Lanxiang, though incredulous, finally understood what she had said. Ruoxi herself, too, finally understood completely: "I was curious at the time, how come these bracelets seemed like they were originally meant to be a pair? I never imagined the other one was with you..."

After a pause and a moment of silence with Lanxiang, Ruoxi recalled her astonishment at first sight of the bracelet. She sighed softly and said to Lanxiang, "Brother Long treasured that bracelet so carefully, keeping it hidden away. Like yours, he seemed to frequently take it out to polish and maintain it, keeping it in just as good condition as yours! Perhaps, deep down, he also longed for the day when these dragon and phoenix bracelets could be reunited!"

After hearing everything Ruoxi said, Lanxiang was clearly caught in a deep dilemma and contemplation, her heart filled with a mix of emotions.

At this moment, all the discrimination, humiliation, injustice, and misfortune she had suffered since childhood suddenly came flooding back to her.

Wasn't all of this caused by that person? It was like an incurable tumor growing wildly inside her, about to devour her.

Countless days and nights she had told herself that she would never forgive that person; her hatred for him had already seeped into her very bones.

But the thought that her mother, even in her final moments, still eagerly awaited that person's return to see her one last time made her furious. She could only rush out of the house, facing the green hills and clear waters, the vast earth, the birds and fish, and cry out in heart-wrenching pain, "You bastard! Why didn't you just die and end all her hopes and waiting? Why did you abandon her? Why did you leave her so burdened and uneasy?"

She knelt and questioned the heavens, the earth, and all things in the world, but she never received any response.

Over the years, whenever the night was quiet, she would ask herself more than once: What kind of person was he? How could he make her mother, despite suffering such humiliation throughout her life, still remember him and tell her not to hate him?

How could she not hate him? She hated him, she hated him terribly, wishing that the moment he stepped out the door a thunderbolt would strike him dead right on the head, and then be cast into the eighteenth level of hell by the King of Hell, never to be reincarnated.

In her next life, she wanted him to atone for everything he had done, to be her family's watchdog, wagging his tail and begging for her mother's affections all day long, to beat and vent his anger at her at will, but to be unable to escape.

She wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces and shred him to death; she could never forgive him!

But when she heard that this person was actually alive and well, why did a feeling she had never experienced before rise in her heart, a feeling she couldn't explain?

Clearly, she hesitated...

After a long while, Lanxiang seemed to be unable to bear the torment any longer. She slowly put her hands to her ears, shaking her head as she screamed at the top of her lungs, "No, no, no, I don't believe it, I don't believe it... Lanxiang only had her mother and grandmother in her life, no father. Die, all of you die, all of you die, none! None! None!"

He was uttering the most ruthless words in the world, but suddenly his frail body seemed to lose all strength and he collapsed against the tree trunk with a thud.

Ruoxi stood blankly in front of Lanxiang, watching her so sad and agitated. She knew that Lanxiang was struggling and fighting inside.

Lanxiang was being disingenuous; the more agitated she became, the more it proved this point. With this thought in mind, Ruoxi murmured in a voice so soft even she could barely hear herself, "One day, you will accept this fact and that person. Time is the best healer. And family ties are the most unprincipled and unreasonable thing in the world."

After speaking, she gazed at Lanxiang for a moment, then shook her head. She slowly turned and stood by a crystal-clear stream not far away, pausing for a moment before lowering her eyes to open her palm. She stared at the enormous, dark-colored apothecary bead bracelet, strung together by a red cord, with a thick, straight white line running through the center. The contrast between the white and the red apothecary bead bracelet was striking. She silently called out, "Yan'er!"

Suddenly, a golden leaf drifted down from the tree above her head, fell into the stream, and floated merrily southward with the babbling water, waking her up.

Her bright, beautiful eyes blinked twice, then she gathered her thoughts. Recalling Yan'er's dying words, a doubt suddenly arose in her heart. Hesitantly, she finally stared blankly at a small, unidentified fish in the shallow water of the stream, seemingly lost and wandering aimlessly. She softly asked Lanxiang behind her, "Lanxiang, what kind of person is the Prince of Qin? Is he... very familiar with me?"

Hearing this, Lanxiang, who was also looking embarrassed and at a loss, suddenly came to her senses, raised her head in surprise, and looked at Ruoxi's back. She asked, "Miss Yi, why did you suddenly ask about His Highness Prince Qin? Could it be... could it be that you remembered something?"

"No, I just suddenly thought of Yan'er and asked a few questions casually," Ruoxi said quietly with her back to her.

Lanxiang gave a disappointed "Oh," then thought for a moment and began to speak softly, recalling the past: "Actually, regarding the matter between Miss Yi and His Highness Prince Qin..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lanxiang suddenly stopped and said in a tone as if seeking her opinion, "Miss Yi, why don't you go back to being the eldest daughter of the Yi family... Yi Shangyun?! It's clearly the same face and the same person, but Lanxiang can never treat you as Ruoxi."

Seeing Ruoxi ponder for a moment before slowly nodding in agreement, Lanxiang exclaimed with delight, "Actually, I only heard about it from Yan'er after we met. I heard that when Miss Yi was working as a medicine maid in the Western Qin Palace, she suffered a lot of bullying and humiliation. Fortunately, with the help of His Highness Prince Qin and Princess Yue, she was able to leave the palace quickly. Although she doesn't work in the palace anymore, she still has to work at Prince Qin's residence, but there are certainly not as many rules as in the palace, and the masters are not as difficult to serve! By the way, Miss Yi's accident this time was caused by falling off a cliff with His Highness Prince Qin. I heard that if His Highness hadn't held on tightly to her even at the cost of his life, she would have been smashed to pieces! It seems that His Highness was protecting her with his own life. After Miss Yi went missing, Prince Qin spared no effort, posting notices offering rewards for her whereabouts throughout Lingkong, vowing to find her."

...

Lanxiang's eyes shone brighter as she spoke, but Yi Shangyun said calmly, "So, His Highness Prince Qin is not a bad person?"

Lanxiang immediately became excited and said, "That's the peerless God of War of the Spirit Realm, the only member of the incomparably noble Xuanyuan royal family in the Western Qin Kingdom besides the current Emperor Jing! In fact, the King of Qin is far more revered by the people than the high and mighty Emperor Jing, and he loves his people even more like his own children. In this world, what woman wouldn't secretly fall in love with him? Even if she only sees him once, she will never forget him for a lifetime."

As she spoke, she suddenly paused, then frowned as if somewhat displeased: "Although he now has a princess consort, having married that unruly princess of Dongning Kingdom, there's still no news of her making any moves. She's probably just a figurehead, not well-regarded. So... young lady... don't waste your youth!"

"The King of Qin...has he already married?" After a slight pause, Yi Shangyun raised her eyes and turned her head slightly to ask.

"Those were all political marriages forced upon him by Emperor Jing. Which royal child isn't like that?" Lanxiang said, seemingly very knowledgeable about politics.

Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun remained silent. After a long while, he asked again, "Have you ever heard Yan'er mention that in my past in the Yi family mansion west of the Western Qin imperial city, I was... very weak?"

Yes, when Yan'er chased after her to tell her these things, she ignored her and politely declined. But now that she really wanted to hear it and had the time, Yan'er was no longer there.

After an unknown amount of time, when Lanxiang was recounting with great interest the same praises Yan'er had sung tirelessly day and night, endlessly chasing after her and nagging about how wonderful her young mistress was, Lanxiang suddenly felt that doing these things for Yan'er was so meaningful. She wanted to hear more, but she would never see that nagging, mischievous little girl again.

Just as Yi Shangyun sat by the stream, listening to the chirping of birds in the woods and staring blankly at the swallow bracelet in his palm, Lanxiang suddenly exclaimed in surprise from behind him, "Your Highness, Prince Qin!"

Lanxiang leaned against the tree trunk and hurriedly wiped away her tears. Just as she was about to get up and bow to him, Prince Qin Xuanyuan Han quickly reached out to stop her, indicating that she should not disturb the thoughts of the person who was lost in thought by the stream. Lanxiang understood and silently left to stand guard to the side.

Xuanyuan Han slowly walked to her side and stood quietly not far from Yi Shangyun, carefully looking at her.

She wore a pale yellow gauze dress, the light fabric still brushing against her face, and she remained as slender and frail as ever. She was still the same woman with an elegant demeanor, flowing black hair, bright eyes, and a resolute expression.

It seemed as if nothing had changed, but he knew that she was no longer the person he used to know.

In her still-existing body, she no longer has any memory of him whatsoever.

His steps faltered once more. During their last parting, she had inadvertently revealed that she hadn't forgotten what happened on New Year's Eve. This had become the source of his unwavering strength in searching for her amidst the vast sea of ​​people. But how could she be so heartless now, forgetting everything so completely in the blink of an eye?

As she was deep in thought, Yi Shangyun suddenly felt someone staring at her. She looked up and...