Mo Ran gritted his teeth to the point that they were about to shatter, and his eyes were bloodshot. “Shi Mingjing!”

     Shi Mei flicked his sleeve. The hem of his robe fluttered under the moonlight.

     He stood on top of the tree and turned his head, light shining on his handsome face. “Time to go. If you don’t leave now, Shizun will wake up. If he wakes up and sees us arguing, I’m afraid he won’t be happy.”

     After a pause, he smiled and added, “That’s right, A-Ran; next time we meet, remember to call me Hua Binan, or you can call me Shigong—if there is a next time.”

     This time, after speaking, he leapt into the air, his steps light and graceful, and disappeared into the dense forest of Longxue Mountain in an instant, his figure no longer visible. The only thing that remained was that pleasant yet cold laughter, which glowed with a ghostly light, lingering for a long time.

     “Shi Mei! Shi Mingjing!!!”

     Under the cover of the mountain mist, Shi Mei didn’t turn his head to look at Mo Ran again. Instead, he held the person in his arms and quickly flew over the uneven cliffs, his cloak and robes fluttering in the wind.

     His heart was filled with indescribable joy, and his eyes lit up. He was like a hunter returning from a rewarding journey, waiting to go back and feast on the fruits of victory. But just as he was flying low over the ground, he suddenly heard the person in his arms call out in a hoarse voice from the nightmares of his previous life, “Mo Ran…”

     The joyful expression on Shi Mei’s face froze for a moment, then he narrowed his eyes. His gaze was one part cold and one part angry.

     “...What’s so good about him that makes him worthy of you doing this for him?”

     However, Chu Wanning couldn’t hear him. He had a high fever, and his handsome face was as white as a frozen lake. One could even see some of the light blue veins underneath.

     Chu Wanning said softly, “Mo Ran…”

     Shi Mei stopped in his tracks. It seemed that he had been enduring for too long and had become impatient. However, he hesitated for a moment and restrained himself.

     In front of the unconscious Chu Wanning, he was not as calm and at ease as he was in front of Mo Ran. After staring at Chu Wanning’s face for a while, he said, “Don’t worry about it. Soon, Mo Ran will no longer exist. Just follow me from now on.”

     After pausing for a moment, he continued, “But I know you are deeply affectionate. If you can’t forget him for a while, it doesn’t matter. When I have succeeded, I will have enough energy to slowly wear you down.”

     After saying this, he once again swept off the ground, summoned his sword midair, and flew straight towards the direction of Mount Jiao’s Hero’s Tomb.

     It was very late at night, and the burial ground of Rufeng Sect was quiet. The moonlight shone across the tombs, one after another. Those who had been made into Zhenlong chess pieces by Xu Shuanglin before had lost their flow of spiritual power and could no longer move. They could only stand stiffly in their positions, motionless.

     Shi Mei used the stored blood of the Nangong Clan to open the gate to Mount Jiao. He turned his eyes and saw Nangong Liu standing blankly at the foot of the mountain.

     Nangong Liu could not be considered a complete chess piece. He was only a half-finished product and still had a trace of vitality left. However, this person had completely lost his mind, and his brain was only that of a five-year-old child. Shi Mei didn’t have the leisure to kill him, not to mention that he could still be of some use.

     “Zhiyou-gege, you’re back.” When Nangong Liu saw him, he smiled, his slightly plump face filled with sincerity.

     Xu Shuanglin had once regarded Shi Mingjing as his close friend, so Nangong Liu also followed suit and called him “Zhiyou-gege.”

     This name made Shi Mei pause for a moment. He then narrowed his eyes and said, “Don’t call me that.”

     “Ah…” Nangong Liu looked at him blankly. “You don’t like me calling you that?”

     “I don’t like it. Just call me Hua Binan.” Shi Mei’s face was gloomy. “Go. Walk ahead and open a path for me.”

     “Zhiyou-gege, where are you going?”

     “...” There was no point in arguing with someone who only had a five-year-old brain. Shi Mei said impatiently, “Take me to the secret room where Xu Shuanglin used to live.”

     Nangong Liu took him right away.

     In fact, the secret room was not a secret to Shi Mei. It was just that there were too many places along the way where the Nangong family’s blood needed to be spilled. Although he had some, he still carried Chu Wanning in his arms, and it was troublesome to free his hands. It was better to use Nangong Liu.

     After walking for a while in tandem, Nangong Liu suddenly turned around. He was unable to hold back his curiosity and asked him, “Zhiyou-gege, are you bringing a friend back to spend the night?”

     “Spend the night?” Shi Mei seemed to be pleased by these words. His eyebrows relaxed slightly, and he smiled and said, “It’s almost like spending the night, but he will spend many nights here in the future. It should be said that he’s staying here permanently.”

     Nangong Liu became even more curious. “Who is he?”

     Shi Mei thought for a moment and suddenly smiled. “You really want to know? I’m afraid it’s inappropriate for a child.”

     Nangong Liu’s eyes widened. Such a childlike expression on the face of a middle-aged man really made people feel that it was disgusting and comical.

     They walked all the way to the door of the secret room. The door opened, and a lamp was burning inside. The room was quiet and simple; there was only a bed covered by a thick sabertooth tiger skin and a snow-white gauze curtain. Beside the bed, there was a small table and a konghou. Other than that, the walls were empty, and there was nothing else.

     Shi Mei put Chu Wanning on the bed, then sat on the side of the bed, his sleeves flowing as he stared down at Chu Wanning’s face. The candlelight was very bright, illuminating that familiar face.

     When he was awake, his sword-like brows reached his temples, and his phoenix eyes were filled with power. But at this moment, his face was haggard, and a line was drawn to his chin, like the remnants of smoke…

     Shi Mei didn’t care about this. He only felt that after two lifetimes, Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were finally defeated by his hands. At this moment, Chu Wanning was lying beside him, and Mo Ran’s spiritual power was temporarily lost, but soon he would obediently walk into his trap. His plan was finally about to be realized.

     Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard Nangong Liu come over and say, “Huh? This person looks very familiar.”

     Shi Mei glanced at him. “Do you remember who he is?”

     “I can’t remember.”

     Shi Mei reminded him, “In the past, this gege reprimanded and embarrassed you.”

     “Huh? Where?”

     “In the main hall of Rufeng Sect.”

     Nangong Liu said blankly, “Ah, really? …But how come I don’t remember it at all?”

     Shi Mei was silent for a moment. Then he smiled gently and said, “It’s better that you don’t remember.”

     Nangong Liu didn’t know the meaning behind his words. He tilted his head and looked at Chu Wanning for a while. Then he suddenly said, “But he’s very good-looking. He looks good even with his eyes closed and without a smile.”

     Shi Mei smiled and said, “He’s Emperor Taxian-Jun’s beloved concubine. How can he not be good-looking?”

     “Beloved concubine? …What does that mean?”

     The smile in Shi Mei’s eyes deepened. “You’ll know when you grow up. Now, go and help me pick some oranges and boil some hot water… He has such a bad temper. If he wakes up, and I don’t have any good food to serve, I’m afraid he’ll be even angrier.”

     Nangong Liu prepared to go.

     But when he reached the door, he hesitated. Seeing this, Shi Mei asked him, “What’s wrong?”

     “Orange…” Nangong Liu hesitated and bit his finger. “Does Zhiyou-gege know when His Majesty will return?”

     The “His Majesty” he was referring to was Xu Shuanglin.

     Of course, Shi Mei wouldn’t tell Nangong Liu that Xu Shuanglin was dead. He smiled and said, “Be good and do your job well. His Majesty will come back soon.”

     Nangong Liu’s eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up the small bamboo basket next to the door of the secret room and went out to pick oranges.

     Shi Mei looked at the place where he left, then smiled after a while and said, “Interesting. When they were sane, they fought against each other, but when they lost their consciousness, they became brothers… Sure enough, there are many things in this world that are cleanest when young. Once they grow up and get involved in schemes and disputes, they become dirty.”

     As he said this, he turned back and stroked Chu Wanning’s cheek.

     “You see, most of the people in the cultivation world are like him. They’re not worthy of your protection.” He traced the handsome face with his fingertips and sighed. “Why do you go through so much trouble, breaking apart your soul, tearing apart time and space, and enduring all kinds of humiliation just for these people… fighting with me for two lifetimes?”

     Chu Wanning, who was in a deep sleep, naturally wouldn’t answer him.

     The pain and nightmares from his previous life tormented him, making his cheeks burn and his brows knit together. Shi Mei held his chin for a while and looked at him. Then he took out a silver bottle of Tapir Fragrance Dew from his qiankun pouch.

     “This is for you to drink.” Shi Mei opened the bottle of Tapir Fragrance Dew. “I knew you’d definitely dream about the events of your previous life, and I knew you would come to Xuanyuan Pavilion, so I specially asked them to take Tapir Fragrance Dew to sell… I wanted to make you feel better, but I didn’t want to arouse suspicion. So you see, it’s better to follow me than Mo Ran, right? As long as you make me happy, I can give you a taste of this worthless thing every day. But what can he give you? He only knows how to fight.”

     The fragrant dew was poured into a small white porcelain cup and brought to Chu Wanning’s lips.

     After feeding him the medicine, Shi Mei stared blankly at his hard-won victory for a while. Then he suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up. He rummaged through his qiankun pouch and finally found a pitch-black silk ribbon. He put the ribbon over Chu Wanning’s eyes and cast a concentration spell, completely covering his eyes.

     After doing all this, he slowly stood up, lifted Chu Wanning’s chin, and looked at him, feeling very satisfied.

     “Yes, it is indeed beautiful. No wonder Mo Ran liked to tie you up and fuck you like this in his previous life. It’s not bad to learn from him once in a while. At least he’s a bit interesting in this aspect.”

     Shi Mei’s smile was very gentle, no different from before. His fingertips slowly caressed Chu Wanning’s chin, lips, and nose before finally landing on the black silk covering his eyes.

     He then said in a gentle voice that made people shudder, “Shizun, wake up quickly. I… just thought of a very interesting game. When you wake up, why don’t we play together, okay?”