"Hopefully Fang Qiu won't pull any tricks this time."
Bai Qing sighed and kept reading.
After exchanging a few words with Yun Tianhe, the boar-demon girl unleashed a technique called Soul-Stealing Smoke and Rain, then fled.
But after she disappeared, Yun Tianhe noticed that the strange long sword lying on the ground was faintly glowing with a cold light.
Reading Yun Tianhe's first thought — does this mean I don't need to light a lamp at night? — Bai Qing couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
That was so like Fang Qiu. In just a few short pages, she'd already made Yun Tianhe feel like a real person. The image of a simple, lovable country bumpkin leapt right off the page.
Fang Qiu's craft was reassuring, truly. Even viewed with the most critical eye, there wasn't a single flaw to find.
And already she'd planted the seed of a mystery — why was the sword glowing?
The light faded from the blade just as quickly as it had appeared.
Chasing after the boar-demon girl, Yun Tianhe followed her trail deep into the tomb chamber at the heart of the Shichen Cave.
Then Fang Qiu shifted to Yun Tianhe's memories of his father's final days.
Through those memories, she didn't just explain why Yun Tianhe had been living alone on Qingluan Peak — she also brought Yun Tianqing to life through a father-and-son conversation, painting a vivid portrait of the man.
Carefree. Devoted to love.
Especially that line Yun Tianqing murmured to himself, standing at the edge of the cliff, gazing into the distance:
"Su Yu, look at this sea of clouds and frost-flowers — truly a beauty beyond compare. And yet, without you in this world, even ten thousand such wonders hold no joy for me."
Then she read the moment when Yun Tianqing looked toward the horizon and repeated the words his wife Su Yu had once said: "My fate is mine to command — not Heaven's."
Bai Qing's pupils contracted slightly. A look of stunned awe spread across her pretty face, and she murmured without thinking:
"What a magnificent line. That single sentence alone is worth buying the whole book."
She savored the words for a long moment, then read on.
After the memory ended, Yun Tianhe found himself murmuring the same phrase — but with absolutely no idea what it meant.
Just as he was muttering it to himself, a strange noise came from behind him. He spun around to find the boar-demon girl standing before him again.
Yun Tianhe moved to fight. She dodged away again.
Through their hilariously mismatched conversation — two people completely talking past each other — Bai Qing learned that the girl was no boar-demon at all, but a real human being. Her name was Han Lingsha.
And this was the first time Yun Tianhe had ever laid eyes on a woman.
While the two of them were talking, the spirit-seal Yun Tianqing had left behind in the tomb chamber suddenly manifested — and its power far exceeded anything they had anticipated. Just as the situation turned dire, Yun Tianhe drew the mysterious sword. He was about to nock an arrow to his bow when the spirit-seal, upon catching sight of the blade, gave a deep bow and vanished.
They made their way into the burial vault, and there the mysterious sword in Yun Tianhe's hand began to react strangely. He swung it on instinct — and the entire vault split open.
Terrified that his father would come back and blame him for the destruction, Yun Tianhe was so thoroughly rattled that Han Lingsha had no trouble coaxing him down the mountain.
They made their way to the village at the foot of the mountain — only to find that because of certain outrageous things Yun Tianqing had done in his youth that had offended the heavens and enraged the people, the village chief and his neighbors wanted to drive Yun Tianhe out. Han Lingsha stepped in to speak up for him, and in the end, they both left the village together.
Bai Qing couldn't help but laugh at that.
In Yun Tianhe's memories, his father had been the picture of a carefree, transcendent master. Yet in the mouths of these villagers, the man was a thoroughly irredeemable scoundrel.
Chatting as they went, they eventually arrived at the shores of Chao Lake.
"Such a huge pond! Is this the sea?"
That line made Bai Qing burst out laughing.
Her laughter didn't go unnoticed by the editors around her.
"How strange — why is Ah Qing smiling so happily?"
"What's strange about it? She smiled even more with Fang Qiu's earlier books."
"True enough. And the happier she's smiling now, the harder she'll cry later. Hey, Li-jie, when we head out to contact the author about the rights deal, let's go ahead and book a table at a tavern. Ah Qing's probably going to need a drink to sleep tonight."
With that, the editors all turned to look at Bai Qing, their eyes filled with sympathy.
Bai Qing had no idea she was being watched. She was already deep into the next section.
Yun Tianhe lit a fire, and the two of them sat around the flames, talking. Han Lingsha was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but Yun Tianhe was starving and kept making a fuss — so sleep was out of the question.
Then they were set upon by demon beasts.
Just when things looked grim, a sword-immortal in blue robes came riding his sword out of the sky, slew every last demon beast, and flew away without a word.
At that moment, a young woman named Xuanji and a young man named Huaishuo came running up. After introductions were made, and after Xuanji and Huaishuo had left, they realized that the markings in the tomb chamber were identical to the patterns embroidered on Xuanji and Huaishuo's clothing.
So Han Lingsha decided to go after them and seek entry into an immortal sect, while Yun Tianhe planned to go to the sect and ask about his parents.
They traveled together until they reached Shouyang City — only to discover that Han Lingsha was wanted as a grave robber. Fortunately, the county magistrate, Liu Shifeng, knew Yun Tianqing, and they managed to escape a worse fate.
At the Liu family's home, Yun Tianhe and Han Lingsha also came to know Liu Mengli, whose life Yun Tianqing had once saved.
They agreed to clear out the demons at Nüluoyan in exchange for clemency.
Once the matter at Nüluoyan was resolved, Liu Mengli left Shouyang City and set off with Yun Tianhe and the others.
They journeyed on to Chenzhou.
There they met a woman named Qin Ji, and resolved to help her with her troubles.
Qin Ji told them that she had loved music since childhood, and had always admired gallant heroes and great masters. When she grew up, she went out into the world, using her martial skills to punish evil and uphold justice. Eventually she married the only son of the Qin family in Chenzhou.
But she never won her in-laws' favor, and arguments were a constant. Her husband had already defied his family once by marrying her, and dared not do so again.
Then one day, after she angered her mother-in-law and her husband scolded her for it, she left the Qin household in a fury.
Little did she know it would be forever.
Without her, her husband's health declined steadily. Even when his parents arranged a new woman to be married in to ward off the ill fortune, he passed away regardless.
Because the place where his memorial tablet was kept was heavily guarded, what Qin Ji needed from Yun Tianhe and the others was help sneaking in so she could light a stick of incense for her late husband.
That night, they fought their way through to where the memorial tablets were kept — only to find a woman already kneeling before her husband's tablet.
The woman recognized Qin Ji the moment she saw her.
Her family name was Jiang. Fang Qiu never gave her a given name — she was only ever called Jiang Shi. She was the woman who had been brought in to ward off the ill fortune from the Qin family's son.
She told Qin Ji that after Qin Ji left, the son had forgotten all about her. She and he had been deeply, devotedly in love.
After his death, she had been keeping vigil at his memorial ever since.
Her words were barbed and cutting.
In order to light the incense, Qin Ji agreed to Jiang Shi's condition — that she would leave Chenzhou once the incense was burned.
After paying her respects, Qin Ji left with Yun Tianhe and the others.
Reading the conversation between Qin Ji and the group that followed, Bai Qing felt her chest tighten for no clear reason — as though something had lodged itself there, making it hard to breathe.
Then Qin Ji played and sang a song for them.
It was titled Sword and Fairy — A Question of Love.
"Fine rain drifts, cool wind sways, bound by a devotion deep as love's thread. White snow falls, the Yellow River runs murky, left to the mercy of a heartless wound. Set down the sword in your hand — I would willingly call back the destined love buried in my heart… The bond of this life, let it carry into the next. What is love, but to pledge it through life and death? If you are by my side, I envy neither the lovebirds nor the immortals."
"If you are by my side, I envy only the lovebirds, not the immortals..."
Bai Qing murmured the last line, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
She drew a long, slow breath and fought with everything she had to keep them from spilling over.
"This is so cruel… If I had a choice, I'd rather never have met that person at all than to meet them, only to be parted by life and death."
"That's true enough — but even if we were to go our separate ways tomorrow, I wouldn't regret meeting any of you. My father always said: live with joy while you live, and when you die, you'll have no regrets. If you spend your whole life avoiding the present out of fear of what might come later, you'll never truly be happy."
So said Han Lingsha to Yun Tianhe.
"Live joyfully; die without regret."
Bai Qing was still holding back her tears, quietly turning the words over in her mind, when she noticed that Fang Qiu had shifted the scene back to the tablet hall of the Qin family.
Jiang Shi stood before the memorial tablet, speaking softly to it:
"My husband, was that woman the one you couldn't forget, even in your final hours? Is she… better than me?"
"My husband, I have loved you with my whole heart since I was a girl. All I ever wanted was to be your wife. So why were you with someone else? And then she abandoned you. When Auntie said she wanted me to marry into the Qin family, to bring you good fortune — do you know… how happy I was?"
"I wanted to take good care of you. I wanted to make you forget that woman. I wanted you to think only of me from that day on. But how could you be so heartless — you never once looked at me…"
"My husband, will you be cold, wherever you are now? Lonely? Will you let me come keep you company?"
It turned out she had only ever wanted to stay and see, just once, what kind of woman had so thoroughly bewitched her husband's heart. Now that she had seen, she had no more regrets.
Her words of love spoken, Jiang Shi stepped off the high balcony and fell — going to be with her husband.
Bai Qing sat motionless, stunned.
A single tear traced its way down her cheek — and then, like a dam breaking, the rest followed, impossible to stop.
Several of the editors who were close to Bai Qing did a double take.
"What's going on with Ah Qing? She's only been reading for a little while — why is she already crying?"
"The heartbreak used to wait until the ending. This book is already putting people through the wringer halfway through…"
"Who knows. All I can say is — this is Fang Qiu, through and through. Awe-inspiring."
"I mean, with her talent, she could write anything. Why does she always have to write these stories that wring you out and leave you for dead."
"I can't deny it though — Fang Qiu's books are genuinely something else. I still think about Your Lie in April to this day."
"Don't say another word, or I'm going to start remembering what happens in it."
The editors buzzed among themselves.
The editor who had once read through a book alongside Fang Qiu wore an expression that said she was still traumatized. Simply terrifying.
After a long while, Bai Qing finally wiped the tears from her face and read on.
They then ran into Huaishuo and Xuanji again, told them of their wish to join the Qionghua Sect, and were escorted — riding swords through the air — all the way to Bofang Town.
To seek entry into the mountain gate, they would have to climb the mountain on their own.
After the long climb, they were turned away at the door — but at that very moment, the Sect Master, Shu Yao, sent someone to summon them to the main hall.
It was also then that Yun Tianhe learned his father had indeed once been a member of the Qionghua Sect.
After a series of trials, they were accepted into the Qionghua Sect.
The one assigned to guide them was Mu Rong Ziying — the very sword-immortal in blue robes who had saved them before.
From Mu Rong Ziying's account, they also learned that nineteen years ago, the Qionghua Sect had been devastated by a great war between humans and demons, with heavy losses on both sides.
And in the forbidden grounds of the Qionghua Sect, Yun Tianhe found a figure encased in ice.
A crimson sword was thrust into the ice alongside him.
His name was Xuan Xiao.
He was the elder martial brother of Yun Tianhe's parents.
He told Yun Tianhe the origin of the mysterious sword.
The sword was called Wangshu. Together with the one thrust into the ice — the Xihe Sword — they were a matched pair, and both were treasures of the Qionghua Sect.
Xuan Xiao had cultivated an extreme Yang technique, and needed something of supreme cold to suppress it. Yun Tianhe resolved to help.
From Qingyang and Chongguang, they learned the whereabouts of three supremely cold artifacts.
Their first destination was a small seaside village called Jimo.
They helped a mountain god named Xia Yuanchen find his child and drive off a fox spirit. In gratitude, Xia Yuanchen gave them one of the three artifacts — the Guangji Cold Map — and also gifted Yun Tianhe a bow.
That evening, Jimo held a lantern festival.
The whole group had a wonderful time wandering through the festivities.
"I hope that the four of us, for the rest of our lives, will always have moments like this — gathered together, doing what needs to be done."
This stretch of the story was warm and bright, the way Fang Qiu wrote it.
A faint, gentle smile found its way onto Bai Qing's face.
After that, they set off for the Divine Dragon Cave of the Flame Emperor.
Inside the cave, they encountered a pair of sisters — born from the fruit of the Sala tree.
The younger sister longed to ascend to immortality and leave the cave. But to become an immortal, the elder sister would have to be sacrificed. The elder sister knew that only a pure and virtuous heart could achieve true immortality, so she kept the location of the Zhiyan Stone — the key to the transformation — hidden from her sister.
The younger sister deceived Yun Tianhe and the others, and managed to obtain the Zhiyan Stone.
"My life is mine to decide — not my master's, and not yours. No one has any right to control it!"
With those words, the younger sister used the Zhiyan Stone — and in moments, her soul scattered and she was gone.
The elder sister said a few parting words to Yun Tianhe and the others, then faded away as well.
"Isn't becoming an immortal supposed to be a wonderful thing? Why must it be so cruel — why does someone always have to die?"
That scene left Bai Qing feeling heavy all over again.
The plot was merciless, truly.
With the Sala fruit in hand, they returned to the Qionghua Sect — only to find that someone had exposed Han Lingsha's true identity.
A thief and a grave robber.
Hearing someone slander Han Lingsha so maliciously, Yun Tianhe drew his sword on the spot. Han Lingsha watched his back, and was suddenly reminded of the question she'd asked him not long after she'd brought him down from the mountain: what would he do if he found out that someone he knew was a bad person?
He'd said he would protect her.
Just as the confrontation reached its peak, Mu Rong Ziying stepped in and stopped it in time.
Afterward, Yun Tianhe decided that once he'd helped Xuan Xiao find the final supremely cold artifact, he would leave the Qionghua Sect together with Han Lingsha and Liu Mengli.
Under the bright moon over Qionghua, the four of them said their farewells one by one.
"Ziying — if you ever become a sword immortal one day, don't forget to come visit me."
"Right, and don't forget me either. I'll treat you to delicious wild boar, haha."
"I promise you both… I give you my word, and I'll keep it for the rest of my life."
"Parting in this mortal world… it can't help but leave you with a touch of sorrow…"
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