During a meal, the two chatted about this and that, and before they knew it, they had finished eating.

After noon.

Gong Xue was pondering in her room about brewing some different kinds of wine when she heard a noise from the front yard.

She ran over to take a look and saw An Wanggui practicing his swordsmanship.

It was already autumn, and the ground was covered with fallen leaves. An Wanggui’s sword whirled in the wind, stirring up a flurry of leaves with each sweep.

His white jade boots lightly tapped the ground as he spun in mid-air, his deep cyan robe fluttering with the wind. The sword blade hummed sharply, like an eagle soaring into the sky.

The orange-red sunlight shone on him, casting a golden glow over his cool, handsome face, giving it a soft warmth.

Gong Xue was momentarily dazed, standing there lost in thought, watching him for a long time without realizing it.

Finally, it was An Wanggui who called out to her, snapping her out of her trance.

“What are you doing standing there?”

“Oh? I… I think you look amazing when you practice swordsmanship.”

As she spoke, she raised her hand and gave An Wanggui a thumbs-up.

An Wanggui was taken aback, staring at her with a slight frown, as if considering the credibility of her words.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, Gong Xue forced a smile. “How about we spar for a bit?”

“You want to spar with me?” An Wanggui sounded doubtful.

Since Gong Xue had arrived, he and his brother had never asked about her background, nor did they know her strength. Thinking about it, they realized they knew nothing about her.

An Wanggui wanted to get a sense of Gong Xue’s abilities, so he agreed. “Alright, let’s do it.”

The two of them moved to the center of the courtyard and faced each other. Seeing that Gong Xue did not intend to summon a weapon, An Wanggui sheathed his sword as well.

With a sudden gust of wind, they both moved at the same time, their figures swift as ghosts, their arms and wrists clashing with fierce moves.

An Wanggui was momentarily stunned; he hadn’t expected this seemingly delicate girl to fight so fiercely and ruthlessly, matching his strength blow for blow.

After several rounds of hand-to-hand combat, they were evenly matched. With a single thought, they both activated their internal energy and struck. The instant their powerful forces intertwined and collided, a fierce wind erupted, almost tearing the house apart.

Panicked, they tried to retract their hands, but it was too late-the house collapsed.

“Uh… Oh no!”

Late at night, they finally managed to restore the house to its original state using immortal power.

This left Gong Xue utterly exhausted.

Gong Xue didn’t care about her image anymore and lay down directly on the ground in the courtyard, finally feeling some relief from her exhaustion.

She tilted her head to look at An Wanggui, who was standing nearby, and patted the spot beside her. “Why don’t you lie down for a bit too?”

An Wanggui didn’t say anything, nor did he lie down. He just squatted beside Gong Xue, his gaze fixed on her.

An Wanggui’s gaze was bright and intense, making it impossible for Gong Xue to ignore. She gave him a silly smile. “Why… are you staring at me like that?”

An Wanggui moved his lips; it was subtle in the dim light, but noticeable.

Gong Xue seemed to have a premonition and sat up, locking eyes with him.

In the dim moonlight, this close distance was filled with a restless ambiguity.

“An Wanggui.” Again, that tone—those three words were like a fuse, completely igniting the desire in his heart.

“You… mmph…”

Before Gong Xue could finish her sentence, a warm and soft sensation pressed against her lips, silencing her.

Her pupils dilated, her heartbeat rapidly increasing, and her ears filled with a ringing sound, blocking out everything else.

An Wanggui’s kiss started gentle, then gradually became more aggressive and rough, mercilessly crushing Gong Xue’s delicate lips.

His hands wrapped around her slender waist, their bodies pressing tightly together, heat spreading through every fiber of his being.

Gong Xue felt dizzy, every place he touched tingling with numbness.

“Stop right there!” Mu Xian’s abrupt voice interrupted Gong Xue’s vivid narration.

Gong Xue glared at him, her face turning dark with annoyance. “What?!”

Mu Xian shrugged. “This part can be skipped. No one wants to hear about your romantic escapades.”

Gong Xue gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. “Fine, skip it. After that, our relationship became subtle—we were sort of together, but neither of us made it clear.”

Mu Xian remarked, “So, you were just stringing him along?”

Gong Xue didn’t want to respond to him and continued with her story.

An Wanggui was pretty much in the palm of her hand, so the next one to deal with was An Cheyan.

Half a month later,

People from Yiqu Liushang arrived and found Gong Xue.

“Miss, something happened at Yiqu Liushang!”

The visitor was a seductive woman with enchanting purple eyes.

“What happened?” Gong Xue asked.

“Elders Lin Chi and Wen Yi are fighting over the uneven distribution of Yiqu Liushang’s wealth and power. Their conflict has already started affecting some of Yiqu Liushang’s ordinary citizens. We need you to come back and mediate.”

Gong Xue massaged her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “Those two old troublemakers… If I don’t beat them for a day, they start tearing the house apart. But I haven’t found Mei Huai yet.”

She was in a dilemma when suddenly An Wanggui’s voice came from behind her, “We can help you.”

An Wanggui and An Cheyan walked over. An Cheyan smiled and put his arm around Gong Xue’s shoulder. “We always knew you weren’t simple. Turns out, our Yun’er is the master of Yiqu Liushang!”

Gong Xue, feeling guilty, asked, “You don’t blame me for hiding this from you?”

An Wanggui smiled. “Everyone has secrets. Having a secret doesn’t necessarily mean someone is bad. We can discern right from wrong.”

Gong Xue was a bit moved, but she knew she had achieved her goal.

“Thank you. This is my subordinate, Hu Xingtang,” Gong Xue introduced the woman in purple. “I have to return to Yiqu Liushang. Can you help me find my friend, Mei Huai?” With a wave of her delicate hand, a portrait floated in the air. “This is what he looks like. I must hurry back to Yiqu Liushang, I leave it to you.”

“Need any help? I’ll go back to Yiqu Liushang with you. My brother can help you find this Mei Huai,” An Cheyan offered first, passing the task of finding Mei Huai to An Wanggui. An Wanggui didn’t object, and Gong Xue agreed.

“Very well, thank you both. Wanggui, be careful!” Gong Xue instructed An Wanggui.

An Wanggui smiled warmly, taking the portrait and heading off.

In fact, Gong Xue was quite happy to send An Wanggui away. This way, she could distract An Cheyan, making him so devoted that he’d follow her wholeheartedly.