While Jian Huan and the others were talking, the three inside the room saw Gong Qi go out to feed the spirit beasts and immediatelyined to Fang Quan.


    Wu Yin said, "Brother Fang, you have no idea, Gong Qi fights demons and monsters with such reckless abandon, it’s only a matter of time before something terrible happens!"


    Lotus Heart sighed, "Wu Yin and I have told him time and time again. He says he understands, but when trouble arises, he’s always the first to charge in, even faster than his spirit beasts."


    Fang Quan frowned disapprovingly and stood up. "That won’t do. I’ll go and talk to him."


    Lotus Heart and Wu Yin watched Fang Quan leave, exchanged a knowing smile, and clinked their cups.


    Wu Yin remarked, "Gong Qi only listens to Brother Fang. He’s the only one who can rein him in…"


    The door creaked open, and Fang Quan nced at the marten elegantly nibbling on spirit herbs in the vegetable patch before walking out of the courtyard.


    The three at the gate greeted him respectfully.


    With his disciples present, Fang Quan naturally didn’t want to embarrass his friend. Instead, he smiled at Gong Qi and said, "So, what do you think of my two disciples? Not bad, right?"


    Gong Qi’s lips curved into a smile, and his gaze lingered on Fang Quan with a hint of nostalgia. "Of course, they’re excellent. Brother Fang’s disciples could never be anything less."


    Fang Quan nodded, stroking his beard, and turned to Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi. "It’s gettingte. You two should head back to your rooms and rest."


    It was a clear dismissal.


    "Yes, Master," Jian Huan bowed, then saluted Gong Qi before returning to her room with Shen Jizhi.


    The two brothers stood outside the courtyard, gazing at the towering mountains bathed in moonlight.


    Fang Quan asked the youngest of the four, "How have things beentely?"


    Gong Qi replied earnestly, "Brother Fang, don’t worry. I’ve been doing very well."


    And he truly had. Over the past thousand years, he had met the woman he loved, married, had children, and even great-grandchildren.


    In his cultivation journey, he had shed the recklessness of a thousand years ago, taking each step carefully, valuing his life, and living steadily. He could still live for tens of thousands of years.


    But his three closest friends remained forever in the past, a thousand years ago.


    When he missed them, a wisp of his divine consciousness woulde here to visit, reuniting with his three siblings from a millennium ago, drinking until they were thoroughly drunk.


    Soon, afterpleting the inheritance, this trace of Brother Fang’s divine consciousness would dissipate.


    And that was for the best. He couldn’t selfishly keep Brother Fang’s consciousness here, waiting for him to reminisce.


    Returning to the earth, falling leaves returning to their roots—this was the natural order of the world.


    "That’s good," Fang Quan patted his shoulder. "I know you’re eager to improve your cultivation, but haste makes waste. Gong Qi, in the path of cultivation, impatience is the greatest taboo. You must take it steady, understand? Lotus Heart and Wu Yin are both worried about you."


    Gong Qi listened carefully, word for word. This speech was almost identical to what Brother Fang had said to him that night so long ago.


    He had taken it to heart back then, and during the battle against Hua Dihai, he had been cautious. But what about the other three?


    Those three who were always so good at deceiving others.


    Who was it that truly feared death? Who was it that threw caution to the wind?


    Gong Qi couldn’t bring himself to speak. He simply nodded.


    Fang Quan smiled and said, "Alright, let’s go back and continue drinking!"


    Gong Qi smiled too, his cloak swaying in the wind as he walked. "Sure!"


    The four of them always had endless things to talk about.


    Now that they were older, they had be elders in their sect, taken on disciples, and outside, they wore the stern demeanor of mentors, setting examples for others.


    Only here, they were just themselves—not anyone’s master, not anyone’s senior siblings.


    Outside, the night deepened, and at its darkest, dawn approached.


    Inside the slightly cramped room, empty wine bottlesy scattered about.


    Fang Quan leaned in to look at Wu Yin, who was slumped over the table, and gave him a gentle push. Wu Yin fell backward, muttering as he turned over,pletely defenseless.


    Lotus Heart, propping her face with her hand,ughed at the sight and pointed at Gong Qi. "A-Qi’s drunk too."


    Fang Quan looked at Lotus Heart, then averted his gaze and asked, "You’ll be leaving at dawn, won’t you?"


    "Yes," Lotus Heart nodded softly. "The demons have been causing troubletely, and there’s a lot to handle in the various sects."


    She smiled. "But once this is settled, Wu Yin, A-Qi, and I have talked abouting here to stay for a few months."


    "Good, good, good," Fang Quan sped his hands, grinning from ear to ear. "Then I’ll be waiting for you here."


    Lotus Heart asked, "How’s your progress with the talisman sword, Brother Fang?"


    "Not bad. After three years, it’s almostplete. I was thinking that once I’ve mastered the talisman sword, I’de out to find you all and take a look at the Nine Provinces as they are now," Fang Quan replied, instinctively straightening his slightly askew hat. Suddenly, he asked, "Want to spar a bit?"


    Lotus Heart stood up, gesturing toward the courtyard with a smile, slightly tipsy. "Of course, Brother Fang, after you."


    A man and a woman, under the hazy blue light of dawn, chatted as they walked toward the courtyard.


    Their figures grew smaller and smaller, disappearing into the bamboo forest.


    Inside the room, Gong Qi opened his eyes.


    He got up, walked over to Wu Yin, and ced him on the bed.


    Gong Qi picked up an unopened bottle of wine, walked outside, and sat on the stone steps, gazing into the distance.


    There, he could see the shes of sword light—Fang Quan and Lotus Heart were sparring.


    He watched with a sense of nostalgia, asionally taking a sip of the wine from his memories. Brother Fang’s peach blossom wine, something that no longer existed in the world.


    At sunrise, Shen Jizhi opened his door, picked up the vegetable basket from the front yard, nced at the distant sword lights, then at Gong Qi, who seemed neither drunk nor sober on the stone steps, and went to the kitchen as if no one else was there.


    Master probably wouldn’t be eating breakfast today, but he and Jian Huan still needed to eat.


    As the aroma of cooking filled the small courtyard, Jian Huan’s door opened too.


    She stood in the doorway, stretching, and spotted Gong Qi. With a smile, she greeted him, "Good morning, Senior."


    Gong Qi, infected by Jian Huan’s youthful energy, smiled back. "Good morning."


    Jian Huan didn’t linger long, quickly slipping into the kitchen. Soon, she returned with four dishes, cing them on the stone table.


    Behind her, Shen Jizhi carried a pot of porridge and some bowls and chopsticks.


    The two quickly set the table, and as Jian Huan arranged the dishes, she asked, "Senior, would you like to join us for breakfast?"


    Gong Qi shook his head. "No, you two go ahead."


    Jian Huandled some porridge, then quickly added a heap of vegetables to it. She whispered to Shen Jizhi, "I’m going to talk to Senior for a bit."


    Shen Jizhi nced up. "I don’t think he wants to talk to you."


    Jian Huan immediately held up a finger. "Want to bet? One spirit stone?"


    Shen Jizhi looked at her confident smile, then at Gong Qi, who was sipping his wine in silence, and quickly made up his mind. "No bet."


    Jian Huan gave him a sidelong nce. "Tsk, just one spirit stone, and you’re too scared to bet?"


    Unfortunately, provocation never worked on Shen Jizhi.


    He shrugged. "Yeah, I’m scared."


    Jian Huan: "…"


    Jian Huan carried a bowl of vegetable porridge and sat down beside Gong Qi. She wanted to ask something, but once seated, the words wouldn’te.


    Though she wasn’t deeply familiar with the history of the Nine Provinces, she had heard Elder Yu Qing of the Jade rity Sect speak of the battle against the Demon God Hua Dihai a thousand years ago.


    Hua Dihai and his minions were incredibly formidable, and the Nine Provinces had nearly been destroyed. Countless prodigies and powerful cultivators had perished in that conflict.


    Including Lotus Heart. Including Wu Yin. Including Fang Quan.


    Having spent over four months with Fang Quan here, even though she had known from the start that Fang Quan was no longer in this world, the thought still brought her sadness. She tried not to dwell on it.


    As a mere disciple, she felt this way. Gong Qi, the sole survivor of the four, must feel it even more deeply.


    Jian Huan sighed softly and took a sip of porridge.


    Gong Qi chuckled, looking at the two young people in the courtyard, and mused, "Your age is such a wonderful time…"


    He took a sip of wine, his voice tinged with drunkenness as he slowly began to recount the past.


    In the Nine Provinces today, these stories were something he could only share with these two disciples of Brother Fang.


    "When the four of us met, we were around your age, just teenagers. Brother Fang was the oldest, a few years older than us, and I was the youngest."


    "My parents were just ordinary farmers. After I joined the Beast Taming Sect, I often ventured into secret realms for training because I didn’t have much spirit stone. That’s where we met. Elder Brother Fang Quan was a wandering cultivator living in seclusion. When he finished reading his books, he would go out for months of training and bring back a pile of new books. Lotus Heart, as you know, is from your Jade rity Sect, and Wu Yines from the Buddhist sect. That particr secret realm was extremely dangerous, but it became the chance for the four of us to meet."


    "For the next two hundred years, we would meet once every year. Sometimes here, sometimes at the Jade rity Sect, sometimes at Wu Yin’s ce, or sometimes at a secret realm." At this point, Gong Qi paused. Two hundred years of shared time could be summed up in just a few words. He chuckled softly and continued, "What you’ve seen in this inheritance secret realm is thest three years of our time together. During those three years, Elder Brother Fang Quan was here,prehending the path of talisman and sword, and we would visit him once a year."


    "And this time, it was thest gathering of the four of us." Gong Qi paused again, his eyes glistening with tears, his voice as soft as a feather. "None of us expected it at the time. We didn’t expect it to be thest time. We didn’t expect Hua Dihai to be stronger than we thought, nor did we expect the demons to have greater ambitions. A yearter, when we were supposed to meet, none of us came. Instead, we each sent Elder Brother Fang Quan a pile of books. But in the end, Elder Brother Fang Quan came looking for us."


    Gong Qi raised his hand to cover his eyes.


    The morning sun had fully risen, and the spring light was radiant.


    Inside the house, Wu Yin was still deep in sleep.


    In the peach blossom grove across the bamboo forest, Fang Quan and Lotus Heart stopped their sword practice and sat down under a peach tree. A morning breeze blew past, and a peach blossom fell onto Lotus Heart’s hair.


    Fang Quan’s hand holding the sword twitched slightly, but he only reminded her, "There’s a flower in your hair."


    Lotus Heart reached up, took the flower, and began to y with it in her palm.


    The two continued to exchange insights on sword techniques.


    Another breeze blew through, from the peach grove to the bamboo forest, from the bamboo forest into the courtyard, lifting the strands of hair on Shen Jizhi’s forehead, fluttering Jian Huan’s skirt, and billowing Gong Qi’s cloak.


    After a long pause, Gong Qi finally spoke, "After a fierce battle, we were trapped by Hua Dihai. We agreed to live and die together, to perish with Hua Dihai. But somehow, the three of them reached a consensus without me knowing, and they kicked me out when I wasn’t paying attention."


    As he said this, unlike the unbearable pain he felt when he first recalled this event, Gong Qi’s face now wore a gentle, nostalgic smile.


    "Before Lotus Heart and Wu Yin went to face the demons, they had already informed their disciples about their affairs, so I didn’t need to worry about them. Only Elder Brother Fang Quan was alone, with no sect or family. So, I took on more responsibilities. First, I followed the wishes of Elder Brother Fang Quan and Lotus Heart, and changed Fang Family Vige to Lotus Square Town. Elder Brother Fang Quan also left me a wisp of his inheritance consciousness. His talisman and sword techniques had just begun to take shape, and he hadn’t had time to find a sessor, which was indeed a pity. So, I built this Fang Quan''s Treasure Hall ording to what Elder Brother Fang Quan had mentioned during our casual conversations. For this, I even spent a hundred years learning talismans."


    Remembering something, Gong Qiughed and said to Jian Huan, "Your master didn’t really have any treasures. What he had the most were books and that spiritual herb field."


    Gong Qi shook his head, took another sip of wine, and pointed at Jian Huan’s sword, "Like this spirit iron, I added it for Elder Brother Fang Quan. Otherwise, the Treasure Hall would have been filled with low-grade spiritual herbs, which would have been quite shabby."


    Jian Huan: "..."


    So that’s how it was. Jian Huan thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle!"


    "What a smooth talker," Gong Qi remarked. Last night she called him "Master," this morning "Senior," and now she’s calling him "Uncle."


    Shen Jizhi looked at the spiritual dishes on the table and suddenly asked, "Senior, since the spiritual herbs in the Treasure Halle from here, are these all illusions?"


    Gong Qi nced at them and thought for a moment, "Half and half, I suppose."


    Hearing this, Jian Huan quickly scooped up several more mouthfuls of porridge.


    The sun rose higher, and there was movement inside the house—Wu Yin had woken up.


    Gong Qi stood up and, for thest time, gazed deeply at the courtyard. He instructed Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi, "This is your master’s inheritance illusion, and my consciousness cannot appear here freely. I’ll be leaving soon. Take care of yourselves. When this inheritance illusion disappears, the exit of the secret realm will appear. You’ll have about a year here. Use it well toprehend and don’t disappoint your master’s expectations. After you leave, there’s no need to mention anything about this ce. Elder Brother Fang Quan wouldn’t want that."


    Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi nodded in agreement.


    Gong Qi walked back into the house, returning to where he was supposed to be lying drunk.


    Wu Yin woke him up, and the two of them went to the peach grove to find Fang Quan and Lotus Heart.


    The secret realm where Fang Quan lived in seclusion was enchanted with a special formation, so it was always spring, the season the four of them loved the most.


    The peach blossoms remained unchanged for a thousand years.


    Fang Quan bid farewell to the three of them, holding his sword, his eyes smiling, "Well then, everyone, see you next year."


    Lotus Heart smiled and also held her sword, "See you next year."


    Wu Yin chanted, "Amitabha, see you next year."


    Gong Qi held his marten and whispered, "See you next year."


    But next year would nevere.


    A yearter, which was only twelve days in this realm, three spirit cranes arrived one after another, each carrying a letter and a pile of books.


    The books piled up across the courtyard, filling the air with the unique scent of paper.


    Fang Quan stood amidst the piles of books, reading the three letters.


    Jian Huan set the dishes on the table, poured three cups of wine, and called out, "Master,e and eat. Tonight’s dishes are all your favorites."


    Fang Quan nodded, somewhat absentmindedly, and sat down, "The three of them are busy. Something big must be happening outside."


    Jian Huan handed her master the chopsticks, "Even if something’s happening, you still need to eat."


    "True," Fang Quan took the chopsticks, looked at the table full of dishes and wine, and smiled at his two disciples, who were unusually waiting for him to start, "What is this, a farewell feast?"


    Jian Huan smiled and nodded, "Yes. If it weren’t for your guidance, Shen Jizhi and I wouldn’t have been able to master the talisman and sword techniques so quickly."


    She picked up her wine cup, stood up, and toasted Fang Quan with a serious expression, "Master, thank you."


    After saying this, she downed the wine in one gulp.


    Shen Jizhi watched her quietly and followed with a toast to Fang Quan.


    "Alright, alright," Fang Quan smiled and drank his wine. "What I taught you were just the sword techniques. The intent behind the Flower-Plucking Sword, I cannot teach you. You’ll have toprehend it yourselves. The same sword technique can lead topletely different intents for different people. Your futures are still long."


    After a pause, Fang Quan said, "Since we’vee to this, let’s bid farewell now."


    Jian Huan lowered her head, her hands resting on the stone table, idly picking at it.


    The words Gong Qi had said that day, both she and Shen Jizhi had heard. They knew that it was now time to part.


    Jian Huan had mentally prepared herself, but when the moment finally came, she couldn’t help but feel reluctant.


    Some partings, once done, are truly final.


    Fang Quan was still thinking about the three letters, "Something must have happened outside. I need to go and see. I’ll probably set off tomorrow. You two can stay here or go out to train, whichever you prefer."


    The two agreed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Fang Quan gave a few more instructions, ate until he was half-full, and then carried the books back to his room.


    Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi continued eating.


    By the end, Jian Huan started drinking, one cup after another, as if it were water. Almost an entire jug of wine went into her stomach.


    Shen Jizhi held a simple white porcin cup, not drinking, his gaze fixed on Jian Huan.


    Her face was flushed from the wine, her eyes bright and intense. She held the wine jug upside down, trying to pour more into her cup, but nothing came out.


    Jian Huan frowned, scratching her head, seemingly confused as to why the jug was empty.


    She ced the jug aside, propped her elbows on the edge of the stone table, and used her index fingers to pull down the skin under her eyes, exposing most of her whites, making a face like a ghost.


    Shen Jizhi paused for a moment and asked, "What are you doing?"


    Jian Huan nced at him, tilted her head, and after some thought, blurted out, "I don’t want to be a crybaby."


    Shen Jizhi understood. He nodded, took a small sip of his wine, and said nothing more.


    The surroundings werepletely silent.


    Shen Jizhi drank his wine very slowly, while Jian Huan maintained her posture the entire time.


    Her eyes were watery, the mist in them on the verge of turning into tears, but she stubbornly forced them back.


    Her hands tugged fiercely at the skin under her eyes, revealing the red veins in the whites of her eyes. Her lips were bitten, as she wrestled with herself.


    The hem of her sleeve slipped down with her movement, revealing a slender, pale wrist.


    The wrist trembled slightly from the effort.


    Shen Jizhi gazed straight ahead, his hand gripping the wine cup so tightly that veins bulged.


    He had been holding back for a long time.


    Suddenly, there was a soft clink as the cup was ced on the table.


    Shen Jizhi reached out, firmly grasping Jian Huan’s wrist and pulling it down. His voice, usually calm, carried a deep, night-like weight: “Enough, Jian Huan.”


    The strength in his grip was both forceful and restrained.


    Jian Huan was pulled around to face him.


    She looked at Shen Jizhi, her vision gradually blurring as tears welled up uncontrobly. Her voice quivered.


    Choking back a sob, she said, “Shen Jizhi, I really hate goodbyes.”


    “I know,” Shen Jizhi replied softly.


    Jian Huan withdrew her hand, hastily wiping away the tears that threatened to spill over.


    Shen Jizhi paused for a moment, then retrieved a handkerchief from his pouch and gently wiped her face.


    Jian Huan looked at the handkerchief, its familiar aqua-green fabric, her voice still shaky from crying: “Isn’t this the cloth you use to clean your sword?”


    Shen Jizhi exined, “I made two. This is the unused one.”


    “Really?” Jian Huan took the handkerchief from his hand, wiping her face while sniffling. “It’s fine. I wouldn’t have minded the sword-cleaning one either.”


    Shen Jizhi couldn’t help butugh.