When Li Xuanxiao woke up, he found himself in a courtyard residence.

Bai Jing said, "Counting this time, our debts are settled."

Li Xiao was taken aback and immediately tried to bow. "Thank—"

"Forget it."

Bai Jing gave Li Xuanxiao a complicated look.

Li Xuanxiao also noticed the Mount Shushan disciple jade token in Bai Jing's hand, his expression abruptly changing.

A sword gleam flashed, the blade halting at Li Xuanxiao's neck.

"Mount Shushan remnant!"

Li Xuanxiao stared blankly at Bai Jing before closing his eyes.

Bai Jing's grip on the sword trembled slightly.

After a long pause, she withdrew her hand.

"A Mount Shushan remnant? Truly rare these days."

Li Xuanxiao let out a bitter laugh. "I was only a disciple at a Mount Shushan branch for a few years. Never imagined I'd encounter such a disaster. Had no choice but to flee."

"If that's the case, why didn't you hide your identity and join Xiangshan Academy earlier?"

"I... I didn't want to implicate you, or Xiangshan Academy."

"You're quite the loyal one."

Bai Jing's tone was ambiguous—whether sincere or mocking was unclear.

"This time your injuries are worse, new wounds atop old ones. Rest here and recover properly."

Li Xuanxiao nodded. "Thank you, Miss Bai."

Bai Jing turned to leave but paused at the doorway.

"I'll bring you daily necessities tomorrow. Don't worry, this place won't be discovered."

"Alright."

Bai Jing's emotions were in turmoil.

There was joy at their reunion, but also shock and concern upon learning Li Xuanxiao's true identity.

Perhaps this was a relationship that should never have begun.

Yet Bai Jing couldn't control her heart.

".........."

Thus, in the days that followed, Bai Jing frequently descended the mountain to visit Li Xuanxiao.

Under the pretense of treating his injuries.

The more time she spent with Li Xuanxiao, the more her fondness for him grew.

Handsome, eloquent, knowledgeable about everything.

Even cultivation questions—he could offer unique insights.

One ordinary afternoon, Li Xuanxiao sat quietly in a chair, absorbed in a book.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow upon him.

Bai Jing sat nearby, initially watching him read with interest.

But soon, drowsiness crept in, her eyelids growing heavy.

Finally succumbing to sleep, she rested her head on the table like a lazy kitten, basking in the warm sunlight on her cheeks.

Time passed unnoticed as Bai Jing drifted into dreams.

When she awoke, she found an extra layer of clothing draped over her.

Bai Jing instinctively sniffed the fabric—a fresh, clean scent greeted her.

It carried the faint fragrance of laundry dried in sunlight, comforting and pleasant.

She reveled in the aroma, her mood lifting.

Such a feeling was utterly soothing.

Resting her head on the table—an act Bai Jing would have once considered undignified.

Only before someone close could she reveal such informality.

She stared at Li Xuanxiao.

Li Xuanxiao pretended not to notice, eyes fixed on his book.

Bai Jing tilted her head, a smile playing on her lips as she watched him.

A blush crept onto Li Xuanxiao's cheeks.

Bai Jing giggled.

The laughter deepened his flush.

"Fake propriety, putting on airs~"

Bai Jing muttered under her breath.

Days flowed by like water.

"What do you plan to do from now on?" Bai Jing asked one day abruptly.

Li Xuanxiao answered without hesitation. "Return home. Do nothing else—just live peacefully."

Bai Jing raised an eyebrow. "Home?"

"........."

"This is my home. It's a bit small—hope you don't mind."

Li Xuanxiao introduced his family to Bai Jing.

A modest courtyard.

Kind parents, an elder brother already married with his own family, a younger brother, and a sister now wedded into another household.

Watching the harmonious family, Bai Jing felt momentarily dazed.

"You truly don't intend to start anew?"

Bai Jing gazed at the moon hanging in the sky.

Li Xuanxiao shook his head. "Had enough of schemes and deceit. The path to immortality is arduous. After all this, I've learned the value of simply being alive."

Fortunately, Li Xuanxiao's home wasn't far from Xiangshan Academy.

Bai Jing visited often, her excuse shifting from treating his injuries to cultivating together.

Yet paper could never contain fire.

"..........."

Torrential rain poured down.

Bai Jing knelt before Xiangshan Academy's elders.

"A Mount Shushan remnant?! Have you lost your mind?!"

"Knowing he's a remnant, you still associated with him?!"

Rain dripped from her pale chin, creating tiny whirlpools in the puddles.

The Discipline Elder's roar mingled with thunder. "Speak! What were you thinking?!"

Bai Jing's gaze shifted to Lan Qing standing behind the teachers.

Lan Qing guiltily averted his eyes.

"If this becomes known, it will mean Xiangshan Academy colluded with Mount Shushan remnants—utter ruin!"

Wang Tingzhi's voice was ice-cold.

But everyone present understood the gravity of his words.

If even Mount Shushan could be destroyed, what hope did a small Confucian academy have?

"Master, though he was a Mount Shushan disciple, he's renounced it all. Lives quietly at home, reading and farming."

Bai Jing argued vehemently, only to be met with three frigid words:

"Kill him."

Bai Jing's ears rang. "Master, he's truly innocent!"

"Innocent? Does innocence exist in this world?"

"How many innocents perished when Mount Shushan fell? What's one more life?"

"Bai Jing, unless you..."

Wang Tingzhi fixed his star pupil with a stare.

Bai Jing fell silent.

Wang Tingzhi slammed his hand down. "Go! Kill him."

"Master..."

Wang Tingzhi waved his sleeve violently.

The falling raindrops coalesced into a giant hand that sent Bai Jing flying.

"You've gone mad! Kill him now."

Wang Tingzhi turned to Lan Qing behind him. "You go with your senior sister."

Lan Qing hesitated before replying, "Yes, but Senior Sister..."

He feared she might hesitate at the last moment—and he was no match for her.

Bai Jing struggled to her feet.

Wang Tingzhi flicked his book, characters detaching and flying toward Bai Jing.

Bai Jing looked momentarily stunned, then confused, as if she'd forgotten everything.

"Go, kill Li Xuanxiao!"

"Yes, this disciple obeys."

Lan Qing glanced sorrowfully at his senior sister. The Memory-Forgetting Technique, though temporary, severely damaged the spirit.

He never imagined the master would resort to such cruelty.

".............."

"Ah, Miss Bai is here! Please come in—my younger brother, he..."

The elder brother's warm greeting met Bai Jing's merciless sword.

By the time Li Xuanxiao rushed home, his household was a river of blood.

Facing Bai Jing's cold gaze, Li Xuanxiao didn't flinch.

A sword pierced his throat.

Blood splattered across Bai Jing's radiant face as she looked at Li Xuanxiao.

Her eyes flickered—then she collapsed in agony as memories flooded back.

"Li Xuanxiao... Li Xuanxiao..."

Bai Jing screamed in despair.

"Bai Jing... move forward."