A man stands before the heavens, his sword emerges from the Emei Mountains.

The rendezvous was after dusk, when the moon rose above the willow branches.

Before the sun had completely set, the noisy and bustling sounds spread from the temple all the way to the shores of West Lake.

Elder Ape, Tang Qianhuan, and Lan Caidie traveled along the road, passing by peddlers, acrobats, and literati, who hawked their wares, performed for profit, and composed poems. All sorts of scenes of daily life unfolded on the hundreds of feet of the road between the temple and the lake.

"Okay, one more."

Cheers erupted from the gathered crowd. Lan Caidie, a tall woman holding a pipa, said, "It's a magic trick! The colorful scarf turns into a fish."

"Heh." Tang Qianhuan instantly became interested. "Third brother, fifth sister, Lingyin Temple is very popular, it won't be short of my offering. Let's go watch the magic show."

Knowing her fourth brother's temperament, Lan Caidie jokingly suggested, "How about we burn some incense for you, fourth brother?"

"No, it won't work." Tang Qianhuan's words were still ringing in Lan Caidie's ears when he had already nimbly disappeared into the crowd like a fish.

"Let's go, Third Brother."

Elder Ape nodded, and the two walked side by side, disappearing into the bustling world.

……

In the dim light of dawn, figures scurried across the hills, and ahead lay a grove of trees. The dilapidated dirt road stretched towards the Qiantang River.

The figure swayed, like a large bird flying into the forest.

Another figure emerged from the shadows cast by the trees, and the figure that had been moving quickly fell to the ground.

Two gazes collided silently, one on each side of Elder Ape and the other on Tang Qianhuan. The dappled moonlight in the forest stirred at that moment, and Lan Caidie emerged, her expression filled with grief.

When the leaves sway, the moonlight seems to come alive.

Elder Yuan looked up at the half-moonlight, let out a soft breath, and told the story of Chen Yu faking his injury to attract the Five Poisons Sect. His visit to Lingyin Temple to burn incense was just a test. When his fourth brother said he wanted to watch a variety show, he felt vaguely uneasy. After walking a distance, he turned back. His fourth brother left the crowd and rushed to the riverbank. Human hearts, sometimes, really can't withstand the test.

"Fourth brother, what are you after? The Five Poisons Sect's wicked monk Lian Zhenjia commits all sorts of evil deeds, robbing tombs and stealing treasures. Could it be that you're after his cultivation techniques and divine artifacts?"

Tang Qianhuan smiled.

"Fourth Brother, what exactly happened?"

"There are many things my junior sister doesn't understand."

Lan Caidie sighed, "I may not understand, but I do understand the coldness and warmth of human relationships. When my junior sister entered Hengshan, she was young and couldn't endure the hardships of learning martial arts. It was my fourth brother who performed magic tricks to make me happy."

"Yes, you were only ten years old then."

"Among the five of us, Master said that the most talented one is our fourth brother. Later, our fourth brother created the 'Thirteen Swords of the Hundred Transformations and Thousand Illusions in the Clouds and Mist'." It was Elder Ape who spoke.

"Third Brother also created 'Somersault Force,' and Junior Sister is equally gifted, having mastered 'Four-String Invisible Sword,' which is a unique skill in the martial arts world."

The Elder Ape's eyes flowed with the river of time, "We regarded fame and fortune as fleeting moments, and the future as a dream. Tranquility was a blessing for the world. At that time, the five of us were living a carefree life."

The moonlight shimmered, and Elder Ape laughed heartily. Tang Qianhuan laughed too, as did Lan Caidie, but tears welled in her eyes. Their laughter was filled with the memories of their past brotherhood and the gradual rise of the Hengshan Sect after a century of decline. Yet, their laughter also revealed their current stances.

"People always have to move forward; many things can't be undone," Tang Qianhuan said.

"Yes," Elder Ape nodded.

In a flash, Tang Qianhuan waved his sleeves, and a cloud of white mist, whether it was lime or something else, exploded in front of him. The sword light expanded like a bolt of lightning, and the blade cut through the air, making a continuous "swoosh" sound. In an instant, Tang Qianhuan did not know how many swords he had thrust out. Countless sword shadows swept across the sky, with almost no gaps. A transparent light screen fell towards Elder Ape.

"Keng"

The sound of the longsword being drawn still echoed in the night, and Elder Ape's longsword had already pierced into the light screen. The dense clanging of metal was like fireworks in the first month of the lunar calendar. In the blink of an eye, the two longswords were intertwined like silver chains.

Lan Caidie took a step forward, drew a short, narrow sword from the pipa, and her figure swayed like a dancing butterfly, the clear sword light swirling towards Tang Qianhuan like waves.

……

The Milky Way turns, and night falls.

Bei Jinyi came out of the room. She and Su Mengqing returned to the courtyard after Ding Minjun. Bei Jinyi had gotten dusty from helping out at Jing Shui Nunnery, so she took a bath at her lodgings and changed into a loose and comfortable blue training uniform for Emei Sect disciples. As she dried her wet hair with a towel, she said to Su Mengqing, "I feel like Senior Sister Ding seems different."

"What do you mean?" Su Mengqing, who was practicing her martial arts, put away her long sword, walked over to the stone table, picked up a teacup, and took a small sip.

"It's hard to put into words, but he seems to have lost his usual straightforwardness and his speech has become less sharp."

"Sure."

"It can't be wrong."

Su Mengqing thought for a moment, "It must be related to my junior brother."

Why?

"Don't you even remember how Senior Sister Ding treated Junior Brother back in Emei?"

"I've never deliberately made things difficult for my junior brother," Bei Jinyi said.

"That's because Master dotes on Junior Brother, but there's been no shortage of gossip. Besides, you know Senior Sister Ding's personality; she likes to nitpick and speaks sharply. During the battle of the Six Harmonies Pagoda, Junior Brother displayed great power, and Senior Sister Ding realized that her cultivation level was far behind his. She couldn't help but think about how she treated people in the past, and she felt uneasy and anxious. That's not normal."

"Junior brother isn't the type to hold grudges, and besides, we're all from the same sect. If he were really that kind of person, would he have gone to Jian Jie to avenge her without a second thought after arriving in Qiantang?"

"But Senior Sister Ding might not think that way. A person with ill intentions will naturally misinterpret others' meanings. Senior Sister is probably afraid of Junior Brother. Or perhaps Junior Brother and Senior Sister have spoken. Junior Brother is very clever."

Bei Jinyi nodded: "Why don't we ask our junior brother?"

"Okay."

"I changed my clothes." Bei Jinyi turned and went into the room. When she came out again, she was wearing a long dress and her hair was combed as smooth as a light curtain.

The two walked side by side towards the backyard. Footsteps came from behind. Su Mengqing turned around and saw a disciple leading Wu Lie and his daughter towards them.

"Qingying greets Lady Ji and Lady Su." Wu Qingying quickly stepped forward to greet them, her manner gentle and polite.

Don't be so polite.

Wu Lie carried the brocade box and said, "I bought some medicinal food from the city and brought it over to you, young hero."

Because her family ran a security escort agency, Su Mengqing was rational in her actions. She smiled and refused, saying, "The Master knows that Junior Brother is faking his injury."

"But the Five Poisons Sect doesn't know that medicinal cuisine can nourish blood and qi, which is helpful for practicing martial arts. Please don't be shy, ladies."

"I can't make that decision," Su Mengqing said, changing the subject. "My senior sister and I are going to my junior brother's place, so the manor lord will come with us."

"Perfect."

The lanterns hanging under the eaves emitted a warm orange glow, and several people walked through the light towards the backyard.

The night deepened little by little with each step of the crowd.

……

It was already past midnight, and the once tranquil night was disturbed by footsteps echoing through the woods. A figure in blue flew through the treetops and landed on the ground about a hundred feet outside the courtyard.

Immediately afterwards, one figure after another darted out from the woods.

Under the bright moonlight, the newcomer was clearly visible, not veiled by a scarf. He was Xia Jingzhe, the vice leader of the Five Poisons Sect, with Cheng Wei and Bai Xilou, two members of the Five Poisons Sect, also present, along with dozens of other Five Poisons Sect members.

"Vice Leader, Chen Yu resides here."

"Are you sure that kid is seriously injured?" Bai Xilou asked.

"It's absolutely true. I even saw people from the Emei Sect entering the city to buy medicinal food during the day."

"Let's see who that kid is hoping to save this time." Cheng Wei smiled sinisterly and led his men toward the courtyard.