"It must have been about ten years ago when the two of us arrived in Jinsheng City," Liang Yi reminded.

Su Youyi bowed her head in contemplation, flipping through the memories in her mind. It was around the time they first met, only a few days ago.

She hadn't thought of it before simply because she hadn't thought in that direction; now that she actively searched, the images from back then immediately surfaced in her mind.

Jinsheng City, an insignificant small city on the eastern side of the Xuanzhou Immortal Dynasty, guarded by only a Cultivator of the Third Realm.

At that time, she and her senior brother depended on each other for survival, but due to their appearances, they could not stay in the same place for long. Even if they disguised themselves every day, over time, some clues would inevitably be noticed.

The two of them were too young and lacked the ability to protect themselves, so they had to keep moving places frequently.

When they first arrived in Jinsheng City, they accidentally bumped into a sword-bearing female cultivator. In her memory, she did not see the woman's face clearly because she and her senior brother kept bowing and apologizing at the time.

At that time, they thought she might be a female knight and were afraid of provoking her into giving them a lesson, but now looking back, she must have been a First Realm cultivator.

However, that female cultivator did not blame them at all, comforting them with a few words and then passing by without care.

During that passing moment, Su Youyi faintly smelled an inexplicable fragrance of flowers, a scent she had never queried before. The sweet and clean floral fragrance instantly touched Su Youyi, leaving a deep impression in her heart.

After talking with her senior brother, he promised with a smile that he would buy her one of those flowers if he ever saw them again.

They lived there for just under three months.

Although her senior brother kept it from her, she knew that during those three months, her senior brother had checked every flower-selling place in Jinsheng City but never smelled that scent again and had to leave disappointed.

"It's that flower!" Su Youyi suddenly realized as she looked at the light blue flower in her hand, as clean as the purest sky, emitting a fragrance identical to that in her memory.

In an instant, Su Youyi's emotions surged, and she was overwhelmed with emotion.

She hadn't expected that a saying from ten years ago, her senior brother would still remember it, even though she had herself forgotten about it.

Her senior brother was always like that, always like that, never breaking a promise to her since they were little.

Memories surged, the sentiment came fiercely, and Su Youyi did not want to hold it back.

"Hey hey, don't cry..." Liang Yi scratched his head helplessly, pulling his junior sister closer and gently wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes.

"It's just a flower..."

Liang Yi raised his hand, a tip of his finger flickered with Spirit Light and instantly disappeared on the street, appearing near the wall by the south city gate.

"It just moved me..." Su Youyi gently hugged her senior brother's waist and rested her head on his chest.

The flower itself wasn't important, what mattered was the promise it represented; that was what instantly broke through Su Youyi's rational defenses.

"You, you still cry when you talk about crying," Liang Yi shook his head, holding the flower in one hand and hugging his junior sister with the other.

"It's all because of senior brother!" Su Youyi protested sweetly, blaming her brother even though it was actually her own immaturity.

"Alright, alright, it's all my fault."

Liang Yi readily took the blame, his stance incredibly practiced.

"Let's go; Zhou Yuqing might have already left if we wait any longer." Su Youyi, her face flushed, turned around and hurried away.

"Sigh." Liang Yi watched the figure of his junior sister disappearing into the distance and let out a soft sigh before following her.

His junior sister's body was so soft, it felt too comfortable to hold; he found it hard to let her go.

Unlike in the city with its many restrictions, outside the city, ten miles was merely a few breaths' walk for Liang Yi and Su Youyi.

Following Fuchao City's moat southwards, after reaching the ten-mile mark, the only things surrounding them were the endless high mountains and dense forests on both sides.

After conducting a thorough search, Liang Yi discovered a hidden valley nearby. The surrounding forest was lush, situated against the mountains, completely blocking it from view. If Zhou Yuqing hadn't informed Liang Yi ahead of time, he might not have noticed this place himself.

There were also traces of spirit beast activities near the valley, but upon sensing the presence of Liang Yi and Su Youyi, they had long since fled.

When encountering cultivators, it was best for them to run; otherwise, they would either die or be captured and kept as pets.

"Is this the place?" Su Youyi looked up towards the valley, hidden within the dense forest. Even at such close distance, she had not noticed anything unusual; perhaps Sister Yuqing had set up an array.

"For us, no abnormalities is the biggest abnormality; let's go in and see." Liang Yi nodded and took the lead in entering.

The valley was vast and meandering, its contour suggesting that it might contain some ruins.

"How strange, was this place near Fuchao City in my previous life?" Liang Yi observed his surroundings, puzzled.

Logically, such hidden terrain could hardly escape the noses of players, especially since this area was so close to the main city. Countless players passing by this location daily, some even leveling up or gathering materials nearby as they had seen when they entered.

"Senior brother, it's Sister Yuqing." Su Youyi suddenly had a clear view and saw Zhou Yuqing standing before a deep pool.

The valley was circular, surrounded by various types of spirit wood; within it lay a crescent-shaped pool with cool waters. Liang Yi and Su Youyi hadn't yet approached, but they already felt the chilly aura from the water; the temperature inside the valley was completely different from outside it.

"Sister Yuqing..."

"Senior Zhou..."

Su Youyi and Liang Yi slowly approached the silent Zhou Yuqing from behind and softly called out to her.

"Mm." Zhou Yuqing absent-mindedly responded, her gaze still intently fixed on her reflection in the water, lost in thought.

Liang Yi and Su Youyi exchanged glances; ultimately, they first neatly placed the cranesbill lilies they carried at the edge of the lake and silently mourned in their hearts.

"With Le Chanhe's talent, if it weren't for her getting seriously injured while saving me, she would never have perished so early!" Zhou Yuqing's tone carried a mix of sadness and regret, intertwined with a biting resentment.

"Originally, when we were out for a stroll, I accidentally broke the outer array and stumbled upon this valley. I thought it was some kind of secret realm, but to our surprise, it turned out to be a stronghold of the Devouring Spirit Sect."

Zhou Yuqing's voice sounded somewhat ethereal, as if she was reminiscing or speaking to herself.

"Back then, Chanhe and I were clueless, stepping into the trap and directly facing an ambush by the Devouring Spirit Sect. Caught off guard, there was no escape for us; to save me, Chanhe was grievously injured, whereas I might as well have died."

"It's also fortunate that Fang Zhi arrived quickly, otherwise..."

At this point, Zhou Yuqing laughed at herself with some self-mockery.