After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

Feng Qingtan didn't respond, but instead stroked his beard, which he hadn't had time to groom for several days, and watched the two children bickering and joking with a smile.

It's been a long time since I've had this opportunity.

What seemed like a headache back then now appears incredibly precious. But… how much longer can he enjoy it? His smile faded slightly, appearing somewhat pale in the twilight. His lips parted and then curved back into a smile as he chuckled and pushed the wine cup in front of him towards her, casually teasing, “If I really don’t save it for her, wouldn’t you be exhausted from hunting for her in the middle of the night to prepare a game of game and good wine for her?”

"Go hunting for her in the middle of the night? Dream on!" Xu Chengjin poured a drink and sat down next to Feng Qingtan, putting his arm around her shoulder and teasing her earnestly, "I didn't realize you were so honest before... I was just coaxing her with some of the things I said. In the end, isn't this game for you tonight? Teacher, you've worked hard these past few days... Come, let me toast you!" Before the old man could react, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then gestured with his empty glass to signal to the old man.

Feng Qingtan shook his head helplessly. Although he wasn't exactly averse to drinking, he didn't have much of a desire to drink, and even when he did, he mostly drank in small sips, so he rarely got drunk. But today, with a troublesome fellow beside him urging him on, he'd downed three or four cups in no time. On the other hand, Yuan Ge across from him seemed to be alone, resting his chin on his hand, slowly and methodically eating his game, occasionally taking a sip or two of wine, quiet and content.

Feng Qingtan frowned. If Xu Chengjin's initial sarcastic complaints were due to his emotional outburst over Yuan Ge's reckless actions, then this was quite unusual—in the past, when they had argued, this kid usually had to back down and apologize before the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Feng Qingtan was puzzled, but before she could even eat a bite of food, she had already downed several cups of wine. Her already average alcohol tolerance was starting to kick in, and her hazy thoughts were becoming increasingly indistinct, as if shrouded in a thin mist. In fact, because of this absent-mindedness, she had unknowingly been persuaded to drink a few more cups.

The chilly early spring nights were unusually warm.

He waved his hands repeatedly to indicate that he couldn't drink anymore. "I'm not drinking anymore, I'm not drinking anymore. What mischief are you up to now?"

"Look at what you're saying. How is offering you a few drinks considered having bad intentions? I genuinely feel for your hard work these past few days. Now that I've finally hunted some game, I have to show my respect to you..." Xu Chengjin couldn't keep up the act any longer. He chuckled, his manner roguish, "I can't hide it from you after all... Teacher, your poison skills are superb, and your medical skills are outstanding. If you're ranked second in the world, only this shameless guy over there would dare to claim first place, wouldn't you say?"

The shameless guy on the other side just lifted his eyelids, not even bothering to give an expression.

Feng Qingtan couldn't help but glance sideways at the young man who was acting like a "brother" with his arm around her shoulder, and said in a light, annoyed tone, "If you're embarrassed, then don't say it."

"Hehe, no, no... I'm not embarrassed at all. You're the teacher, and I'm the student. It's only natural for a teacher to teach a student!" Xu Chengjin poured Feng Qingtan another drink, leaning even closer to her ear and whispering, "You know about the Nine-Turn Heartbreak Powder, right?"

The moment he looked up, even Feng Qingtan was taken aback, feeling as if she had sobered up a bit. Her cloudy pupils stared intently at Xu Chengjin for a long while before she visibly relaxed and asked, "I know, what's wrong?"

Xu Chengjin pressed down on the corner of his mouth, took a sip of wine, and then said, "It's just... that kid Song Wenyuan was poisoned by someone using underhanded tactics."

He spoke lightly, even nonchalantly, as if it were merely a casual remark about someone else—this was always the young man; no one ever knew how many heavy, genuine emotions lay hidden beneath that carefree and dashing exterior. Her cheeks, flushed from the alcohol, lost some color as Feng Qingtan looked at Yuan Ge and asked directly, "Which medicinal ingredients are still missing?" Although the Nine-Turn Intestinal Severing Powder was a potent poison, determining the prescription wasn't difficult for young Ge.

“Nine-Leaf Resurrection Grass, Nine Yang Sacred Fruit, and…” Yuan Ge pursed his lips, slowly leaned back in his chair, and said softly, “Life-Severing Flower.”

The old man was also taken aback, and murmured softly, "It's the Life-Severing Flower again..." A long sigh slowly fell.

That day, Yuan Ge came to him excitedly, saying she had found the life-severing flower, the most crucial cure for Yuan Qi. It was her most important obsession in life, and Yuan Qi, that child, was truly envied by the heavens… After suffering for twenty years, seeing that things were finally about to turn around, he was naturally happy for the two children. For the next few days, Yuan Ge practically stayed on the cliff edge every day, afraid that someone would get there first; she was practically sleeping there with just a blanket.

The young girl, Duan Shenghua, was perched on a cliff, and her skills were exceptional, so Feng Qingtan was at ease.

who knew...

It was a day no different from any other, the sun shining brightly. Feng Qingtan got up early, intending to properly dry the herbs he had picked a few days ago. He calculated the time; the Life-Sustaining Flower would bloom in the next couple of days, and Xiao Ge'er would need many medicinal herbs. He couldn't help with the matters on the cliff, but he naturally wanted to prepare the rest for her in advance. However, at noon, the child, who should have returned for lunch, hadn't come back. He shook his head and sent someone to fetch her, only to be told that there was no one on the cliff…

The next day, they found her at the foot of the mountain, her face completely disfigured.

When the news reached him, he didn't even have time to be shocked; his first reaction was to immediately send a servant to guard Yuan Qi's place, making sure the news didn't get through. But two legs can't outrun a bird with wings…

Yuanqi is gone too.

At this point, half of the sky above Zhixuan Mountain had collapsed.

A single withered flower destroyed two of the most promising talents of Zhixuan Mountain. He lost his most beloved disciple, and fourteen years later, he was once again left all alone—the promise he made that year had become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It's just that these two innocent children have been implicated. If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have been so attached to these mundane everyday things.

Feng Qingtan tightened his grip on the wine cup, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp. He closed his eyes, his voice soft and slow, as if murmuring in a dream, "After what happened to you, I became ruthless, wishing I could destroy all the life-severing flowers in the world... The one you were guarding was the first one. I have no martial arts skills, so I found a skilled assistant to take me down there, and I personally dug up that life-severing flower!" He gritted his teeth as he spoke, slamming the wine cup down beside him. "Pour it!"