(Hall of Literature) "Are you insane? Why are you saying this now?" She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hung onto him, sobbing, "Is this the time for this? Who confesses in a place like this!" Chang Yuncheng chuckled, reaching out to hold her shoulders.

"Then, who is he? Why is your being here related to him?" Qi Yue wiped her tears, asking urgently while looking at the skeleton under the glass dome.

Chang Yuncheng also looked over.

"Him?"

He spoke, his gaze settling on the surgical knife, "It was Yunqi."

Qi Yue was stunned.

"Him? How could it be him?" she cried out.

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside.

With the crying and laughter inside, the management staff at the door hesitated repeatedly before finally rushing in.

This skeleton couldn't withstand being smashed apart again! The footsteps caused the two to separate momentarily.

"You two, please be mindful! Civilized visiting, protection of cultural relics is everyone's responsibility. Destruction of relics carries legal liability," the staff member shouted.

Qi Yue quickly gave repeated assurances that she would not damage the artifacts.

"What's going on? Tell me quickly," she urged, pulling on Chang Yuncheng's arm again, asking in a low voice.

What was going on... Chang Yuncheng looked at the knife held in the skeleton's embrace.

"Give me the surgical knife," Chang Yunqi said, extending his hand.

Chang Yuncheng looked at him, sneered, and without a word, let someone in to fetch water for washing feet.

"Chang Yuncheng, do you want to find her?" Chang Yunqi asked.

Chang Yuncheng remained silent, reverting to that state where he seemed incapable of perceiving anyone else in the room, focusing on his own task.

"Chang Yuncheng, have you ever considered that Aru might be right—that she might have truly gone back?" Chang Yunqi spoke to himself as well. "Have you looked at her relics?" Chang Yuncheng placed his feet into the bronze basin.

The sound of water splashing echoed.

"Are all her things there?" Chang Yunqi inquired, pacing slowly.

Aru, standing nearby, concentrated, trying to recall.

Madam Qi Yue's body had been ordered by the Emperor to be transported to the capital. Chang Yuncheng followed behind, all the way to the capital, until the Emperor issued another decree barring Chang Yuncheng from the capital for all eternity.

This capital city did not just refer to the urban area but the entire scope of the capital, including the location where Madam Qi Yue was buried.

Not only was he forbidden from being buried with her, but he wasn't even allowed to see her grave.

Chang Yuncheng stopped at the outskirts of the capital. All necessary funerary rites had been performed.

Seven days after Madam Qi Yue was interred, he turned and left.

And by then, according to his instructions, the entire river basin where the incident occurred had been thoroughly searched, and everything recovered.

Actually, they hadn't carried much on the boat. Medicinal herbs had already been supplied to specialized troops; the gold, silver, and fine silks were in chests, making recovery straightforward.

Her clothing and jewelry were few; aside from that... Aru had a sudden realization.

"The medicine chest."

Chang Yuncheng shot up so violently he forgot he was washing his feet and nearly slipped.

"Yes, the medicine chest," Aru called out. "That medicine chest. She brought it! It arrived with her the day the young mistress hanged herself! She told me then it was left by her grandmother, but later she confessed that it was the medicine chest she carried when she had her accident over there!" Chang Yunqi looked at Chang Yuncheng.

He smiled.

"Do you believe it now?" he asked.

Chang Yuncheng stood in the foot-washing basin.

"It’s not you I believe, it’s her," he said, looking toward Aru.

If she told Aru, then she hadn't lied to her.

"The medicine chest must have gone with her," Chang Yunqi continued, pointing a finger toward Chang Yuncheng's waist.

"The only thing truly belonging to her that she left behind is this knife."

Chang Yuncheng had already removed his armor, wearing his everyday clothes. A leather sheath hung at his waist, something he never took off day or night.

He lowered his head, reached out, took it, and drew the surgical knife, gripping it in his hand, where it aligned perfectly with the scar in his palm.

"With this, perhaps we can find her," Chang Yunqi said, extending his hand. "Give it to me."

Chang Yuncheng looked at him, returned the knife to its sheath, sat down, and began slowly wiping his feet.

Chang Yunqi shook his head.

"The death of that girl from the Rao family—that was my doing," he suddenly declared.

Aru stared at him, her eyes wide with astonishment.

Chang Yuncheng’s hand paused mid-wipe.

"I think that's the most satisfying thing I've ever done in my life," Chang Yunqi said, smiling, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "You lost your title as Heir, and your mother suffered this torment and guilt for a lifetime. You two, mother and son, tormented each other in pain, yet could find no way to resolve it..." At this point, his smile faded.

"However, I still feel a bit sad," he sighed. "Yue Niang still ended up with you. I thought she would be happy. Seeing how you two bullied her, seeing your fate, she should have been overjoyed. I didn't expect..." He laughed again as he mentioned this.

"But now I am relieved," he chuckled. "It turns out, that wasn't my Yue Niang. My Yue Niang was killed by you long ago. So, seeing you like this now, my Yue Niang must be very happy. The one who is unhappy and sad—that's your Yue Niang..." Before his words fully left his mouth, a gust of wind struck, and a heavy punch landed squarely on his face.

Chang Yunqi crashed straight into a corner, hitting the edge of a table, and was flung back down onto the floor.

Aru clamped her hand over her mouth, stifling a scream.

"Get out," Chang Yuncheng stated plainly.

Chang Yuncheng's face immediately swelled, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. Yet, he managed to steady himself by leaning on the table, wiping his face with the back of his hand, and laughed when he saw the blood on it.

"I said, perhaps this can allow you to find your Yue Niang. If you believe me, come find me at Puli Temple outside the city," he said, his speech slightly muffled and slurred due to his split lip. "Three days. I'll only wait three days for you. If you don't come, I'll pretend I never showed up." With that, he turned and walked out.

Silence fell over the room. Chang Yuncheng stood in the center, hands hanging listlessly, unmoving for a long time.

"Then what happened?" Qi Yue asked, shaking his arm gently.

She couldn't stand seeing Chang Yuncheng lost in thought now, especially in this environment.

"Where was I just now?" Chang Yuncheng laughed, reaching out to pat Qi Yue's head reassuringly.

This woman hadn't been timid before, but now her timidity was heartbreaking... She watched him constantly, cautiously, trembling, as if closing her eyes meant she would never see him again... "You were talking about the man who was told by someone else that there was a way for him to find his beloved."

The administrator couldn't help but remind him.

Because of the outsiders present, Chang Yuncheng had kept his previous account very vague and brief.

He had merely described a man who lost his beloved, clutching her remnant in his hand while grieving daily, and then met another man who claimed he could help him retrieve his beloved.

This kind of love story was irresistible to women. Although the male administrator felt a grown man telling such a story was overly effeminate and ridiculous, the female administrator, in her twenties and still romanticizing love stories, listened with great pleasure.

"Later, did that man believe him? Did he go find that man?" she urged breathlessly.

Later... Chang Yuncheng stepped into the meditation room and saw that he wasn't the only one sitting there; across from Chang Yunqi sat an old monk, benevolent and kind-faced.

Seeing him enter, Chang Yunqi placed a stone.

"Master. I win," he announced.

The old monk smiled and chanted a Buddhist phrase.

"When one is desperate with illness, they seek any remedy—that is human nature. It is not strange that the Heir has won," he stated.

"Enough. Stop wasting time. Tell me what you want?" Chang Yuncheng said, pulling up his robe to sit down.

"To give is to receive; only by giving can one gain. Lord Chang is a sensible man," the old monk said with a smile.

Chang Yuncheng remained silent.

"However, giving does not guarantee receiving; it depends on how much Lord Chang is willing to let go," the old monk shifted his tone.

"I'll give," Chang Yuncheng replied simply.

The old monk nodded. "The Heir sought me out and told me this mysterious matter. I came across a profound method in my early years that might lend Lord Chang a hand." He spoke frankly. "However, Lord Chang surely knows this matter is profoundly bizarre and unbelievable. Therefore, I am willing to help, but whether it succeeds or not depends entirely on Heaven's will."

Chang Yuncheng nodded.

"Brother, aren't you going to ask how to do it?" Chang Yunqi asked from the side.

"What is there to ask?" Chang Yuncheng replied coolly.

Chang Yunqi nodded and smiled, extending his hand.

"Give it here," he said.

"What?" Chang Yuncheng asked.

"The surgical knife," Chang Yunqi said.

Chang Yuncheng did not move.

"It is like this. The Heir says this object is the only true physical relic this woman left behind. Therefore, only it can send Lord Chang to the place where that woman resides," the old monk explained from the side.

"Wouldn't it be better if I held it?" Chang Yuncheng argued.

The old monk shook his head. "You see the bone, but not the person. Young Master Chang, if you hold it, you can go, but only she can see you; you will not be able to see her."

Chang Yuncheng frowned. Since childhood, he had kept his distance from monks and Daoists dealing in the arcane. The fact that he was sitting here listening to this mystical chatter now made him feel insane. But to live like this was worse than being insane.

He said no more, unhooked the surgical knife from his waist, and handed it over.

Chang Yunqi took it and played with it in his hand. The old monk retrieved a jade ring, entirely emerald green, from his sleeve, pausing just before handing it over.

"Young Master Chang, you must know, this matter cannot be guaranteed—you do not know when or where. Are you willing?" the old monk asked again.

Chang Yuncheng reached out and took the jade ring.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"That is all," the old monk nodded. "What Lord Chang must do is wait."

Chang Yuncheng hummed in acknowledgment and stood up.

"Young Master Chang, the hardest thing in the world is to wait," the old monk called out to detain him. "Have you thought this through?"

Chang Yuncheng glanced at him. "No. The hardest thing in the world is not even having the chance to wait," he stated.

The old monk shook his head, looking at him with a touch of pity.

"First, you must wait for the Heir to live out his natural lifespan before he can convey the remains," he said slowly.

Chang Yuncheng stiffened and looked at Chang Yunqi.

"So, you better live well. Don't die before I do, or everything will be ruined," Chang Yunqi said with a smile, flipping the knife in his hand. "Or, pray that I die sooner, so you don't have to wait until you are seventy or eighty to see your Yue Niang—what use is seeing her then?"

Chang Yuncheng smiled. Seeing her, even for a moment, would be enough.

"Then, you must continue to wait," the old monk went on. "The moment the Heir's life ends is the moment you depart from here. But that is not the moment you arrive at that woman's side. You will be as if stripped from the world, pressed beneath a dark tower, waiting for the opportune moment to arrive. If you are lucky, it will be a hundred or a thousand years; if unlucky, it will be endless, without beginning or end, without boundary or shore. During this time, you will be neither dead nor alive, neither human nor ghost."

He looked at Chang Yuncheng as he finished. "Young Master Chang, this kind of waiting—can you endure it?" he asked.

Chang Yuncheng said nothing and turned to leave.

Young Master Chang, have you considered that perhaps this opportunity will never arise? Even if the Heir conveys the remains, she may never see this surgical knife, or if she does, she may not be able to take it. Then, you will be trapped forever in darkness, without end, without beginning, without boundary, without shore. Are you willing? Young Master Chang, have you considered that what if you truly can reach her, but she is either a young child, or has skin like old parchment, or is already a mere skeleton? Are you willing? Young Master Chang, do you know that this venture carries a risk of ten thousand to one, with only a sliver of chance? Are you truly willing?

Behind him, the old monk's voice rose higher and higher. Chang Yuncheng had already reached the doorway. He turned back.

"I am willing," he said.

The old monk looked at him, bowed his head, and chanted a Buddhist name. Chang Yuncheng placed one foot over the threshold.

Chang Yunqi called out to him again.

"Chang Yuncheng," he said, tossing the knife up and catching it with a mocking smile, "You trust me just like that?"

Chang Yuncheng averted his gaze and strode away.

The woman's movement of shaking his arm brought Chang Yuncheng back to the present. He looked at the skeleton before him, his gaze falling on the accompanying sketch nearby—a refined young gentleman standing elegantly, smiling.

"I trust you," he exhaled, looking at the portrait and murmuring, "But whether you believe it or not, I don't wish for you to die soon every day."

"That man died of illness at his post six years later and was buried clutching the knife. Did that man find his woman?" the administrator asked urgently.

"He did," Chang Yuncheng replied, glancing at her, then looking at Qi Yue, reaching out with a smile to pat her head.

Qi Yue naturally understood what he meant and could not help but tear up again, clinging to his arm.

"That's it?" the female administrator found the story rather dull. "That simple?" That terrifying darkness... that terrifying wait... that solitary millennium... being awake while not knowing the cold or heat of the seasons, neither human nor ghost, neither alive nor dead... empty, silent, boundless.

Chang Yuncheng smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes, that simple. Very easy," he laughed.

The female administrator waved her hand in disappointment. "What kind of story is this? It's not romantic at all. It would be better to change it to be about the eternal bromance between these two men..." she muttered.

"Only you women love listening to stories. What's there to listen to? Stories are just stories," the male administrator scoffed.

Chatting and laughing, they urged the pair once more to observe respectfully before confidently backing out. Although the story they heard was a bit dull, the couple's behavior no longer seemed completely deranged.

The interior fell quiet. Chang Yuncheng didn't speak, turning to see Qi Yue looking at him.

"What are you looking at?" he asked softly, reaching out to tap her forehead.

"Is it really that simple? The moment he died, you came over?" Qi Yue asked.

"Yes, what else would happen?" Chang Yuncheng laughed, pulling her into his arms. "Stop overthinking things. The point is, I am right here in front of you, safe and sound."

Qi Yue was doubtful. "But the logic of time and space doesn't line up..." she frowned.

Chang Yuncheng shook her gently. "Hey, don't tell me things I don't understand. Say something I can understand," he complained, looking toward the glass dome before them. "For instance, why hasn't this tomb been sealed yet?" Oh heavens, this topic had finally arrived!

"To expose skeletal remains to the sun and sky—this is truly too much!" Chang Yuncheng declared.

Qi Yue gasped in fright, grasping Chang Yuncheng's arm tightly. "No, listen to me..." she hurried to say.

The two administrators, who had just reached the entrance of the tomb passage and hadn't fully steadied themselves, heard a woman's scream and the sound of something shattering from inside. They exchanged a look, their faces stunned and terrified.

It's over! They were definitely losing their jobs now! "Someone come quick!" The entire scenic area erupted into chaos again.

****** Hahahaha, everyone push forward! We can't be left behind by Nine Heavens of Violet hahahaha... RT