"Sister Xi, don't run so fast. I'll take you out for a proper stroll."
Yet Yun Xi had already vanished beyond the courtyard's edge, leaving only a faint voice to drift through the evening air.
"Tomorrow~!"
No need to guess—that farewell was unmistakably Yun Xi beating her hasty retreat.
Recalling her flustered escape, Ye Qian chuckled helplessly.
Was this truly the aloof elder cousin she showed the world?
She seemed like an entirely different person. The difference was so vast it was as if she had split personalities.
…
After fleeing from Ye Qian's palace garden, Yun Xi finally stopped beneath a sprawling tree.
She drew deep breaths, willing her racing heart to settle. Never had she imagined there would be someone whose presence left her so utterly undone.
Even before her own father—Yun Feng, Patriarch of the Yun Family—Yun Xi had never fled in such undignified panic.
But Ye Qian? Around him, her composure shattered like frost under morning sun. Her heart refused to still.
Several moments passed before Yun Xi reclaimed her mask of serenity.
The aloofness returned, radiating from her in cold waves that would make most people instinctively keep their distance rather than dare approach.
She turned, staring at the magnificent palace behind her, mind churning with countless thoughts.
Rooted to the spot, she whispered to herself.
"Brother Qian… why have you changed so much? Shouldn't you still be afraid of me?
Why do you treat me like this now?"
Too many questions spiraled through her mind. Yun Xi couldn't find answers to any of them.
Yet she didn't dislike how close Ye Qian had gotten just now. Not at all.
In fact, buried deep within her heart, a tiny seed of anticipation had taken root—hoping he would treat her that way again.
What am I even thinking?
Her thoughts became a tangled mess, and Yun Xi shook her head vigorously.
No! I can't keep dwelling on this.
I originally planned to leave today, but Brother Qian said he wanted to accompany me to the Yun Family…
I suppose I'll have to wait a little longer—only because I don't want to disappoint him, that's all.
Composing herself, Yun Xi straightened her robes and slowly departed, her aloof demeanor firmly back in place.
It was already late. She had no wish to accompany Ye Qian on a stroll tonight.
Darkness would fall soon, and the Ye Clan territory at night—though prosperous and dazzling beneath the glow of spirit lamps—posed quite another kind of risk.
What if, after their walk, he invited her to stay the night in his chambers? How should she answer then?
Agree? She was still an unmarried noble young lady. If word got out, her reputation would be ruined.
Refuse? Wouldn't that wound Ye Qian's pride? Anger him?
The safest course was to return to her quarters now. As for the promised stroll, they could always speak of it tomorrow, in daylight.
When everything could remain proper and aboveboard.
…
Night descended over Ashen Orchid City.
Yue Qingshan returned to the inn once more.
He'd paid for a full month's lodging, so the room remained his to claim whenever he wished.
Yun Lan, who had followed him back, did not return to her previous quarters. Instead, she took a room in the same establishment.
She still had certain messages to deliver—though not face-to-face, of course.
These messages might be true. They might be false. Half-truths woven with half-lies.
And it was precisely such messages that would most effectively stimulate Yue Qingshan's reckless nature.
After Yue Qingshan disappeared into his room, Yun Lan deliberately rented the chamber directly adjacent to his.
For the past half-month, Yue Qingshan had barely eaten, devoting himself entirely to receiving the inheritance within that Ancient Ruin.
Now his strength had surged dramatically, his cultivation leaping across boundaries, and he'd acquired countless treasures besides.
He truly deserved to celebrate properly.
He ordered the finest wine and most exquisite dishes, instructing the innkeeper to have them delivered to his room.
Yun Lan observed all of this in silence.
When she spotted a young server carrying the prepared wine and food upstairs, Yun Lan casually brushed past him.
In that fleeting moment, she slipped a folded note beneath the wine bottle on his tray.
The entire process took mere heartbeats. The server noticed nothing, knew nothing.
Task complete, Yun Lan retreated to her own room.
From here, she could clearly hear everything that transpired in the adjacent chamber.
The contents of that note would mean nothing to most people. But Yue Qingshan would understand perfectly.
At that very moment, Yue Qingshan—famished beyond reason—gulped down an entire pot of water in his room.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Guest, your wine and dishes have arrived."
Hearing the server's voice outside, Yue Qingshan's eyes gleamed with ravenous hunger. He bolted to the door, yanked it open, and eagerly seized the tray.
"Good, you can leave. I'll call if I need anything else."
He shut the door without ceremony and began devouring the food he'd brought inside.
The dishes were magnificent—succulent meat glistening with glaze, aromatic herbs releasing fragrant steam. The scent alone made his mouth water uncontrollably.
Such delicacies demanded wine to accompany them.
Reaching for the bottle, Yue Qingshan had barely lifted it when he noticed the note pressed beneath.
He froze, frowning slightly.
Why would there be a note under his wine bottle?
Was it... meant for him?
Setting the bottle aside, Yue Qingshan slowly picked up the note, unfolded it, and read the words inscribed within.
"What?! I've been expelled from the Yue Family?! How is this possible?!"
The first message struck him like a hammer blow, dread coiling in his gut.
The second message stated that Yue Ming had suffered grievously at Ye Qian's hands—direct retaliation for Yue Qingshan's audacity in challenging him that day.
Reading this, inexplicable heartache pierced through Yue Qingshan's chest.
If he hadn't challenged Ye Qian back then, none of this would have happened.
Yue Ming wouldn't be suffering now. Wouldn't be enduring such hardship.
It was all because of him. His arrogance. His overconfidence. His foolish belief that he could defeat Ye Qian.
"No, I absolutely cannot stand idle in this matter!
Yue Ming has suffered such injustice because of me. I must go back and rescue her!
My strength has broken through to the Enlightenment Realm Peak—I'm certainly not weaker than Ye Qian anymore.
I have a real chance to defeat him!"
Conviction burned in Yue Qingshan's eyes. With his current cultivation, he wouldn't lose as pathetically as last time. Victory was within reach.
He would personally rescue Yue Ming. Free her from that gilded cage.
Then his gaze fell upon the third piece of information.
His only true childhood friend in the Yue Family—the one person who'd stood by him through everything—had been brutally punished by the clan after Yue Qingshan's expulsion.
Not only had they crippled his cultivation entirely, but they'd also stripped him of his status and reduced him to a lowly servant.
To Yue Qingshan, this revelation was nothing short of a lightning bolt from clear skies.