Within Gui Shui City of the Ming Dynasty.

Gui Shui City, nestled by the mountains and waters, with a lush mountain range on the west side and a winding, scenic Li River flowing between the mountains and the city.

At this moment, Qin Yu and Li’er were strolling along a street in Gui Shui City, affectionate towards each other, smiling and talking about the various houses, architecture, and scenic spots.

"Li’er, would you like to try some candied haws?" Qin Yu saw someone selling them in the distance, and, feeling tempted, he smiled at Li’er and asked.

Li’er nodded happily.

Qin Yu smiled and went forward to buy candied haws. At that time, there were exactly two left, Qin Yu handed over a silver coin and said, "I’ll take both candied haws, and you can keep the change."

The candy seller’s eyes lit up instantly: Silver!

Normally, for such inexpensive snacks, people used copper coins. To pay with silver, and not to ask for change, this lady indeed made a small fortune this time.

"Here you go, young master," the old lady said enthusiastically, pulling out two candied haws.

Qin Yu accepted the candied haws and turned to leave, but suddenly felt something holding him back. He turned around— a small boy, about four or five years old, was hugging Qin Yu’s leg, pitifully looking up at the candied haws in Qin Yu’s hand, his mouth drooling a shiny thin line.

"Uh..." Qin Yu at that moment certainly knew what the little boy wanted.

"Big brother, I want to eat a candied haw, I have money, can I trade with you?" the little boy asked, his big watery eyes fixated on the candied haws, holding two copper coins in his tiny hand.

"Little Yu, stop it," a modestly dressed young woman quickly pulled the little boy away, then hurriedly apologized to Qin Yu, "Young master, children don’t understand, please don’t be angry."

This young woman had just given her child two copper coins to buy candied haws and had witnessed Qin Yu casually using a silver coin to purchase them. Seeing his attire and demeanor, she was sure that the young master before her held a much higher status than even the City Lord.

"Qin Yu, my big brother, what happened?" Li’er came over as well.

Qin Yu turned around and smiled at Li’er, "It’s nothing, a little boy wanted to eat a candied haw. I originally thought we could have one each, but never mind, you eat one and let’s give the other to this little boy."

Qin Yu said this and then looked down, smiling at the cute little boy, handing one of the candied haws to him, "You’re Little Yu, right? Here." The little boy’s eyes instantly sparkled.

"Young master, no need, the child is just greedy..." the woman hurriedly interjected, still pulling on the little boy who wanted the candied haw. The boy, held back by his mother, simply pouted, his big eyes still fixed on the candied haw, tears circling in his eyes.

Qin Yu smiled, "It’s alright, Little Yu, come here."

The little boy looked back at his mother, and seeing no objection from her, excitedly took the candied haw, saying, "Thank you, big brother, here, take these two copper coins."

"No need, the candied haw is a gift for you," Qin Yu said with a smile.

"No," the little boy insisted with a grown-up air, "my mother said it’s wrong to take things without giving something back. Take them, big brother, you can buy a lot with two copper coins, like sugar figures and meat buns!"

"No need." Honestly, Qin Yu was growing fond of this little boy.

"It won’t do," the little boy stubbornly persisted.

The young woman understood the temperament typical of princely young masters, who would hardly accept two copper coins?

"Little Yu, the big brother said it’s a gift for you, just keep the copper coins," the young woman quickly interjected.

The stubborn little boy, upon hearing his mother’s words, couldn’t help but widen his big, round eyes in confusion as he looked at his mother. After a moment, he nodded and took back the two copper coins.

...

At this moment, the young man in a white robe had already arrived at Gui Shui City.

"Nestled by the mountain and beside the water, it indeed presents a beautiful scenery." The young man in the white robe quickly reached the street where Qin Yu and Li’er were, and the other pedestrians didn’t seem to notice this abruptly appearing man in white, as if he had always been meant to be there.

When the young man in the white robe saw Qin Yu and Li’er together, a flash of lightning streaked across his eyes, and then he smiled, saying, "Cousin!"

Li’er, who was playing with the little boy, shuddered upon hearing this, and immediately turned around, her face in shock, "Cousin!"

Qin Yu also turned around.

Cousin? Cousin?

Qin Yu looked at the man in the white robe before him, the person was Li’er’s cousin? He knew Li’er belonged to a special tribe, so if this man in the white robe was really Li’er’s cousin, he must also be from that tribe.

"Cousin, you and Uncle Lan have been wandering around, how long has it been since you last went back? Your uncle is almost angry," the man in the white robe said affectionately to Li’er.

"Father is angry?" Li’er was startled.

"This is the order from your uncle, take a look for yourself." The young man in the white robe waved his hand, and a beam of golden light shot towards Li’er. Li’er reached out, and a golden scroll appeared in her hands.

Li’er unrolled it and her face instantly turned slightly pale.

"Cousin, do we really have to go back immediately?" Li’er asked, finding it hard to accept.

The young man in the white robe frowned and said, "Cousin, the order from your uncle is not simply a casual message. Now that the order is issued, you should know that your uncle is really angry. Can anyone defy your uncle’s command?"

Li’er stood restlessly, her brow furrowed with worry.

"I’ll go find Uncle Lan," Li’er declared, clenching her teeth.

The young man in the white robe slightly frowned, then sighed, "All right, cousin, don’t be stubborn. Although Uncle Lan doesn’t usually listen to your uncle, do you really want Uncle Lan to confront your uncle over this trivial matter? Moreover, not only is your uncle powerful beyond compare, but he also is the king of your tribe. Can anyone defy the king’s orders?"

"Li’er, what’s wrong, what exactly happened?" Qin Yu, who had been listening to their conversation by the side, also felt that something seemed amiss.

The young man in the white robe slightly furrowed his brow, "Li’er? Who are you, and who allowed you to call her that!"

"Cousin, why are you with a mortal? Did Uncle Lan allow it, hmm?" a hint of anger flashed through the young man’s eyes.

Qin Yu was startled, if he hadn’t misseen, there had indeed been a flash of lightning in this young man’s eyes just now.

Lightning in the eyes, could that be possible?

"If your uncle finds out you’re with a mortal, you know the consequences. Don’t blame me for not warning you," the young man in the white robe said, his gaze coldly sweeping over Qin Yu.

What a gaze that was, reminiscent of an Emperor looking down from his lofty position at a beggar on the streets.

"No, we’ve just met, and I just found him interesting," Li’er quickly said with a forced smile.

Interesting?

At once, Qin Yu felt his heart turn utterly cold.

"No," Qin Yu wasn’t a fool; it was only because he was part of the situation that he was affected. He quickly realized something—how could they refer to it as "just now" when he had known Li’er for such a long time?

"Let me introduce you. This is my cousin, Zhou Xian. He’s quite powerful, definitely much more so than me," Li’er said to Qin Yu with a smile.

"Cousin, this is Qin Yu, a friend I met here. Although his skills are modest, he is a nice person." Li’er suddenly became grumpy and said, "Cousin, don’t bully him, or I will get very angry."

"Alright, I obviously won’t bully him," Zhou Xian said with a light smile, sweeping a cold glance over Qin Yu. It was clear that Zhou Xian held little regard for Qin Yu’s abilities.

"Cousin, don’t waste time. My uncle is already very angry. The moment you opened the scroll, he knew you had read it. You should go back immediately. Otherwise, if my uncle gets angry and confines you, even my pleading might be useless," Zhou Xian said, concerned.

Li’er bit her lip, then walked towards Qin Yu.

"Qin Yu, I have to go back now. Goodbye."

Just a few simple words.

And at that moment, the voice of Li’er echoed in Qin Yu’s mind.

"Big Brother Qin Yu, don’t be angry. I can’t let others know about our relationship right now. If they do, you will surely die!" Li’er’s tone was very anxious.

Qin Yu wasn’t a reckless man, and he instantly understood that Li’er had her difficulties.

"Big Brother Qin Yu, my father is a lord, the lord of our clan. I cannot defy his orders, and... if some people learn that I care about you, not only my father but others might kill you too."

Qin Yu was taken aback.

What exactly was going on?

He recalled the first time Uncle Lan spoke to him, initially strictly ordering him not to fall in love with Li’er, for loving her meant death. Only later was he allowed to be with Li’er.

Qin Yu had never understood why Uncle Lan initially said loving Li’er would lead to death. But now, he seemed to grasp it a bit.

"However, Big Brother Qin Yu, I promise, once I get back, I will find a way to settle everything. No matter what, I will be with you soon; no one can stop us. But there are many obstacles now, and I must find a way. You must wait for me, and listen, don’t communicate with me using Spiritual Communication; my cousin can easily detect your Spiritual Communication." Li’er spoke with urgency.

Qin Yu could only endure and not use Spiritual Communication.

"If it weren’t for Uncle Lan using his Divine Skills, our situation would have probably been exposed to the other clan members by now. With Uncle Lan’s help, there is hope for us to be together. I’ll do my best, and you must strive too. The stronger your abilities, the more likely our being together becomes!"

"Big Brother Qin Yu, remember, I will never be with anyone else, even if I can’t change anything back in the clan, I can still choose not to marry, and I will always wait for you."

At that moment, Zhou Xian’s voice rang out: "Cousin, it’s time to go back. Uncle is still waiting."

"Okay, I’ll leave now," Li’er replied with a smile, then waved her hand towards the sky. Instantly, a black hole appeared in the sky, as if space itself had shattered.

"Li’er." Qin Yu suddenly felt a painful squeezing in his heart and couldn’t help but speak out loud.

Li’er’s body rose up, her eyes looking at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu also looked at Li’er.

"Big Brother Qin Yu, I’m leaving. I’ve been very happy being with you these days, feeling free and joyful. Before I go, I want to say something I’ve always kept in my heart, something I’ve never said before—I, love, you." Li’er spoke very slowly, very softly, as if murmuring in his ear.

Qin Yu opened his mouth a few times but said nothing.

How much he wanted to tell Li’er ’I love you’, but he couldn’t. He knew that Zhou Xian in front of him could easily detect someone’s Spiritual Communication.

He didn’t dare use Spiritual Communication; he didn’t dare speak.

Only to see Li’er, like an angel, radiating a faint green glow, directly entering that black hole. In an instant, the hole disappeared as if Li’er had never been there.

"Big brother, where did that big sister go?" the little boy eating candied haws asked Qin Yu, puzzled.

The mortals present didn’t understand what was happening and had not seen the scene of Li’er flying away just now.

"Big sister, she went home," Qin Yu told the little boy, struggling to muster a smile.

At this moment, Qin Yu’s heart was in pain, but deep down there was absolute resolve! Because he knew Li’er loved him, and knowing that was enough for him.

"Qin Yu, is it? How did you come to know my cousin?" Zhou Xian asked with a faint smile.

From the way Li’er had just vanished by Breaking Space, Qin Yu knew that this mysterious group was incredibly powerful, even capable of easily detecting Spiritual Communication.

"We just happened to meet. Li’er has a nice temperament. By the way, Brother Zhou Xian, you keep mentioning your group, what exactly is it?" Qin Yu feigned confusion.

But at this moment, Qin Yu’s heart was screaming in anger. Li’er had just left like that; how could he not feel pain, anger, or sorrow? Yet, he must endure! He must also maintain his current demeanor.

Who can know the pain and anger in his heart?

"Li’er, Zhou Xian?" Zhou Xian’s face showed a faint sneer, "Kid, you are a mortal. Li’er is not someone you can call by name, and neither is my name, Zhou Xian, something you can use."

Qin Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

"I don’t know why my cousin would want to talk with you, but... for a cousin of her status to be with you, you should be proud of these past few days. However... from today onward, you are not allowed to say ’Li’er’ nor call my name, understand?" Zhou Xian said with a smile.

Qin Yu felt annoyed inside.

"Angry, huh? Ah, mortals will be mortals. It’s like trying to explain too much to an ant; they will never understand the human world, and you... likewise cannot understand my meaning," Zhou Xian’s gaze remained cold, and his tone was as soft as ever.

"Li’er, to address my cousin directly by her name, to be honest, it makes me a bit jealous. Especially for a mortal to call my cousin by her name makes me even more jealous. However, I shouldn’t take it personally with you. But... with your wisdom, it’s still impossible to understand my existence, so consider this a grace from me to a mortal, allowing you to slightly feel a corner of my power," Zhou Xian said.

At that moment, Zhou Xian’s eyes flashed with another bolt of lightning!

Qin Yu’s heart skipped a beat: Zhou Xian harbored a killing intent.

(End of Chapter Two, the next Chapter will reveal some things, but you might have guessed many of them already!)

(To be continued, for the continuation of this story, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM, for more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)