"Xiahou Shang, what are you doing here?"

Gu Qingyuan asked, feigning ignorance. He landed directly on Yuanxiao Peak and stood beside Xiahou Shang. His gaze flickered to the jade box, and a sudden anger stirred in his heart.

’He wasn’t sure if he was angry at Xiahou Shang or at Song Wanning.’

At his words, Xiahou Shang’s eyes darkened, and he tightened his grip on the jade box. "I just came to see Wan Ning."

The moment he said "Wan Ning," both Song Wanning and Gu Qingyuan froze.

’Since when were they close enough for him to call her ’Wan Ning’?’

Song Wanning remembered that Xiahou Shang never called her "Junior Sister Song," but always addressed her by her full name, Song Wanning.

It had always annoyed her.

A suspicious look appeared in her eyes. ’Has Xiahou Shang lost his mind today?’

Gu Qingyuan’s face, however, turned black as thunder.

’So Xiahou Shang wasn’t joking?’

’When on earth did he take a liking to Song Wanning? How had I never noticed!’

"And what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with that little apprentice of yours?"

Xiahou Shang shot back, not letting Gu Qingyuan off the hook.

His eyes grew cold, clearly displeased with his friend’s actions.

He already had someone he loved, and he’d already broken off the engagement with Song Wanning. Why was he still meddling?

’Does he want to have his cake and eat it, too?’

A rift formed between the once-close friends, and an inexplicable tension began to fill the air.

"I came to get the antidote from Song Wanning!"

Gu Qingyuan stated the excuse he had prepared earlier, his cold gaze fixed on Song Wanning.

"Hah—"

Song Wanning laughed in anger.

’After everything he’d said, he still had the nerve to come asking for the antidote?’

’She had truly underestimated Gu Qingyuan’s love for Ye Chuxue.’

’It seems being too agreeable doesn’t work.’

"Both of you, get out!"

"The antidote for her? Over my dead body!"

Her figure flashed, and in the next instant, she appeared at the entrance of the main hall.

"SLAM—"

The great doors were slammed shut.

Gu Qingyuan and Xiahou Shang were both locked out.

"You did that on purpose!"

Xiahou Shang knew Gu Qingyuan all too well and saw through his intentions at a glance.

He clenched and unclenched his hand around the jade box, looking toward the main hall several times before finally, with a sigh of resignation, putting it away.

Song Wanning was furious right now; anything he said would be inappropriate.

Gu Qingyuan, however, maintained his usual frosty demeanor. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

He glanced at the closed doors out of the corner of his eye, then turned and walked away.

Infuriated, Xiahou Shang chased after him and blocked his path at the foot of the mountain.

"Gu Qingyuan, you’re despicable! You’d prevent me from getting close to Song Wanning just to satisfy your pathetic possessiveness?"

He had seen through Gu Qingyuan’s little scheme long ago.

Gu Qingyuan’s expression flickered, his thoughts having been laid bare.

The fact that Song Wanning loved him had been a constant throughout his entire life.

He could choose not to love Song Wanning, but Song Wanning could not choose not to love him!

And she certainly couldn’t be with anyone else!

He didn’t say a word, but Xiahou Shang suddenly threw a punch at him.

"Gu Qingyuan, I never knew you were such a petty bastard!"

Gu Qingyuan didn’t retaliate, merely lifting his eyes to stare coldly at Xiahou Shang.

"She will never like you. Don’t waste your energy!"

Xiahou Shang threw another punch.

A glint of confidence flashed in Gu Qingyuan’s eyes.

’Song Wanning would never fall in love with someone else!’

...

To cure Ye Chuxue’s poison, the group decided to travel to the ruins of the Medicine King Sect to find its legacy.

After much hesitation, Bai Yang decided to go inform Song Wanning.

But when he arrived outside the main hall, he saw a sign on the door with four large characters: "Closed Cultivation. Do Not Disturb."

’Master’s in closed cultivation?’

Bai Yang froze.

For days, he hadn’t been sure if he was angry at himself or sulking at his master, but either way, he had stubbornly refrained from visiting her.

Now that he had finally come, he found his master had already entered closed cultivation.

A sense of loss welled up inside him.

He turned to leave but saw Li Rao walking out with a small basket.

"Eldest Brother!"

Li Rao was delighted to see Bai Yang and ran over to him.

"Eldest Brother, you’re just in time! I just collected some flower nectar. Master said eating it is good for cultivation!"

"I prepared this for my three senior brothers."

As she spoke, Li Rao lifted the small basket and offered it to Bai Yang.

The young girl’s face was all smiles, her eyes filled with anticipation.

But Bai Yang’s mind went back to when he was severely injured, and his master had only had eyes for this little junior sister.

On some dark impulse, he raised his hand and knocked the basket away.

Several jars of nectar tumbled and rolled across the ground.

Li Rao stared, stunned.

Bai Yang froze as well, gazing blankly at his own hand.

’I actually...’

’When did I become the kind of person I despise?’

Flustered, Bai Yang muttered an "I’m sorry" and fled in disarray.

Li Rao bit her lip, hiding her disappointment as she picked up the jars.

’Well, if they don’t want any, I’ll just eat it all myself!’

’And I’ll save extra for Master.’

Li Rao cheered herself up with this thought.

But... looking at her master’s tightly shut doors, she pouted.

’I wonder how long Master will be in cultivation. I miss her so much.’

*

"Senior Uncle Gu, we should go!"

An Ze urged him on anxiously. They had already packed their belongings, ready to set off for the ruins of the Medicine King Sect.

Gu Qingyuan glanced toward the main gate of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect, a worry creeping into his heart that Xiahou Shang would visit Song Wanning while he was away.

He pressed his lips into a thin line and said nothing.

At his side, a weakened Ye Chuxue looked at him, a flicker of worry in her eyes.

Over the past few days, she had often caught her master spacing out, looking completely distracted.

’But no matter how many times I asked, Master would only say nothing was wrong...’

Just then, Lu Nanfeng, standing nearby, asked hesitantly, "Eldest Brother, are you sure we don’t need to tell Master? She’s definitely going to be angry!"

Bai Yang’s eyes were cold as he replied in a low voice, "Master is already in closed cultivation. By the time we get back, she might not even be out yet."

’So it doesn’t really matter whether we tell her or not.’

"Alright, then!"

Lu Nanfeng was a little disappointed. His master had gone into cultivation this time without even leaving them a word.

"She’s in closed cultivation?"

Gu Qingyuan instantly seized on the key point.

Seeing Bai Yang nod, he felt a wave of relief.

"Let’s go. We’ll leave right now!"

He immediately took out a Spirit Boat, and after the others had boarded, he set off for the ruins of the Medicine King Sect without a moment’s delay.

On the Spirit Boat, Ye Chuxue was wrapped in a thick cloak, her palm-sized face peeking out, making her look all the more fragile.

The pain wracking her body was agonizing, but she was more concerned with Gu Qingyuan’s and Bai Yang’s attitudes.

Lately, there had been a noticeable shift in how Bai Yang and Gu Qingyuan treated Song Wanning. In the past, they had both utterly despised her existence, not even wanting to mention her name.

But now, they were extremely sensitive to the name Song Wanning.

She hid the loathing in her eyes and bit her lip.

’Once this poison is cured, I’ll definitely find a chance to pay her back for all of this!’

’A wicked person like Song Wanning deserves to be sliced into a thousand pieces and struck by heavenly lightning!’

However, just as the Spirit Boat departed, a black figure suddenly flickered at the gate before vanishing without a trace.