I heard you had a white moonlight who died young.

"Stop talking nonsense, just tell me if you'll help or not. If you won't, He Anhao and I will find other ways!" This impatient and arrogant tone is exactly what Young Master Jiu Wanli has to offer.

Sure enough, the person with He An was Zhuang Yujing.

Fan Zhiyi thought it over carefully. Today was also his first time going down the mountain. The road was easy to find, but it was too roundabout and too far. He had to go to where he met Xiaobao first and then turn around to go down the mountain. Thinking about it, he had walked for almost half a day and was exhausted. Moreover, it was too strange for the two of them to be looking for him in the middle of the night.

"Tell me what you want to do first."

He An sighed: "It's a long story."

"Alright then." If that's the case, let's talk about it when we meet.

That's right, Fan Zhiyi planned to help them, not only because of the first time he saved their lives, but also because He An had treated him kindly and selflessly before, and he felt he had to repay that kindness no matter what: "Where are you?"

"Drunken Fragrance Pavilion".

Fan Zhiyi said, "I can't find the way. I'll go ask Bing Nandong." He wanted to ask Bing Nandong if there was a shortcut that wouldn't take such a long detour.

Unexpectedly, because of his words, Zhuang Yujing slammed his fist on the table: "Wait, don't go!" He seemed extremely anxious. "You absolutely can't tell Bing Nandong! Didn't you grow up with Bing Nandong at Tianyun Sect? How come you don't even know the way down the mountain?"

Fan Zhiyi had nothing to explain, and explaining would only make things more complicated and expose his flaws: "Anyway, I just don't know the way."

Zhuang Yujing was infuriated by Fan Zhiyi's nonchalant attitude: "Can you be a little more reliable? Do you know how important this matter is? It may involve the most core secrets of the cultivation world... um."

The other end of the line abruptly began, followed by He An's words: "In short, Zhiyi, if you could help, it would be a great help indeed. Where do you live? I've been to Tianyun Gate with the young master before, and I still have some recollection of the exit on the main road."

“I lived with Bingnan Dong.”

"What? You two are living together even though you're not married?" It was Zhuang Yujing's startled voice again, but Fan Zhiyi chose to pretend he didn't hear it.

He An quickly interjected, "Where does Bing Nandong live?"

At this point, it would be too strange to answer "I don't know," so Fan Zhiyi had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "I'll try my best to come."

"Not just try, it's a must. We absolutely must find a way to enter Tianyun Gate tonight, otherwise it will be even more difficult to move once daytime arrives." Zhuang Yujing's tone became serious.

"What on earth are you going to do?"

"Zhiyi, come over here first. We'll be waiting for you at Zuixianglou."

There was no response from the other end. Fan Zhiyi sighed, sat cross-legged on the bed, and pondered how he could get these two people into the Tianyun Sect. However, he first had to ask them what they were up to.

Fan Zhiyi glanced at the original owner's disciple robes and instantly had a flash of inspiration, putting them all into his Qiankun bag. Then he turned off the room lights and peeked outside cautiously.

Very good. The light in Bingnan's house was on, and the courtyard was empty.

Fan Zhiyi tiptoed out of the house and then carefully opened the gate to the courtyard.

Even with the slightest movement, the sound seemed amplified a hundredfold in the quiet courtyard. Fan Zhiyi, feeling guilty, glanced at Bing Nandong's room. Seeing nothing amiss, he closed the door and went out.

He had barely left when Bing Nandong came out.

He had just been meditating. Cultivators are naturally more sensitive, so he heard a loud commotion coming from Fan Zhiyi's room and the sound of the door being pushed open.

Who is it? What is Fan Zhiyi doing out so late?

***

Even though he was from Tianyun Sect, Fan Zhiyi was still a little uneasy walking alone at night, so he took out the lantern that Bing Nandong had given him.

But there's a problem now: Fan Zhiyi has no spiritual power at all, so he can't light the lantern. It's useless for him to hold onto it; he can just use it to give himself courage.

Fan Zhiyi held a lantern in one hand, a dagger in the other, and a talisman in his palm.

Although the combination of these items was somewhat comical, it ultimately gave Fan Zhiyi a great sense of security.

Since we're going down the mountain, we should definitely head downhill.

The road was lined with trees, dark and deserted, so Fan Zhiyi could barely see the road and walked with extra caution.

Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.

Fan Zhiyi's face turned pale instantly. No way, no way! This is Tianyun Sect! If there's anything else here, Bing Nandong's bragging will be a disaster!

The hand patted Fan Zhiyi's shoulder twice, and Fan Zhiyi finally couldn't help but shout and try to run away. Then he heard a voice behind him say, "Zhiyi, it really is you."

Fan Zhiyi forcefully controlled his legs, which had already started running, and turned his head. He couldn't see clearly, but the voice was gentle and soft; it could only be Lu Changfu.

With Bing Nandong absent, Fan Zhiyi encountered Lu Changfu alone. Not knowing how to interact with him, she chose to remain silent.

In the dark illusion, he couldn't see Lu Changfu's expression and didn't know how to disguise himself so that he wouldn't be discovered and cause trouble for Bing Nandong and himself.

Or should I act a little fiercer?

Fan Zhiyi remained silent, but Lu Changfu spoke up in a very familiar manner: "I saw a figure in the distance, and I vaguely thought it looked like you. I didn't expect it to be you. What are you doing out alone so late?"

Fan Zhiyi suppressed his racing heart and tried to remain calm as he said, "Didn't you also leave at this time?"

“I’ll be on patrol tonight.” Lu Changfu’s voice seemed to carry a smile. “Oh, it’s this lantern. Nan Dong helped a cultivation family last time, and they gave it to him as a gift to express their gratitude.”

As he spoke, Fan Zhiyi saw a small flame ignite in Lu Changfu's hand. The light flickered and merged into the lantern, illuminating the paper lantern surface and giving it a warm, pale yellow glow.

Thus, Fan Zhiyi finally saw the road and Lu Changfu's face. His unchanging smile, carrying both distance and politeness, was cast in shadow by the light shining up, making one's scalp tingle.

“I feel that your relationship with Nan Dong has improved a lot since you came back from the Xue residence,” Lu Changfu suddenly said, his voice unreadable. “It should have been a good thing.”

It should have been a good thing, but because of what the original owner had done, everyone thought that his closeness with Bing Nandong must mean that he was plotting something shady again.

Fan Zhiyi instantly understood the implication in Lu Changfu's words and chuckled lightly: "Then do you know why I did those things?"

Lu Changfu remained silent, the lamplight flickering in his eyes.

Fan Zhiyi waited for a while, but seeing that he couldn't get any information out of him, he decided to leave as soon as possible: "In that case, there's nothing more to say. Farewell."

"So, where is Zhiyi going so late?"