"Lord Lü, you don't even know my origins, my family background, and yet you are so hastily agreeing to let your daughter marry me?" Ye Xiu still couldn't quite accept it; he thought about how a man without a house or a car these days didn't easily get to marry a beauty—it felt like a windfall from the heavens.

"Haha, no matter." Lord Lü replied with utter nonchalance. "The rest doesn't matter; as long as the person is you, Ye Xiu, that is enough."

Ye Xiu found this baffling. Perhaps this was the highest praise anyone had ever given him, yet he felt an odd discomfort deep down, as if he were betraying someone. Was it Sister Ji Jiang? Sister was nowhere to be found, yet here he was about to marry and settle into a life of ease and leisure. It felt utterly wrong, both ethically and logically. Alas.

"That's enough. I have already prepared rooms for the two of you. You two will reside here from now on. I will take care of everything else; you need not worry." Lord Lü pointed toward the pair, then turned and walked toward the door. As he stepped onto the porch, his mumbling could still be heard: "This is destiny."

At that moment, the effects of the wine hit Ye Xiu, making him dizzy. Led by a servant, he was taken to another courtyard and collapsed onto the comfortable bed in his room, letting himself lie there. The entire affair felt too dreamlike. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but laugh. Without reason, his sister was lost; without reason, he gained the deadly weapon, the 2B pencil; without reason, he mastered four peerless skills and became the Chief of the Ghost Valley; without reason, he met the stalwart Xiang Yu and the strangely intimate Zhang Liang, the insidious Liu Bang, and now, without reason, he was set to marry Lü Xu, the younger sister of the future Empress Lü.

Was this the 'Destiny' Wang Long spoke of, and the 'Destiny' Lord Lü mentioned? Gradually, enveloped by these hazy thoughts, he drifted into a dream. In the dream, a familiar person with a familiar voice urged Ye Xiu to stop something—but what needed stopping?

Joy brightens a man’s spirit. Ye Xiu had only come to Lord Lü’s residence hoping to swindle a single meal, but instead, he had secured a long-term source of free sustenance. Having regained his energy, he spent his free time practicing his swordplay in the garden.

The Mu Shang Sword had remained still for several days, seemingly having lost its former luster. Ye Xiu held the sword upright before his forehead, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. He wanted to recapture the moment he first encountered the Mu Shang Sword at the Gate of the Sword Stabbing—the precipitous cliff, the setting sun filtering through the fallen leaves, the sheer artistry of that single strike. He could never quite grasp whether that strike against the fallen leaves was an act of salvation or annihilation; perhaps that was the true Way of the Ghost Valley.

Just then, a faint "rustling" sound reached Ye Xiu’s ears. He snapped his eyes open and looked to the side. A graceful, slender figure, perfectly framed by the blooming lilies in the garden, entered his sight. Such a soft, beautiful scene, exquisitely pleasant.

"It’s Miss Lü Xu," Ye Xiu suddenly felt a pang of nervousness, almost forgetting how to address her.

"Oh, Young Master Ye, I apologize. I disturbed your practice." Lü Xu was incomparably gentle. She crouched down and performed a deep curtsy. "Xu’er was just passing by. I truly regret disturbing Young Master Ye."

Ye Xiu felt a slight warmth in his chest. Usually, upon meeting a beautiful woman, he would engage in some playful banter, but this Lü Xu exuded a genuine kindness that inspired pity and compelled one to respond with equal gentleness.

"No... not at all, Miss Lü Xu worries too much. What I’m doing hardly counts as practice; it's just messing around," Ye Xiu said awkwardly, gesturing with his wooden sword.

Lü Xu smiled faintly upon hearing this. "Young Master Ye can just call me Xu'er."

"Xu'er." Ye Xiu stared at the slightly curved, affectionate smile on Lü Xu’s lips and was instantly mesmerized. He murmured to himself, "There is such a pure smile in this world; it truly soothes the soul."

"Young Master Ye, what did you say?" Lü Xu tilted her head slightly, her unadorned, delicate neck instantly captivating Ye Xiu’s entire world.

Ye Xiu slowly walked toward her, gazing at Lü Xu with deep affection. "Xu'er, you are incredibly beautiful when you smile. Can you smile more for me in the future?"

"Hee hee." Lü Xu smiled again, her whole face flushed pink with shyness. She felt that Ye Xiu’s simple compliment was enough; she could already sense the approaching happiness.

Ye Xiu lowered his head, intently studying every subtle change in Lü Xu’s expression. He realized that besides Sister Ji Jiang, there was someone like Lü Xu whose smile could bring him such ease and tranquility. He longed to embrace the woman before him.

"Oh, right, Young Master Ye, why is the sword in your hand so mysterious? It looks like two dragons intertwined," Lü Xu suddenly took an interest in the Mu Shang Sword. It was true; although the Mu Shang Sword was merely a simple wooden blade, the carving of the patterns along its body was exquisitely detailed, truly worthy of being called art.

Ye Xiu was delighted. He held the sword with both hands and gently presented it to Lü Xu. "It's called the Mu Shang Sword. It has been with me for quite some time. As for its story, I will tell you slowly later."

"Then what were you doing just now when you were staring blankly? What kind of sword technique was that?" Lü Xu pressed on.

"Haha, you wouldn't know about that," This question perfectly piqued Ye Xiu’s interest. He immediately raised his sword and struck a cool pose. "What your husband practices is an assassination technique seen only once in ten thousand times. If I wish it, nothing within ten paces can escape me."

"Husband?" Lü Xu paused, startled.

Ye Xiu himself froze. He wasn't surprised by why he had said it, but rather, he was suddenly reminded of Hong'er. He had used the same trick to make Hong'er call him 'husband' back then. He wondered how that wife was doing now; did she miss her Ghost Valley Chief, her husband?

"‘Lǎogōng’ is a term from my hometown," Ye Xiu stuck out his tongue. "It means 'Xiànggōng' (a more formal term for husband)."

Upon hearing this, Lü Xu’s face instantly turned crimson. She immediately lowered her head, mumbled a quick, "You’re annoying," and then slowly ran off. Watching her retreating figure, Ye Xiu smiled happily. He didn't know where the sudden earnestness to say 'Xiànggōng' came from; he felt he was truly falling in love with Lü Xu.

This garden seemed to have lost its elegance without Lü Xu’s presence. Ye Xiu grew bored and decided to sit by the river for a while, planning to review the esoteric techniques taught by Wang Long. Truthfully, since leaving the Ghost Valley, he hadn't encountered many truly formidable foes; letting his skills atrophy like this felt like a real pity.

A light breeze rose by the river, stirring various things around him, creating a quiet, peaceful atmosphere. Suddenly, a kite drifted slowly from behind him into his field of vision; it seemed perilously close to falling into the river.

"Quick, quick, quick! Help me catch the kite!" A sudden clamor broke Ye Xiu’s quiet contemplation. It turned out that Lü Zhi was running toward him while frantically tugging at the string in her hand.