He Wanyu was wandering aimlessly in the garden. When she grew tired of walking, she found a lush green willow tree and with a light leap, perched on one of its branches, closing her eyes to rest.

Bees and butterflies fluttered among the greenery, while the bright, warm sun shone on the leaves, leaving a luxurious and sweltering heat in its wake.

The midday heat of a summer’s day was the hardest to bear.

Su Fengyao couldn’t stand being at the banquet any longer. Using the excuse of having drunk too much, he slipped out for a walk.

“Finally got out. This kind of occasion really doesn’t suit me.”

He muttered complaints to himself as he walked.

Suddenly, he halted, standing in a daze, stunned.

A melody echoed in his mind, overlapping with the tune drifting from a distance. That person from his memories, the face… vividly and deeply resurfaced.

Six years ago, Su Fengyao was still a Taoist priest with his hair tied up in a Taoist bun. Back then, he wasn’t even called Su Fengyao; his Taoist name was Feng Qian.

Chu Yue was a charming beauty with a delicate appearance, but her temperament was far from docile.

At that time, she was causing a ruckus at Weiyang Pavilion, wrecking the place while the owner cried bitterly, too frightened to intervene.

For every piece of destruction, Fan Zhi, who sat calmly on the first floor sipping tea in his splendid attire, would place a silver ingot on the table. Three rows of silver ingots had already accumulated.

Chu Yue hefted a man over her shoulder and flung him downstairs, nearly hitting Feng Qian. He looked up, locking eyes with her.

Her eyes were like autumn water, her red lips stained with blood, and the blue ornament on her forehead swayed unpredictably, mirroring her mischievous and unruly nature.

“Who are you?” Chu Yue asked him with a playful smile.

——

“Who are you?”

Without realizing it, Su Fengyao found himself under the willow tree, following the sound of a voice. Looking up, he saw a figure in the tree, whose silhouette reminded him of her.

It was his turn to ask this time.

“Who are you?”

Su Fengyao repeated the question impulsively. He couldn’t explain why, but he just had to ask her, had to ask the person in the tree, perhaps even yearning for an answer from Chu Yue.

His eyes were filled with urgency and expectation, as the silhouette in his vision seemed to belong to her. Was it really her?

Upon hearing the voice, He Wanyu was lost in thought for a few moments. She turned her gaze, and Su Fengyao’s face was deeply imprinted in her pupils.

Su Fengyao was dressed in a simple white robe, his long hair lazily draped over his shoulders. His face, stunningly beautiful, had hardly changed over the years, and the loose hair added a touch of allure. Compared to the Taoist Feng Qian of those days, the current Su Fengyao looked even more enchanting.

He Wanyu was momentarily spellbound, just as she had been the first time she saw him years ago.

But then a wave of panic hit her. Had he heard the song she was singing just now?

How was she going to explain that?

She felt exposed!

All He Wanyu wanted to do in that moment was flee.

Su Fengyao’s vision of Chu Yue’s face slowly morphed into the unfamiliar face of He Wanyu, and he realized that he had mistaken her for someone else.

How foolish. Chu Yue had died in his arms. He had personally buried her. How could she possibly return?

He let out a self-mocking laugh.

The light in his eyes dimmed momentarily, and he casually wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. Trying to appear nonchalant, he apologized to He Wanyu.

“Sorry, I was being presumptuous. I passed by and disturbed you.”

Seeing that Su Fengyao seemed not to suspect anything, He Wanyu jumped down from the tree, dusted herself off, and clasped her hands in a polite salute. “It’s nothing. I’m He Wanyu. May I ask your name, Young Master?”

In his heart, Su Fengyao thought, “So this is the mysterious little sage doctor, the one Hu Ji calls ‘little darling’.”

He respectfully returned the salute. “I am Su Fengyao.”

He Wanyu’s eyes caught sight of the hairpin in Su Fengyao’s hair, and her heart skipped a beat.

Isn’t that the one I gave him…?

She hadn’t expected he would still be wearing it.

Back then, Su Fengyao was a Taoist priest, but Chu Yue, charmed by his beauty, always wanted him to marry her. Su Fengyao never responded, and he always wore his Taoist robe, keeping his hair tied up, never letting it down for her to see. Chu Yue had tried various ways to get him to loosen his hair, but to no avail.

While shopping one day, she had playfully chosen a woman’s hairpin for him and teased, “I think this hairpin would suit you. It would look even better with your hair down.”

She had stuffed it into his hand. At that time, he never wore it, even as Chu Yue became pregnant, until her death. Even then, Su Fengyao never took off his Taoist robe or let down his hair. Chu Yue had assumed he had thrown the hairpin away.

She never expected…

Not seeing the Taoist Priest secularize was a regret for Chu Yue.

Today, that regret seemed to have been remedied.

“You look really nice today.”

He Wanyu blurted out the words without context, leaving Su Fengyao puzzled.

Realizing her slip-up, she quickly added, “I mean, Young Master Su, you look very handsome.”

He Wanyu laughed sheepishly but was inwardly cursing herself.

“The song you were singing just now, where did you hear it?” Su Fengyao asked.

“Uh…” Feeling guilty, He Wanyu made up a story on the spot. “Oh, I heard it on the streets of Tang Prefecture when I was a child. I thought it sounded nice, so I remembered it.”

Su Fengyao recalled that indeed, they had been to Tang Prefecture back then. Chu Yue had dragged him along for a shopping spree and, in her happiness, she had sung that very song.

Perhaps it was during that time that He Wanyu was also in Tang Prefecture, but their paths had merely crossed.

It’s quite the coincidence, someone once a passerby now meeting again in the Imperial Palace of Luo Capital.

“Then we are truly fated. I was also in Tang Prefecture back then. That song was sung by my beloved wife.”

“Beloved wife!” He Wanyu was stunned. She never expected Su Fengyao to refer to her that way.

They had never been formally married. Their relationship had unintentionally turned into that of husband and wife, and it was only later that Chu Yue became pregnant with Xinwu. Su Fengyao was unaware of Chu Yue’s pregnancy at the time, and their relationship was quite cold. But Chu Yue couldn’t let go of Su Fengyao and secretly helped him even while she was with child.

It wasn’t until Chu Yue was injured that Su Fengyao learned she was pregnant. He had wanted to make amends then, but Chu Yue’s heart was already broken, and she silently left.

They were never truly a married couple; Su Fengyao never acknowledged it, and Chu Yue never agreed to it.

Beloved wife!

He Wanyu never imagined that after her death, Su Fengyao would acknowledge her as his wife.

How ironic.

He Wanyu inwardly scoffed.

“What’s wrong?” Su Fengyao noticed her odd reaction and asked.

He Wanyu shook her head. “It’s nothing. I was just thinking, you must have loved your wife very much?”

Su Fengyao fell silent, lowering his eyes, overshadowed with a touch of melancholy and sorrow.

“Su Fengyao, do you really know what guilt feels like? Back then, you bound me with your rules and principles, alienated me. But what about me? I raced towards you, defied everything for you, a bottomless abyss, and yet, you were never moved by me. I gave it my all, and only when I was utterly exhausted did you say you would marry me? Su Fengyao, I gave my everything to you, but you never accepted it. Since that’s the case, with my death, all ties between Feng Qian and Chu Yue were severed. I am no longer Chu Yue; now, I am just He Wanyu.”

He Wanyu muttered to herself in her heart.

Having lived another life, this time, she only wanted to protect those who loved her, her family.

“Young Master Su, I will take my leave.”

He Wanyu did not wish to entangle herself with him any further.

Su Fengyao nodded and stepped aside to let her pass.

He Wanyu had just taken a step when Su Xinwu’s voice echoed from a distance.

He Wanyu could ignore Su Fengyao, but she couldn’t neglect her own son.

Thus, He Wanyu and Su Fengyao swiftly moved towards the direction of Su Xinwu.

Su Xinwu was wrestling with an eunuch over something, clutching tightly without letting go. The eunuch was punching and kicking him, and Su Xinwu, angry and desperate, shouted, “That’s something my mother left for me! Give it back!”

He Wanyu and Su Fengyao rushed over at the sound. Seeing the scene, Su Fengyao intended to take action, but a swift figure passed by, and He Wanyu kicked the eunuch away, shielding Su Xinwu behind her.

He Wanyu checked Su Xinwu for injuries and saw his arm covered with bruises and his small face scratched.

He Wanyu was furious, a murderous intent rising, but then she noticed the silver bracelet Su Xinwu was clutching, and a wave of inexplicable sorrow washed over her.

It was Chu Yue’s Guichen Bracelet. Su Xinwu had fought so hard just for her bracelet.

He Wanyu wiped the dirt off Su Xinwu’s face gently and gave him a tender smile.

The eunuch got up, not noticing Su Fengyao standing nearby and not recognizing He Wanyu. He pulled a knife from his robe, eyes filled with malice, and charged forward.

Seeing this, Su Fengyao stepped up, kicked the knife out of the eunuch’s hand, and with another kick, sent the eunuch flying ten meters away, collapsing painfully to the ground, unable to get up.

“Who do you think you are, daring to touch my son!”

He said, ready to finish the eunuch off, but He Wanyu stopped him.

“Don’t spill blood in front of the child.”

Only then did Su Fengyao retract his killing intent. The eunuch attempted to crawl and roll away, but He Wanyu kicked a stone, hitting the eunuch’s leg, causing him to fall to his knees.

He Wanyu patted Su Xinwu’s head and raised an eyebrow, saying, “Xinwu, today let your older sister teach you the way of survival.”

“What way of survival?” Su Xinwu blinked his big eyes, asking curiously.

A cunning glint flashed in He Wanyu’s eyes as she looked at the eunuch on the ground.

The eunuch was now hanging upside down from a tree. He awoke from his stupor, realized his predicament, and began to struggle in fear, letting out wails of terror.

“Don’t move! Otherwise, I can’t guarantee the rope won’t break in the next second. If you fall and crack your skull open, don’t blame me,” He Wanyu said as she sharpened the eunuch’s knife, making it gleam. She then held it up against the rope, making a show of slicing lightly against it.

The eunuch was scared out of his wits and began to plead for mercy.

“Young lady, I was wrong, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have bullied Young Master Su. Please, spare me!”

“Spare you? Then my son would have taken a beating for nothing?” Su Fengyao’s voice carried a threatening tone. The eunuch, seeing who it was, broke into a cold sweat that drenched his clothes.

In this Imperial Palace, perhaps some people might not recognize He Wanyu, but none could fail to recognize the high-profile Su Fengyao. Years ago, he had stormed the Imperial Palace of Luo Capital three times, each instance becoming a well-known legend. The first time, he fought the famous Yan Xuan Prince, nearly tearing down half of Luo Capital before leaving unscathed. The second time, he single-handedly broke into the palace to rescue Yan Xuan Prince. The third time, he attempted to abduct Princess Consort Yan Xuan, leading to the entire Imperial Guard clashing with him.

One by one, these feats were renowned household tales.

He Wanyu crouched in front of Su Xinwu and placed the Guichen Bracelet on his wrist, saying, “Today, I’m teaching you the first rule of survival: to return others’ cunning with their own cunning.”

He Wanyu raised Su Xinwu’s arm, aiming it at the eunuch hanging from the tree. She manipulated some hidden mechanism on the bracelet, and a thin silver needle shot out swiftly, embedding itself in the eunuch’s body.

The eunuch screamed in pain.

“Wow! This bracelet has a hidden mechanism?” Su Xinwu looked up at He Wanyu in admiration.

He Wanyu’s nose nearly tilted skyward with pride. She rested her hands on her hips and boasted, “Of course it does! Come, I’ll teach you more.”

He Wanyu patiently began to teach Su Xinwu how to use the bracelet.

Su Fengyao, stunned, took hesitant steps toward He Wanyu. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand as if struck by some powerful realization, and in a voice filled with agitation, he demanded, “How do you know the mechanism of this bracelet? How can you use it? Who are you really?”

Su Fengyao was nearly shouting, his eyes wide and glaring at her intensely.

He Wanyu felt her scalp tighten as she remembered her true identity, realizing that she had been too focused on seeking justice for Su Xinwu and had momentarily forgotten about her cover.

Su Fengyao’s sharp, piercing gaze seemed to see through every small movement she made, leaving nothing unnoticed.

Forcing herself to remain calm, He Wanyu’s mind raced for a plausible explanation. Inspiration struck, and she fiercely pulled her hand free from Su Fengyao’s grip, feigning anger as she shouted, “Who hasn’t heard of the Guichen Bracelet? It was once the weapon of the illustrious Sect Leader Chu Yue of the Xiyan Sect. The Guichen Bracelet was all the rage back then, so popular that even children had replicas. The mechanism designs of the Guichen Bracelet were available everywhere—in blacksmith shops, in weapon shops—who wouldn’t know how to use it?”

In an instant, Su Fengyao’s hopeful and radiant expression deflated, vanishing without a trace.

He let out a bitter laugh and spoke to himself, “Indeed, she was known far and wide as a demoness at the time. Though she was called a demoness, the Guichen Bracelet she created was a legendary weapon of that era, beloved by both martial artists and ordinary folks alike. People clamored for her head, yet they found the Guichen Bracelet so user-friendly.”

He Wanyu’s heart was pounding in her chest, but seeing Su Fengyao’s despondent expression, it seemed he had bought her explanation.