In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

She sat cross-legged and took out the exquisite silver knife from her waist. The blade sliced ​​across her palm, and blood gushed out.

She pressed her bloodied hand to the ground, and with her other hand took out a dark red incense stick from her bosom and lit it. Smoke rose, carrying a strange, sweet, and fishy smell, slowly diffusing in the enclosed space.

She spoke. It was an ancient language, with strange and obscure syllables, like a low murmur coming from the depths of the earth.

Cui Yutang sat cross-legged opposite her, while the monk Xuanji sat behind him, twirling three golden needles between his fingertips.

At first, nothing happened.

Suddenly, he felt it. It was as if something had turned over deep inside his head. Then, a violent headache came over him like a tidal wave, and the young worm began to swell and gnaw.

He felt her fading away, as if someone had ripped the softest part of his heart out.

Her eyes crinkled when she smiled, her cheeks puffed out when she was angry, her trembling eyelashes when I kissed her, the soft, sweet tone at the end of her voice when she called him "Cui Yutang"...

He tried desperately to grasp it, but he couldn't hold onto anything.

Tears fell silently, surging yet quiet.

It wasn't because of the pain, it was because of the fear.

He was afraid of losing her, afraid of forgetting how much he loved her.

"Is it worth it?" The Miao woman's voice rang out between the incantations. "To suffer like this for a woman."

He didn't reply; only a desperate silence filled the air.

The monk Xuanji's golden needle fell, piercing the acupoint on the top of his head. Behind him, the monk Xuanling began chanting sutras, the deep Sanskrit sounds colliding with the Miao girl's incantations, creating an eerie balance in the secret room.

Two hours later, the Miao girl's voice finally stopped.

"It was artificially ripened," she said.

Cui Yutang looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water, his whole body was soaked in cold sweat, and his face was as pale as paper.

After a two-hour rest, the second phase begins.

The Miao woman took out a completely black bone flute, held it to her lips, and blew out a sharp note. The sound was like a needle piercing straight into Cui Yutang's temple.

This time, those sealed memories surged back like a tidal wave.

The Gu worms began to migrate outwards. A black line appeared on his arm, slowly moving downwards from his shoulder, inch by inch, a horrifying sight. Monk Xuanji used golden needles to guide the Gu worms, sealing off every possible escape route.

The Miao woman cut his index finger and began playing the Gu flute again. The notes became rapid and sharp, and the black line continued to move downwards, passing through his upper arm, over his elbow, and crawling along his forearm towards his wrist.

Cui Yutang's body trembled violently, his teeth clenched so tightly that they clicked, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

The black line reaches the wrist, the base of the fingers, and the fingertips.

A jet-black worm, about an inch long, slowly crawled out from his fingertip. The Miao woman quickly took out a pottery jar, put the worm inside, and closed the lid.

The moment the Gu worm entered the jar, it emitted a faint hiss, and then fell silent.

Cui Yutang's head suddenly drooped down.

"Amitabha." Monk Xuanling clasped his hands together. "Your tribulation has finally come to an end."

Cui Yutang weakly raised his head, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips: "Thank you, Master."

Before he could finish speaking, his body slumped forward and he lost consciousness.

He slept for a full day and night.

The monk Xuanji treated his meridians with a medicinal bath and administered three doses of herbal medicine, after which his pulse gradually stabilized.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a dim oil lamp and Baoyu, who was dozing by the bedside.

He moved his fingers and uttered a dry syllable.

Baoyu immediately woke up with a start: "Master! You're awake!"

Cui Yutang did not answer. He lay on the bed, looking at the beams on the roof, his gaze gradually focusing.

Then, a weak, faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Yige," he said softly, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against wood, "I remember now."

Tears slid down her cheeks without warning, running into her hair.

Bao Yu, watching from the side, felt a lump in her throat and quickly lowered her head, pretending to be looking for something.

After a while, Cui Yutang's voice rang out again: "Has Father prepared the betrothal gifts for me?"

Bao Yu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "Master, after you finished speaking that day, the master began preparations for you."

Cui Yutang gave a soft "hmm".

Then he closed his eyes again, turned his head to one side, and fell into a deep sleep once more.

When Cui Yutang woke up at midnight, he saw Baoyu tidying up a sky-blue straight-cut robe on the shelf.

"What are you doing?" His voice was a little hoarse.

Bao Yu turned around and saw that he was awake. She quickly put down the clothes she was holding and came over: "Master, you are awake. You have been selected as the third-ranked scholar and you will be going to the Apricot Garden at dawn. The master ordered me to prepare the clothes and accessories you will wear."

Cui Yutang didn't speak, only nodded slightly. He propped himself up to sit, leaned against the headboard, and closed his eyes to recover for a while. The feeling of being completely drained was still there, and he remembered her smiling, crescent-shaped eyes.

A warm feeling unconsciously welled up in my heart.

As dawn broke, Xingyuan Garden was already packed with people.

The Apricot Garden Banquet, also known as the Flower-Picking Banquet, was one of the most anticipated events for the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). The crowd elected two of the youngest and most handsome men to serve as "Flower-Picking Envoys," who would ride horses to visit famous public and private gardens throughout Chang'an and pick renowned flowers. Cui Yutang was chosen without a doubt.

The other person is Xie Wanzhou, who came in third place this year.

This man was the eldest son of the Xie family of Chenjun, and ranked seventh on the list of the ten most handsome men in the capital. He had large, bright eyes, a face like jade, and a rare youthful air when he smiled, but he was two years older than Cui Yutang.

Cui Yutang looked at him, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where he had seen him before. What was even stranger was that he felt a strange sense of familiarity with him.

He unusually took the initiative to speak up: "Brother Xie, how about we act together? That way we won't be alone and attract unnecessary trouble."

Xie Wanzhou was taken aback, clearly flattered. Everyone said that this Scholar Cui was aloof and didn't like to socialize, but now it seemed he was a very nice person.

He smiled and nodded, "Okay, let's go together then. Let's go check out the nearest Furong Garden first."

Two handsome and accomplished newly appointed scholars rode side by side on white horses, bathed in the spring breeze. Their unparalleled good looks, prestigious family background, and the glory of being newly appointed scholars combined to create an unprecedented spectacle wherever they went.

When they tied up their horses and stepped into the Hibiscus Garden, both of them changed their expressions drastically.

The garden was filled with women of all kinds, each with their own unique charm, and even some brightly dressed men, all gathered around the flower-covered areas. Upon seeing them, the men rushed towards them with burning eyes.

"It's Young Master Cui and Young Master Xie!"

"My dear Cui, these flowers are for you!"

The two men were terrified. They immediately stopped and turned to run towards where the horses were tied, mounting them in one swift motion.

After running a long way, Xie Wanzhou patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "How scary, waaaah—" He was clearly seeing such a scene for the first time and was completely shaken.