Unexpectedly, Xiao Ying, upon hearing these words, took his own life right in front of Su Ming'an, his blood flowing, staining the peach blossoms on the ground red.

Su Ming'an gazed at the corpse of the young man, sighing softly. He knew that Xiao Ying had no choice back then, but he could not forgive him, only conveying his indifference. It seemed that Xiao Ying, in his resoluteness, still could not accept this.

Xiao Ying was too extreme, too obsessive. When life and death become the least important things, one's actions become utterly absurd.

Su Ming'an stayed in the Peach Blossom Forest for five years, without waiting for Yuanyuan. Following the tides of the era, he distanced himself from the war-torn West Continent, sailing across the sea to the prosperous Ancient Eastern Country.

This place was wealthy and flourishing, with long streets stretching for ten miles, lights glowing brightly, and Kongming lanterns gathering in the night, evoking memories of the Tang dynasty's Prosperous Era and the bustling scenes of Chang'an welcoming emissaries from many nations. Su Ming'an, alone with his sword, set foot here, experiencing the grand chivalrous spirit unique to the Martial Heroes Age.

While traveling, if eyes were met with disapproval, tea cups would shatter at the head, and swords would be drawn for a duel. There were those who, finding no way to serve their country, threw away their pens for military service, bravely breaking through borders to fight the enemy. Some had their family estates burned, carried the lives of their parents on their backs, and spent their lives seeking vengeance. Others, holding strange treasures and being betrayed by their sects, had their engagements canceled and found a heroic soul after falling off a cliff.

The streets bustled with people, countless wearing swords. Anyone you pulled aside to tell their life story could write a book about Jianghu. Even servants, vendors, farmers, and craftsmen celebrated the word "martial".

Seeing injustice on the road, they would draw their blades to help, living freely and leisurely in Jianghu.

"Flying Talisman Sect," "Red Sword Sect," "Dragon Tiger Palace," "Heavenly Net Sect," "Qingyang Sword Sect," "Silver Frost Academy"… all the major factions were fiercely competitive, with righteous sects wielding the heart of a poet and the bravery of a swordsman, and demonic paths acting unrestrained. There were those who violated prohibitions with their martial skills and those forming part of the Imperial Court's fish-dragon team or the Chang'an army.

Every year, martial arts conferences were held everywhere to select "Martial Arts Masters" and "Righteous Leaders," listing on the four major rankings of heaven and earth, mysterious and yellow. The topics of conversation among tea houses and traveling merchants were no longer humble fare, mostly debates about whose strength was greater, whether the Demon Sect enchantress or the Righteous Sect heroine was the first beauty in Jianghu...

Yet Su Ming'an felt bored; his Fifth Rank strength allowed him to defeat anyone under the heavens, and those triennial contests and quinquennial martial events seemed insignificant, with others unable to survive a single move before him.

After reattaching his arm, participating in a martial event, and achieving the title of "First in Jianghu" masked, he secluded himself in the Capital City. Usually, he sat on rooftops for days on end, time flowing swiftly.

Who would have thought, ten years later, a young boy with red lips and white teeth would push open the door of the Prince's Mansion and rush towards him.

"Father!"

This young boy was actually the reincarnated Xiao Ying. Su Ming'an never expected that the Xiao Ying of the previous life, having taken his own life, did so not out of despair but to reincarnate with an identity better suited to helping Su Ming'an in the next life. It was as if they were entangled lifetime after lifetime, restarting whenever dissatisfied.

…

"Father, I've gathered information about Miss Thirteen on East Street. She's fourteen this year, with average roots, and no martial sects are willing to take her in. Her family plans to marry her off to a distant place." Xiao Ying pulled out a sheepskin scroll from his bosom, filled with tiny characters.

Over the past ten years, Su Ming'an had found several women resembling Yuanyuan, finally narrowing it down to the thirteenth daughter of a jeweler on East Street in the Capital City, Shen Yueqing. Her father had seventeen concubines, and any child without martial talent would be directly married off to exchange for trade routes and wealth, with some girls even dying from acclimatization during their distant marriages.

He slowly unfolded a portrait, revealing a graceful woman. Despite her gentle brows and eyes, her expression was indifferent, her temperament detached. Women of this era mostly had eyes filled with sorrow and silence, often due to unavoidable matchmaking, yet this girl's eyes seemed empty of all things.

Born into such a family, with mediocre roots, it was indeed a sorrowful matter for a girl, predicting a fate as a family commodity. But she seemed not to care.

"Fourteen years without touching a gaming console or comic, no wonder her eyes are void." Su Ming'an's mood lifted slightly: "Fortunately, I've found her."

He was able to find Yuanyuan so quickly thanks in no small part to Xiao Ying's help as a Commandery Prince.

"Father, curiously, if Shen Yueqing is indeed Yuanyuan, why hasn't she come to find you?" Xiao Ying reminded him: "She's just a candidate, not necessarily the real one."

"I'll go take a look." Su Ming'an closed the scroll.

A few leaps and his clothing fluttered gracefully. The figure of the first in Jianghu vanished into the night, only the tinkling of a jade pendant could be heard.

…

Under the moon, the girl was still practicing her sword in the yard, sweat dripping onto the ground, her palms full of calluses, yet she did not stop for a moment.

At this time, a sharp, acrid voice came from outside the yard: "Practicing sword at such a late hour?"

Two women adorned in gold and silver entered the backyard, surrounding Shen Yueqing.

"A loser is a loser; no matter how you practice swordsmanship, you'll never become a phoenix," sneered the third sister.

Shen Yueqing sheathed her sword, her eyes clear, and said flatly, "My swordsmanship is in no way inferior to anyone. It's like an innate skill I have; it just lacks the support of martial arts."

The fourth sister looked at her with pity, like watching a fool: "My poor thirteenth sister doesn't even know what awaits her… The fiancé from the Lin family is waiting in the front hall, ready to take back the jade pendant."

"That jade pendant is for the main wife of the Lin family. The young master of Lin doesn't fancy the thirteenth sister, so of course, he's taking back the jade."

"The thirteenth sister has been rejected, her face completely lost. A pheasant should act like a pheasant, not dream of perching as a phoenix."

The two laughed chattering, calling her a "useless piece" with every breath. Shen Yueqing remained calm and unruffled, as if watching jesters.

Until a voice of lament came from the rooftop:

"—Such an old-classic scene, I've only seen it for the first time in the World Game. I remember you used to read books like 'Agent Princess: Useless Misses,' didn't expect it to come true."

The two were stunned and looked toward the roof. They saw a person in black, a jade pendant on his waist swinging, his attire and sword were both of extraordinary quality.

"Where did this rascal come from, barging into the backyard?" scolded the third sister.

Shen Qingyue stared blankly, she was also seeing this person for the first time.

"Name yourself! The Shen family will make you pay!" the fourth sister said coldly.

A laugh came from beneath the straw hat:

"I won't change my name while walking or sitting—Commandery Prince's Mansion, Xiao Ying! If you're dissatisfied, feel free to come find me."

The third sister gnashed her teeth, dared to be angry but not to speak, whispering under her breath: "Commandery Prince's Xiao Ying… I've remembered you..."

Having cast blame, Su Ming'an looked at Yuanyuan, extending a hand to her:

"—Let's go. I've finally found you."

Under the moonlight, his voice was as clear as a jade flute.

Shen Yueqing gripped the hilt tightly and decisively reached out to him—

Under the terrified gazes of the two women, the young man pulled Shen Yueqing away, and they disappeared.

The Capital City buzzed with rumors of the thirteenth miss eloping with someone from the Prince's Mansion at night. The blame fell on Xiao Ying's head, but he dared not be angry, instead happily allocating an area for Su Ming'an to stay.

Su Ming'an, taking her with him, used Puppet Master's Qinggong-like steps to fly from East Street to West Street in the Capital City. The moonlight cast soft halos, the roof eaves and pagodas wrapped in light shadows. The evening breeze lifted the girl's tied-up black hair, her face no longer what it had been, yet radiant and youthful as ever, her fingers clutching Su Ming'an's sleeve tightly, afraid to let go.

"You won't fall, no need to hold on so tight," Su Ming'an said helplessly, supporting her with one hand, while the other was manipulating the puppet threads, speeding through the silent night of the Capital City. The sound of the watchman's clapper echoed in the ears.

Yet she held on even tighter, like a hamster guarding its food.

Seeing her like this, Su Ming'an seemed to return to the earliest period of the World Game, back when the soft and timid girl wearing a cat-eared hat looked just like this.

"You're really... amazing," Yuanyuan spoke up, "Thank you for rescuing me."

Su Ming'an hesitated and stopped, landing on the edge of a roof. A rare panic emerged in his eyes.

The wind in his ears became increasingly fierce, his heart beginning to churn slowly.

"What did you just say..." Su Ming'an's gaze lingered on tonight's moonlight, "What did you say?"

"Though I don't know who you are, thank you for coming to my aid, otherwise, with my strength, it would be hard to leave that family," Yuanyuan said, "I probably can't go back, you don't have to carry this burden, just leave me, I will fend for myself."

"..."

Silence.

The only thing frozen under the night sky was silence.

Su Ming'an's gaze moved inch by inch from her face, confirming that she was not lying.

He shouldn't have found the wrong person. Her innate swordsmanship, her gaze so different from girls of her generation, her unyielding spirit against the mundane... all showed that she was indeed Yuanyuan.

But why...

His palm suddenly loosened, the puppet threads rustled, and the ears suddenly fell deathly silent.

At this moment, Du's voice quietly came out, "Um... Anjiang. Chao Yan told me before that cases of reincarnation amnesia are quite common, maybe she just happened to forget this life, like a light bulb occasionally short-circuiting, people might experience this walking through life and death. You see, when Acto and the others were tuning the Dawn System for a long time, they would also forget who they were. It's a kind of self-protective measure of the brain over a long time."

"..." Su Ming'an sighed silently.

"What past life...?" The girl's eyes blinked.

Su Ming'an lowered his head slightly, his bangs covering his eyebrows, and after a moment, lifted his head, revealing a clean smile:

"Nothing, a friend asked me to check on you. As long as you're happy, he's very pleased."

"Friend?" The girl asked blankly, "But I haven't made any friends since childhood. What's that friend's name?"

"His name is Su Ming'an."

The girl's eyelashes trembled slightly, seeming to have an instinctive reaction to the name. But as she struggled to think, a cloud-like fog filled her mind.

Su Ming'an said softly, "Thinking carefully, actually, that friend's existence doesn't have a decisive meaning for your happiness, but rather sometimes might make you sadder... Alright, I wish you a happy life."

He was about to turn away, wanting her to have a free life.

But the girl tugged at his sleeve.

"Um..." she said softly, "Can I... become your student?"

Su Ming'an turned back in surprise.

"Though I don't know who you are, I feel a very close feeling from you... I don't want to watch you leave. Your martial arts are amazing, can I become your student?" she blinked her eyes.

Su Ming'an remained silent for a moment.

Three days later, inside the Prince's Mansion, the girl alone performed a simple apprenticeship ceremony. He did not claim to be her master but treated her as an equal. Still, in this world, they journeyed as master and disciple outside.

After that, the number one in Jianghu no longer secluded himself, traveling across countless mountains and rivers with his disciple, cutting down all unjust acts. People marveled at his strength, witnessing his sword breaking the emptiness, with a force that seemed to topple mountains and overturn the sea, turning everything to ashes amidst shocks.

In the Heavenly Era of year 80, the Ice Sword Fairy emerged. With average talents, she mastered peerless sword skills, possessing an aloof and refined temperament, known by the world as the "Frost Rose," "Sword of Moonlight."

In the Heavenly Era of year 85, the Ice Sword Fairy claimed the Martial World title. At 24 years old, with youthful grace, she cut down all villains across the world, earning the respect of even His Majesty, and her name was famous in every teahouse in the streets.

In the Heavenly Era of year 90, the Ice Sword Fairy's fame spread across the Continent. No matter what she did, the number one in Jianghu had her back. Life was carefree and free, known by all.

The Shen Family hastily tried to climb up, but was humiliated by her words, "Ten years to the west of the river, ten years to the east, don't underestimate a poor girl."

The third sister of the Shen Family married a high-ranking official, but shortly after the official got involved in a water management case and the whole family was exiled. The fourth sister married a Commandery Prince and got her so-called love, but was confined in the mansion for life, nurturing her husband and children until her death, never free.

Only the worthless thirteenth young lady gazed over the world, her beauty and talent astonishing the world, soaring like a Phoenix Proud Sky. As vast as the world is, she's free to go anywhere.

Countless people envied her life, envying that she had a master who could handle anything and only wanted her happiness.

In the Heavenly Era of year 101, spiritual energy recovered, martial arts declined, sects dwindled. Su Xiaobai, the number one in Jianghu, asked his only disciple of this life if she was happy.

The Ice Sword Fairy, heavily scarred from too much battle in her youth, smiled and answered weakly:

"This life of mine... really..."

"...very happy."

The master, whose appearance hadn't changed, smiled and closed her gradually losing color eyes, burying her in the Prince's Mansion where she had first performed the apprenticeship ceremony.

The 40-year-old Commandery Prince Xiao Ying also drank poison and died at the same moment.

Peach blossoms fell, and Su Ming'an stood alone for a long time in front of the grave, as if seeing the thirteenth young lady practicing sword under the moon, walking towards him.

The era of nations paying tribute came to an end, the prosperity of Chang'an no longer existing.

The wheel of history continued to roll forward, crushing towards new affairs, unwilling to stop for anyone.

The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, washing away all heroes. Right and wrong, success and failure turn to emptiness upon reflection. The green mountains remain, seeing countless sunsets.

In the Heavenly Era of year 102, the Martial Heroes Age ended with the rampage of the Demon Sect, and martial arts turned to void.

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