That day.
All the citizens of the capital learned that their Princess had performed a grand formal apprenticeship ceremony for the leader of the Qingyun Sect during her birthday banquet.
Emperor Yuanyou and Song Yu were both witnesses.
The news spread swiftly, poised to sweep across every inch of the Great Qi's territory.
Eastern Palace.
"So the Princess is a disciple of the Qingyun Sect Leader, no wonder she is accomplished in both literary and martial arts, leading Great Qi to victory in battle!"
"The Qingyun Sect Leader... that's a figure one usually only reads about in storybooks."
"The Princess is truly blessed by the Bodhisattva, cherished by His Majesty and the Crown Prince, and now she has the backing of the Qingyun Sect Leader..."
Baoxia mimicked the people's tones of admiration and awe perfectly.
The Qingyun Sect Leader also smiled.
"Miss Baoxia, how come no one mentions me?"
Shen Qingping sat by the stone table under the tree, fallen petals clinging to his hair, his unfathomably deep pupils now full of amusement.
"Ahem..." Baoxia cleared her throat, her expression turning somewhat guilty, and whispered:
"Even Lord Shen obeys the Princess's every command, doesn't he?"
Then her expression shifted again, exaggerating a look of terror:
"Shh, you dare mention him so casually? Do you have a death wish?"
It was a thoroughly vivid performance.
Shen Qingping laughed so hard his chest shook. He stood up and walked over to the Qingyun Sect Leader. "Sect Leader, look at what my reputation has become?"
"You must stand up for me."
"I will, I will."
Knowing Shen Qingping's temperament, the Qingyun Sect Leader stretched out his hand towards him.
Shen Qingping, for once, was surprisingly docile. He crouched down and placed his hand in the Sect Leader's.
Even Song Yu's eyes widened. Shen the Third had never been this respectful to his own father!
"A person must know when to be taut and when to relax, one cannot be overly strained. This old man knows you are also an excellent child."
"Sect Leader, between me and the Crown Prince, who is better?"
"Shen the Third, give you an inch and you'll take a mile, is that it?"
Song Yu gritted his teeth. The old man had praised everyone one by one, but had deliberately skipped him.
He was already feeling upset and gloomy inside.
"You are both good."
The Qingyun Sect Leader looked at Song Shihuan and murmured again, "Both good."
...
That night, the Qingyun Sect Leader fell asleep as usual, but the next day he did not wake up. The servant who realized something was wrong ran out to call for help, his face ashen.
Outside the room, chaos ensued.
Inside, the Qingyun Sect Leader's complexion was also extremely grim, sweat continuously beading on his forehead, as if he were trapped in some kind of dream.
In the dream, he was an observer, awake yet agonized, watching scene after scene flash by like a revolving lantern.
He awoke within the Qingyun Sect, much later than in the real world, but his body recovered better than in reality.
He still immediately set out to find Ahuan. By then, Great Qi was no longer ruled by the Song family, but by the Xiao family, who had changed the reign title to Great Zhou. Song Ling had been on the throne for less than a month before being shot to death. All princes and imperial descendants with Song blood were killed.
But who sat on the throne didn't concern the Qingyun Sect Leader; he only wanted to find his Ahuan.
However, when he learned that Great Qi had once recognized a ten-year-old junzhu (princess/consort?), the Sect Leader's blood ran cold.
Most of Great Qi's important ministers had been killed. After many twists and turns, he found the now stooped Shen Mingwen.
Due to his prestige among scholars, Great Zhou had not moved against the Shen family with swords, but had exiled them to the northern deserts, where they suffered humiliation year after year.
When the Qingyun Sect Leader saw Shen Mingwen, the latter was wiping a memorial tablet in his hands, a somewhat eerie scene.
But the Sect Leader felt no fear and asked urgently:
"What was the princess recognized by Great Qi back then like? Do you remember, Grand Tutor Shen?"
"I remember."
Shen Mingwen's face was aged, the back of his hands covered in scars, "But I am no longer Grand Tutor."
The more Shen Mingwen described, the paler the Sect Leader's face became.
What happened to this princess?
Shen Mingwen was taken aback, then shook his head, "After being taken to the Eastern Palace, there was never any news about this princess again."
No news... did that mean Ahuan might have been hidden well and was still alive?
The Sect Leader's despairing heart began to beat with hope again.
As he was leaving, the Sect Leader couldn't help but glance at the memorial tablet Shen Mingwen clutched and wouldn't let go of. "Why isn't this tablet placed on an altar?"
"This is my youngest son's memorial tablet. How can a father make offerings to his son?" Shen Mingwen tapped the tablet with his finger. "He never let me rest easy since he was a boy. When I die, I'll take the tablet into my coffin. I need to keep an eye on him to feel at ease."
"How did he die?" The Sect Leader asked, immediately regretting the question as it felt impolite.
"A moth flying into the flame."
The ultimate fool.
...
The Qingyun Sect Leader spent three years in Great Zhou, constantly on the move, until he found palace servants who had narrowly escaped from Great Qi and saw the celebrated policy essays written by the former Great Qi imperial grandsons.
Only then did the Sect Leader piece together the entire truth.
So his Ahuan had been cast into hell from the year of her tenth birthday.
But the people who deserved to die were already dead. He couldn't sleep night after night. The little girl he once held in his palms had been subjected to such humiliation, yet he had arrived even a step too late to take revenge.
The Qingyun Sect Leader's back seemed to bend overnight.
He could not vent his rage upon Great Zhou; the innocent people could not withstand further turmoil and war. And the bodies of those from the Great Qi imperial family had long been disposed of, their gravesites privately dealt with by the Great Zhou royal family.
Thus, the Qingyun Sect Leader returned to Qingyun territory and sought out the Mystic Physician.
You always say I have immeasurable merit.
The Mystic Physician looked up. "You unified Qingyun territory, ended its conflicts, enforced peace between Qingyun and other nations. Even while traveling abroad to recuperate, you saved many common folk. When I say you have immeasurable merit, I am not wrong."
"Then can I use the remaining years of my life in exchange for a chance to start over?" The Qingyun Sect Leader sat on a prayer mat.
“No matter what kind of dark arts or sorcery, I am willing to try.”
The Sect Leader leaned forward slightly, grasping the Mystic Physician's hand. "That child lost her parents at birth. She was well-behaved and sensible from a young age, never making a single mistake. She finally returned to her parents' side, only to be cruelly killed. If I can do nothing, I will die with everlasting regret."
This phrase, "die with everlasting regret," finally made the Mystic Physician sigh.
Mystic Physician, I know everyone has their own fate, which cannot be forcibly altered. But now that this blow has fallen upon me, I cannot bear the thought of that child entering the cycle of rebirth covered in wounds.
"Let her start over. She is clever and quick-witted; she will make good use of this opportunity."
The Mystic Physician handed the Qingyun Sect Leader a knife and asked:
"If the Sect Leader achieves his heart's desire, what is your wish?"
"Calculating her age, she should be twenty-four this year. If I have a wish... I would like to see what Ahuan looks like at twenty-four. I miss her terribly."
The Mystic Physician gave a slight nod.
The Qingyun Sect Leader smiled.
He spent a day and a night instructing Qingling on sect affairs and establishing numerous rules to ensure Qingyun territory's stability for a century.
Afterwards, the Qingyun Sect Leader once again stood before the Mystic Physician.
Without the slightest hesitation, she plunged the blade into her own chest, piercing the heart.
An offering of heart's blood.
In exchange for a chance for Ahuan to start anew.
