"Hall Master Dai, what happened twenty years ago?" Su Xuan asked, hearing Qi Qingshan and Yan Peng making quite a ruckus in the next room.

"Hehe." Dai Xiu stroked his chin, a strange smile on his face. "It's all the foolish things they did when they were young. It's better left unsaid."

"If you don't want to talk about it, then let's drop it." Su Xuan found a piece of rag, wrapped up the gourd, and handed it to Dai Xiu.

Clutching the gourd, Dai Xiu squatted on the ground, peering through the collapsed wall at the heavy rain outside.

"Brother Su, how about I tell you about their sordid affair?" After squatting for a while, perhaps out of boredom or a sudden urge to gossip about Qi Qingshan and Yan Peng, Dai Xiu spoke to Su Xuan in a conspiratorial whisper. "After you hear it, just pretend you never did. And you must not say I was the one who told you, alright?"

"I don't know anyone here. Who would I tell?" Su Xuan replied.

"More than twenty years ago, haha, hahahaha…" The mere mention of the past sent Dai Xiu into a fit of laughter. Once he calmed down, he continued in a very low voice, "Over twenty years ago, Sect Leader Qi and Sect Leader Yan were actually the best of friends. They would get together for drinks every few days. They had never even had a serious argument, let alone a fight. That all changed when they both fell for the same woman: Qi Li's mother."

"Oh," Su Xuan responded faintly.

"Now, Qi Li's mother was a disciple from a major sect and looked down on both of them. To get rid of their constant pestering, she issued them a challenge: whichever of them could retrieve a millennium snow lotus from the deep mountains would be given a chance to court her."

"Millennium snow lotuses are quite rare, aren't they?" Su Xuan asked.

"Rare? They were practically nonexistent!" Dai Xiu exclaimed. "It wasn't even winter back then. There were no snow-capped mountains, so how could there be a snow lotus?"

"So what happened?" Su Xuan asked.

"Well, what happened next is quite interesting." Dai Xiu licked his lips and went on, "I don't know if Heaven was playing a joke or what, but a heavy snow suddenly fell deep in the mountains, blanketing every peak in white. Soon, a rumor spread that a snow lotus had sprouted on a peak called Phoenix Perch. The only problem was that it grew on a sheer cliff, making it extremely difficult to pick!"

"That is interesting indeed," said Su Xuan.

"You bet!" said Dai Xiu. "Sect Leader Qi and Sect Leader Yan were overjoyed when they heard the news. They both raced to pick the snow lotus, entering Phoenix Perch at almost the exact same moment."

"That sounds like fair competition," Su Xuan remarked. "Where does the deception come in?"

"Well…" Dai Xiu stroked his chin playfully. "As luck would have it, Sect Leader Qi and Sect Leader Yan ran into each other in the mountains, and neither could stand the sight of the other. Sect Leader Qi offered Sect Leader Yan a jug of wine, saying it might be the last one they ever shared. After all, no matter who got the snow lotus, they could no longer be brothers."

"And Yan Peng drank the wine?" Su Xuan asked. "The wine was drugged, wasn't it?"

"Hehe…" Dai Xiu gave a sly chuckle. "Exactly."

Su Xuan smiled and shook his head.

"After drinking from that jug, Sect Leader Yan collapsed and fell asleep on the spot. Sect Leader Qi then went alone to climb the cliff and pick the snow lotus… That act cemented the animosity between him and Sect Leader Yan," Dai Xiu said with a sneer.

"There's something I don't understand," said Su Xuan. "Even if he got the snow lotus, Sect Leader Qi and the woman had no emotional foundation. How could they get together just like that?"

"There's more to the story," Dai Xiu said. "That snow lotus was incredibly hard to get. In reality, it wasn't a snow lotus at all—just a common mountain flower that had yet to wither in the snow. After Sect Leader Qi picked the fake lotus, he must have been overcome with excitement, because he fell right off the cliff."

"Oh?"

"Don't worry, Sect Leader Qi was lucky to be alive; he didn't die from the fall. He only broke several trees on his way down and a few of his own bones. It was a miserable sight," Dai Xiu continued. "But even in that pitiful state, he didn't seek medical attention right away. Instead, he took that blood-stained mountain flower and went to find the woman."

"He collapsed the moment he saw her."

"That woman wasn't heartless. She took Sect Leader Qi in and treated his injuries, which took a good month or two."

"They developed feelings for each other during his recovery and eventually got together."

"I suppose you could call it a special kind of fate."

With that, Dai Xiu suddenly cut his own palm and smeared the blood all over the rag-wrapped gourd, presumably to fool Elder Liu.

"How did Qi Li's mother die later on?" Su Xuan asked.

"It's a tragic story!" A touch of sorrow appeared on Dai Xiu's face. "After giving birth to little Li, her health deteriorated day by day. They consulted famous doctors and tried all sorts of elixirs, but nothing helped. She died without anyone ever knowing the cause of her illness. Most people said she caught a fatal chill during her postpartum confinement. *Sigh*."

Su Xuan bowed his head in silence.

"Ah, Brother Su, don't lose heart." Dai Xiu seemed to guess the reason for Su Xuan's low spirits. "I heard from Sect Leader Qi that you came to the mountain seeking medical treatment. While I can't guarantee you'll find what you're looking for, the medical arts of our mountain world are, in some… in certain…"

Dai Xiu seemed to be searching for the right words.

"In certain fields, far more advanced than those of the world below, right?" Su Xuan finished for him.

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean!" Dai Xiu nodded eagerly.

"Let's go check on them." Su Xuan abruptly stood up, wanting to see how Qi Qingshan and Yan Peng were doing. The two were now in the throes of a very heated brawl.

"Don't!" Dai Xiu grabbed Su Xuan's arm. "Let them fight. Maybe they'll make up once they get it out of their systems. After all… Qi Li's mother has been gone for many years."

THUD! THUD! THUD!

In the next room, Yan Peng and Qi Qingshan were rolling around on the ground. Several of Qi Qingshan's wounds had split open again, smearing blood all over the floor in a frightening display.

"Stop fighting!" Qi Qingshan suddenly went limp, lying spread-eagled on the ground. "You'll kill me if you keep hitting me!"

"It would be for the best if I beat you to death!" Yan Peng raised his clenched fist high, his voice harsh. "You stole my woman, forcing me to marry just anyone! You made me… you made me…"

Yan Peng, a tall and sturdy man, suddenly choked up as a large teardrop slid down his cheek.

He glanced at his wife, who still stood quietly by the side, and continued, "You made it so that I never even had the… impulse to touch her! You deserve to die! You deserve to die!"

"Old Yan…" Qi Qingshan's mouth fell open in astonishment. "You've never touched your wife? Then whose son is your son?"

BAM!

Yan Peng smashed his fist into Qi Qingshan's face. "He's not yours, that's for sure!"

Qi Qingshan spat out a mouthful of blood and mumbled, "Don't tell me… there's something wrong with you down there?"

BAM!

Yan Peng hammered another fierce punch into Qi Qingshan's face.

Then, he abruptly yanked his belt free.

His pants immediately slid down his hips.

Qi Qingshan panicked instantly, his voice trembling with fear.

"Old Yan! What are you trying to do? Put your pants back on!"

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