Feng Xinzi visited Ruoshui every day and spoke to her for a while. “Keeping her company” was really no more than talking to himself. Yu Furong saw it all and felt the pain in her heart. In the past, she would not dare to hope for anything; now, she did not even dare to think about it. Even the thought of it felt like a kind of blasphemy against an immortal. Love was one of those things that could not be clearly explained. It only caused people to sink deeper and deeper, unable to extricate themselves.

　　Then, one year, when spring returned and all things revived, amidst birdsong and the fragrance of flowers, Ruoshui finally opened her eyes.

　　She sat up, stretched, and rolled her neck. What had happened before felt as if it were from the day before yesterday. She had gone to the moat, shed her blood, and it seemed that Feng Xinzi had come to save her. Then she should have been in the Prince’s Mansion of Yunan—so where exactly was she now?

　　Ruoshui rubbed her head, utterly baffled.

　　She walked outside and saw all kinds of medicinal herbs planted there. Butterflies danced gracefully in the air, and birds chirped nonstop. They seemed almost alive with spirit, all flying toward Ruoshui and circling around her. Seeing this, Ruoshui was delighted and reached out to tease the butterflies and birds.

　　“Miss, you are awake?” came a woman’s pleasantly surprised voice from behind her.

　　Ruoshui turned and saw the newcomer, then asked, “You are...?”

　　“This servant is Yunling, a maid from the Medicine Valley.”

　　“Medicine Valley? Where is that? And where is Feng Xinzi?” Ruoshui asked.

　　Yunling replied, “His Lordship is on Lingxiao Peak. This servant will take you to him now.”

　　At Lingxiao Peak, the Immortal Sects Conference, held once every five years, was underway. On the arena, one group after another took turns fighting. Yu Qingshan sat in the main seat, Mu Linjun and Qiwu Jun sat on either side, while Fuyi Jun, who was Feng Xinzi, and the Immortal Maiden Wuyang sat separately on both sides.

　　Seeing the place crowded with people, Ruoshui asked, “What are they doing?”

　　Yunling said, “The Immortal Sects Conference, of course. Miss has been asleep for several months. His Lordship has been by your side every day, but the selection ceremony for the immortal sects on Zhaoyao Mountain happens only once every five years, so His Lordship had no choice but to attend. Who would have thought that Miss would wake up precisely at this time?”

　　“You mean I’ve been asleep for months? And you’re saying I’m on Zhaoyao Mountain?” Ruoshui did not know what she was feeling at that moment. She had simply slept once—how had she slept for so long? And how had she ended up back in Zhaoyao again? After all that wandering, she had somehow circled right back here.

　　“Yes. When His Lordship brought you back, you were already asleep. This is the first immortal mountain, Zhaoyao Mountain. Fuyi Jun is over there.” Yunling pointed toward the main seat.

　　Ruoshui followed the direction of her finger and looked over.

　　That person she had once wanted to forget but could never forget. That person she had once needed so badly that she could not eat or sleep. That person she had eventually almost managed to forget.

　　He came into her sight and crashed straight into her heart.

　　Ruoshui panicked. Guilt and unease made her lower her head. She did not know why she felt flustered, nor why she felt guilty. She had been a victim from the very beginning, yet she still felt a little afraid of him.

　　Ruoshui slipped away quietly. By the time Yunling looked back, she was already gone. Alarmed, Yunling panicked. This was the person dear to His Lordship’s heart. She hurried around in circles, frantic.

　　Ruoshui wandered alone, turning this way and that, not knowing where she had ended up. A breeze passed by, carrying a faint scent of wine through the air. Following the smell, she found a wine cellar. Ruoshui was already feeling troubled, so she casually opened a jar and drank from it.

　　How had things come to this?

　　Feng Xinzi liked her. Feng Xinzi was Fuyi Jun. Fuyi Jun was the junior martial uncle of Qiwu Jun. Yet she was the legitimate wife formally married to Qiwu Jun. Ruoshui pressed a hand to her forehead. Why had she somehow ended up entangled with everyone from Zhaoyao?

　　After half a jar of wine, Ruoshui felt that this could not go on. She had to find a way to leave. She had to get away from this place of conflict, or something was bound to go wrong.

　　She staggered forward a few steps. The wine had seemed harmless at first, but the aftereffect was strong; it was getting to her head. As she walked, her mind grew more and more muddled. She was already someone who could not tell east from west, and now she was even more confused. In the end, she could only sit down where she was and doze off.

　　After a short while, Ruoshui felt someone tugging at her clothes. She instinctively resisted, but the person grabbed her hand instead. The grip hurt sharply. Ruoshui opened her eyes and saw a face looming right before her, wearing a sleazy smile and clearly up to no good.

　　“So Zhaoyao Mountain really is a famous immortal mountain. Even the maids here are so pretty.”

　　“Who are you? Let go of me.” Ruoshui was now much more awake, and fear tightened in her chest.

　　“These eyes are really lovely.” The man reached out and stroked Ruoshui’s eyes.

　　Ruoshui slapped his hand away without hesitation.

　　“I like this kind of fiery little temper. Come back with me to Yingzhou, and I’ll take good care of you. That would be much better than being a maid on Zhaoyao.” As he spoke, he started pawing at her.

　　“Help! Help!” Ruoshui struggled and cried out at the same time.

　　“Stop shouting. Everyone’s busy competing in the martial contest. Who has time to bother with you? If I hadn’t been bored and wandered around here, would I have gotten such a beautiful woman for free?” The man grew even more rough as he tore at Ruoshui’s clothes.

　　Ruoshui struggled desperately, but it was useless. The moment she resisted with all her strength, pain shot through her entire body like needles, piercing straight into her heart. In the end, she gave up and could only protect her chest with both hands, hugging herself tightly, while two lines of clear tears slipped from her tightly shut eyes.

　　Seeing that Ruoshui had stopped resisting, the man became wildly excited. He bent down, ready to steal a kiss, when a blast of palm force struck him and sent him crashing to the side.

　　The one who arrived was none other than Qiwu Jun.

　　He had been in seclusion for three years, and after emerging, he had not found her anywhere. He had thought she had left on her own. During the martial contest, he had spotted her at a glance and had some questions he wanted answered, so he came out during the midday break to find her. Unexpectedly, he discovered someone on Zhaoyao Mountain’s Lingxiao Peak, bullying an innocent woman and attempting indecent acts.

　　When he saw that the person being bullied was Ruoshui, he was stunned for a moment. By the time he came to himself and turned back, the lewd man had already fled in panic.

　　Qiwu Jun crouched down and looked at Ruoshui, whose clothes were in disarray and whose delicate shoulders were half-exposed, as she held herself tightly. In that moment, he actually felt both anger and a strange ache in his heart.

　　After a long silence with no movement from him, Ruoshui finally opened her eyes. Seeing Qiwu Jun, she suddenly threw herself into his arms and cried loudly, clutching him tightly. Qiwu Jun had nowhere to put his hands, so he could only stiffly rest them on her shoulders.

　　By the time Ruoshui had finally cried herself out, she let go of Qiwu Jun, wiped away her tears, and awkwardly stepped back to the side.

　　“How did you end up here?” Qiwu Jun asked.

　　“I got lost. I couldn’t find my way home.” No, that was not right. She did not even have a home. Ruoshui felt a wave of disappointment.

　　“You’ve been drinking?” Qiwu Jun asked, noticing the faint smell of alcohol.

　　“A little bit.” Ruoshui said this while gesturing with her hand. Her “a little bit” meant only half a jar.

　　“Who was that person just now?” Qiwu Jun thought of the man who had fled in terror.

　　“How would I know? I was sleeping here, and then someone suddenly started pulling at my clothes.” Ruoshui choked up again. Just remembering it made her feel afraid. She folded her arms around herself tightly. If Qiwu Jun had not come, she would never have been able to escape unscathed.

　　Seeing Ruoshui in such a miserable state, her little face flushed red from the alcohol, Qiwu Jun cast a spell to tidy her disheveled hair and removed his outer robe to put it on her.

　　Ruoshui stood up. The oversized robe made her look as though a child had secretly put on an adult’s clothes.