The wedding was livestreamed by the sister, revealing his identity as a Taoist priest.

Inside the cave.

Su Qingluan stared at the surface of the zither, motionless.

It felt like a hole had been torn open in my mind, and memories surged forth uncontrollably.

When I was thirteen years old.

The first time she stepped into Taiqing Palace, the mountain was shrouded in mist, and the stone steps were so high that the top could not be seen.

A young boy sat on a blue stone in front of the mountain gate, holding a yellowed Taoist scripture in his hand. He raised his head when he heard footsteps.

"New here?"

The boy's eyes were clear, like spring water on a mountaintop.

"My name is Chen Shidu. You can ask me if you have any questions in the future."

Fifteen.

She was stuck in the third reorganization of Leifa for three months.

He secretly went to the training cliff at night and practiced until his true energy reversed, then he spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground.

He appeared out of nowhere and carried her back without saying a word.

"You idiot."

He had a broad back, and his voice carried a hint of helplessness.

"You can't rush Lei Fa, I'll teach you tomorrow."

Seventeen years old.

She opened her Purple Mansion, and the entire Taiqing Palace was celebrating.

Everyone came to offer their congratulations.

He stood at the very back of the crowd, not squeezing in, but just smiled at her from afar and gave her a thumbs up.

She remembered that smile for seven years.

Nineteen years old.

In front of the three hundred disciples of the Purple Mansion, she mustered the greatest courage of her life.

"Chen Shidu, I want to marry you."

He stood there, silent for a long time.

Then he said.

"Qingluan, you are my sister."

My memory ends here.

Su Qingluan lowered her head.

A drop of deep red liquid fell onto the surface of the piano.

Another drop.

She raised her hand and touched the corner of her mouth.

My hands were covered in blood.

"cough!"

She bent over, and a mouthful of blood gushed out, staining the strings of the zither and her clothes red.

His cultivation level fluctuated, and his heart meridian reversed its flow.

Ten years of obsession turned into a backlash at this moment, more intense than any external injury.

She leaned against the stone platform, her fingernails digging into the stone surface, scratching white marks.

Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.

She didn't wipe it.

Slowly, she straightened up.

Then she laughed.

The smile bloomed from the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth, growing larger and more distorted.

Laughter echoed in the cave, like the wind passing through an empty valley.

It's not crying.

It's a laugh.

He laughed so hard his shoulders shook, his eyes turned red, and he laughed like a madman.

"OK."

She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and stared at the crimson stain on the piano surface.

"Chen Shidu, you're really capable."

"Married? You're getting married?"

"You want to use my zither as a betrothal gift?"

The laughter stopped.

Her eyes turned cold. So cold they seemed inhuman.

"Autumn Moon".

The sound wasn't loud, but Qiu Yue, who was outside the cave, felt a jolt and turned to push the door open and enter.

"Miss! What happened...you're vomiting blood!"

When Qiuyue saw the blood on her lips and clothes, tears welled up in her eyes, and she rushed over to help her.

Su Qingluan turned her head away.

"Which elder from Taiqing Palace has arrived?"

Qiuyue was taken aback for a moment, then quickly answered.

"It is...it is Elder Qingxu, the head of the Purple Mansion Academy."

Su Qingluan's eyelids twitched.

Clear and empty.

That old fox.

No wonder.

Of the twelve elders of Taiqing Palace, apart from that old fox Xuanmo, Qingxu is the most eloquent.

Sending him to retrieve the instrument was a way of coaxing and deceiving her.

"Miss, please rest. I'll go and get rid of him..."

"Need not."

Su Qingluan raised her hand to gather her loose hair, took a handkerchief from beside the stone platform, and slowly wiped the bloodstains from the corner of her mouth.

"I'll go myself."

Akizuki's pupils dilated.

"Miss!"

Su Qingluan had already started walking outside.

His steps were steady, and his back was straight.

The woman who was vomiting blood, collapsing, and laughing like a madwoman just now seemed to have never existed.

"Walk."

She didn't even turn her head.

"I'd like to see how Qingxu's old face tries to lie to me."

……

Tianyin Pavilion, the main hall for receiving guests.

Qingxu sat in the guest seat, his buttocks feeling like they had thorns.

He has already changed his sitting posture six times.

Holding the teacup with both hands, I put it down and then picked it up again.

The tea had gone cold, but he still drank four cups.

Fang Changyin sat opposite him, gently waving a bamboo fan, and the more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong.

"Brother Dao, what's wrong with you today?"

"It's nothing."

Qingxu Qian laughed.

"It's just... I didn't get enough rest on the way."

Fang Changyin was half-believing and half-doubting.

"You didn't come by sword?"

"Yes, flying on a sword is too fast, it's too bumpy."

Fang Changyin: "..."

What nonsense!

He had known Qingxu for thirty years, and when had this chief of the Purple Mansion ever been so restless?

Last time, when Taiqing Palace was struck by lightning, he was the type to sit back, drink tea, and watch the show.

Qingxu took another sip of cool tea, his eyes constantly glancing outside the hall.

Hurry, hurry, bring the zither quickly! He grabbed it and ran, flying three thousand miles on his sword. Even if that girl came out of seclusion, she couldn't catch up...

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master!"

A disciple strode into the hall.

Qingxu suddenly looked up.

"Miss has emerged from seclusion and is on her way to the reception hall!"

Qingxu slammed the teacup in his hand onto the table with a "clatter," splashing tea all over his sleeve.

"She...she came by herself?!"

Fang Changyin was also stunned.

"Has Qingluan emerged from seclusion?"

Qingxu sprang up from his chair, his forehead instantly covered in cold sweat.

My calves are spinning.

It's over. It's over.

How did she get out of seclusion?

Wasn't it said that they would be in seclusion for three months?

How long has it been?

This came out ahead of schedule!

Even worse... she came herself!

He didn't send someone to deliver the zither; he came to the reception hall in person!

What does this tell us?

That means she knows!

No, no, maybe it's just curiosity, maybe he just came out for some fresh air and happened to run into them...

"Tap, tap, tap."

Footsteps came from outside the hall.

Unhurried and deliberate, step by step, as if treading on the tip of one's heart.

Qingxu's back was soaked with sweat.

At the entrance of the palace, the light and shadow dimmed.

A dark red figure appeared at the threshold.

Su Qingluan.

Her long hair was tied up high with a wooden hairpin, and a few dark stains that had not been wiped clean could be faintly seen on her dark red Taoist robe.

Her face was pale, but her eyes shone with an unnatural brightness.

She stood at the entrance of the palace, her gaze passing over Fang Changyin and piercing straight towards Qingxu.

Qingxu felt as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake.

"Miss Su..."

He forced a smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Long time no see, still as charming as ever..."

"Elder Qingxu."

Su Qingluan spoke.

His voice was calm, even carrying a hint of a smile.

But to Qingxu, that smile was more chilling than crying.

She walked in.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

He stood three feet away from Qingxu.

"have not seen you for a long time."

Qingxu nodded vigorously.

"Yes, it's been a long time."

"Fetch the zither."

Su Qingluan tilted her head slightly.

"What urgent matter does the Celestial Master have that requires the Nine Heavens Phoenix Melody Zither?"

Qingxu's mind began to work at high speed.

You can't tell the truth.

You absolutely must not tell the truth.

"that……"

He swallowed hard.

"The Taiqing Palace is about to hold a religious ceremony, the Ziyang Grand Ritual, and needs a guqin (a seven-stringed zither) to guard the altar. The Celestial Master personally selected the Nine Heavens Phoenix Cry Qin..."

"The Ziyang Grand Ritual?"

Su Qingluan interrupted him.

"Yes! The Ziyang Grand Ritual! A grand ceremony held every three years!"

"The Ziyang Grand Ceremony is held in the autumn."

Su Qingluan stared at him.

"It is springtime, Elder Qingxu."

Qingxu's smile froze on his face.

"Uh...it's earlier this year! The celestial master said the celestial phenomena are unusual this year, it will arrive three months earlier..."

"Oh?"

Su Qingluan took half a step forward.

Qingxu subconsciously took half a step back.

"When are you going to return this instrument after you're done using it?"

"Soon! Three days! No, two days! Return it immediately after use!"

Su Qingluan looked at him.

The smile in those eyes grew stronger.

The heat was so intense it made my spine feel cold.

"Elder Qingxu."

Her voice suddenly softened, becoming as soft as if she were whispering.

"Um?"

"Tell me the truth."

Qingxu shook his head frantically.

"I'm just telling the truth!"

Su Qingluan smiled.

That smile was beautiful.

It was so beautiful that it lowered the temperature of the entire reception hall by three degrees.

She raised her hand, her slender fingers pointing upwards in front of Qingxu.

I'll give you one more chance.

Large beads of sweat began to roll down Qingxu's forehead.

"I……"

Su Qingluan withdrew her hand.

He was given no further room to speak.

Her voice deepened, like a block of ice falling from a great height, shattering the facade that had been laid bare in the hall.

I heard...

She paused for a moment.

"Chen Shidu is getting married."

Rumble!

The reception hall was completely silent.

Fang Changyin's bamboo fan stopped in mid-air.

Qingxu's pupils contracted sharply, and he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

It’s over.

It's completely over.

How did she know?

Isn't he in seclusion?

Who told her?