Chu Liuxue silently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes and continued talking with Tan Fang.

It was truly rare. Not only with her arch-enemy, but even with her trusted confidants in the valley, she hadn't engaged in such a long conversation in ages.

If she were a smart assassin, she should have left early, leaving Tan Fang here to meet his doom.

But clearly, she was foolish.

She spoke of many things she had to do after leaving the mountain. She needed to return to the valley, seize power, and even if she sought revenge against the Netherworld Hall, she had to wait for the right moment.

During those days, she had to face countless open and covert attacks, both from within and outside the valley.

She knew that a few incidents were related to Tan Fang, but she couldn't afford to retaliate against him for now, especially since Tan Yuan was still alive.

Once Tan Yuan was dead and Tan Fang took over, then she would truly equate her former brother with the Netherworld Hall. She wouldn't need to struggle with whom to take revenge on.

She wasn't allowed to struggle with it either; she didn't want her heart to waver again.

The poison of Falling Pear Blossoms was reactivated many years later. Chu Liuxue knew that a too-potent poison would be immediately detected by Tan Fang, so she didn't modify the formula; it still required time to take effect.

Only this time, she didn't administer the poison herself; she found a helper.

"It's... Su Tianhe, isn't it..."

Before Chu Liuxue could say the name, Tan Fang had already guessed the person's identity.

Who else could it be but Su Tianhe?

He came to Peach Blossom Mountain to observe Chu Liuxue, and unexpectedly, Chu Suiyan appeared in his sights.

Chu Suiyan's heart was far more ruthless than Chu Liuxue's, so he chose him, and the two left the mountain.

Initially, Chu Suiyan didn't understand Su Tianhe's intentions. The Su family had always served Sky's End Valley, so why was Su Tianhe now helping their sworn enemy?

Su Tianhe's response was that the Su family needed "change."

Su Tianhe didn't share deeper matters with him, only promising to help him ascend to the position of hall master.

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At that time, Chu Suiyan was isolated and helpless; without Su Tianhe secretly pulling strings, he couldn't possibly seize power from Tan Yuan on his own.

Whether he trusted him or not, in his youth, he had to rely on the Su family's strength.

Later, he successfully became the hall master of the Netherworld Hall. When he asked Su Tianhe what reward he wanted, the latter just smiled and said there was no rush.

Su Tianhe wanted to return to Sky's End Valley. Since Tan Fang had obtained the power and status he desired, he probably wouldn't trust him anymore.

To avoid the tragedy of being discarded after serving his purpose, Su Tianhe wanted to completely withdraw from the internal struggles of the Netherworld Hall.

But their private interactions never ceased. To say they were friends didn't quite fit; many times, Su Tianhe just came to drink tea and admire flowers.

Now everything had an explanation.

"I... cough, cough... I finally understand what he truly sought," Tan Fang laughed mockingly, "The Su family's ambition, cough... it's really..."

He didn't need to exert much effort to guess how Su Tianhe had promised Chu Liuxue.

When the hall master of the Netherworld Hall was poisoned to death, and chaos ensued within the hall, Sky's End Valley would undoubtedly take advantage of the situation to severely damage the Netherworld Hall.

For the past few years, Sky's End Valley seemed to be in decline, but now it seemed that perhaps Chu Liuxue and the Su family had collaborated to put on a grand show for his Netherworld Hall.

Those seemingly ambiguous messages were probably released by Sky's End Valley themselves.

Chu Liuxue had been lying low, waiting for tonight's opportunity.

"I'm just... puzzled, if that's the case, why did you... have to personally..."

Tan Fang didn't understand. For the poisoning, couldn't anyone else do it?

Even if Su Tianhe had another drink with him, it wouldn't have been difficult.

Chu Liuxue didn't need to take this risk.

The person opposite him remained silent for a long time. Tan Fang's vision was already blurred, and the sound of insects chirping intermittently filled his ears.

He really wanted to just sleep like this...

His eyes were half-open, half-closed, and he thought he wouldn't get Chu Liuxue's answer.

At this moment, Chu Liuxue gave him an answer.

"Because I wanted to say goodbye to you personally."

"Goodbye?"

Tan Fang didn't immediately understand Chu Liuxue's words, but he witnessed the woman sitting across from him suddenly cough and spit out half a mouthful of blood.

"You..."

Chu Liuxue wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve and smiled lightly at the incredulous Tan Fang.

"Oh, after all these years, to see that expression on your face again is truly rare. It seems no matter how many years pass, a brother can still be played by his sister."

"I said I made a promise, one when I went up the mountain, and another when I came down."

Whether it was to Tao Mian or anyone else, Chu Liuxue only spoke of the promise made when she went up the mountain.

But some things were decided the moment she left the mountain.

If Chu Suiyan came down the mountain, then she wanted Chu Suiyan dead.

If Chu Suiyan died, then she would never live alone.

This was a secret Chu Liuxue had never spoken of, the only secret hidden in her heart.

...

Tao Mian had been sitting across from the woman for half a day. The woman yawned and, seeing the Immortal still leisurely drinking, murmured softly.

"Won't the Immortal open the letter? I came to the mountain just to deliver this letter to you. If you don't open it, then I won't have fulfilled someone else's request. I don't want to be someone who breaks promises."

In front of them were wine dishes, fruits, and a letter sealed tightly, quietly waiting for someone to open it.

As the woman's words fell, Tao Mian lowered his gaze, looking at the four characters on the envelope: "Shi Fu personally open."

The handwriting was sharp, unlike the usual elegance of a woman's script.

But Tao Mian knew it was the handwriting of his Third Disciple, no matter how many years passed, he could recognize it.

Chu Suiyan hadn't returned to the mountain, nor had Chu Liuxue. Tao Mian had waited on the mountain for years, and all he received was this thin letter.

No matter how much he pretended not to care, the letter was undeniably in front of him, as if a pair of eyes had grown from the stone table, staring at him.

"The letter can just stay there; it won't get lost."

The Immortal deliberately turned his head away.

The woman wouldn't let him off.

"Really not going to open it? This is the last thing your Third Disciple left behind, how precious it is."

"I can't read."

"I can! I'll read it to you, I'm good at reading letters! What tone do you want?"

"…"

Tao Mian sighed helplessly, saying fine, fine, he would open it.

The woman obediently handed over a small letter opener, and while Tao Mian's words were dismissive, his actions were extremely cautious.

He carefully slit open the envelope and took out the letter from inside.

The first line of the letter was like a long sigh.

"I am a cowardly person..."