When Love Becomes the Past

So that's what they were talking about. It seems quite a few sects already know about this. Yue Qianchou praised dismissively, "My master's wife is indeed well-informed; she even knows about this."

"When it comes to being well-informed, probably no sect in the entire Cultivation World can compare to my 'Crimson Powder Sect.' You should know that the purpose of my 'Crimson Powder Sect' opening Myriad Flower Pavilion in various places is to facilitate the gathering and transmission of information. As for what you did in Swallow City, I knew about it within half an hour," Hundred Charm Demoness.

Yue Qianchou was slightly startled. The Myriad Flower Pavilion had opened branches almost all over the Huaxia Empire. Thinking about it, this network of the Myriad Flower Pavilion was indeed first-rate for gathering information. But how much manpower and resources must this have cost! Gathering information about the Cultivation World was not something ordinary people could do. No wonder the Illusion Demon Palace was taken down by the Qingguang Sect so easily; it turned out it had already been emptied out.

But what did she mean by saying this to me? A thought struck him, Yue Qianchou asked in confusion, "Does Master's wife mean that we should join forces to avenge Master?"

"Clever!" Hundred Charm Demoness laughed. "I also want to see what kind of people are behind you, and why I can't find out even with my information channels."

As she spoke, she leaned closer, seemingly boneless, her fragrance lingering. Yue Qianchou was genuinely afraid of her; she would always come close and touch him inappropriately. He certainly had the desire to take advantage of her, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything truly incestuous. So, it was unclear who was taking advantage of whom. He could only pretend to be thinking about something, subtly taking a step away and frowning as he said, "I have some people behind me, but it might not be easy for my master's wife to see me."

"What? Master's wife, I've told you so many secrets, are you still going to keep them from me?" Hundred Charm Demoness said with her arms crossed, naturally becoming an alluring sight once again.

"Master's wife, please don't misunderstand!" Yue Qianchou said solemnly, "If you want to see them, they will not see you unless you are willing to hand over all your strength to them."

The Hundred Charm Demoness's smile vanished. Hand over all her power? Was this some kind of joke? She stared intently at Yue Qianchou, her brow furrowed. "Yue Qianchou, tell me honestly, are you being controlled by the person behind you? Let me tell you, even if your master were alive, he certainly wouldn't want you to sacrifice yourself to avenge him."

What is this cheap mistress thinking? Who's controlling whom? Yue Qianchou was slightly taken aback, then felt a little touched. It seemed that she really had deep feelings for her master, Hao Sansi, otherwise she wouldn't care about him so much. He shook his head and said, "Mistress, you've got the wrong idea. I'm not being controlled by them. We're just very good friends."

Seeing that he was unwilling to speak, Hundred Charm Demoness did not force him. She sighed and said, "It's not that I don't want to relinquish the power I hold, but people's hearts are unpredictable. I cannot hand over my strength to others before I avenge your master. In fact, I have long been tired of this kind of life. I am no match for you men. No matter how high my cultivation is, I am still just a woman! I don't want the thing of immortality."

Her tone was filled with helplessness. Yue Qianchou chuckled awkwardly. He had actually been thinking of seizing control of Hundred Charm Demoness's power, but after hearing her words, he had no choice but to abandon the idea. The moonlight was enchanting, the night breeze refreshing, and the two fell into a brief silence.

"Master's wife, could you find out the locations of all the Spirit Stone mine in the Daluo Sect and the Qingguang Sect?" Yue Qianchou suddenly asked.

"What do you want to do?" Hundred Charm Demoness suddenly turned around and asked.

"Hehe!" Yue Qianchou sneered, "Those who dare to mess with me will always have to pay a price! Didn't you attack a Spirit Stone mine of the Qingguang Sect back then? This time I want to do the same as my master's wife."

The Hundred Charm Demoness frowned slightly and asked, "You want the locations of all the Spirit Stone mine in both sects?"

"What? Is it difficult?" Yue Qianchou asked. Hundred Charm Demoness shook her head and said, "The information about the Spirit Stone mine of all the major sects is readily available. I can give it to you whenever you want. But ever since I caused trouble back then, all the sects have strengthened their defenses at the Spirit Stone mine. It would be very dangerous for you to set your sights on so many places at once."

Seeing how much she cared about him, Yue Qianchou was moved once again and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, Master's wife. I'm very afraid of dying and I won't joke around with my own life. I have my own plans for the specific actions."

Hundred Charm Demoness nodded and said, "Alright, I'll get it ready for you tonight. You can come to the Myriad Flower Pavilion to find me anytime you want."

"Then this disciple thanks Master's wife in advance." Yue Qianchou bowed, glanced at the sky, and said, "This disciple has some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first." He then summoned a flying sword and was about to depart. But then he heard Hundred Charm Demoness laugh, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Do you think I'm going to eat you?"

Ugh! We were just getting serious for a bit, and now this again? Yue Qianchou looked around and realized it really was a perfect place for filthy things, no need to worry about being disturbed. He couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "Does Master's wife expect her disciple to accompany you here to enjoy the scenery?"

"Let's skip it today. I'll find another opportunity for you to accompany me to see the scenery next time." The Hundred Charm Demoness giggled and approached, saying, "Are you just leaving like this? Aren't you going to give your master's wife a little gift?"

"Just tell me what you want, Master's wife, as long as it's within my means," Yue Qianchou said helplessly. He really couldn't do anything about having a master's wife like this. He was truly afraid she would ask him to repay her with his body; should he refuse then?

The Hundred Charm Demoness remained silent for a long time, pacing back and forth a few times. The moonlight revealed her curvaceous figure beneath the thin veil in all its glory. Yue Qianchou took a breath and turned his gaze to the side.

"I heard that the two songs circulating in the Cultivation World were composed by you. Why don't you compose a song for your master's wife as a greeting gift? That way, I won't force you." Hundred Charm Demoness finally revealed the greeting gift she wanted.

"Since Master's wife has spoken, how dare this disciple disobey? Please wait a moment, Master's wife, let me think about it." Yue Qianchou breathed a sigh of relief after saying this. So that's what you wanted. I'll just give you a pirated version.

Seeing him slowly lost in thought, Hundred Charm Demoness's eyes lit up. She knew that Yue Qianchou Chou's two pieces had spread throughout the entire Cultivation World, and everyone regarded them as classics, especially women. She just knew that not many people had composed them because of Yue Qianchou, and she didn't expect that he would agree as soon as she asked.

Seeing his pensive expression, Hundred Charm Demoness assumed he was racking his brains for ideas. Little did she know he was pondering which song to plagiarize. The melody couldn't be too avant-garde; something like "Hum hum ha ha, quickly use nunchucks!" would definitely not work. It had to be something ancient people could understand and that suited her.

After a long while, he nodded as if he had understood something, walked to the zither of the Hundred Charm Demoness, grabbed it, sat cross-legged on a rock on the cliff, placed the zither on his lap, and calmly said, "Master's wife, I present this piece to you on behalf of my master."

Hundred Charm Demoness was taken aback. Just as she was about to say something, she heard the zither music begin to play, so she had no choice but to listen attentively. Her thoughts sank into the prelude, Hao Wuwei's image from back then appeared before her eyes, as if he wanted to tell her something.

At this moment, Yue Qianchou began to sing softly, accompanied by the plucked strings of her zither. "Let bygones be bygones, life has been full of storms. Even if memories cannot be erased, love and hate still linger in my heart. If we truly want to sever ties with the past and let tomorrow continue, then please stop asking about me. Love is a difficult problem, dazzling and mesmerizing. Forgetting the pain may be possible, but forgetting you is too difficult. You have never truly left; you are always in my heart. I still have love for you, but I am powerless to change it. Because I still have dreams, I still keep you in my heart. I am easily moved by the past, and I always feel heartache for you. Do not linger in the past, my unintentional tenderness. Do not ask me if we will meet again, do not care if I am speaking against my will. Why don't you understand that where there is love, there is pain? One day you will know that life will not be different without me. Life is already too fleeting, and I am so afraid of always having tears in my eyes. Forget me and there will be no pain, leave the past in the wind..."

The moonlight was like silver, and the mountain breeze blew. Yue Qianchou sat on the edge of the cliff, passionately playing and singing repeatedly. The Hundred Charm Demoness was nowhere to be seen now; her eyes were blurred with tears, and she seemed utterly lost in thought, as if speaking to someone, murmuring, "Don't mention the past... truly sever ties with the past... forgetting the pain might be possible, but forgetting you is too difficult... you will always be in my heart... as long as there is love, there is pain... forgetting me will relieve the pain, leaving the past in the wind... Wuwei, is that you speaking to me...?"

After playing and singing it several times, Yue Qianchou let out a sigh of relief, stood up, and turned around. Seeing Hundred Charm Demoness's heartbroken expression, he was momentarily stunned, and couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. "Another woman consumed by love," he thought. "I hope this song can help you think things through!" He walked over, handed her the zither, and softly said, "Master's wife!"

Hundred Charm Demoness wiped away her tears, took the zither, and tried her best to control the trembling in her voice as she asked, "Yue Qianchou, what... what is the name of this piece?"

Seeing her like that, Yue Qianchou really couldn't bear to tell her the song title, but he couldn't think of a better name for the moment, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "The song title is 'When Love Becomes the Past'! Master's wife, this disciple will take his leave now."

Having said that, she fled from the crime scene on her sword. Under the moonlight, atop a mountain, amidst a few ancient pines and a gentle night breeze, a woman draped in red gauze murmured, holding a zither. "When Love Becomes the Past... When Love Becomes the Past..."

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