a shock through the crowd.
"W-what does that mean?"
Master Lingxue’s frown deepened.
"Ah-Xue." Qing Xu lifted his face, stepping closer. "I never thought I’d get to bid you farewell a second time."
"What’s he talking about?" The disciples exchanged uneasy looks. "This is creeping me out."
"Clang."
A frost sword materialized before Master Lingxue, its tip aimed at Qing Xu.
Qing Xu mused aloud, "If it’s just a memory of Ah-Xue... killing her shouldn’t matter, right?"
Qing Xu replied coldly, "You’ve already killed her—why pretend to care now?"
With a faint smile, Qing Xu said, "Fine. Let’s make this quick. There’s still much to do tonight."
The last flickers of the bonfire cast shifting shadows across his face—half-lit, half-dark, neither fully human nor fully demonic.
In the blink of an eye, as he raised his hand, Master Lingxue’s lifebound sword, Qingnü, shattered into fragments before the eyes of the gathered crowd.
"Hisss—"
"He’s this powerful?!"
"Impossible!"
Amidst the gasps of disbelief, Qing Xu stepped through the rain of broken steel, stopping right in front of Master Lingxue.
He lifted a hand, fingers curling like claws, aiming straight for her face—to crush it, to erase her features from memory forever.
"Sect Leader!" "Master!"
The disciples tried to rush forward, only to find their spiritual power drained, their bodies weighed down as if trapped in quicksand. Master Lingxue, too, stood frozen, helpless as Qing Xu’s icy grip closed around her face.
Bones creaked under the pressure. One more second, and her skull would splinter beneath his palm.
"Buzz… buzz…"
Suddenly, the air filled with the dense hum of countless wings.
Qing Xu paused, brows furrowing in disbelief.
A swarm of insects surged forward, sweeping Master Lingxue away from his grasp.
"How intriguing," a serene, otherworldly voice echoed through the courtyard. "To scatter oneself into countless living things, only to return in search of one person."
Luo Luo felt like she’d heard that voice before.
The sage continued, "On such a fine night, let’s not disturb them."
Qing Xu’s pupils constricted. His body instinctively recoiled.
But it wasn’t just him.
The entire courtyard seemed to rewind—time itself flowing backward.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!"
Qing Xu was pulled out of the courtyard, past the threshold.
Every movement reversed, every memory of his intrusion erased, until the scene settled back to the exact moment Luo Luo stuffed a chicken leg into Gu Meng’s mouth.
A manual silencing.
Luo Luo blinked, momentarily dazed, then grinned brightly. "Eat!"
Gu Meng: "Mmph!"
Delicious.
Outside Qingnü Hall, Qing Xu’s pupils trembled, his scalp prickling with unease.
His gaze locked onto the swarm of insects.
They slowly coalesced into a humanoid shape. "It" observed the joyful scene in the courtyard with quiet fascination—as if watching a passing breeze, a drifting cloud, a solitary tree, a lone flower.
"A reunion of the living and the dead… How rare."
