"The story should have a perfect ending."

Tao Mian held a wine saucer in his hand, leaning against the tree behind him, gazing at the distant geese flying across the sky.

He had just spoken the previous sentence, paused, and then continued.

"The story should have a perfect ending."

Chu Liuxue gave up on avenging her father, Tan Fang no longer obsessed over expanding his power, Sky's End Valley and Netherworld Hall joined hands, drinking and celebrating together, everything was so perfect.

Then the third disciple, Liuxue, and the fourth disciple returned to Peach Blossom Mountain with the smoke, reuniting with their master.

Tao Mian spoke endlessly for half a day, recounting how the three of them reunited, how the two disciples stayed by his side for a long time, crying and kneeling before him, confessing how childish it was to leave the mountain, until one of them reached the end of their life.

He talked for a long time, and then the woman opposite him hesitantly interrupted.

"Immortal... shouldn't you take your medicine?"

"......"

Tao Mian's shoulders slumped, his eyes lowered, staring at the clear wine in the saucer, a petal drifting down, creating tiny ripples.

The mountain breeze brushed past their clothes, and for a moment, silence fell between them.

"Tell me, why do people harm each other?"

The Immortal's tone was bewildered, admitting honestly that he didn't understand.

The two disciples were once so close, relying on each other. But after they descended the mountain, it was as if they saw each other as their only enemy, refusing to rest until the other was destroyed.

The woman tilted her head, thought for a moment, and raised her index finger.

"I can understand your third disciple's actions. If a certain power killed my parents and destroyed my family, no matter how close the heir of that power was to me, I would still wield my sword forward, because forgetting is betrayal.

As for your fourth disciple, it's a bit complicated. I have a friend who is very similar to him. He grew up with no one to rely on, only the legitimate son of the family treated him well, giving him good food and clothes, often standing up for him. Later, he became ambitious, wanting to be the head of the family. When he realized that the kind legitimate son was his biggest obstacle, he didn't hesitate to plot and kill him."

The Immortal's expression changed.

"The friend you mentioned... could it be you?"

The woman smiled sweetly, dimples appearing on her cheeks.

"Oh, if it were really me, that would be great."

She swung the soft flower branch in her hand, resting her chin on the stone table, eyes lifted, gazing distantly at the sky.

"The human heart is fickle. Even if solemn promises were made back then, so what? Your fourth disciple has been away from the mountain for over ten years now, right? Forget ten years, even one or two years, one or two months, one or two days, people change just like that, like the clouds in the sky."

In the Immortal's memory, the person was always Suiyan, yet he didn't know Suiyan had already turned into light smoke and dispersed, leaving only Tan Fang behind.

Tao Mian listened quietly to the woman's words, the wine saucer in his hand unmoving, like a jade statue.

He wondered, do people really change so easily?

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That banquet did not ease the tension between the two rival forces; instead, the relationship between Sky's End Valley and Netherworld Hall grew even more strained.

Three major events occurred afterward.

The first was a meeting in Netherworld Hall, where ten of the eighteen branch leaders attended, and Hall Master Tan Fang was present. Somehow, Sky's End Valley discovered their secret meeting place and sent a large number of elite forces to ambush them. The scene that day was so bloody and chaotic that every survivor had nightmares for a month.

Three branch leaders were lost, and Tan Fang was seriously injured.

Hall Master Tan Fang recuperated for half a month. Even as the head of a hall, he couldn't rest peacefully in bed while ill. He forced himself to visit the other injured branch leaders and the families of the deceased. One branch leader was young and newly married. The bride greeted him in her wedding dress, her expression serene, her tone calm, as if she had already accepted her husband's death.

But she never took off her wedding dress, a stark red against the white Spirit Hall, glaring to the eyes.

Tan Fang softly asked the branch leader beside him what was going on, and the branch leader hesitated before telling the truth.

He said the bride had gone mad long ago.

She pretended she hadn't married, that her husband wasn't dead, just that the bridal sedan hadn't reached her door, so she couldn't see him.

Tan Fang's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

That branch leader was considered one of Tan Fang's trusted aides, someone he had personally promoted. Seeing the hall master's changed expression, he pondered for a long time before deciding to risk his neck and offer advice.

He said, "Hall Master, we subordinates all know you and Valley Master Chu were fellow disciples, and perhaps in the past, you considered that bond.

But our Netherworld and Sky's End are mortal enemies. Which of our brothers in the hall doesn't have a blood feud with Sky's End? My grandfather was killed by Sky's End people, my childhood friend's sweetheart was violated by them and then jumped into a river, and my master was unfortunately captured by Sky's End. When we retrieved his body... it wasn't even a body, just a pile of flesh.

Most of the current branch leaders were established after you became hall master, overcoming countless difficulties. You have shown us great kindness, and we don't want to make things difficult for you. But as long as Sky's End exists, those souls won't rest in peace, and we living people will be ashamed before our ancestors.

Once, a very young boy joined the hall and asked me who struck first, Sky's End or Netherworld, to start this enmity. I initially wanted to kick him out immediately, but I decided to explain the reasoning before doing so.

It's like the chicken and egg question. Whether the first grudge was Sky's End's fault or Netherworld's lack of honor, it's buried in the dust of the past and no longer matters.

What's important isn't how the enmity started but how it accumulated. The blood debt is as heavy as a mountain, weighing on our shoulders. Can we escape? The spirits of our ancestors stand in the way of our retreat."

The branch leader spoke at length, pouring out heartfelt truths, and finally stretched his neck.

"Alright, I've finished rambling. Now, Hall Master, kill me if you must, I have no regrets."

Tan Fang stood with his hands behind his back, silent for a long time before saying, "Loyal words are harsh to the ear; why would I kill you? Keep your life and serve Netherworld Hall."

...

During the half month of recuperation, besides immediately replacing the branch leaders and handling some aftermath, Tan Fang's only thought was that Chu Liuxue truly intended to leave him no way out.

The previous assassinations sent to Sky's End Valley were mere skirmishes. Tan Fang spoke tough to reassure the hall members, needing to present a strong front.

But when it came to truly taking action, he couldn't bring himself to be completely ruthless. Otherwise, Chu Liuxue, who hadn't yet gained momentum, would have died in a silent assassination long ago.

Now, the lingering pain from his wounds, the sorrowful and angry expressions of his subordinates, and the sincere words of the branch leader that day all reminded him that Chu Liuxue had decided to disregard any remaining sibling bond.

It turned out Liuxue truly hated him.

She couldn't avenge her father, so she sought to settle the father's debt with the son.

Outside the window, two thrushes flew in, pecking at the windowsill. Tan Fang didn't feed them, and one flew away, leaving the other alone, chirping mournfully into the empty sky.

Tan Fang wanted to reach out to the bird, but a surge of blood rushed up, a metallic taste in his throat, forcing him into a fit of coughing.

The subordinates and branch leaders surrounding his bed rushed forward in alarm, calling out to him as the hall master. Tan Fang couldn't speak, waving his hand to tell them not to panic.

By the time he caught his breath, the bird had long flown away, its whereabouts unknown.

Tan Fang left a few trusted aides behind, talking through the night, the candlelight in the hall master's quarters burning all night.

Because the attack occurred during their hall's secret meeting, outsiders knew almost nothing about it.

As dawn approached, Tan Fang gave one final instruction to seal the news, ensuring no one knew about his injury.

Especially... Peach Blossom Mountain.

Sky's End Valley struck first, and Netherworld Hall naturally wouldn't let it go.

The various skirmishes that occurred during this time need not be mentioned. Less than a year and a half later, the second major event occurred.

The Left Envoy of Sky's End Valley was dismembered and his soul locked, a piece of his heart placed in a brocade box, delivered to Chu Liuxue.

It was said that when Valley Master Chu took the brocade box from her subordinate, her hands trembled, nearly toppling the small box.

Many years later, an old servant who had served the Valley Master for years recalled that day when the Valley Master dismissed everyone, leaving only her to accompany her back to her room.

After completing her daily tasks, preparing clean clothes, brewing tea, and lighting incense for the Valley Master, she silently left the room.

As the door closed tightly, she heard a heart-wrenching wail from inside.

The old servant, then an unmarried girl, was the only one chosen by the Valley Master from among a dozen maids. She wasn't as quick or clever as the other girls, only able to woodenly complete the tasks assigned by the Valley Master.

But she was utterly loyal to the Valley Master. Hearing such a sorrowful cry from the room, she covered her mouth with her hand outside the door, unable to stop her tears.

She knew what the Left Envoy meant to the Valley Master. During the difficult times before she became the Valley Master, it was the Left Envoy who helped her stand firm, like a brother and teacher.

He fulfilled her every request. When she mentioned a mountain in her heart, saying the mountain flowers had bloomed and she wanted to see them, the Left Envoy agreed.

Such a good person, how could he leave so abruptly?

Without even a chance to say goodbye.

Chu Liuxue losing the Left Envoy was akin to losing an arm. But more worrying was the severe blow to her spirit.

In the years under her leadership, Sky's End Valley had nearly caught up with Netherworld Hall. However, after this incident, Chu Liuxue couldn't regain her spirit for two or three years.

The elders in the valley were frustrated, secretly plotting to support a new leader. Seeing the threat to the current Valley Master's life, the maid who served her closely was extremely anxious. She inquired everywhere and finally learned from someone named Su about the Valley Master's master's whereabouts, begging them to send a message.

Tao Mian indeed arrived at Sky's End Valley in the shortest time, but when he followed the maid to find his third disciple, she was long gone.

Chu Liuxue was not in the valley. She had already set out to complete one last mad act.