West Mountain

The two left the Academy and followed the street. Before long, they reached a hill far from the bustling city.

The hill was neither tall nor beautiful. By now, weeds had overrun it.

Only a narrow, winding path led to the summit.

This place was called West Mountain. At its top stood a pavilion, unchanged from the old days.

Ye Qiu and Ye Ru followed the winding path, pushing aside the weeds as they climbed West Mountain and entered the pavilion.

They sat at the Stone Table and gazed silently east.

They used to come here often, just the two of them, talking, eating, and watching the sun rise and set.

"Ye Qiu," Ye Ru called. She opened her Storage Ring and took out a gray paper packet. As she unfolded it, a faint fragrance drifted out.

Ye Qiu looked over. Ye Ru was smiling. Her features were not especially delicate, but the longer one looked at her, the prettier she seemed. When she smiled, two charming dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth.

His gaze dropped to the packet. Inside were two pieces of Osmanthus Cake, their edges crumbling.

Ye Qiu's eyes flickered.

Ye Ru said, "Remember when we were little? We used to steal pastries and bring them here to eat. I remember Osmanthus Cake was your favorite back then... Go on, try some..."

Ye Qiu paused, then picked up a piece and took a small bite.

The Osmanthus Cake was still Osmanthus Cake, but Ye Qiu could no longer taste the sweetness he remembered.

"Ye Ru... just tell me what's on your mind." Ye Qiu knew she had come for a reason.

"So you're still willing to call me that..." Ye Ru's expression grew complicated.

Ye Qiu said softly, "You're different."

Back then, she had seen him off in tears. That moment had left a deep, vivid mark on Ye Qiu's heart.

Ye Ru fell silent for a long while, as though remembering those days too... But there was no going back.

She took a deep breath. "About Lu Li..."

"I guessed," Ye Qiu said. "But I can tell you this had absolutely nothing to do with my orders. I can't control Lu Li, and I have no right to interfere."

Ye Ru looked at him. "I know you may have nothing to do with it. But everyone in the Ye Family, including its head, is convinced it was you."

Ye Qiu said nothing.

"Whether you did it or not," Ye Ru said, "once they've decided it was you, it might as well have been."

Ye Qiu said quietly, "Let them think what they want."

Ye Ru stared straight at him. Ye Qiu was about to leave, but when he saw her expression, he asked, "What else did they tell you to say? Go on."

He did not want to put her in a difficult position.

Ye Ru gripped the Osmanthus Cake in her hand. Slowly, the pastry twisted and crumbled between her fingers.

At last, she looked up. "The head of the Ye Family and the Matriarch want to know if you could go back to South Mountain."

Ye Qiu froze for a moment, then looked at her. She seemed unable to meet his eyes and glanced away.

He was disappointed.

But the feeling passed in a flash. "I still have a few things to take care of. Give me some more time..."

The pastry in Ye Ru's hand crumbled completely. "They mean to send you away today!"

Ye Qiu stared at her.

Ye Ru took a deep breath and met his gaze. "Nan Capital is too chaotic. It isn't a good place for you to stay."

"And you only need to leave for five months. Once it's all over, you can come back whenever you like. When the time comes... I'll come get you myself."

Ye Qiu gave a bitter smile. He stood. "Ye Ru... Ten years ago, I was driven out of the Lineage. In all these years, the Ye Clan hasn't helped me in the slightest."

"When I first came back, the Ye Clan made trouble for me again and again. Ye Jiangshan demanded that I break off my engagement and give it to Ye Rudí... Liu Xiu even sent people to kill me. She nearly succeeded!"

"I could have let all of that go, put it all behind me... But why should they get to control where I go when I've done nothing and asked them for nothing?"

"Am I, Ye Qiu, supposed to do whatever they say?"

Anger edged his voice.

Just because you've decided it was me, I have to take the blame?

I have to give ground again and again?

Even if it really was me, I made things clear with the Ye Clan long ago. What I do is my own business. Who are you to point fingers and give orders?

Ye Ru lowered her head in silence.

Ye Qiu's disappointment deepened. "So you knew all along. And you still did this..."

He shook his head. "Go back and tell them I, Ye Qiu, decide my own life. They have no say in it!"

With that, Ye Qiu turned to descend the mountain.

But more than a dozen people suddenly emerged below and surrounded him. None of them had a weak aura.

Ye Qiu fell silent and looked back at Ye Ru. She had risen to her feet. "Ye Qiu... I'm sorry!"

West Mountain was far from the bustling city, with no one else around. They could do as they pleased here.

Ye Qiu looked at her and said softly, "So we've both grown up... Growing up really does change people..."

She had used the bond he still cherished to lure him to West Mountain, where everything had been arranged in advance.

It was a trap.

A trap that had already been set when Ye Ru appeared!

Ye Qiu would leave whether he wanted to or not!

No...

Perhaps they never meant to let him leave alive!

Liu Xiu had dared send people to kill him in South Capital. Once he was outside it... he might not even have the chance to make it back to South Mountain!

Tears glimmered in Ye Ru's eyes, and shame showed on her face. Then she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze was clear. "Ye Qiu, please leave."

"They promised me a chance to go to Central Province. I can accompany Ye Rudí as his study companion... I want to go... For the sake of what we once had, grant me this one wish, will you?"

Central Province was far vaster than Southern State. Great clans stood everywhere, and young prodigies were as numerous as clouds.

The Great Dao Academy was in Central Province!

Ye Qiu stared at her in silence. As he watched, the image in his heart of the girl who had wept, chased after him, and watched him leave... slowly faded away.

For the sake of what we once had?

You want me to die?

Without a word, he turned and walked down the mountain.

"Ye Qiu..." Ye Ru called, tears spilling from her eyes. But he did not look back.

He walked downhill step by step. As he descended, more people came into view.

They were not only from the Ye Clan. There were also disciples of several Aristocratic Clans—the same people Ye Qiu had beaten at the Listening Wind Tower.

The Purple-Robed Man stood out among them. Behind him stood two imposing figures with powerful auras and chilling killing intent.

At the Listening Wind Tower, Ye Qiu had kicked his balls to pieces.

Dozens of people had sealed off the area completely.

With so many great clans acting together, they had no fear of an investigation.

The law could not punish them all!

And they all belonged to great clans.

Even if the Academy obtained evidence, what could it say against all of them?

Even Lu Li...

They could not touch Lu Li, but that did not mean they were truly afraid of a single disciple.