"Miss?" Xiang Yu was at a loss, wanting to ask for more details, "Did I perhaps frighten you, Miss?"

Wan'er stabilized her emotions slightly, then glanced up at Ying Bu standing beside Xiang Yu, and performed a curtsy: "My name is Yu Ji, merely a songstress. I have long heard of the great General Xiang's renown, and meeting you today, it is indeed well-deserved."

"Yu Ji! Good." A faint smile touched Xiang Yu's lips, "Miss Yu Ji, your dancing is exquisite, I too admire it greatly."

"Yu Ji..." Ying Bu stared fixedly at Yu Ji, still unable to truly believe her words. He questioned, "May I ask, Miss Yu Ji, where did you study your dance techniques?"

Yu Ji? Although Ye Xiu was a little distance away, he could still clearly hear what she said. Why would Wan'er call herself Yu Ji? Could it be that in this world, besides Ji Jiang, there were two women who looked exactly alike?

Yu Ji glanced coldly at Ying Bu, her voice sharp: "Yu Ji learned by myself, without a master. I see this young master is also a martial artist; may I ask where you studied?"

When Yu Ji asked this, Ying Bu sensed something was amiss. He desperately wanted to seize Yu Ji and demand an explanation, but with Xiang Yu present, he could only bow slightly: "Just a minor sect in the Jianghu, hardly worth mentioning. It’s just that I once had a junior sister who bore a striking resemblance to you, Miss."

"Oh? You have a junior sister too!" Xiang Yu was also startled by this.

Yu Ji offered a light, knowing smile: "Sir, you jest. How could there be two people who look so much alike in this world? It must have been a case of mistaken identity."

"Perhaps..." Ying Bu nodded, saying no more.

At this moment, Xiang Yu chuckled, "Miss Yu Ji, your dancing is beautiful, and you are cultured and well-mannered. Having a wife like this, what more could a man ask for? May I inquire if you are married?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ji shyly covered her face with her sleeve.

Seeing this gesture, Ye Xiu’s mind instantly flashed back to a day in the corridor of the Ghost Valley Pavilion, where Wan'er had made the very same movement. No! Yu Ji was Wan'er.

"Hahaha, good, good!" Xiang Yu laughed heartily, "Tell me, Miss Yu Ji, what do you think of me?"

Yu Ji replied in a soft voice, "General Xiang is a true hero among men; I fear this humble woman would be unfit to be your match."

Xiang Yu stood up and bowed to Yu Ji: "Very well. When I return, I shall inform my uncle, Xiang Liang, and we shall arrange to have Miss Yu Ji join our household in a few days!"

Yu Ji said little more, merely smiling as she saw Xiang Yu and Ying Bu out. However, when Ying Bu glanced back at her one last time, his gaze met hers, and in her eyes, there was a deep, burning hatred.

Xiang Yu married Yu Ji like this? Ye Xiu, hiding in the corner, had witnessed this high-handed proposal. This woman was clearly Wan'er, yet now she was becoming Yu Ji and was set to marry Xiang Yu so soon? He was utterly bewildered and resolved to seek out this Yu Ji for a full explanation as soon as Xiang Yu and Ying Bu departed.

When we parted, the moon was over the tower; when we meet again, the frost covers the full moon.

Ye Xiu watched Yu Ji’s every move from the shadows. Every subtle expression, every gesture, spoke volumes to Ye Xiu, affirming that she was the Wan'er of the past.

The performance in the painted tower concluded as the moon hung like a half-bow. Yu Ji sat alone among the pavilions and terraces, strumming an ancient zither with an air of profound sorrow. Ye Xiu hid behind her, listening to the mournful notes of the zither—it was unmistakably the tune of "The Moon Represents My Heart," a song he had once played for Wan'er.

"Hoo..." A gentle breeze swept past, and a familiar figure stepped across the water’s surface, landing slowly before Yu Ji.

"You..." Yu Ji looked up, first startled, then regaining her composure, speaking coolly, "I wonder what brings the young master here so late at night?"

Ye Xiu focused his gaze; the visitor was none other than Ying Bu.

Ying Bu dispensed with pleasantries and immediately stepped forward to grasp Yu Ji’s hand: "Wan'er, I know it's you. Why are you here? I have searched for you for so long!"

"Young Master, please let go!" Yu Ji’s face was etched with distress, and she urged him urgently, "This humble woman’s name is Yu Ji; I am not the Wan'er you seek."

"Wan'er, I know it was my fault before, and I am willing to make amends. Don't leave me again." Ying Bu clearly held feelings for Wan'er. Seeing Wan'er now fallen into the dust of the common world clearly unsettled him, though he himself was the architect of this situation.

Yu Ji could not break free from Ying Bu; her delicate wrist was already turning red under his grip.

At this moment, Ye Xiu emerged from his hiding place. With a single stride, he rushed in front of Ying Bu and pulled his hand away: "General Ying, I ask you to show some respect!"

"You..." Ying Bu was genuinely shocked to see Ye Xiu there and stumbled back several paces.

Ye Xiu knew Ying Bu harbored ill intent, so he immediately shielded Yu Ji behind him.

"Wei..." Yu Ji’s lips trembled as she whispered a sound, but she quickly suppressed it.

Ye Xiu seemed to sense the situation behind him, gently turning his head to look closely at this Yu Ji. The willow-leaf delicate eyebrows, the eyes brimming with tender affection—it was unmistakably Wan'er.

Ying Bu recovered his composure, but by then he had already drawn his weapon, Qi Shuo. "Ye Xiu, you forced your way here today. This day next year will be your death anniversary."

"General Ying—no! Senior Brother Chen Feng." Ye Xiu surveyed the surroundings with a cold sneer, "There should be no one else here. It seems time for the Ghost Valley matters to be concluded today."

Ying Bu snorted, and the Jue stance of his sword technique subtly revealed itself.

Ye Xiu turned back to look dazed at Yu Ji, placing a hand on her shoulder, saying, "Whether you are Wan'er or not, I have so much to tell you, and today, I will give an account for both you and Master."

Yu Ji nodded upon hearing this. She understood what Ye Xiu was about to do; though she desperately wanted to care, she knew it would be futile.

"Come then, Senior Brother Chen." As he spoke, Ye Xiu raised Tian Yi, holding it horizontally before him.

The moonlight offered no comfort for the desolation, yet it cast an icy sheen upon the world. Hostility, sharp and palpable, permeated the air, emanating from the swords held by the two men. Someone had to strike first; someone had to fall.

"Flash - Spirit Realm Chain!" Ying Bu roared, unleashing a move Ye Xiu had never witnessed before. He concealed Qi Shuo behind him, pointing one hand at Ye Xiu. With fluid footwork, he instantly stirred up the surrounding dead leaves, accompanied by an aura of grim slaughter, and lunged toward Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu had never felt such a terrifying murderous intent. This technique was also one he had never encountered before. His heart momentarily faltered, so he braced his sword, awaiting the inevitable, watching to see how the situation developed.

At that moment, Ying Bu had completely forgotten his surroundings, burying his heart beneath his blade. When his sudden flash brought him face-to-face with Ye Xiu, his entire figure began to flicker with countless shadows, which scattered in an instant, flying off in different directions.

Ye Xiu dismissed them as mere illusions, focusing on tracking none of them specifically, but instead taking a small step back to buy himself time to draw his own sword.

"Flash - Center!" Ying Bu launched another bizarre move. All the scattered shadows converged and rushed toward Ye Xiu.

The sharp edges of the Qi Shuo blade created dazzling wind blades. Ye Xiu could no longer distinguish the real from the phantoms, and in that instant, he was struck several times, blood streaming forth.

"Brother Ye!" Yu Ji, watching from the side, cried out in shock, "Brother Ye!"

"Hoo..." Ye Xiu knew that Ying Bu's swordsmanship had advanced far beyond what it was that day, but hearing Yu Ji call him that confirmed it in his heart: she was Wan'er.

"Wan'er, you..." Ying Bu, too, heard the cry and roared at Wan'er in sudden fury, "Good! Today, I will kill this fellow right in front of you."