After some thought, Man Qingting revealed something to Ye Heng: she once had seven senior brothers, and those seven senior brothers fought over her. As a result of this incident, in a burst of fury, their master expelled all seven senior brothers from the sect.

Having heard Man Qingting, Ye Heng asked, "Then Senior Sister, which one of the seven senior brothers did you like?"

"I liked..."

Seeing Ye Heng's tense look, Man Qingting intentionally trailed off.

Ye Heng frowned and pressed on, "Liked which one?"

At that moment, Chen Hao's heart was also in his throat, just like Ye Heng's.

Suddenly, Man Qingting burst out laughing like a silver bell, shaking her head slightly, "I won't tell you."

Ye Heng snorted angrily, turned his head, and kissed Man Qingting's cheek, finally taking that step.

"Well done!" Chen Hao exclaimed. He could relate to the feeling of Ye Heng's kiss on Man Qingting's face.

Instead of being surprised, Man Qingting just smiled, touched Ye Heng's head, and chuckled, "Actually, I don't like any of the five senior brothers."

Ye Heng shook off her hand and exploded with rage, "Senior Sister, I'm not a kid anymore, don't touch my head ever again!"

"Junior Brother!" Man Qingting froze, then with a sorrowful tone she said, "In your senior sister's eyes, you'll always be the child who never grows up."

Suddenly, Ye Heng leaned into Man Qingting, kissing her on the lips.

Two teardrops slid down from the corners of Man Qingting's eyes to her ears, like gentle sunlight piercing through crystal-clear ice.

It was a prolonged but amateurish kiss.

Chen Hao's heart, just like Ye Heng's, was pounding wildly. Instantly, he felt a sense of guilt, and the image of Ye Yuqiao's angry and aggrieved face appeared in his mind.

When Ye Heng's lips parted, Man Qingting's cold lips had been warmed, and hot tears covered her cold, smooth cheeks.

Ye Heng caressed half of Man Qingting's face, gazing at her, and asked, "Senior Sister, do you like me?"

Man Qingting looked at him silently, the tears on her face growing more abundant.

After a long while,

Man Qingting turned to her right side, away from him, and coldly said, "Junior Brother, your senior sister is going to sleep."

Ye Heng leaned forward, laying on top of Man Qingting, and whispered into her ear again, "Senior Sister, do you like me?"

Man Qingting still didn't answer.

Not long after, still intoxicated by the kiss, Ye Heng suddenly heard a soft sobbing sound. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he turned around to see Man Qingting crying with her back to him.

Turning around, he cradled Man Qingting in his arms, her head nestled in the crook of his arm, frowning at her.

Gently touching his clear face, Man Qingting whispered, "Junior Brother, can you not treat your senior sister like this in the future?"

Ye Heng's face immediately darkened.

Immediately after, Man Qingting sobbed even more heartbrokenly and said in a somber voice, "Junior Brother, don't be sad, seeing you sad makes your senior sister very sad too."

Ye Heng looked at her, tears flickering in his eyes, and after a long while, he finally nodded in agreement.

Man Qingting pursed her lips and gave a bitter smile.

Seeing Man Qingting like this, Chen Hao couldn't help but think of Ye Yuqiao, wondering if Man Qingting was restraining her feelings for Ye Heng just like Ye Yuqiao had done due to her special status.

He sighed, his heart aching for Man Qingting, and even more for his queen, Ye Yuqiao.

After that night, Ye Heng became dejected, and his martial arts suffered. He began to practice playing the flute, playing relentlessly day and night. In his view, the flute's sound was mournful, and it would sadden anyone who heard it. So he wanted Man Qingting to hear his grief, he wanted her to notice him, to care about him.

Even though they spent every night together, Ye Heng always felt that Man Qingting was far away from him. Chen Hao could very much empathize with this feeling. Gradually, he realized that he and Ye Heng merely shared a common misery, not the same identity.

Every night, when Man Qingting was deep asleep, Ye Heng couldn't help but stealthily kiss her face, just like a child who would steal the candy hidden away by their parents.

The scene in Chen Hao's mind rapidly shifted to two months later.

The night air was gentle and warm.

Man Qingting lay in bed with a look of deep concern.

Ye Heng turned around and said to her, "Senior sister, not asleep yet?"

Man Qingting looked at Chen Hao and, after hesitating for a long time, finally said, "Junior brother, tomorrow father and I must leave on a long journey."

"Then I will go with you."

Man Qingting shook her head, her eyes misty, "If you're not here, who will stay to look after the house?"

Ye Heng's expression darkened and he said, "So you and master leave, and I'm supposed to stay here alone?"

"Lie down." Man Qingting smiled at Ye Heng.

Ye Heng's face suddenly flushed red, and after being stunned for a moment, he lay down next to Man Qingting.

Man Qingting turned to face Ye Heng, and they were very close to each other.

After looking at each other for a while, Ye Heng couldn't help but sigh, "Senior sister, you are so beautiful."

Man Qingting reached out to touch his face and said, "Senior sister and master will be back soon. You must behave and stay at home to watch over it."

As she spoke, a sudden flash of anger appeared between Man Qingting's brows, and she said sternly, "If when senior sister returns, you are not at home, or if you have gone to seek revenge during this time, senior sister will no longer acknowledge you as her junior brother, and I will never want to see you again in this lifetime."

Ye Heng, who had never seen Man Qingting so stern, could only nod in agreement.

As an observer, Chen Hao understood clearly that Man Qingting was worried about Ye Heng seeking revenge and falling into danger in her absence.

Man Qingting smiled faintly and caressed his head, speaking tenderly, "That's senior sister's good junior brother."

Ye Heng's face turned gloomy and he asked, "Senior sister, before you leave, can you tell me if you truly like me or not?"

Man Qingting was stunned, her pupils constricted and became even more hazy. After a long time, she finally said, "Senior sister will tell you when I return, okay?"

Ye Heng's eyes sparkled with longing as he responded eagerly, "Okay, you must come back soon, senior sister."

A strand of tears as fine as silk slid from the corner of Man Qingting's eyes, too thin for anyone to see.

The next day, master took Man Qingting and left the bamboo forest. He told Ye Heng they were going back to Jade Pool Snow Mountain and would return in two to three months.

But Ye Heng waited a year and a half and still had not seen the return of master and senior sister.

To Ye Heng, this year and a half felt longer than a decade to others. During this year and a half, he had mastered all the martial arts techniques taught by master, his inner strength increased daily, and his flute music grew more mournful.

By this time, Ye Heng had become a young man full of despair and loneliness in his heart. He didn't know if master and senior sister Man Qingting would ever come back.

Then, Chen Hao suddenly stopped playing the flute and opened his eyes. He realized that the chill that had struck his heart the first time he touched the flute was actually the loneliness and despair from deep within Ye Heng's past life!

This loneliness and despair were now surging from Ye Heng's memories into his mind, attempting to devour and merge with his own memories. In his dantian, the ice-cold inner strength was expanding, increasing, then overflowing into his organs, seeping into every meridian and blood vessel in his body, making him feel like his whole body was in turmoil.

Chen Hao's face alternated between pale and livid, his muscles continuously swelling and tensing, as if possessed. His expression was fierce, his teeth grinding together—he needed to release this energy!

"Ahh!" Chen Hao suddenly let out a thunderous roar towards the sky.

A fierce and intense current of air burst from within him and dispersed in all directions. Every maple tree touched by the blast was sheared in two, their leaves shredded to pieces.

Looking at the fallen maple trees all around, Chen Hao surveyed his hands in amazement and exclaimed, "This is the Sword Qi within me! Could it be that I have become an unparalleled master?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.