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"The night sky is as cool as water, I lie down and watch the stars weaving in the sky."

At night, I copied these two lines of poetry. The tranquility of the bedroom in the Sifang City Inn was suddenly shattered. The golden thread of heaven's secrets rose and fell in my hand. It was Shangguan Yan. She stood before me, still as aloof and detached as ever, but a look of anxiety crossed her brow that I had never seen before. She begged me to save Guijianchou, and I asked her to sit down and speak slowly.

Sima Changfeng, the Ghost Seer... a man she had a bond with, a man who once threatened her life. Watching her lose her composure for another man, the ripples of emotion in my heart, which had been slightly calmed by Zi Ling, suddenly surged into a raging torrent. Years of dedication and waiting, she had ignored them, and now, for the sake of someone who wanted to kill her, she was begging me with all her might? What was it about me, Ouyang Mingri, that was inferior to Sima Changfeng?

"No," I refused coldly. It wasn't entirely out of selfishness; the ghost-seeing Sima Changfeng's injury... well, why bother making excuses? I just wanted to see how far she could go for him.

Despair flashed in her eyes: "Why?"

I looked her straight in the eye and said, "Because I don't like you and won't help you, no one can force me to do something I don't want to do, including you, Shangguan Yan."

The next moment, she did something that shocked me—her hand, trembling, reached for her belt. What was she doing? Was she willing to use this method to obtain treatment? For Sima Changfeng, would she even abandon her own innocence and dignity? This realization pierced my dignity. The pure, flawless, aloof, and powerful Shangguan Yan I remembered—why was she now undressing for another man? These two contrasting images clashed violently in my mind, leaving me both heartbroken at her self-deprecation and furious at her decision. For a moment, I froze in my spot, forgetting to try to stop her.

At this suffocating moment, the door was suddenly pushed open. It was Zi Ling!

She stood there, her face filled with shock and disbelief, her eyes flickering between me and the disheveled Shangguan Yan. My heart sank, and I thought to myself, this is not good. Before I could even open my mouth to explain, the shock in her eyes transformed into a blazing fire of justice. "Ouyang Mingri! You have no shame!" she shouted, her voice filled with a rage I had never heard before. She rushed forward, grabbed Shangguan Yan, and with her hands, now full of strength, she protected her behind her, as if I were some unforgivable adulterer. The look she gave me, unlike before, was no longer filled with admiration and tenderness, but now with disgust.

I opened my mouth, but all my attempts to explain the misunderstanding, Shangguan Yan's initiative, were stuck in my throat. Under her clear, furious gaze, any explanation seemed pale and powerless. At that moment, my heart ached. How could she possibly think of me like that? In her mind, I was such a cunning, exploitative person?

When Shangguan Yan was dragged away, she didn't resist. Instead, she held onto Zi Ling's hand tightly and asked with a choked voice, "Yingying...you...you're still alive? Why didn't you come to Fengyu Pavilion to look for your sister and master all these years?"

elder sister?

Yingying?

Fengyu Pavilion?

I looked at Zi Ling's face, which was very similar to Shangguan Yan's but more gentle, and saw the confusion and unfamiliarity on her face when she faced Shangguan Yan's excitement. I had already guessed that the two of them had a close relationship, and it seemed destined that they would recognize each other in front of me. She said: "Who are you? Are you calling me Yingying? Isn't my name Zi Ling? Do you know me? I don't remember the past when I woke up. Forget it, let's go out and talk. I don't want to stay in the same room with a pervert now."

But Ziling, no, it was Shangguan Ying, she just looked at me for the last time with a look that was a mixture of disappointment, anger and alienation, as if she couldn't bear to stay with me for a moment longer, and then she resolutely pulled her sister away.

That look hurt me deeply, and the ripples in my heart caused by Shangguan Yan suddenly seemed calm. So, when Shangguan Yan begged again for Sima Changfeng to return, I put forward that condition - Shangguan Ying had to stay with me for a month. This seemed to be taking advantage of someone's misfortune, and I didn't know why I made this request. Maybe I was reluctant to let her leave, and I didn't want her to leave me with a look of contempt in the end. I didn't bother to explain, so I could only keep her by my side like this. "I actually used my most despicable and almost rogue method. When did 'Sai Hua Tuo' need to rely on threats to keep someone? But the sight of her back corroded my sanity more than any poison. Pride? In the face of the panic of possibly losing her forever, it's worthless."

But she refused, so flatly. I thought I understood her and asked, "Are you going to stand by and watch someone die?" She retorted, "You're the one standing by and watching someone die!" Those words weighed on my heart like a stone. Yes, it was me! The image I had cultivated over the years of being a "Hua Tuo" was shattered by her sense of justice. She left because she didn't trust my "style." I wanted to keep her, but my pride prevented me from even saying a word to persuade her to stay.

Watching her resolute retreat, an unprecedented panic gripped me. I couldn't let her go like this. I ultimately rescued Sima Changfeng. Zi Ling understood me. I heard her say to Shangguan Yan, "Hua Tuo will save anyone he wants to save, but even if he doesn't want to, it's no use asking him." So, she took Shangguan Yan with her, leaving Sima Changfeng behind with confidence. I summoned Yi Shan to prepare medicine, and he did so. Her gamble paid off. I saved Sima Changfeng, my golden thread piercing his acupuncture points, channeling my pure internal energy. Before I left the mountain, I'd heard my master explain the feud between the Sima and Ouyang families. So, I saved him, to atone for that person... every stitch was tinged with the irritation and resentment of her departure. If it weren't for Shangguan Yan, the Zi Ling who would ask curious questions and secretly bring me street food snacks would be by my side right now. I was weak from depleting my internal energy, so Yi Shan handed me the "Ju Yuan Qing Miao Dan." She used to be the one who handed me the pills and carefully wiped my sweat off my face, but now she was nowhere to be found...

So, I said those words to Sima Changfeng, "I said Shangguan Yan just wanted to see how he died, and I saved him." There was a subtle provocation. Was he taking his anger out on me? Perhaps. I wanted to see if Zi Ling would come to me for help when he and Shangguan Yan were fighting, and I resented that his existence indirectly led to Zi Ling's departure. When did my heart become so narrow? But I can't care now. Yi Shan noticed that I was different from usual and asked me, "Why did you say those words to Sima Changfeng?" I only said, "I don't believe that the swords made by Master Gu are so spiritual. Swords have feelings, and people also have endless feelings."

During lunch, Yi Shan came to me and told me Zi Ling was missing. Yi Shan was so adorably silly sometimes, having only just realized that I'd only said Zi Ling's real name was Shangguan Ying, and that she'd been reunited with Shangguan Yan the previous night and taken away by her. Yi Shan's expression, unmoved and even relieved, made me suspicious. Could he have known all along? I asked, but he remained silent, his face strained. It was Master. No one else could have made Yi Shan hide me! He already knew Zi Ling's true identity, and so did Yi Shan. So why did he hide it from me? My thoughts drifted, and I remembered what Master had said about the two years of my missing memories. An unexpected amnesiac while testing a drug for a leg ailment? Now it seemed that this "accident" so perfectly timed with Shangguan Ying's amnesia was too much of a coincidence. A startling thought struck me: Perhaps both my and her amnesia were the work of Master, the old man from the frontier? He was the only one in the world with such power and such unfathomable motives. Doubts welled up within me, but thinking of my master's years of nurturing and teaching me, the concern beneath his sternness... I firmly believed that everything he did was for my benefit. Since he chose to let us forget, perhaps there was a deeper meaning that I must now understand. So, I would follow my master's instructions and conceal the past from her.

Late at night, the inn fell silent again. Without the gentle sound of her breathing in the next room, without the occasional knock on the door to ask silly questions, the room felt suffocatingly empty. I closed my eyes, and all I could see was her on Tianshan Mountain: tone-deaf yet confidently playing the piano, her sly smile after cheating at Go, her expression of loneliness when she looked at my paintings... Those heart-to-heart moments, that thrill of being understood, were so real and precious. Is this love? I don't know. All I know is that I want her back, no matter what.

Sima Changfeng's wounds healed, and bearing his Dragon Soul Blade and a heart full of unresolved hatred, he once again confronted Shangguan Yan. A duel? What a foolish and direct solution. Before I left the mountain, my master had already informed me of the feud between the Huangfu, Sima, Shangguan, and Ouyang families. It was all a conspiracy orchestrated by my heartless father. This time, I came down with the goal of resolving the feud and atonement for my father's sins. I watched from the sidelines, observing the solemnity in Shangguan Yan's brows and catching a glimpse of Shangguan Ying, hiding behind her sister, a worried look on her face.

My heart tightened slightly. I couldn't let this duel happen, at least not now. It wasn't just for Shangguan Yan, but also for her. If Shangguan Yan was injured, she would be heartbroken; if Sima Changfeng died at Shangguan Yan's hands, the knot in her heart would never be untied, and she would live forever in worry about her sister.

So, I moved my wheelchair and intervened in the tense situation. In a calm tone, I pointed out the key point that Sima Changfeng's adoptive father Ban Tianyue might have been deceived. These words were half sincere advice and half carefully calculated. I directed Sima Changfeng's hatred in a more vague direction that required time to investigate, and cleverly resolved the conflict at hand. Sima Changfeng's eyes flickered slightly. Perhaps he also had feelings for Shangguan Yan and didn't want to be her enemy. He finally put down the Dragon Soul Sword, pondered for a while, and said, "I will find out the whole story. When I have the results, I will come to you. Shangguan Yan, keep your life and wait for me!" Sure enough, Shangguan Ying looked at me with gratitude in her eyes. This subtle change was like a sweet rain falling on my heart. I immediately seized this opportunity.

I turned to them, my tone growing graver, as I enumerated the dangers Shangguan Yan faced due to her possession of the imperial seal—not alarmism, but simply a matter of fact. My gaze finally rested on Shangguan Ying's face, and I addressed it to her: "She is surrounded by dangers everywhere. Only by being by my side can I protect her." This was a statement, but also a promise, addressed to Shangguan Yan and even more so to Shangguan Ying. I wanted her to know that only with me was her safest haven.

Shangguan Yan was silent. She looked at me, then deeply at her sister, a complex mixture of emotions in her eyes—concern, guilt, and a sense of relief. The weight of her responsibility prevented her from fully protecting her sister. Finally, she spoke, saying to Shangguan Ying, "Yingying, go with Sai Hua Tuo."

My heart nearly leaped from my chest, but I maintained a calm demeanor. However, Shangguan Ying's hesitation was like a bucket of cold water. She looked at me with eyes filled with scrutiny and confusion. "Sister, I want to be with you. You're my only family. I'm afraid, and I only trust you." As she spoke, tears welled up in her voice. Yes, in her pure world, my calculations and devious tactics did seem less than honorable. She preferred to be with the sister she had just met.

A wave of panic gripped me. I couldn't let her out of my sight again! Forced to do so, I resorted to my final, most effective, yet potentially even more despised tactic. I mentioned her old injury, my tone calm as a doctor, yet also implied an undeniable threat: "Without my careful care, this old injury will relapse, and her life might be in danger." The moment I uttered these words, I could see my master's disappointed eyes, Gao Yishan's stunned expression, and even more, the self atop Tianshan Mountain, diligently studying and practicing to emulate my master's healing powers, all shattering before my eyes. I had finally become the very person I despised the most—one who exploits others' weaknesses to achieve my own ends.

I saw her body tremble slightly, and a struggle flashed in her eyes. She looked at Shangguan Yan, who also looked at her with concern. After a long silence, she finally nodded with difficulty. "I'll go with you." She said, but then added, "I will visit you regularly. Can I hold you for a while before I go?"

"Okay." I responded straightforwardly.

"I... I'm talking to my sister, Doctor Ouyang, not you." After saying that, he hugged Shangguan Yan tightly. After a moment, she let go of my hand and ran to my side. She used to call me "tomorrow" in Tianshan, but now she calls me "Doctor Ouyang". My heart seemed to sink to the bottom of an icy lake. I won. In the most unbearable way, she stood by my side, even though she looked back every few steps. But there seemed to be an invisible wall in the air, built with my meanness. She called me "Doctor Ouyang", and this name was like a cold file, grinding away the "tomorrow" that I had worked so hard to build in her heart. "But as long as she is willing to stay with me, as long as she is there, I will have time to make up for the misunderstanding and let her get to know me again.

To my relief, after returning to the inn, she seemed to have gradually let go of the grudge she'd harbored over the Shangguan Yan incident. She saw my meticulous care and even apologized, saying she'd been impulsive and wrong about me. She occasionally wondered about my past with Shangguan Yan, but perhaps her sense of propriety, or perhaps her quietly growing affection for me, meant she ultimately changed the subject, unwilling to touch on anything that might offend me.