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Her words were clearly tinged with sorrow. Mo Yun's heart tightened; he felt a deep desolation. Her tears and despair were indistinguishable from reality. However, if he withdrew, she would truly be left alone. How could Wei Qi let her go? Even if his attack last time was an act, what about next time? He had no other choice but to believe her.

“Come back to the Qi family with me…” he struggled to say.

Zhao Yan reached out and wiped away her tears, coldly saying, "I'm not going anywhere. I'd rather die here than bow down to that heartless man!"

“Master did not abandon you…” Mo Yun stepped forward slowly and said, “It was your mother who abandoned Master.”

Zhao Yan wasn't sure what she had heard at first, but when she realized what she had heard, she roared, "You're lying! You think you can get him off with this kind of lie? It's ridiculous!"

Mo Yun felt her consciousness begin to blur, and even her own voice sounded faint, "I didn't lie... Do you remember... when we were little, we met..."

He collapsed to the ground before he could finish speaking.

Zhao Yan was slightly startled, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She stood there for a moment, preparing to walk away, when she stepped on something.

She looked down and saw a small copper box at her feet. She hesitated for a moment, then squatted down, picked up the copper box, and was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

rouge……

She gently held the box of rouge, pondered for a moment, and then reached out to help Mo Yun up.

She was a frail woman, and injured, she used all her strength to barely drag Mo Yun. She led him, staggering along, until they saw a large tree ahead, its roots tangled and its vegetation lush and concealing it well. She struggled to lead Mo Yun to the tree's roots and rested there.

She sat down, breathing softly; the wound on her arm had become numb with pain. She tore a strip from her skirt and used it to tie the wound, barely managing to stop the bleeding. In the darkness, she could faintly hear the sounds of wild beasts. She didn't know how to start a fire, so she could only suppress her fear and wait for dawn.

Mo Yun's injuries were unknown; there were no visible wounds, but his brows were furrowed and there was blood at the corner of his lips, suggesting that the injury was quite serious.

Zhao Yan lowered her eyes and looked at him, remembering what he had just said: "Master did not abandon you...it was your mother who abandoned Master."

Impossible. She dismissed the thought; her mother had no reason to abandon Qi Han. Her mother was the most beautiful woman in the world; it was Qi Han who had seduced and then abandoned her. Everyone in the world said so… it couldn't be wrong…

At this moment, Mo Yun started coughing, his breathing becoming labored.

Zhao Yan hesitated for a long time before reaching out to touch his forehead. The unusual heat made her withdraw her hand. She was a little nervous. Just then, a drop of dew landed on the back of her hand, slightly cool. She looked up and saw a thin mist slowly spreading across the mountains, dew dripping from the leaves of the large trees. Remembering something, she tore off a strip of her skirt, got up, and climbed up the tangled roots of the tree to collect the dew from the leaves. Once the strip was soaked, she climbed down, folded it neatly, and placed it on Mo Yun's forehead.

After she finished doing all that, something else occurred to her. She found a leaf, collected some dew on it, and carefully fed it to him.

After several attempts, his breathing calmed down, but his body temperature remained high. Zhao Yan was not a doctor, and could only do her best and leave the rest to fate.

Around dawn, Zhao Yan was extremely sleepy and her consciousness began to wane. She vaguely sensed someone moving around and suddenly woke up with a start. She saw that Mo Yun had already gotten up and was meditating and regulating his breathing beside her.

Her mind cleared instantly, and she stared at him blankly.

Mo Yun noticed her movement, opened her eyes, and said, "I'm fine, you can rest."

Zhao Yan instinctively wanted to avoid it, but the doubts in her heart lingered. She stood up, walked to Mo Yun's side, and said, "I have something to ask you."

Mo Yun understood and said, "What I said is true. Master did not abandon you. For the past ten years, he has been searching for you... That wooden box was made by his own hands and was given to me as part of your dowry..."

“That’s just your side of the story…” Zhao Yan interrupted. “Everyone in the world knows that Qi Han used a sword to exchange for my mother, but he was extremely cold to her. After that, he abandoned her and ruined her life’s happiness.”

"I'm only telling you one side of the story. What about what everyone else says?" Mo Yun replied. "You say that your master ruined your mother's life. Then let me ask you, in your memory, was your mother always frowning?"

Zhao Yan couldn't answer. Indeed, in her memory, her mother always had a bright smile, her eyes filled with peace and contentment. No matter how hard life was, her mother never frowned. Because of that smile, she never felt poor when she was little, and every day was filled with joy.

“Actually, we have met before…” Mo Yun’s tone carried a hint of melancholy. “About ten years ago, I was traveling with my master and met you, your mother, and… your stepfather.”

Zhao Yan looked somewhat bewildered.

“Before that, like the ‘people of the world’ you speak of, I only thought that Master had abandoned the most beautiful woman in the world, ‘Yan Ji’,” Mo Yun said calmly. “Your mother was an extraordinary woman. Wealth, glory, power, and status were nothing but dust in her eyes. What she wanted was very ordinary, and how many people in the world can understand the preciousness of that ordinariness? Master never entered her eyes, much less her heart. She chose your stepfather, and that is the answer.”

For some reason, those hazy memories suddenly became clear. At this moment, Zhao Yan could clearly recall running around aimlessly with her younger brother's hand when she was little. In the evenings, she would come home carrying handfuls of dates, covered in mud and dust. Her parents wouldn't scold her; they would just smile and call them to dinner.

She forgot that she wasn't unhappy from the beginning. Every day since she could remember, she had experienced the very best of things.

"...At that time, Master wanted to take you away, but your mother threatened him with the secret of the Qi family's seclusion, forcing him to give up. Master had no choice but to give up. Later, he changed his place of seclusion and came back to find you. But unexpectedly, a flood destroyed the village, and you and your mother had long since disappeared..."

Upon hearing the word "flood," Zhao Yan's heart was instantly filled with bitterness. Her parents had died in the flood; her half-brother, unable to afford medical treatment, had been trampled to death by flood victims during their escape; she herself was suffering from hunger and cold…

These memories tormented her night after night, gnawing at her soul and leaving her no peace. Even the kindness Lady Xi had shown her was overshadowed by this pain. She couldn't blame fate, only others; without blaming, she didn't know how to soothe her suffering. But in the end, she was wrong. Now, she had to admit it. What destroyed her happiness wasn't Qi Han, but simply that flood, that merciless natural disaster…

She laughed, then couldn't suppress her tears. She just kept laughing and crying, unable to control herself.

Mo Yun looked at her, saying nothing, simply waiting quietly. Once she had calmed down, he spoke: "I was wrong. If I had taken you back to the Qi family from the beginning, many troubles could have been avoided..."

“I can’t go back…” Zhao Yan choked up, “I can’t go back anywhere… Why did you tell me all this… Why are you telling me this now…”

Mo Yun sighed softly and said, "Those past events are taboo for my master. As proud as he is, how could he allow me to tell them? He only asked me to deliver the wooden box to you. Taking you back to the Qi family to reunite with him was my own decision."

Zhao Yan looked at him, puzzled, with tears in her eyes, and asked softly, "...Why..."

Mo Yun smiled sadly, “I’ve seen too many families torn apart, blood relatives separated. If my master hadn’t taken me as his disciple, I would have been on the streets, my fate uncertain. A teacher for a day is a father for life. You and my master are my family. I only wish for our family to be reunited and never to be separated again.”

A moment of relief filled her heart. Zhao Yan felt as if the weight that had been pressing on her heart for so long had completely disappeared. Tears streamed down her face, but there was no more sorrow.

Mo Yun raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks. He smiled and said, "Come back with me, okay?"

The warmth from his hand touched her cheek. Her heart warmed slightly, yet she remained hesitant and dared not agree.

“…Wei Qi…” Her eyes dimmed, “He won’t let us go…”

Mo Yun's expression changed slightly. "After returning to the Qi family, no one will be able to harm a single hair on your head." As he spoke, the image of the massacred mountain village seemed to appear before his eyes, and grief and indignation filled his pupils. "He has committed many injustices; he will surely face divine retribution one day..."

Zhao Yan smiled bitterly, "There's no such thing as divine retribution in this world..."

Mo Yun gently pressed her shoulder and said, "Come back to the Qi family with me, and everything will be over."

Zhao Yan could no longer refuse. She wiped away her tears and nodded.

The morning sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting rays that finally dispelled the gloom and cold of the night. At that moment, no one noticed that several men in tight-fitting clothes were lurking in the bushes not far away. A few moments later, some of them quietly left and disappeared into the mountains.

...

Feeling utterly ashamed [Part 2]

A few miles down the mountain, there was a market town. A few days ago, a large group of people from Hero's Fortress came to search for a fugitive and even booked the town's largest inn. In the days that followed, men carrying knives and swords rode to and fro, and eventually, the townspeople got used to it.

Wei Qi sat in the attic of the inn, listening to the singers' soft singing and sipping his tea.

Just now, those men in tight-fitting clothes in the mountains stood respectfully in front of him.

Wei Qi put down his teacup and said, "It seems they will soon be heading to the Qi family's secluded residence. Keep a close watch on them."

"yes."

Wei Qi raised his eyes, glanced at the singing girl who was smiling and singing softly, and murmured to himself, "...Women are ultimately unreliable..."

The singer, seeing him looking at her, smiled even more charmingly.

Wei Qi smiled and was about to say something when someone rushed in and said, "Lord of the Fortress, Wen Jing, the Lord of the Seventy-Two Ring Islands of the South China Sea, requests an audience."

"Wen Jing?" Wei Qi stood up, slightly surprised.

"Lord of the Fortress..." The newcomer's voice held a hint of fear, "...the Lady of the Fortress is in his hands."

Wei Qi frowned. He raised his hand, signaling the singer to leave. Then, he waited for Wen Jing to enter.

When Wen Jing entered, he still wore a gentle smile. He cupped his hands slightly and said, "Young Master Wei... no, I should say Lord of the Fortress now."

Wei Qi also stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Island Master Wen is too kind."

Wen Jing smiled and sat down at the table.

Wei Qi sat down and said, "No one comes here without a reason. Since Island Master Wen is here, let's get straight to the point."

Wen Jing nodded and looked towards the door. Several Japanese ninjas escorted Xi Yuan in.

Xi Yuan looked extremely weak, and didn't even have the strength to walk.

"On my way here, I met Master Qian and we had a very pleasant conversation, so we came together. I heard that you aspire to unify the martial world. I wonder if I might have the honor of cooperating with you?" Wen Jing said with a smile.

Wei Qi smiled, "Island Lord Wen is highly skilled in martial arts and has the assistance of Japanese ninjas. It is my honor to cooperate with you. Please go to your guest room to rest first. We can discuss the alliance later."

Wen Jing stood up and said with a smile, "The Fortress Master is indeed a man of few words. I will take my leave now."

The ninja put Xi Yuan down and left the room with Wen Jing.

Wei Qi was neither angry nor annoyed. He got up and released Xi Yuan's acupoints.

As soon as Xi Yuan regained his mobility, he angrily exclaimed, "You really want to cooperate with him?!"

Wei Qi smiled and said, "Since you can still feel anger, it seems you're alright."

"Don't try to evade the issue. Since Wen Jing left the Shenxiao Sect, he has been at odds with the Celestial Master at every turn. Are you cooperating with him to betray the Celestial Master?!"

Wei Qi sat down again and drank his tea. "The reason I cooperated with him in the final analysis is because you were incompetent, right?"

Upon hearing this, Xi Yuan felt uneasy. She had seized three divine artifacts and successfully trapped everyone, thinking her mission was accomplished. However, she hadn't expected that she would be ambushed by Wen Jing on the way. She had few men with her and suffered a crushing defeat.

She frowned and said, "Wen Jing is cunning and shrewd. I was just careless for a moment, that's why..."

"Needless to say, those divine artifacts have fallen into his hands too," Wei Qi sneered. "Women are just women; when it comes to real trouble, they're utterly useless..."

"Wei Qi, you..." Xi Yuan was furious and was about to say something when Wei Qi interrupted her.

"Lord Qian, there's no need to be angry. Cooperating with him is merely a pragmatic move. I will reclaim the divine artifact myself. You're tired too, so get some rest."

Xi Yuan suppressed his anger, "Wei Qi, you owe your current position to the 'Celestial Master's' promotion. If you dare to betray the Celestial Master, I will never let you go!"

Before Xi Yuan could finish speaking, he was choked in the blink of an eye.

“My lady, times have changed. You must know your limits when you speak to me.” Wei Qi tightened his grip. “You are nothing but a mere embroiderer. Don’t try to intimidate me with the Heavenly Master’s name all the time. The divine artifact was lost in your hands. I’m already giving the Heavenly Master face by not killing you.”

After he finished speaking, he gave a hard shove and shouted loudly, "Guards!"

Just as Xi Yuan was about to retaliate, several disciples from Hero's Fortress entered and grabbed her.

"Take the Lady of the Boat down to rest," Wei Qi coldly ordered.

Xi Yuan struggled, but her injuries had not healed, and she had no power to resist. She was taken away.

Wei Qi calmed his mind, a murderous intent flashing between his brows. He picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp. "Celestial Master, Wen Jing..." As he spoke, the teacup shattered in his hand, scattering across the floor.

...

After leaving the mountains, Mo Yun and Zhao Yan concealed their whereabouts and headed towards the Qi family's location.

Despite the Qi family's renowned reputation, few had ever managed to find their whereabouts. Zhao Yan had assumed their secluded dwelling would be extremely hidden, but half a month later, the two arrived at a mountain valley dozens of miles from Taiping City—far from being remote. On the contrary, the surrounding area was quite lively.

Mo Yun led Zhao Yan to a cave. Zhao Yan entered the cave and saw that it was a deep pool, impossible for anyone to live in.

She looked up at Mo Yun, seemingly puzzled.

Mo Yun, however, remained calm and led her to a pile of rocks inside the cave.