As the withered leaves fluttered down with the wind, they brought a new chill—it was deep autumn, and the once lush post road had grown desolate.
A carriage rolled leisurely along the path paved with golden-red fragments of fallen leaves, its wheels crushing the foliage beneath, emitting faint rustling sounds that became the only sign of life in the silent post road.
It was amidst this rustling that Chu'he awoke. She opened her eyes, unsure how many days and nights she had slept.
Dazed for a long moment, she sat up from the soft cushion and first checked her body—nothing seemed amiss.
Carefully, she glanced around. The carriage held only her. The door was certainly not an option, so she quietly shifted to the window, pushed it open, and attempted to leap out.
Suddenly, a figure dropped upside-down from the roof, long hair cascading, his pale face and crimson eyes locking directly onto hers through the window.
His eyes curved into crescents, his smile warm and guileless. "Miao Miao, you're no martial artist. Jumping from the window would leave you badly injured."
Then, stroking his chin, he grinned and added, "Ah, but that's not quite right. You carry the Lovebird Gu, so even if you're hurt, it's only Chi Yan who'll suffer."
He could even recognize the Lovebird Gu!
Instinctively, Chu'he recoiled. Her gaze darted to the carriage door, and she scrambled toward it, yanking it open—only to find the ghostly white-haired man already seated there.
Propping his chin on one hand, he beamed. "Miao Miao, you can't escape."
This man wore an ever-present smile, his expression innocent, his eyes clear and bright. Yet, Chu'he sensed an icy danger emanating from him.
Strangely, this man shared Ninth's face, save for one difference: Ninth bore the youthful air between boyhood and manhood, while this man's features were more mature.
As if he were Ninth ten years in the future.
Yet, no matter how alike they were, Chu'he would never mistake one for the other.
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself," he said cheerfully. "I'm Chi Yan."
Even his name was strikingly similar to Chi Yan.
Chu'he relaxed, the tension leaving her body. "What do you want?"
"To take you back to Miaojiang," he replied with a smile. "You're Chi Yan's bride—shouldn't you visit his homeland?"
Chu'he nodded. "You're not wrong."
His gaze flickered, a trace of surprise hidden within his amusement. "Miao Miao, aren't you afraid?"
"I am."
Chi Yan tilted his head slightly. "Yet you seem quite at ease."
"I know I can't slip away under your watch. Fear won't help, so I might as well spare my nerves and relax."
He laughed, his voice rich with delight. "Miao Miao, you're utterly delightful. How did I never notice such a treasure before? That brat Chi Yan snatched you up first."
His ruby-like eyes, identical to Ninth's, shimmered with brilliance—and a ruthless determination to claim her.
But his gaze was different.
Ninth's eyes always burned with fervent love when he looked at Chu'he. This man's gaze, however, held cruel calculation.
Chi Yan smiled, his tone soft. "Do you know? Seeing you with Chi Yan surprised me."
Back then, he was still Miss Lin of Canghaizhou.
His memories were often fragmented. As Miss Lin, he sometimes forgot his true identity, believing himself merely an ordinary physician.
Occasionally, watching Ninth and Chu'he walk hand in hand through the streets, he felt something inexplicable.
Such happiness—he had once known it too, long ago.
But it was too distant. He had forgotten much, yet an obsession buried deep in his bones whispered that he must not forget.
And so, he had to reclaim the past, to find the blurred figure in his memories.
Chu'he said, "The identities you disguised yourself as—if I'm not mistaken, they were all characters from the stories Miss Xue told you, weren't they?"
Surprise flickered in his eyes, then flared into fervor. He leaned in, his expression bordering on madness.
"You know of her! Miao Miao, you truly are extraordinary. Tell me, what was her name? What was she called?"
Chu'he replied, "You forgot her name."
His hope was palpable. "Yes! Quickly, tell me—what was it?"
Chu'he smiled. "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I don't know either."
The light in his eyes dimmed instantly. The man who had just been on the verge of frenzy now sat eerily still.
"Is that so? You don't know either." He retreated, wrapping his arms around his knees, his voice a hollow murmur. "She was so beautiful, like a celestial being. Of course, mere mortals are unworthy of knowing her name. Unworthy..."
His mood shifts were unnervingly swift.
Though Chu'he didn't know why he had abducted her, she could tell he had no intention of killing her—for now. With her life not in immediate danger, her courage grew.
"The Zhao Family in Xiaocheng—you tricked the other personality within Song Tingxue, Ying Suifeng, into planting the Netherbloom, turning him into a vengeful wraith."
His eyelids lowered, a slow smile spreading. "Indeed. Ying Suifeng, that pathetic fool who lurked in shadows, envied and resented Song Tingxue, never understanding what he truly wanted. With just a little push from me, he plunged into irredeemable ruin. Isn't that amusing?"
Had Ying Suifeng truly used Zhao Rongyue's heart to save Zhao Shuxing, the day would come when he realized his true desires—and drown in agony.
Had he hesitated and spared Zhao Rongyue, Zhao Shuxing's death, along with the deaths of those young women, would have become an insurmountable rift between him and Zhao Rongyue. Knowing her nature, she would have demanded he surrender to atone.
Chi Yan had preyed on Ying Suifeng's twisted psyche, deceiving him with the "heart-for-a-heart" method. No matter his choice, there was no turning back.
Chu'he continued, "The tragedy of Yi Moli's family—the one who dug him out of the grave was also you."
He tilted his head, grinning playfully. "Yes, it was me. Parents always say they love their children equally, that they're all 'flesh of their flesh.' But the palm has more flesh than the back of the hand—how could they ever truly balance the scales?"
In the end, Yi Moli's parents chose to save their younger son, leaving their eldest to slumber eternally in the earth, hearts heavy with sorrow.
Then, before Yi Moli's eyes, Chi Yan slaughtered his parents and taught him to fashion his brother into a puppet of substitution, twisting Yi Moli's hatred into something even more grotesque. Twenty years later, Yi Moli's tragedy became irreversible.
