That night, as usual, Hanzhou headed to the dining hall to collect the Ten-Direction Nourishing Soup. Since his master was an avid appearance-chaser who lit up with joy whenever she laid eyes on a handsome man, Hanzhou had to rely on external tonics for youth preservation since his cultivation was too low to maintain his looks naturally. Each bowl of this soup incorporated over a hundred youth-preserving medicinal herbs, making it literally worth a fortune.
Being a dutiful disciple, whatever Hanzhou possessed, his master must have as well. Therefore, he always instructed the dining hall to brew two portions—one for himself, and one for his master.
Arriving at the dining hall precisely on schedule, Hanzhou stepped inside and called out, “Manager Wang, I’m here to pick up the Ten-Direction Nourishing Soup.”
Manager Wang had always been personally responsible for preparing the Ten-Direction Nourishing Soup, a routine that had never hit a single snag across the years. Yet for reasons unknown today, though Hanzhou called out multiple times, not a soul answered.
Just as Hanzhou prepared to search for the medicinal broth himself, a young disciple near the hearth stirred and blinked sleepily, looking as though he had just woken from a deep sleep.
“Is that Senior Brother Hanzhou?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m from Canglang Peak. Manager Wang asked me to keep an eye on the fire. I’m so sorry, Senior Brother Hanzhou, I was just too tired and accidentally dozed off. But it’s alright, the fire is still burning properly.” The young disciple’s face was painted with panic, his eyes ringed with bloodshot fatigue as he stammered, clearly terrified that Hanzhou might chew him out.
Unable to bear the sight of such a pitiful display, Hanzhou dismissed it with a wave. “No matter, I’m not blaming you. What are you so afraid of for? Where’s Manager Wang? Why did he leave you to watch the fire?”
“Manager Wang wasn’t feeling well and needed to visit the outhouse. I happened to be dropping off some supplies, so he asked me to keep watch for a moment.”
“Ah, I see.” Stepping up to the stove, Hanzhou picked up a gauze-wrapped bundle and lifted the lid of the earthen pot, leaning down to sniff the rich herbal aroma.
“It’s ready. Bring me the tray, I’ll be taking them now,” Hanzhou instructed.
The youth scrambled to fetch a tray, upon which Hanzhou carefully placed the two bowls of nourishing soup before carrying them back to Yunling Peak.
Inside his quarters, Yan Mingqiu was sitting cross-legged in meditation. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he halted his practice.
“Ah, my good disciple, back to show filial piety to your master once more?” Yan Mingqiu smiled warmly. “Just look at my skin lately it’s as translucent as snow and tender enough to break at a touch. This nourishing soup is truly a miraculous creation.”
Placing one bowl of the Ten-Direction Nourishing Soup on the table, Hanzhou replied, “I’m glad you like it, Master.”
Retaining the other bowl, Hanzhou spoke in a flat, indifferent tone, “Drink it while it’s hot, Master. I’m heading back to my room.”
“Sit down and finish it with me. Drinking alone lacks any festive spirit,” Yan Mingqiu urged.
Never one to disobey his master, Hanzhou complied and sat down to drink with him.
In accordance with dining etiquette, the two consumed their nourishing broth in companionable silence.
The first to detect anomalies was Yan Mingqiu, who suddenly felt a surge of unbridled, scorching heat flare deep within his lower abdomen and rush straight up to his head.
Looking suspiciously across at Hanzhou, he muttered, “Did you slip something extra into the soup today?”
“Of course not? I didn’t order anything of the sort.” The moment the words left his mouth, Hanzhou was struck by the identical wave of surging, wild heat, igniting like a blazing wildfire within his veins.
Their complexions flushed a deep, mottled red, and their breathing turned ragged and shallow, instantly spiraling entirely out of control.
Awakening hazily after grinding ‘ink’ for an entire night, Hanzhou snapped instantly alert at the sensation of a cold, razor-sharp blade pressed firmly against his neck.
It was Fang Huai, holding a spiritual sword leveled right at his throat. “You little bastard, you still harbor such rebellious ambitions! How dare you cast your covetous eyes upon your master! I’m going to hack you into ten thousand pieces and strip your skin and tendons today!”
Recalling the youth he had encountered at the dining hall in his memory, Hanzhou narrowed his eyes. “Since Canglang Immortal is in such an eager rush to murder me, could it be that you have a guilty conscience?”
Pressing the blade fractionally closer, Fang Huai snarled, “What is that supposed to mean? What on earth would I have a guilty conscience about?”
Hanzhou’s gaze plunged into a dark, piercing chill. “Your guilty conscience stems from the fact that you were the one who ordered your subordinate disciple to slip aphrodisiac into the nourishing soup served to me and my master!”
Spitting pure fury, Fang Huai roared, “Absurd nonsense! Why on earth would I ever do such a thing?!”
“Because you harbor unrequited romantic love for my master! A love you couldn’t attain, so you sought to destroy him instead!”
Blinded by incandescent rage, Fang Huai shook with fury. “You’re spouting utter filth! I’m going to rip your tongue out to teach you a lesson!”
Pei Huai stepped forward to restrain Fang Huai by the arm. “Do you possess concrete evidence proving that my junior brother orchestrated this?”
With a cold, solemn tone, Hanzhou demanded, “I beg the Sect Master to summon Zhu Zhuxia from Canglang Peak here. He was the one who administered the drug, and I want a direct confrontation face-to-face.”
Glancing down at the identity talisman hanging at Hanzhou’s waist, Pei Huai countered, “Aren’t you disguised as Zhu Zhuxia right now? Did you murder the real Zhu Zhuxia and stall for time while scheming an escape?”
Wearing an expression of absolute sincerity, Hanzhou replied, “I haven’t harmed a hair on his head. Furthermore, my spiritual energy is currently completely sealed, rendering me incapable of activating even a basic magical artifact. What does the Sect Master have to fear?”
“I’ll grant you the benefit of the doubt just this once. Someone go bring Zhu Zhuxia here from Canglang Peak,” Pei Huai ordered the guards outside.
Witnessing Pei Huai truly dispatching men to retrieve Zhu Zhuxia in accordance with Hanzhou’s demands, Fang Huai felt his spirit wither and collapse as if plunging straight into an icy abyss. “Sect Master, Senior Brother… even you suspect me? You actually believe I harbored an unrequited obsession toward Mingqiu and ordered a disciple to drug him?”
“Fang Huai, I trust you, but I refuse to let you bear an unjust accusation. I want to shatter his arguments so completely that he dies with zero lingering doubts.”
Pei Huai possessed an unyielding, rigid sense of justice, preferring to dissect every ambiguity to its root without harboring a shred of lingering suspicion.
A bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaped Fang Huai’s lips. “Is this what your trust looks like? In the end, my sincere, devoted heart… has been completely misplaced and betrayed.”
Consumed by profound disappointment and heartbreak, Fang Huai refused to linger a moment longer. Whirling around, he stormed off the grounds and headed straight back toward his own warship.
Following the discovery of Hanzhou that morning, Pei Huai had ordered the entire fleet to halt its advance. Currently, all the warships remained anchored over a vast lake situated a short distance from the Eastern Sea.
Using a Spirit-Binding Cable to secure Hanzhou tightly, Pei Huai replayed Fang Huai’s parting declaration of “sincere devotion misplaced and betrayed,” a creeping wave of doubt gnawing at his conscience.
“Mingqiu, what exactly did Fang Huai mean just now? Wasn’t he the one who loved you? Why was he directing those words at me?”
“Oh, my dear Sect Master brother, he spelled it out so plainly, and still you don’t understand? Have you completely forgotten who insisted on dragging you up to the mountain peak to watch fireworks every single New Year’s Eve? Who handmade longevity noodles for you on every single birthday? When has anyone else ever received treatment like that from him?”
Recalling the past through a retroactive lens, Pei Huai froze for a long beat before casting an incredulous stare toward Yan Mingqiu. “Mingqiu… did your memories return?”
Turning his gaze directly toward Hanzhou, Yan Mingqiu replied, “Indeed. The moment I laid eyes on this face of Hanzhou’s, everything flooded back.”
“Then what he claimed was it true? Did Zhu Zhuxia really drug the soup and cause…”
“I still harbor doubts regarding that matter; we can verify the truth once Zhu Zhuxia arrives for the confrontation. Sect Master brother, your immediate priority is tracking down Fang Huai to clear the air.”
“Right, I’ll go—I’ll go talk to him right this instant.”