Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Chu Yang walked out, only to see Wu Qianqian standing outside in the heavy snow. She was dressed all in black, and looked almost cumbersome. There was no knowing how long she had been standing in the snow.

“You are guarding the three of them?” Chu Yang was slammed by the snowflakes that came to his face. Immediately, he felt his head go from a blur to clearness, with the blink of an eye.

“Yes.” Wu Qianqian looked at the three, who were already almost buried inside the heavy snow. She muttered, “I know my guarding is not needed, but I want to do this anyway.”

“I understand how you feel,” replied Chu Yang quietly. Slowly, he walked over to her and patted her shoulders. The snowflakes on her fell, and a raised circle actually appeared around her feet.

Wu Qianqian hugged her own shoulders, somewhat shuddering. Her clear eyes looked mistier in the snow. She looked at Chu Yang, somewhat perplexed. “Chu Yang, is it okay if I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” said Chu Yang.

Wu Qianqian’s eyes flickered and she asked softly, “That person you talked about, who you sincerely fell in love with… Could it be… Mo Qingwu?”

Chu Yang was silent for a moment, then he took a deep breath and said, “…yes!”

Wu Qianqian’s eyes widened abruptly.

“Chu Yang… You…” Wu Qianqian felt like she was going to spit blood.

“In the Lower Three Heavens, you reached Iron Cloud about two and a half years ago, right? And then, you saw Mo Qingwu within a few months. I know about this… Right now Mo Qingwu is thirteen, so at that time she was only ten? And you… you sincerely fell in love with her?”

Even Wu Qianqian’s lips started trembling.

She would never dream of that. She had always imagined her rival in love to be so great, so extraordinarily beautiful, so heavenly in looks… In Wu Qianqian’s mind, only Zi Xieqing would have qualified for her imagined “rival in love”.

Yet, how could she have fathomed that she was defeated by a little girl who was still wet behind the ears!

No, no… Not just back then! Even now, she was still wet behind the ears!

Chu Yang rubbed his nose and smiled bitterly. How was he to explain this?

Wu Qianqian didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. She looked at Chu Yang with suspicion. “Chu Yang, can’t you… have a kind of special liking?”

“Nonsense!” Minister Chu was all blushed.

“Or… Your interest in a certain area… is still at… eleven or twelve years old?” Wu Qianqian’s beautiful eyes looked at Chu Yang. The original sorrow in her eyes had disappeared completely. Now, those eyes contained some mockery, ridicule, and even some embarrassment…

Chu Yang was extremely embarrassed.

This was the first time that he had ever been so embarrassed, especially in front of Wu Qianqian.

“Haha…” Wu Qianqian actually started holding her stomach and laughing. “Chu Yang, you really surprised me…”

“Cough cough…” Chu Yang rubbed his nose, and grabbed Wu Qianqian with extreme embarrassment. “Let’s come over here and talk…”

After dragging Wu Qianqian all the way into her room, Chu Yang said with a sad face, “How could there be such a thing… What are you speculating about… You were heard by others.”

Wu Qianqian snorted and said, “What is it, then?”

Suddenly, she was shocked as she remembered something. “What you said about already owing a person one lifetime… Could it be her?”

“It’s her!” Chu Yang nodded deeply.

Wu Qianqian was speechless.

And even more confused.

She was only thirteen years old, when on earth did you owe her a lifetime?

“The reasons for this are very complicated,” said Chu Yang, “If there is time in the future, I will explain it to you.”

Wu Qianqian nodded. Suddenly, she frowned slightly and said, somewhat puzzled, “Chu Yang, these days, I’ve always felt troubled, as though something was about to happen. And… I often dream about Mother…”

Chu Yang smiled and asked, “You miss your mom?”

Wu Qianqian rolled her eyes at him and said, “My mother passed away not long after I was born…”

Chu Yang let out an “Oh!”, and said apologetically, “I didn’t know about this…”

Wu Qianqian’s eyes were misty with sadness, and she said, “In the dream, I could feel my mother’s hugs, they were so warm… Mother was saying to me, she was waiting for me on the other side…”

Chu Yang interrupted her angrily, “What is this nonsense!”

Wu Qianqian said, “But I dreamed it for real…”

Chu Yang waved a hand. “Dreams, they are only illusions! I even dreamed that I married all the beauties in the world, and also more than once! But will that happen?”

Wu Qianqian sighed, and then she fell into a contemplative trance.

After a long time, she said, “Chu Yang, the big battle is coming. If in this battle, I die… Would you also tell others that you owed me a lifetime?”

Chu Yang was frightened and shocked. He shouted furiously, “You won’t die! This question is out of nowhere! It’s pure nonsense!”

With a bang, Chu Yang pushed the door open, and walked out.

Inside the room, Wu Qianqian sighed softly.

In the recent few days, she did indeed have a strange dream every day. She dreamed of herself walking slowly along a very dark road. She had no family, and between heaven and earth was all darkness. She was on her own, lonely and terrified.

Every time, at this moment, Mother was waving in the distance…

Wu Qianqian closed her eyes slowly, and muttered slowly, “That would be the Huangquan Road, right? Can it be that I’m already very close to that road?”

Chu Yang rushed out distressed, but he wasn’t really angry.

He was suddenly reminded of something that that old fortune-teller said!

“Yin and Yang must pity the beauty!”

Could it be realized here?

Chu Yang’s brows were knitted tightly, as he quickened his pace and walked toward Zi Xieqing’s room.

“What if we strike first?” Once he was inside the door, Chu Yang asked decisively.

“Strike first?” Zi Xieqing froze.

“We make the first move, and attack!” said Chu Yang softly!

“The enemy’s powers are too scattered,” Zi Xieqing frowned and said, “The enemy is ambushed in anticipation of a big battle, and a big battle is what we are expecting too! You must know that I will leave, and Bu Liuqing and Feng and Yue won’t stay with you all forever as well; you all will have to carry on yourselves… If we make the first move and not manage to kill all of them, it will always be a grave threat.”

“And for them, this final battle is the chance to wipe us out and get rid of serious trouble. But for us, it is also a way to do it once and for all.”

“Right now, you are in an exposed position, and so is clan because of you. How can you do it without self-protection?” Zi Xieqing said lightly, “I’m still inclined toward a final battle!”

“I know your worries. Once you all are gone, we won’t be their match. But to enter a trap so passively and fight, it is also too risky!” Chu Yang gritted his teeth and said, “Is there really room for change?”

“No!” said Zi Xieqing resolutely.

Chu Yang stood for a while, then took a deep breath, turned and walked out.

His figure flashed and disappeared in the snow.

In Zi Xieqing’s consciousness, Chu Yang’s figure moved rapidly amidst the wind and snow. It transformed a few times into a totally new shape, then moved off like a shooting star, or like a flash of lightning.

At Diwu Clan.

“I want to see Diwu Qingrou!” Chu Yang kicked open the main gate of Diwu Clan and broke in aggressively.

“Who are you?” Following a loud bang, many people rushed out. One of them looked at Chu Yang with shock and suspicion.

“Go and tell Diwu Qingrou: his acquaintance of life and death from the Lower Three Heavens is here to visit!” Chu Yang said lightly.

“Acquaintance of life and death?” That person looked at Chu Yang in surprise.

“Hurry up!” Chu Yang glared, and a sharp atmosphere that belonged to a great wielder of swords was released suddenly.

“Please give me a minute, sir.” That person looked at the smashed-up door and the look in his eyes changed a little. After all, he was afraid to delay important matters. Besides, the person in front of him could not be dealt with by ordinary guard warriors at all…

He went off swiftly.

After a while, he ran back, almost tripping from the rush. “Sir Qingrou invites you to meet him at the side courtyard, sir!”

“Side courtyard?” Chu Yang’s head tilted.

“It’s Sir Diwu’s separate small courtyard. Most of the time, he is there instead of in the clan.” That person bowed and nodded, showing immense respect. He pointed the direction with a finger. “Let me bring you there, Sir.”

He had to be respectful. Once he reported to Diwu Qingrou, Diwu Qingrou’s face changed immediately upon hearing the words “acquaintance of life and death from the Lower Three Heavens”. He even saw, clearly, that his hand trembled a little. And then he said, “Hurry up and invite him inside! The faster, the better!”

Diwu Qingrou had never shown such eagerness!

It seemed that this person was indeed really important.

Inside the side courtyard, Chu Yang finally saw Diwu Qingrou.

Diwu Qingrou’s small courtyard was covered with snow everywhere, but there was actually no sign of cleaning. Diwu Qingrou was standing in front of a bamboo forest, his hands behind his back. Smiling, he looked at Chu Yang walking in.

“You may go back,” Diwu Qingrou said to the man leading the way, giving him a Purple Crystal casually.

The man was overjoyed while he turned and left.

“I came to you today to tell you, that you and I were never friends, nor enemies, but only always opponents!” Chu Yang said straightforwardly, “But between opponents, there is also cooperation. So today, I’m here to ask you for a favor.”

Diwu Qingrou smiled and said, “The final battle?”

“Yes! I need some information,” said Chu Yang lightly.

“But you also need to know that the information you want may not necessarily be useful.” Diwu Qingrou smiled. “For some people, there’s nothing they can’t give up.”

“I know. But I can’t sit still and do nothing!” said Chu Yang.

“This time, it will be extremely dangerous. The heart of the strong cannot be predicted. The Dharma Supreme has used the nature and pride of humans: even knowing his trap, the strong can only just stay inside, because he cannot retreat. Once he retreats, he retreats from friendship and it will be his demon inside. It appears simple, but is in fact very hard to resolve.

Diwu Qingrou said slowly.

“Indeed.” This was what Chu Yang was worried about.

Diwu Qingrou took out the hands he was putting behind his back. Inside a hand, he clutched a stack of papers. “These are the information about the people who can produce some effects on them inside Tianji City right now. Even if you don’t come, I will deliver it to you. However, these can only produce a little bit of effect, but it can’t affect the bigger picture. You must know this as well.”

Diwu Qingrou smiled mildly. “That which can affect the big picture, I have already prepared it for you! That is the real reason that I’ll have to seek you out even if you don’t come!”