Be With You Recap, Plot, Synopsis

Be With You Synopsis

The renowned martial arts hero, Meng Sanxi, loses his martial skills overnight and becomes a destitute fugitive, hunted by both the righteous and the wicked. In his quest to regain his martial prowess and clear the name of his deceased friend, Meng Sanxi mistakenly flees to the city of Muyun.

Along the way, he encounters three fellow wanderers, and they form an unlikely alliance. To settle down in their new hometown, they start working at a general store. As these four martial artists work and live together, they embark on a journey to uncover their respective truths. Suspicion turns into camaraderie as they gradually learn to trust each other.

Be With You Recap

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Meng Sanxi (played by Xie Xingyang) went to see Doctor Hu for a diagnosis. After examining his pulse, Doctor Hu had both good and bad news to deliver, but they were essentially about the same thing: Meng Sanxi had lost all his martial arts abilities. To understand the reason behind this, Doctor Hu asked Meng Sanxi to recount his story.

Meng Sanxi began by talking about his background, revealing that he was an orphan and had been adopted by his master's sect since childhood. Upon hearing this, Doctor Hu reminded Meng Sanxi that he charged by time. Meng Sanxi continued, explaining that he had grown up in the sect and one day had accused his master of being disrespectful for constantly visiting a widow in the village and even staying overnight with her. When his master couldn't deny it and claimed it was love, Meng Sanxi mentioned that his master had also peeped at his senior sister while she was bathing. His master, furious and embarrassed, gave Meng Sanxi an ultimatum: either apologize and face three years of wall-facing punishment or leave the sect immediately.

Meng Sanxi initially refused to apologize, but when his master sternly kicked him out, he quickly apologized, hoping to reduce the punishment to six months of wall-facing. However, it was too late, and his master didn't spare him. Meng Sanxi's fellow disciples had expressed a desire to leave as well but had been unable to do so. They admired Meng Sanxi for being the first to leave the sect. Yet, when the moment of his departure came, they showed no signs of nostalgia and instead seemed to mock him as if he were a fool.

Meng Sanxi went to a restaurant but didn't have money to pay the bill. He thought his fellow disciples would give him some money since they saw him leaving, but it turned out they were all very poor, and his bundle didn't contain a single silver coin. Fortunately, Bei Xiaohai happened to be dining at the same restaurant. Seeing Meng Sanxi's predicament, he offered to pay the bill. However, even after pooling their money together, they were still two wen short. They awkwardly laughed to cover their embarrassment, but the restaurant owner refused to let them off the hook and made them wash dishes. This incident marked the beginning of Meng Sanxi and Bei Xiaohai's friendship.

Bei Xiaohai had been wronged by someone, and to seek revenge, Meng Sanxi challenged over a dozen prestigious martial arts sects in succession. This led to various sects becoming displeased with him. After defeating one of the senior martial artists from an older sect, he became famous. Subsequently, he started working for the local authorities, gathering information about wanted criminals in the black market and capturing them. He received a reward of ten thousand taels of silver. Meng Sanxi became renowned in both the lawful and unlawful worlds. However, on this day, he discovered that he had lost all his martial arts skills and encountered someone seeking revenge for his actions. The opponent believed that Meng Sanxi wouldn't kill him, so he had come to avenge his big brother. Meng Sanxi, however, intimidated the opponent by declaring that he was initiating a new killing rule starting from that day and also offered compensation, thus settling the matter.

While riding in a carriage, Meng Sanxi was traveling aimlessly through the streets when a martial artist intercepted him. The martial artist wanted to regain his master's honor, which Meng Sanxi had tarnished in the past. Meng Sanxi was forced to fight the martial artist, realizing that he had no internal strength left and was no match. He pretended to feel remorse for his past actions and even shed tears. This fooled the martial artist, who let him go, believing Meng Sanxi regretted his actions. Meng Sanxi barely escaped another encounter unscathed.

Just when Meng Sanxi thought he had narrowly escaped danger, he encountered a thief attempting to steal his silver notes. To ensure his safety, Meng Sanxi decided to let the thief take a hundred taels of silver notes. It turned out that Meng Sanxi could only evade five moves with all his strength, and he needed a full five hours of rest to recover. This realization made him cautious not to provoke the thief, who had no knowledge of Meng Sanxi and might kill him to cover their tracks.

Doctor Hu concluded that Meng Sanxi's condition was due to blocked meridians and recommended seeking a remedy from a renowned martial arts family in Muyun City. However, the required medicines were challenging to obtain, and only the Liu family in Muyun City had a medicine that could cure Meng Sanxi. Meng Sanxi decided to go to Muyun City immediately.

As Meng Sanxi was leaving, he heard pursuers approaching. Doctor Hu kindly advised him to leave through the back door and promised to provide some of his consultation fee to help Meng Sanxi continue fleeing.

Meng Sanxi had been trapped beneath the cliff for two hours. During this time, someone attempted to kill him by lowering a rope, but when that person mentioned "Southern Howling Sky," Yan Sifang (played by Wang Hanwen) stepped in and threatened to smash that person's head if he didn't come up. The person wisely climbed up, and Yan Sifang turned to Meng Sanxi, urging him to quickly defeat the fifty-six people above so that they could all stop running. Meng Sanxi claimed he couldn't do it, but Yan Sifang didn't believe him until he felt Meng Sanxi's pulse, confirming the truth.

The people on top of the cliff tried to make Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi (played by Su Mengdi) harm each other. First, they offered a hundred taels to send Yan Sifang up, followed by the pursuers of Meng Sanxi offering five hundred taels. The most outrageous offer was three thousand silver taels to take Ye Wuzhi back as a mistress. This surprised Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang, and they suggested Ye Wuzhi go up, but she immediately drew her sword to express her determination. Realizing that the situation couldn't continue as it was, the three decided to unite, climb up to the top of the cliff together, and stage a ruse before rushing into Muyun City.

Meng Sanxi used his silver tongue to portray Ye Wuzhi as Yan Sifang's aunt and himself as Ye Wuzhi's brother, who had come back specifically for her wedding. The steward was initially deceived by Meng Sanxi's persuasive words but couldn't believe the incredible coincidence. He asked Ye Wuzhi for confirmation, and although she didn't speak, her nods and shakes of the head indicated that they had only recently met. The steward eventually fell for their trickery and instigated a fight between the three groups of people chasing them. Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi pretended to be injured, spitting blood and fainting. When no one paid them any attention, they made a quick escape towards Muyun City.

After realizing they had been fooled, the steward immediately ordered a sedan chair to chase after Ye Wuzhi. She and Yan Sifang, while supporting the exhausted Meng Sanxi, ran as fast as they could. Meng Sanxi was in great pain and wished he could just die, especially as he saw the pursuing crowd drawing closer. Yan Sifang quickly decided to go ahead. When they had planned their escape at the bottom of the cliff, Meng Sanxi had initially doubted Yan Sifang's reliability, but he was eventually persuaded. Now, they had formed a small team, and both Ye Wuzhi and Meng Sanxi believed that Yan Sifang would deliver on his promise, but they were also wary because he appeared so cold and distrusting.

Meng Sanxi wanted Ye Wuzhi to go first, but she couldn't bring herself to abandon her companion. She fought off one of the pursuers and defeated him. Meng Sanxi took advantage of this to demand that those who wanted to challenge Ye Wuzhi had to prove their ability by withstanding his five moves before fighting her. One person, doubting Meng Sanxi's abilities, accepted the challenge. Meng Sanxi proposed that if he managed to dodge all five moves, the man would have to protect them from the others. The man agreed and attacked with full force, but he couldn't touch Meng Sanxi. Meng Sanxi urged Ye Wuzhi to leave quickly, as he was almost at his physical limit and fell to his knees. Ye Wuzhi and Yan Sifang both reached out to help him, honoring their promise to enter Muyun City together. Meng Sanxi was deeply moved.

Upon entering Muyun City just in the nick of time, Meng Sanxi noticed a girl's ornament hanging in the street, reminding him of his good friend Bei Xiaohai. He had once told Meng Sanxi that such wooden plaques were unique to his hometown, and they had even admired passing girls together. Unfortunately, Bei Xiaohai had been ambushed by masked men six months ago, and though he was innocent, he had been drugged. Meng Sanxi remembered Bei Xiaohai's dying wish to return to his hometown.

Twenty years ago, when Yan Sifang was four years old, he lived in Tuoba Village. On the day his parents were about to leave, his mother, tears in her eyes, held him tightly. Despite her reluctance, she eventually followed his father as the time for their journey had come. Yan Sifang trailed behind them, feeling deeply attached. However, his mother didn't allow him to cross the threshold, promising to return in ten days and instructing him to listen to the village chief.

Yan Sifang had his meals at the village chief's house, and although the village chief treated him well, with the passing of time and his parents' absence for fifteen days, rumors started circulating in the village. People said that Yan Sifang's parents hadn't gone for business but had taken the money and fled. While the village chief didn't blame Yan Sifang, his attitude was no longer as warm as before, and he stopped inviting Yan Sifang for meals. Yan Sifang's inherent pride prevented him from submitting to the village chief, so he went to eat at other people's homes. The village chief, concerned for Yan Sifang's well-being, came looking for him secretly. In the end, Yan Sifang returned to the village chief's house for meals, somewhat comforting the village chief, who believed that his own cooking was still the best.

Reflecting on the past, Yan Sifang couldn't help but wonder whether he would have avoided harm if he hadn't trusted anyone. Consequently, he became exceptionally cautious and didn't trust anyone. Although Meng Sanxi had friends, his friend Bei Xiaohai had already been killed. Now, in the city of Muyun, Meng Sanxi had nowhere to go. Knowing Yan Sifang well, Meng Sanxi believed that Yan Sifang must have left himself a way out. He asked Yan Sifang to take him along. Yan Sifang initially intended to act alone but was surprised when Ye Wuzhi tugged at his clothes, demonstrating complete trust in him. She even used a bit of moral persuasion to convince him to take her with them. Yan Sifang had indeed considered an escape route, planning to spend a night in the bustling open areas of Sifang City. Even if they entered the city, he remained vigilant. This puzzled Ye Wuzhi, who, as a young girl, believed that the presence of the yamen (local government office) in Muyun City would ensure their safety. Yan Sifang had to remind her that even if they found the yamen, they couldn't expect them to provide 24-hour protection. There was still a chance of danger, and the best strategy was to avoid it at all times.

Ye Wuzhi was from the Jingtao Sect and had entered the martial world to investigate the case of the Jingtao Sect being attacked, resulting in the deaths of thirty percent of its members. The Sanqi Dao, believing that their actions were a form of punishment for those who committed crimes or thought they could escape justice, often acted under the guise of justice to punish wrongdoers. Yan Sifang couldn't comprehend how a sect with over seventy members could lose thirty percent of them to the Sanqi Dao. Meng Sanxi explained the issue of martial strength to Yan Sifang. The Sanqi Dao typically dispatched as many as eighty experts and easily overwhelmed martial sects with fewer members. Yan Sifang planned to leave the city early the next day when the city gates opened, using a fast horse to outrun their pursuers. However, Meng Sanxi and Ye Wuzhi decided to stay in Muyun City. Meng Sanxi suggested that if Ye Wuzhi encountered pursuit, she could blend in with the common people, and if someone tried to stop her, she could easily escape. The next day, when Ye Wuzhi woke up, Yan Sifang had already left. Meng Sanxi had prepared breakfast and was waiting for her to eat. While they dined together, Ye Wuzhi invited Meng Sanxi to rent a house with two bedrooms. Meng Sanxi assumed that Ye Wuzhi had romantic intentions, which filled him with excitement. However, Ye Wuzhi clarified that there were two bedrooms, causing Meng Sanxi's assumptions to crumble. Meng Sanxi believed that he had grown accustomed to eating alone. Ye Wuzhi reminded him that being accustomed to something didn't mean he enjoyed it. This made Meng Sanxi recall the happiness of eating with someone in the past. They agreed to share meals once they settled down.

Ye Wuzhi wanted to rent a house through the yamen, but she couldn't find it. At this moment, a girl in a tavern beckoned her inside. For a price of five copper coins, she provided Ye Wuzhi with the address of the yamen and also tried to introduce other services to profit from the information in her mind. Ye Wuzhi, who knew more about the Liu family's affairs than the girl expected, made her wonder if Ye Wuzhi was an outsider. Ye Wuzhi noticed someone searching for her outside the tavern. She continued to converse with the girl to inquire about the headquarters of the Sanqi Dao, as she sought revenge for her sect. Meng Sanxi, who had bought groceries, met Ying Baichi, who enjoyed watching the chaos.

Meng Sanxi wanted to enter the boutique store to buy a top-quality tent. The doorkeeper looked down on him, but Meng Sanxi directly pulled out a handful of silver bills, silencing the doorkeeper and allowing him to enter the store. Inside, he met the beautiful Gu Nianjiu, confirming that Bei Xiaohai had not lied to him; the girls here were indeed stunning. Meng Sanxi confidently purchased an outrageously expensive tent, and when Gu Nianjiu suggested he look at other items, he couldn't help but feel elated.

Yan Sifang, on the other hand, spent a large sum of silver to buy a new outfit, but he was recognized by a steward before he could leave the city. Yan Sifang was puzzled because he barely recognized himself in his new attire, and he wondered how the steward saw through his disguise. The steward bluntly pointed out that Yan Sifang's shoes were different, making Yan Sifang deeply regret not thinking it through. The steward then revealed that he had seen through Yan Sifang's plan: to leave through the city gate, mount a fast horse, and escape. He advised Yan Sifang that he also had a horse and that Yan Sifang's plan was futile. He couldn't outrun them, especially considering the people waiting at the city gate. The steward's sole intention was to find Ye Wuzhi, believing Yan Sifang to be her nephew.

While Meng Sanxi was pulling a cart of vegetables on the street, he was followed by the steward's people. Meng Sanxi handed the man a silver note, trying to make him ignore him, but the man misunderstood and claimed he followed unattended carts out of curiosity. Unable to get rid of him, Meng Sanxi climbed onto the cart himself, forcing the man to pull it.

Ye Wuzhi finally found someone from the house agency and inquired about clues related to the Three-Seven Society. She learned that all the clues in Muyun City, whether hidden or not, were controlled, and buying information would cost fifty taels upfront, with another hundred taels payable upon success. However, with her meager monthly income of only two taels, she couldn't afford it. Before she could secure lodgings, she was found by someone. She considered drawing her sword to subdue them, but she couldn't do so in Muyun City without breaking the law. She listened to reason and sheathed her sword, quickly running away. Her pursuer chased her through several streets. When they reached a place where exams were being held, Ye Wuzhi took refuge, as it was guarded by yamen officials who wouldn't tolerate disturbances. Her pursuers were stopped, and Ye Wuzhi felt victorious. However, Yan Sifang and the steward blocked her path on the way out. Soon after, Meng Sanxi arrived with his vegetable cart. The three of them had separated for only a short time and found themselves back together again, marveling at the strange twists of fate. Meng Sanxi took out three radishes, giving one to each of them, as a makeshift meal. However, he realized the radishes were incredibly spicy and quickly spit out his bite, amusing Yan Sifang and Ye Wuzhi.

In the evening, Yan Sifang, Meng Sanxi, and Ye Wuzhi gathered around a fire to cook. The aroma of the food made the pursuers, who could only eat dry bread, even hungrier. Suddenly, thick smoke billowed from the stove, and Meng Sanxi shouted that there was a fire. Taking advantage of the chaos, Yan Sifang, Ye Wuzhi, and Meng Sanxi escaped. Yan Sifang was responsible for pushing the vegetable cart, while Meng Sanxi threw vegetables to leave a trail for the assassins to follow. Yan Sifang's original plan was to escape to Mufeng City with a horse-drawn carriage containing the tent. Afterward, he would send the carriage on its way to another city while they discreetly returned to Muyun City. This plan would divert the assassins' attention, making them think the three had left the city entirely. Three-Seven Society members sent to protect Meng Sanxi and hinder his actions discovered this plan but were willing to help execute it in exchange for payment. Meng Sanxi quickly handed over all his silver notes to make them believe he had no more money hidden.

Yan Sifang's purpose in coming to Muyun City was to find the swindler who had deceived the village chief. Reflecting on his childhood in the village, Yan Sifang's emotions were complex. He regretted the tragic consequences of the village chief's decision to keep the younger generation from leaving, which led to them getting married and having children early. He thought that by keeping the parents tied to the village, they wouldn't have abandoned their children.

Ye Wuzhi practiced the "Wu Wang Jue," a technique that required her to avoid developing emotions and had certain age restrictions. Liu Yunxiao, her senior martial brother, had been expelled from the inner sect due to his age and his failure to master the "Wu Wang Jue." Before leaving, he confessed that this expulsion was a relief for him. He also revealed that he had written a love letter to Ye Wuzhi. This revelation surprised Ye Wuzhi, who glanced at Liu Yunxiao. Their master reminded Ye Wuzhi not to be influenced and advised her to continue her training diligently.

One day, Ye Wuzhi saw a junior disciple from the outer sect, Xie Chenghuan, come to the inner sect for training. He claimed to have come for a rendezvous, as he had written a love letter to Ye Wuzhi, thinking she had also come for the meeting. This surprised Ye Wuzhi. Her honesty, a result of her martial arts training, made her admit that she hadn't seen the love letter. She also expressed her unfavorable opinion of Xie Chenghuan, describing him as someone who liked to show off but had weak martial skills and no redeeming qualities. Xie Chenghuan was deeply hurt by her words. However, what he didn't expect was that their sect leader had secretly read the love letter he wrote to Ye Wuzhi, which was hidden nearby. As a result, Xie Chenghuan was caught in the act, and a sect-wide meeting was convened. He was punished with three months of confinement, and Ye Wuzhi was portrayed as the informant who exposed him. Unable to defend herself, Ye Wuzhi faced isolation and ostracism from her fellow sect members, as they were all afraid she would report them. No one wanted to eat with her, and she began a solitary life dedicated to her martial training.

Meng Sanxi's willingness to sacrifice all his silver notes to divert pursuers greatly impressed Ye Wuzhi. However, both Yan Sifang and Meng Sanxi thought she underestimated men. Yan Sifang immediately revealed a secret compartment on Meng Sanxi's back, containing a silver note. Ye Wuzhi examined it closely and found only ten taels, which puzzled her. Meng Sanxi couldn't believe it either, realizing that he had initially hidden one thousand and ten taels. Now, he had only ten taels left, and he worried about his future. Yan Sifang entered a nearby shop, and the three of them decided to stay there for the night. Meng Sanxi recalled the days when his exceptional martial skills allowed him to live comfortably, thanks to the bountiful rewards from the yamen. He never imagined he would end up in such a situation. He began to lament his fate, and Ye Wuzhi realized that Meng Sanxi was trying to borrow money. Although she had limited money in her pocket, she lent him five taels. This left both of them with fifteen taels. Yan Sifang had recently deposited a large sum in the bank, making him the wealthiest among the three. Upon hearing this, Meng Sanxi quickly flattered him. They agreed to withdraw the money together the next day.

However, Meng Sanxi lost his jade token, making it impossible for him to prove that the money belonged to him. Consequently, he couldn't withdraw the money. Furthermore, the shopkeeper who had helped him make the deal yesterday was now enjoying his newfound wealth and couldn't confirm Yan Sifang's identity. Yan Sifang realized that he had been secretly given ten taels by the bank teller as a token of gratitude for helping him secure the business. With only ten taels left, Yan Sifang felt baffled by the shopkeeper's excessive display of emotion. When they opened the shop, they noticed a crowd gathering and then dispersing. Gu Nianjiu, a fellow merchant, visited the store and bought the most expensive item. She revealed that this shop was infamous in Muyun City, as all previous owners had closed within three months. People just came to see the commotion. There were individuals in Muyun City who demanded protection money, but Ye Wuzhi believed her martial skills were sufficient to deter them. However, these individuals were vile and resorted to disgusting acts like throwing feces during the night, making everyone disgusted.

The ruffians attempted to throw feces at night, but Yan Sifang set up a trap and captured them along with the feces. He turned them over to the local authorities, but the ruffians accused him, Meng Sanxi, and Ye Wuzhi of kidnapping them while they were soliciting prostitutes. Li, the constable, was aware of the ruffians' misdeeds but lacked evidence to arrest them. He decided to mediate and reconcile the two sides. When the ruffians demanded twenty taels, Dai Menghui suddenly intervened and cut the ropes binding them to the accusation of kidnapping. This made reconciliation possible, and the ruffians agreed.

Failing with one plan, the ruffians devised another. They deliberately blocked the entrance to the "Wuming Grocery Store," preventing customers from entering. Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang knew that if Ye Wuzhi found out about this, it would likely lead to a conflict. They went to confront the ruffians to resolve the issue. Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang were unaware of each other's abilities and mistakenly believed that the other was a formidable opponent. To their surprise, they were both overpowered by the ruffians and suffered a severe beating. They initially planned to report the incident to the authorities using their injuries, but the ruffians were even more ruthless and turned on each other, preventing both Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang from pursuing that path. When Ye Wuzhi returned and saw their injuries, she decided to seek justice for them.

Before Ye Wuzhi arrived, the ruffians had been dealt with by Meng Sanxi and those who wanted to protect the store's reputation. Ye Wuzhi, despite her limited martial skills, managed to handle the ruffians effectively. However, this led to the ruffians reporting her to the authorities. She was quickly arrested and faced a choice: pay a fine or spend three years in prison. Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang, lacking the necessary funds, had no choice but to sell all the store's goods at a fifty percent discount to Ying Baichi to secure Ye Wuzhi's release.

Back at the store, Ye Wuzhi felt guilty as she looked at the empty counter, wondering about her future livelihood. Meng Sanxi suggested joining the ruffians, as it would be a quick way to make money without any initial investment. Yan Sifang was tempted, but they needed to involve Ye Wuzhi, who refused to engage in criminal activities. Instead, she sold her sword to raise the money needed to repay Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang ten taels each. She then left, warning them not to do anything shameful.

Meng Sanxi later realized how Ye Wuzhi had raised the money and was touched by her honesty. They initially considered trying to take advantage of her kindness, but her straightforwardness made them change their minds. When they attempted to leave for a meal, they found themselves locked in. Their feelings of gratitude quickly faded, and they realized their hunger and need for the restroom. They eventually thought of using Yan Sifang's cliff-jumping equipment to escape, but it was too late. Ye Wuzhi returned with food and money, rescuing them from their predicament.

The trio noticed that only gambling dens and brothels remained open at night. Given Ye Wuzhi's good looks, they suspected something unpleasant might happen to her. They hurried to the gambling den and found Ye Wuzhi gambling and intoxicated. They intervened to protect her, but the owner of the gambling den threatened them. Meng Sanxi pretended to be injured and threatened to report the incident to the authorities, which forced the owner to let them leave with Ye Wuzhi.

Ji Mingzhao, the daughter of the Ji family, was initially intended to be betrothed to Liu Yungui, the third son of the Liu family. However, Ji Mingzhao had witnessed her elder sister's unhappiness in a forced marriage due to family arrangements and didn't want to experience the same fate. She approached her parents, hoping to avoid such a future. Her mother criticized her for lacking skills and challenged Ji Mingzhao to prove herself by earning money for the Ji family. If she succeeded, she could make her own choices.

Ji Mingzhao decided to use 4,000 silver taels as startup capital to turn the most unsuccessful shop in Mu Yun City into a profitable one. She also aimed to develop her employees, including Ye Wuzhi, Meng Sanxi, and Yan Sifang, into skilled core members. She set the ambitious goal of increasing the shop's profit tenfold within a year, renaming it "Wuming General Store."

Ye Wuzhi, Meng Sanxi, and Yan Sifang returned with Ji Mingzhao, and she offered them employment contracts, paying them five taels of silver each per month. However, she set the condition that they must remain in the shop during working hours and obtain approval for any leave requests. Ji Mingzhao planned to expand the business, selling not only groceries but also other goods like firewood, rice, oil, salt, fruits, vegetables, and textiles. She decided to rename the store "Wuming Department Store" while retaining the "Wuming" part of the name. Ye Wuzhi, Meng Sanxi, and Yan Sifang were pleased with these developments.

Meng Sanxi negotiated with the suppliers, pressuring them to sell the goods back at their original prices, creating a commotion to attract Ying Baichi's attention. When Ying Baichi learned of Meng Sanxi's intentions, he eventually agreed to the lower price to avoid further trouble, saving the Wuming Department Store some money. When Yan Sifang tried to purchase fabric, the Ji family's fabric shop initially refused to sell to them due to a prior notice. However, Yan Sifang threatened the shopkeeper with reporting him if he didn't sell the fabric, which led to the successful purchase.

Ye Wuzhi needed dice for the store's games, but the owner of the dice shop refused to sell them. Ye Wuzhi decided to gamble to win the dice table itself. She succeeded and won the dice table, which conveniently matched the fabric Yan Sifang had bought.

When Ji Mingzhao had urgent business outside, she instructed Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi to manage the store autonomously. She promised them bonuses based on their performance. Meng Sanxi became suspicious, thinking that Ji Mingzhao might be trying to restrict their freedom, but Ye Wuzhi believed that Ji Mingzhao simply had a lot of money. They agreed to work honestly without speculating on Ji Mingzhao's intentions.

Wei Dongyang visited the store and informed the three that he had successfully distracted the authorities. He had returned to Mu Yun City and now worked for Ying Baichi, offering to call Ying Baichi if they needed assistance, for a monthly fee of seven taels. Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang envied Wei Dongyang's salary but grew suspicious when they learned he had returned to investigate the actions of the Sanqi Dao sect members.

Ye Wuzhi wanted to invite Wei Dongyang to join their revenge organization, but Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang changed the topic. Ye Wuzhi later realized she needed money and decided to gamble again, but she ended up losing everything. She resolved to focus on her work and save up one hundred taels.

Ji Mingzhao learned that Mr. Fan was designing the eighth bathhouse for the Liu family and went to visit him with some fruits, hoping to form a joint venture to boost the store's reputation. Gu Nianjiu, from the Yuting Court, had a similar idea. The two of them met outside Fan's residence and competed to get his attention. In the end, they managed to persuade Fan to collaborate with them.

Meng Sanxi took a day off to inquire about Bei Xiaohai's identity at Old Wang's Noodle Shop. He wanted to help Bei Xiaohai clear his name and discovered evidence that could potentially do so. However, he wasn't sure if he could use this evidence. Excited, Meng Sanxi knew he needed to come up with one hundred taels to get started.

The shopkeeper remembered that Ye Wuzhi had done the same thing the previous day, leaving him waiting all night without returning. He questioned Meng Sanxi about when he would be back. Meng Sanxi decided to make some money by selling cabbages and return with two hundred taels, just like Ye Wuzhi.

When Meng Sanxi returned to the department store, he found Ji Mingzhao already there. He admitted to his absence and explained that Yan Sifang had reported to Ji Mingzhao about his restroom break two hours earlier. He scolded Yan Sifang for speaking too soon and apologized to Ji Mingzhao. Ji Mingzhao wasn't angry and simply reminded them all to stay in the store during working hours.

To ensure they didn't leave the store, Ji Mingzhao promised to pay Wei Dongyang one tael of silver per month to oversee them. Wei Dongyang was rational and didn't want to risk his seven-tael job for the sake of one tael, so Ji Mingzhao had to find another solution. She hired a musician to watch over Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi to ensure they didn't leave the store without permission.

Ye Wuzhi, after a good night's rest, was enthusiastic about selling cabbages again. However, when she saw there were no cabbages on the rack, she tried to take orders from customers. Lao Ding kept a close eye on her and prevented her from stepping outside the store.

Meng Sanxi planned to go out to buy inventory, and Yan Sifang wanted to accompany him. But Lao Ding insisted that only Meng Sanxi could go and that he needed to return within a set time. Yan Sifang felt like he was being confined and wanted to complain but saw Meng Sanxi's triumphant look, so he sighed in resignation.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Fan fell ill, and Ji Mingzhao and Gu Nianjiu rushed him to Liu Yungui's clinic. They discovered that Mr. Fan had been poisoned by food. Ji Mingzhao and Gu Nianjiu's plans for a joint advertising campaign were ruined, as the Liu family would finalize the bathhouse design the next day. However, Liu Yungui informed Ji Mingzhao that they still had one day to try to change Mr. Fan's decision.

Liu Yungui, who was fifteen years old and quite clever, was in charge of the bathhouse project for the Liu family. Ji Mingzhao didn't like him, even though he was outstanding and a skilled doctor. Liu Yungui asked Ji Mingzhao why she refused to marry and learned that she valued freedom and simplicity more than her status as a wealthy young lady. Liu Yungui intentionally hid the fact that Mr. Fan had been poisoned to protect Ji Mingzhao. He assured her that Mr. Fan would wake up in five days.

To earn their respective one hundred taels, Ye Wuzhi, Meng Sanxi, and Yan Sifang worked together to improve the store's performance. They cooperated by washing, cutting, and selling vegetables, and surprisingly, they sold out all their vegetables by noon. Ji Mingzhao was delighted and decided to order more goods. However, Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang were exhausted and suspected there might be a traitor among them.

Upon hearing about Ji Mingzhao's difficulties with the bathhouse project, they asked her for details and learned about the situation. Ye Wuzhi remembered that Liu Yunxiao had mentioned that Liu Yungui admired the martial world since childhood and often talked about sects. Ye Wuzhi also knew his aversion to certain colors. Using this information, the four of them stayed up all night and designed a blueprint for the bathhouse.

Gu Nianjiu also created a set of design drawings to advertise. While Liu Yungui favored Gu Nianjiu's design, the decision was ultimately in Liu Yungui's hands. Ji Mingzhao had promised to give Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang a day off, but now she had to break her promise. The two of them expressed their dissatisfaction, but Ji Mingzhao pretended not to hear them. She was secretly pleased because every day of running the store was filled with surprises, and she found it exhilarating.

Ye Wuzhi, the most hardworking of the employees, heard about their plans to visit the bathhouse the next day and generously offered her bed for Ji Mingzhao to rest, which made Ji Mingzhao very satisfied.

Four years ago, Meng Sanxi and Bei Xiaohai chased down desert bandits together. They got lost in the desert during their pursuit, and when Nan Xiaotian discovered it, he immediately turned back. However, they got lost again. Luckily, after turning back once more, they spotted a campfire in the sand, which gave them the hope to survive. Just as Bei Xiaohai convinced Meng Sanxi to have faith and survive, Bei Xiaohai collapsed. Meng Sanxi had no choice but to drag Bei Xiaohai along. When Meng Sanxi was too exhausted to continue, Bei Xiaohai would help him up, and they supported each other until they finally reached a small oasis in the desert. There, they rushed to drink water without hesitation. After taking some sips, Bei Xiaohai noticed some desert bandits lying beside the oasis, poisoned by drinking water excessively. He quickly pulled Meng Sanxi away and woke him up with a slap, warning him not to drink like that, or he would suffer the same fate as the bandits. Meng Sanxi suppressed his desire to drink water and talked to Bei Xiaohai, asking for his real name and hometown. Bei Xiaohai, however, felt no attachment to his hometown and believed that dying in the desert would be better than returning home. At that moment, Meng Sanxi remembered his martial arts sect, missing his senior brothers and sisters. He was someone who felt a sense of belonging. Still, after Bei Xiaohai's death, that sense of belonging disappeared. He became someone who lived carelessly.

There were no details about Meng Sanxi's martial arts sect in the design drawings of the Liu Family's bathhouse. Perhaps Meng Sanxi no longer missed his martial arts sect. To prevent leaks, Liu Yungui only brought servants for construction and left everything to Ji Mingzhao. Meng Sanxi, Ye Wuzhi, and Yan Sifang thought it was a good arrangement. However, Ji Mingzhao saw deeper intentions in Liu Yungui's actions. He was testing their skills, and if they met the standard today, they would continue to work on the bathhouse construction. If they failed, Liu Yungui would not keep them. Ji Mingzhao assigned tasks: Ye Wuzhi was responsible for the Clear Spring Sect area, Meng Sanxi for the side gate, Yan Sifang for making six chairs, and she herself for the reception room. Dai Menghui was in the reception room at that time, lying on the floor with no dignity, one hand reaching for the pastries Liu Yungui had specially brought for Ji Mingzhao. He lamented his miserable life of working three jobs every day, not even able to distinguish the tastes of green bean cake and snow pear cake anymore. He finished a plate of green bean cakes, leaving only an empty plate for Ji Mingzhao.

Ji Mingzhao boasted in front of her staff that she could handle the reception room's decor. In reality, she had no sense of aesthetics. She tried to persuade Liu Yungui and Dai Menghui to help, using reverse psychology. However, they knew they had no sense of aesthetics since childhood and didn't want to participate. Ji Mingzhao had to try harder to convince them. They eventually agreed but had one condition: if they did well, Ji Mingzhao should credit them; if they did poorly, they would pretend they had never come.

Meng Sanxi gathered the servants responsible for the side gate's construction. They wanted to follow the design drawings, but none of them had seen a dragon before. Only the carpenter had some ideas, which left Meng Sanxi in a bind. He arranged them by specialization: masons and carpenters were separated. When he learned that they all had different martial arts backgrounds, he decided to let them showcase their skills, with each person responsible for a small section of the side gate. They would follow the style of their respective sects to create a design that suited Liu Yungui's taste. Ye Wuzhi tried to recreate the feeling of her martial arts sect from her memory. After finishing the path with bamboo, she felt something was missing – it lacked the historical atmosphere that the hundred and twenty-year-old Clear Spring Sect had. Yan Sifang was tasked with making chairs. He created a prototype and had the servants replicate it, but their skills varied greatly, with one chair even falling apart at a touch. Yan Sifang thought this was too exaggerated, so he played to everyone's strengths, assigning them to different parts and then assembling the chairs, ensuring everything was properly put together.

As soon as Yan Sifang sat down and relaxed, he caught a familiar scent and followed it to the kitchen. He discovered that Feng Renyuan was in charge of the meals, which greatly disappointed him. When he learned that Feng Renyuan wanted to delay the construction deliberately to make more money, Yan Sifang immediately rejected the idea. After all, he found the food here unbearable and would rather not eat it at all. Ji Mingzhao, along with Dai Menghui and Liu Yungui, finished the decorative wall, but the result was far from satisfactory. No one could bear to look at it, and they urged Ji Mingzhao to redesign it.

Ji Mingzhao's second sister suddenly entered the reception room. Upon seeing the decorative wall, she bluntly pointed out that it was unbearable to look at and suggested that Ji Mingzhao redo it. Liu Yungui and Dai Menghui, upon seeing Second Miss Ji, involuntarily stood still. When they were young, Second Miss Ji had suddenly appeared because they played the flute badly, breaking their flutes. This had left a deep impression, and they naturally feared her. Ji Mingzhao refused to give up. She knew the weapons were not arranged well and proposed forming a music band instead. However, Liu Yungui and Dai Menghui found no aesthetic appeal in the chaotic display of weapons and decided to join the music band.

Meng Sanxi was in charge of the side gate, which was almost complete. As he watched the craftsmen carve their respective martial sect symbols, he felt an indescribable emotion. When the craftsmen didn't want to stop working and even considered adding color to the stone carvings, Meng Sanxi suddenly erupted. He reminded them that it was just a job and there was no need to pour their emotions into it. Seeing the craftsmen looking somewhat sad, he quickly explained that he couldn't express himself well and told them to continue tomorrow.

Ji Mingzhao knew she couldn't fix the decorative wall on her own and went to ask Ye Wuzhi for help. However, Ye Wuzhi was preoccupied with trying to recreate the exact look of the Clear Spring Sect from her memory and refused Ji Mingzhao's request. Ji Mingzhao then turned to Meng Sanxi, who also declined without a word. Ji Mingzhao insisted, and Meng Sanxi knelt down, forcing Ji Mingzhao to retreat. Ji Mingzhao had no choice but to ask Yan Sifang. Initially, Yan Sifang refused as well. However, Ji Mingzhao promised to bring him something to eat, using a tone that reminded him of his mother. Yan Sifang agreed to draw the design for Ji Mingzhao but insisted on doing the setup himself.

At night, Ji Mingzhao, Dai Menghui, and Liu Yungui formed a music band to practice outdoors. After a lot of effort, their performance lacked any aesthetic appeal. Dai Menghui felt it was the same as it used to be. Liu Yungui calmly analyzed the situation, suggesting that if they didn't make progress by dawn, they should just give up. Despite their inability to distinguish the sounds no matter how hard they tried, they refused to give up, continuing to play. The eerie music floated by the riverside throughout the night, seemingly unnoticed by the three musicians, who kept playing with determination.

Meng Sanxi went to find Ye Wuzhi and discovered that she was struggling with how to make the scenery exactly match her memories of the Clear Spring Sect. He advised her not to be too fixated, as it was just a job. Ye Wuzhi refused to give up, so Meng Sanxi decided to help by sprinkling some dust on the pristine white wall. This revelation opened Ye Wuzhi's mind, and she immediately covered the entire wall with dirt. Meng Sanxi, whether intentionally or not, threw a clump of dirt back at Ye Wuzhi, and she responded by returning one. The two of them worked while playfully exchanging dirt clumps, filling the small courtyard with their laughter.

Yan Sifang couldn't bear the taste of the food from the Wind Ren Court and decided to cook tofu over an open fire. Qiu Yuebai caught him in the act and believed that Yan Sifang's rejection of their food was too hurtful. She wanted to see if Yan Sifang's cooking was any better and was surprised when Yan Sifang simply threw the tofu into a pan with various seasonings, resulting in a blackened tofu. Yan Sifang found it unappetizing, but Qiu Yuebai, who had never eaten food from other places since childhood, thought it was delicious. Qiu Yuebai continued to maintain the Wind Ren Court's flavor out of a sense of belonging, and Yan Sifang stopped making fun of the Wind Ren Court's cooking.

After a night of effort, Ji Mingzhao, Dai Menghui, and Liu Yungui finally confirmed that they lacked talent in that area and decided to burn their flutes. Ji Mingzhao felt a bit homesick and asked Dai Menghui and Liu Yungui if they felt the same way. They didn't respond and quickly left, using the excuse of needing to go to work. Yan Sifang's design drawings were excellent, and Ji Mingzhao brought Liu Yungui and Dai Menghui to help set them up. As they worked happily, they couldn't resist dancing a bit. Ji Mingzhao proposed forming a dance troupe, but this time, nobody agreed to her idea.

Ye Wuzhi always felt that there were ghosts in the Liu family's bathhouse. She hid alone in her bed, unable to sleep and too afraid to get up. This fear stemmed from her time in the Clear Spring Sect when she encountered a female ghost in red clothing. At that time, she didn't believe in ghosts, and she even mentioned it to Liu Yunxiao. Liu Yunxiao also believed that there were no ghosts in this world. Together, they decided to hunt down the ghost, but they found that the ghost had no feet and was floating in the air. Both of them were scared and immediately ran back to their rooms. That night, if it weren't for Liu Yunxiao accompanying her, Ye Wuzhi couldn't imagine how embarrassed she would have been. Now, with ghosts appearing in the Liu family's bathhouse, Ye Wuzhi heard knocking at the door, followed by the voices of Ji Mingzhao, Meng Sanxi, and Yan Sifang. However, Ye Wuzhi didn't believe it was them; she thought it was the ghosts coming for her. She was too scared to open the door, so Meng Sanxi, Ji Mingzhao, and Yan Sifang had to enter through the window. Ji Mingzhao, Meng Sanxi, and Yan Sifang didn't believe in ghosts, but this ghost was disturbing the workers' rest. Ji Mingzhao had promised to deliver the project to the Liu family in 87 days, so she decided to form a ghost-catching team. Meng Sanxi, Ye Wuzhi, and Yan Sifang became the core members of the team.

Wei Dongyang wrote a letter to San Qi Dao in the middle of the night. Despite his strong martial skills, he had a deep respect for supernatural beings. Writing the letter in the presence of ghosts made his handwriting somewhat messy, reflecting his fear. Originally, Wei Dongyang planned to set fire to several main buildings of the Liu family's bathhouse to create conflict with Ji Mingzhao. However, with the sudden appearance of the female ghost, he lost the courage to do so. In the letter, he begged Elder Ouyang for forgiveness, as he could no longer protect his illegitimate son, Meng Sanxi. Upon receiving Wei Dongyang's letter, Elder Ouyang finally understood why Wei Dongyang always mentioned him in his letters. He cursed the person who claimed that Meng Sanxi was his illegitimate son.

With Ye Wuzhi, who was terrified of ghosts, clinging to him, Meng Sanxi led the way with a lantern, and Yan Sifang followed behind. The four of them looked so eerie that anyone would think they were ghosts themselves. Although Ye Wuzhi was powerful, she was currently afraid of the female ghost. She didn't dare to walk by herself. Later, she remembered that Meng Sanxi had divine protection, so she clung to him and refused to get down. Meng Sanxi was very happy about this. In the end, the four of them decided to go after the female ghost together. Yan Sifang became the one pulling the cart, while Meng Sanxi, Ye Wuzhi, Ji Mingzhao, and Yan Sifang searched for the female ghost throughout the night. However, the female ghost always seemed to be just out of their reach, and they couldn't catch up. In the end, they became exhausted, and when they woke up at dawn, both the female ghost and her singing had disappeared.

Upon hearing about the ghostly events at the Liu family's bathhouse, Liu Yunzong was worried that this news would affect the opening ceremony in ten days. He asked Ji Mingzhao for help in making the workers believe that there were no ghosts at the bathhouse, promising her a substantial reward. Ji Mingzhao told him that the bathhouse was indeed haunted now. Not only was there a female ghost singing at midnight, but there were also strange bloodstains appearing in the workers' living quarters. Upon hearing this, Liu Yunzong was so frightened that he quickly found an excuse to leave. Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, Ji Mingzhao, and Ye Wuzhi then discussed how to catch the ghost. They were worried that if the reputation of the bathhouse being haunted stuck, it would harm the Liu family. They decided to stake out the kitchen, where the poultry was slaughtered, to see who was using blood to create supernatural phenomena.

Seeing that his companions only knew how to stake out, Yan Sifang couldn't help but worry about their intelligence. He said they were fools, provoking a heated response from Meng Sanxi. He challenged Yan Sifang to clarify who the fool was. Yan Sifang, seeing this, claimed that he could remove the poison from Meng Sanxi's body, which left Meng Sanxi flattered, and he immediately began to show special attention to Yan Sifang. Qiu Yuebai started selling Xionghuang wine, claiming it could break through illusions. The workers lined up to buy it. Ye Wuzhi saw this and bought a pot of it for three taels of silver. Qiu Yuebai promised to give her a set of breaking illusion equipment when it arrived in two days, which touched Ye Wuzhi deeply. However, Yan Sifang considered her a big fool and thought that Qiu Yuebai was exploiting her. He decided to confront Qiu Yuebai. Qiu Yuebai, thinking of the chickens that were killed for no reason the day before, felt sorry for them and agreed not to use garlic in the kitchen that day. Instead, she planned to apply garlic juice to the knife handle at night to identify who had used the knife. That night, Ye Wuzhi and Meng Sanxi took a shift to stake out. Ye Wuzhi was so close to Meng Sanxi that he began to have thoughts, but before he could ask Ye Wuzhi about her thoughts, the female ghost's singing started, and Ye Wuzhi was immediately too scared to speak. Yan Sifang saw the female ghost appear and, pretending that she wasn't there, loudly claimed that he couldn't see her. But when he looked up, he found the female ghost right beside him.

Yan Sifang confirmed the ghost's position and forced himself not to look up while closing his eyes. He reminded Ji Mingzhao and Qiu Yuebai not to look up either. They immediately realized that Yan Sifang had seen the ghost, so they kept their eyes closed, feeling less scared because they couldn't see it. The ghost, finding this uninteresting, floated forward. Yan Sifang couldn't resist the urge to open his eyes and was frightened, causing him to faint. Ji Mingzhao and Qiu Yuebai sensed Yan Sifang collapsing and dared not open their eyes either. The ghost was drawn away by the two of them, and it turned to scare the workers. Fortunately, Meng Sanxi witnessed this.

Meng Sanxi vehemently denied the existence of ghosts and irritated a formidable ghost with his words. The ghost approached Meng Sanxi with the intention to kill him. At a critical moment, Meng Sanxi hinted to the ghost that if it wanted to maintain the illusion of being a ghost, it couldn't harm him. After all, he was protected by divine beings. The ghost indeed stopped, and Meng Sanxi gestured to shoo the ghost away, feeling the warmth on the ghost's body, confirming that it was a human pretending to be a ghost.

The previous night, several chickens were killed in the kitchen, but there were no supernatural blood-spattering incidents. Yan Sifang, Meng Sanxi, Ji Mingzhao, and Qiu Yuebai gathered to reason it out. They concluded that there was a time gap between the main ghost and the accomplice ghost, as the main ghost had already successfully impersonated a ghost, while the accomplice ghost was unaware and hadn't received instructions, which was why there was no blood-spattering. They believed that there was a secret signal between them, and that signal was likely the singing. The main ghost, believing it had successfully taken on the ghostly role, wouldn't come tonight. Meng Sanxi decided to impersonate the main ghost, give the accomplice ghost the signal, and then capture them to put an end to the rumors of the Liu family's bathhouse being haunted.

Meng Sanxi's ability to control ghosts became widely known, and everyone at the Liu family's bathhouse lined up to ask him to draw protective charms against evil spirits. He drew one by one and gave instructions, telling them not to come out if they heard ghostly cries tonight and to pretend to be asleep in bed. With these protective charms in hand, everyone felt reassured. Ji Mingzhao initially wanted to scare people herself, but her cries sounded more like a wolf's howl than a ghost's wail. She ended up letting Qiu Yuebai take the opportunity to scare people effectively. Qiu Yuebai's ghostly cries, filled with sorrow and despair, succeeded in frightening those who were unaware. Meanwhile, the accomplice ghost among the workers, after hearing the ghostly cries, quietly got up, went to the kitchen, killed a mother hen, collected blood, and returned to the workers' quarters. As he poured the blood on the ground, the lights inside the room suddenly turned on. Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, Ji Mingzhao, and Ye Wuzhi, under the witness of the workers, caught Wang Zheng in the act.

The next day, Meng Sanxi wanted to provoke the master-level expert who pretended to be a ghost. He intentionally made bold statements to anger the imposter. Yan Sifang, Ji Mingzhao, and Ye Wuzhi also expressed their support for Meng Sanxi's work by making bold statements. That night, the master-level imposter indeed arrived. Meng Sanxi had everyone hide inside the house, locked the imposter outside, and released a smoke screen, hoping to disorient the imposter. However, the imposter broke free from the chains and knocked on the door. Meng Sanxi, who could adapt to the situation, immediately flattered the imposter, hoping he wouldn't bear a grudge. Surprisingly, the workers, hearing that the imposter wanted to break in, pushed Yan Sifang, Ji Mingzhao, Ye Wuzhi, and Meng Sanxi out to appease the imposter's anger.

The imposter remembered that Meng Sanxi had claimed he could evade five moves, while Ye Wuzhi could withstand ten moves. Without hesitation, the imposter attacked mercilessly. However, Ye Wuzhi turned out to be an unexpected surprise, countering eight moves in a row. The imposter, seeing this, became serious. Meng Sanxi, fearing for Ye Wuzhi's safety, rushed to help, and both of them were sent flying, coughing up blood. The imposter stated that while Meng Sanxi could easily evade him if he only dodged, now it was his turn to win. He not only defeated Ye Wuzhi within ten moves but also landed a hit on Meng Sanxi in a single move. To settle the score for the arrow he had drawn on Meng Sanxi's forehead, the imposter used the arrow as a pen to draw a spell on Meng Sanxi's forehead, demanding that Meng Sanxi couldn't erase it until the completion of the project. Ji Mingzhao, seeing both Ye Wuzhi and Meng Sanxi lying on the ground, challenged the imposter as the innkeeper. She proposed a bet with the imposter: if she won, he couldn't pursue the matter further. The imposter readily agreed. However, Ji Mingzhao surprised the imposter by producing a dagger and proposed that if she won, he couldn't pursue the matter further, but if she lost, she would insert the dagger six inches into his heart. The imposter was caught off guard by Ji Mingzhao's unexpected wager and couldn't possibly harm himself, so he reluctantly let everyone go.

Ye Wuzhi, after this incident, had overcome her inner fear. She still believed in ghosts but had found a way to conquer her fear, and that was through Meng Sanxi and Xionghuang wine.

Four years ago, Bei Xiaohai lost consciousness due to hunger, and Meng Sanxi quickly carried him to a clinic for examination. The diagnosis revealed that Bei Xiaohai had no illness; he was just starving. Meng Sanxi shamelessly asked the doctor for some food, but since he couldn't even afford the examination fee, he was kicked out of the clinic. Meng Sanxi had no choice but to carry Bei Xiaohai and look for food on the street. Using the excuse of sampling, he grabbed a handful of melon seeds from a vendor. Just as he peeled one and placed it in front of Bei Xiaohai, Bei Xiaohai opened his eyes and came back to life. He didn't mind the shells and devoured all the melon seeds in Meng Sanxi's hand. The vendor, seeing this, felt extremely disgusted and quickly chased them away, refusing to let them take advantage.

Today was Liu Daxia's birthday banquet, and Meng Sanxi carried Bei Xiaohai to ask for some food, even if it was just a plate. However, no one paid him any attention. Bei Xiaohai had a bright idea and had Meng Sanxi pretend to be his underling and sneak into the mansion with him. As soon as the pastries were served, they disappeared quickly. This startled the maid who brought the pastries. When the next plate arrived, she noticed that Meng Sanxi's cheeks were bulging, so she simply placed the third plate directly in front of him. Meng Sanxi and Bei Xiaohai were so hungry that they didn't care about their dignity. They ate while stuffing their pockets with pastries. Those sitting at the same table were thoroughly disgusted. When the hot dishes arrived, they didn't even get a chance to take a bite before the butler exposed their identities and kicked them out.

The construction of the Liu family's bathhouse project had finally finished. Ji Mingzhao was excited about the money she was about to receive, but to her surprise, Mr. Liu only paid 3,500 taels, withholding the remaining 30% to be paid in ten days. Ji Mingzhao was angry because she had not only provided funds but also worked hard for the past three months. Now that the project was completed, she couldn't get the full payment. She subtly threatened Mr. Liu, saying that if he didn't pay on time, she would spread the rumor about the Liu family's bathhouse being haunted. Meng Sanxi, Ye Wuzhi, and Yan Sifang thought they would receive 100 taels each this time, but they only received 70 taels, leaving them disappointed.

Ji Mingzhao returned to the store with everyone and learned that business had improved recently, attributing it to the joint effort with the Liu family's bathhouse. However, Lao Ding soon brought bad news: the men who had turned from ruffians into decent workers this month were now exclusively working for "Unnamed General Store." As a result, Ji Mingzhao had to pay 56 taels for their wages. With her financial situation already stretched thin, she only had 50 taels on hand. She planned to owe the remaining 6 taels and settle it in a few days, but Ye Wuzhi immediately lent her the remaining 14 taels from her pocket to help Ji Mingzhao through this tough period. Ji Mingzhao was touched, but when she found out that Ye Wuzhi had gone gambling again, using the last 14 taels she had, she couldn't help but feel angry, thinking that Ye Wuzhi lacked ambition and kept lingering in gambling dens.

Ji Mingzhao wanted to expand her business and needed more merchandise, but her funds were insufficient. She decided to discuss it with Ying Baichi. Although Ying Baichi disagreed with borrowing money, he had a wish – to become a famous bestselling author. He had even written a special collection of poems for that purpose. Ji Mingzhao realized that Ying Baichi wanted recognition for his talent, not just people flattering him to buy his books. Ji Mingzhao, Meng Sanxi, and others read Ying Baichi's poetry collection and couldn't praise his level of skill. However, they needed Ying Baichi's financial support now. Meng Sanxi and Ji Mingzhao persuaded Ying Baichi to let them handle the book sales, promising to boost his fame by selling only 100 copies and letting the whole city join in the hype, increasing Ying Baichi's popularity. Ying Baichi was deeply moved and agreed to sell only 100 copies. However, he had one condition: Ji Mingzhao couldn't use middlemen for "Unnamed General Store."

Ji Mingzhao wanted "Unnamed General Store" to be the first store that came to mind when people thought of general merchandise. She spent a large sum of money to purchase a large quantity of ice and had craftsmen channel the cold air from the ice into the store, allowing customers to experience coolness on hot summer days. Gu Nianjiu heard about the cooling effect at "Unnamed General Store" and visited to observe. She knew that Ji Mingzhao was the first to do this, and she admired her for it. Ying Baichi wanted to see how his book was received in the market. He spent the entire day at "Unnamed General Store" but didn't see anyone showing interest in his book. Meng Sanxi, in an attempt to draw attention to the book, exaggerated its quality with dramatic acting, nearly getting punched by someone.

Ji Mingzhao left money for meals and accommodation, but unexpectedly, Lao Ding took all the money. Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi looked at each other, wondering whether to report to the police. However, Lao Ding asked them to grab their bedding and follow him. Lao Ding's house was spacious. After assigning rooms to everyone, he went back to his room to prepare for sleep. Yan Sifang was puzzled because he had heard that Lao Ding's social status wasn't high, but he didn't expect him to have such a big house. Ji Mingzhao was also surprised to discover Lao Ding's wealth. However, their stomachs were empty, and Lao Ding, realizing they were supposed to stay the previous day, had prepared food that had gone bad. Lao Ding, wearing an apron, complained while heading to the kitchen to cook. He considered the money he took as the cost of their one-month stay.

Ye Wuzhi really liked Ying Baichi's poetry collection. Meng Sanxi couldn't understand and initially thought Ye Wuzhi was pretending. However, knowing that she couldn't lie, he confirmed that Ye Wuzhi genuinely liked it, feeling as if he had discovered an alien. To showcase Ying Baichi's poetry collection, Meng Sanxi wrapped it with the cover of a best-selling book. When readers quickly noticed the situation, complaints spread. Meng Sanxi and Ye Wuzhi collaborated to read the poetry collection, but its explicit content made readers think it was explicit literature. Ye Wuzhi immediately defended, having read genuine explicit literature, while these poems were delicate, expressing the feelings of young men and women. Ying Baichi realized that Ye Wuzhi truly understood his poetic lines. Feeling no shame, he and Ye Wuzhi read together, and Meng Sanxi, seeing this, quickly slipped away, realizing he had no face to continue reading.

Ji Mingzhao noticed people lingering in the department store to enjoy the air conditioning, making the spacious aisles and corridors difficult to pass through. He asked Yan Sifang to find a solution. Yan Sifang, still shocked by Lao Ding's wealth, initially intended to straightforwardly drive people away. However, Ji Mingzhao asked him to be tactful. Yan Sifang could only say half a sentence. He directly asked customers occupying space whether they were buying anything. One customer bought melon seeds but continued occupying space. Concerned, Ji Mingzhao asked Yan Sifang to discreetly remind these people not buying anything to leave.

Workers on the stairs were quick to leave when Yan Sifang mopped the floor the second time. However, a lady on the first floor remained unmoved even if Yan Sifang mopped fifty times. A scholar on the second floor was always polite, no matter how many times Yan Sifang mopped, and even said, "You've worked hard," making Yan Sifang helpless. Lao Ding was about to finish work. He politely bid farewell to Ji Mingzhao in the store, but his demeanor changed outside, demanding Ji Mingzhao to give an exact time to return home so he could arrange dinner. Ji Mingzhao was surprised but assured Lao Ding that he would return soon, watching Lao Ding leave.

Ying Baichi realized that Ye Wuzhi was his confidante, no longer insisting on selling poetry collections. After all, a true confidante is hard to find, and one person is enough. To deal with the scholars reading books without buying them, Ji Mingzhao arranged for Meng Sanxi, Ye Wuzhi, and Yan Sifang to replace the original covers with the bookstore's seal and insisted on payment upon opening. Ji Mingzhao forgot the agreement with Lao Ding due to overtime. When he remembered, he hurriedly led Meng Sanxi, Ye Wuzhi, and Yan Sifang to Lao Ding's house, where they obediently sat down to eat amid Lao Ding's angry roar.

The next day, readers found disappointment as the seals on the books were removed. Ji Mingzhao insincerely welcomed them back, feeling a bit harsh. Observing a neighbor's reluctance to provide a cool place for workers due to cleanliness concerns, he decided to change the store's business model. Yan Sifang worked overnight to make tables and chairs, converting the second floor into a resting area. Ji Mingzhao removed all the seals from the books, and Meng Sanxi made green bean soup. The next day, the unnamed department store introduced a one-penny promotion, allowing customers to read, rest, and receive a cup of green bean soup. Despite losing money that day, Ji Mingzhao felt an unprecedented sense of contentment. Meng Sanxi was willing to lend his seventy taels to Ji Mingzhao and promised to persuade Ying Baichi to supply goods at a 30% discount. To secure the discount, Meng Sanxi created a lyricist identity for the aspiring poet Ying Baichi and formed a group to sing the poems he wrote.

During Ji Mingzhao's school days, he was once bullied by Miss Liang, who messed up his desk with ink, taking advantage of the fact that Ji's family was not as wealthy as theirs and also hindering their business. Ji Mingzhao, not one to endure injustice, immediately smeared ink on Miss Liang's face. When she attempted to hit him, he preemptively slapped her, leading to a quick physical altercation where Ji Mingzhao sustained minor injuries. Dai Menghui and Liu Yungui, knowing about Ji Mingzhao's plight, decided to stand up for him. However, Miss Liang, relying on her family's business and numerous elder brothers, dismissively claimed she had struck first. A brawl ensued, and this time, Ji Mingzhao got more seriously injured.

Ji Mingxin, instead of sympathizing with Ji Mingzhao being bullied, mocked him for being weak in both literary and martial arts, calling him a useless person. Ji Mingzhao never forgot this mockery. In the current unnamed department store vote, they secured the fifteenth position. Ji Mingzhao aimed to surpass Ji Mingxin and become the fifth, redeeming himself. Ji Mingxin's target was to replace the Liang family in the first position. In her eyes, Ji Mingzhao was not ambitious.

Upon learning that people from the Liang family wanted to invest in Ji Mingzhao's unnamed department store, she refused, claiming she didn't need the money. However, they questioned if she wouldn't need money for the next month as well. Ji Mingzhao distributed silver notes to Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang, each receiving forty taels, while Ye Wuzhi received one hundred and ten taels. She also granted them a day off. Meng Sanxi mocked the Liang family for flaunting their wealth, stating that only hell banknotes had denominations of one hundred thousand taels. Despite being frustrated, the Liang family couldn't do anything to Meng Sanxi.

Ji Mingzhao, eager for money, approached her wealthy friend Liu Yungui for a loan. Unfortunately, Liu Yungui had already borrowed the entire amount earlier that morning from his father, leaving Ji Mingzhao with nothing. Dai Menghui, eating plain noodles, pulled out a copper coin in front of Ji Mingzhao. It was a coin given to him by a child that morning. Ji Mingzhao sighed, realizing why people like the Liang family called their families fallen. Liu Yungui, weakly stating that he wasn't too poor, found himself facing hostility from Ji Mingzhao and Dai Menghui, who promptly started cooking nutritious porridge to confront the relatively wealthy Liu Yungui.

Desperate for money, Ji Mingzhao sought out her wealthy acquaintance Lao Fan. However, she was too late. Gu Nianjiu had already borrowed six thousand taels from Lao Fan. Disappointed, Ji Mingzhao turned her attention to Lao Ding. To her surprise, Lao Ding did have thirty thousand taels. Enthusiastically listening to Lao Ding's explanation of where he hid the silver, Ji Mingzhao's eyes lit up. Unfortunately, Lao Ding had forgotten which mountain he hid it in. Ji Mingzhao's spirit instantly deflated as she walked aimlessly in the courtyard. Just then, Ye Wuzhi, who had recently been released from prison, embraced Ji Mingzhao, seeking strength from her. Ji Mingzhao learned that Ye Wuzhi had escaped imprisonment due to overtime and persuaded her not to insist on taking a break in the future.

Ying Baichi and Yan Sifang are part of the same music troupe. However, while Yan Sifang can only sit in the courtyard, Ying Baichi is privileged to sit at the main table. Ji Mingzhao informs Yan Sifang that Ying Baichi is an aloof figure because he stays out of the conflicts among the four major families and provides goods for everyone, making him untouchable. At this moment, the third Miss Liang catches Yan Sifang's attention. Ji Mingzhao asks him to observe closely and witnesses Miss Liang initiating a conversation with Ying Baichi. Taking advantage of the fact that Ying Baichi didn't invite her to the music troupe, she convinces him to offer a discount on a batch of goods. Feeling that he, too, is an untouchable figure, Yan Sifang goes to the Liang family's main table and secretly informs the Liang son that he is Tuoba Linghu. He claims to be able to create divine weapons but insists that the Liang son must provide the materials. The Liang son, skeptical, publicly exposes Yan Sifang's identity, ridicules him, and demands an apology.

Ji Mingzhao intervenes, but her status doesn't earn her respect from the Liang family. Instead, they propose that Yan Sifang kowtow to them as a way to resolve the situation. Ji Mingzhao refuses, leading to the Liang son slapping Yan Sifang, followed by Ji Mingzhao slapping the Liang son. In retaliation, the Liang son slaps Yan Sifang again and uses chopsticks to hit Ji Mingzhao's face, escalating the tension. Ying Baichi urges everyone to stop, and, out of respect for him, the Liang family reluctantly agrees to let the matter go. Ying Baichi, known for enjoying a good show, rewards them with one hundred taels as a target-shooting prize. Despite Ji Mingzhao and Ying Baichi both actively participating, Ji Mingzhao manages to win the one hundred taels. Ji Mingzhao decides to leave after winning, but the third Miss Liang, with her wealth, offers an additional two hundred taels as a bonus. Ji Mingzhao decides to stay and play a little longer. Yan Sifang, holding the recently won one hundred taels, feels uneasy.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ye Wuzhi finds Qi Yifan and forces him to reveal if he is connected to the case of Liu Yunxiao. Before Qi Yifan can respond, Ye Wuzhi pins him down and doesn't give him a chance to speak. When Qi Yifan finally finds an opportunity to speak, he reveals that there is an old man in the mansion who knows about Liu Yunxiao's case. Ye Wuzhi, wanting to apologize, offers money, but Qi Yifan, scared after the beating, dares not accept her money and pretends not to recognize her, hurrying away. Meng Sanxi approaches a servant in the mansion to inquire about supernatural events. However, the servant shares more about scandalous events, irritating Meng Sanxi. Finally, he learns about a corner in the mansion that constantly produces ghostly sounds. Meng Sanxi immediately goes with Wei Dongyang to investigate and discovers the mastermind behind the ghostly sounds, an expert who previously pretended to be a ghost at the Liu family's bathhouse. Meng Sanxi convinces the imposter to distract another expert, allowing him to search for Liu Yunxiao.

Liu Yunxiao, thinking Meng Sanxi is there to kill him, is surprised when Meng Sanxi seeks the truth. Liu Yunxiao, who hasn't seen his wife and daughter for five years, agrees to share information once he sees them. After arranging to meet later, Meng Sanxi leaves. This leaves the imposter expert feeling deceived but unable to retaliate due to the lack of a better collaborator. Ji Mingzhao, determined to earn the upcoming five hundred taels, continues reluctantly drinking and playing target shooting but lacks accuracy. Meng Sanxi, observing Ji Mingzhao's struggle, provokes the Liang family, encouraging them to substitute for Ji Mingzhao. The Liang fourth son agrees to Ye Wuzhi's challenge of drinking three bowls for one arrow, while Yan Sifang promises to throw ten arrows consecutively if he loses. Thinking they will witness the three companions embarrassing themselves, they are surprised when Ji Mingzhao wins all the money with her unmatched skills. Liang Er, wanting to turn the situation around, throws a stack of silver notes, asking Meng Sanxi to catch them. If one falls to the ground, Yan Sifang will have to kowtow ten times. Despite lacking internal strength, Meng Sanxi's martial arts and agility are top-notch. He skillfully catches all the silver notes. Yan Sifang then spikes Liang Er's drink, causing him to kneel in pain. This unexpected turn of events shocks everyone, making Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang triumphant.

Sanqi Dao of the Clear Serenity Sect listed the offenses of over a dozen disciples. The sect leader specifically gathered the disciples to inquire, and everyone admitted to having killed someone. Since the sect leader, as a master, would also be implicated, they insisted that a junior disciple, who was innocent, take over as the sect leader after their death. Wu Mowang's Unfounded Skill had reached perfection, but lacking experience outside the sect, there were concerns that if she succeeded, she might lead the disciples against Sanqi Dao relentlessly. Hence, the request for a junior disciple to take over immediately after their death. Sanqi Dao is now attacking the Clear Serenity Sect.

Liu Yunxiao confesses to Ye Wuzhi that he killed those sixteen people because they had killed his friend and the entire merchant group first. He believes that if he hadn't stopped them, they would have harmed other merchant groups. He worries about Ye Wuzhi's future in the sect and gives her a letter, suggesting that she seek refuge in the Liu family in Mu Yun City. He has one last wish, but before he can express it, Sanqi Dao attacks the Clear Serenity Sect.

Unnamed Emporium has risen from the fifteenth to the ninth position. The Liang family, unhappy with Ji Mingzhao's success, provokes her caravan intentionally. Ji Mingzhao, seeing her people being attacked and unable to retaliate, becomes furious. She orders her people to give a severe beating to the assailants. Both sides suffer injuries, but after offsetting medical expenses, Ji Mingzhao still earns over twenty taels. Recognizing this as a conspiracy by the Liang family, Ji Mingzhao openly confronts them. The Liang family spreads news about Ji Mingzhao engaging in a street fight, aiming to tarnish the reputation of Unnamed Emporium. To counter this, Ji Mingzhao decides to find a person universally hated, with moderate martial arts skills, and swiftly gain public favor by bringing them to justice.

In a gathering place for information, the Old Wang Noodle Shop, Ji Mingzhao learns about a suitable candidate named Ran Haoling, a notorious womanizer. She leads Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi to investigate the whereabouts of Ran Haoling. Unexpectedly, they witness Yun Gui talking with a rough man. The man praises Yun Gui, saying that he feels comfortable around him and invites him to return. Ji Mingzhao misinterprets the situation, and Yun Gui, realizing her thoughts, warns them to leave quickly. Ji Mingzhao believes Yun Gui did something indecent but decides not to expose him. She warns Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi not to spread rumors after returning to the city to avoid harming Yun Gui's reputation.

When Ji Mingzhao tries to book a room, only a side room is available. They analyze the peculiarities of the inn, noting the oddity that there are fewer people than rooms. Yan Sifang speculates that it might be a meeting place, and the superior rooms have already been booked. The innkeeper reveals that a martial arts gathering is about to take place, and no one is allowed to leave once inside. Realizing they are in a trap, they quickly return to their room. The wanted posters issued during the meeting prominently feature Sanqi Dao, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi. Ji Mingzhao decides to buy disguises from the innkeeper. After disguising themselves and stepping onto the square, they attract attention. Claiming to be the Four Heroes, Sanqi Dao is about to be recognized as an uninvited guest when Meng Sanxi steps forward, stating that they are under her command. This saves them from immediate trouble. Sanqi Dao is wanted because, in his prime, he captured many wanted criminals for the authorities. Now, without internal strength but possessing exceptional martial arts and skills, he has become a valuable target. Yan Sifang, a talented formation and weapons expert, is sought after because anyone obtaining him will enhance their power. Ye Wuzhi's Unfounded Skill can elevate one's realm, making her a target for those seeking power.

Ji Mingzhao discovers that Ye Wuzhi is the wanted Mo Ruoshi and, thinking about the Unfounded Skill, feels like she has found a rare treasure. She praises Ye Wuzhi excessively, forgetting her own moderate skills. Meng Sanxi and Yan Sifang feel devalued by Ji Mingzhao, who is fixated on using Ye Wuzhi to eliminate all the criminals. They remind her that Ye Wuzhi's strength is insufficient for such a task and that it's easier for her to become the target. Ji Mingzhao, realizing the reality, decides to heed Liu Yungui's advice and focus on capturing the flower thief.

In the crowd, Ji Mingzhao feels the gaze of the flower thief, marking him as the target. She boasts about herself, alarming Meng Sanxi and others. Meng Sanxi suggests capturing the criminal at night to avoid attention, but Dai Menghui opposes the idea. He arrived late because he had to collect 150 taels in copper coins to pay for information. Since Meng Sanxi and others are known as his associates, leaving together would be suspicious. To maintain their cover, Dai Menghui insists they act collectively.

Ying Baichi, spending 150 taels, learns about the excitement here and brings Wei Dongyang. To merge with Meng Sanxi's group, Wei Dongyang claims to know them. Meng Sanxi introduces Wei Dongyang as his younger brother, making him part of their network. Ji Mingzhao leads Ran Haoling to a secluded place, confirming him as the flower thief. They appear and subdue him together.

Ye Wuzhi learns that her portrait was described by Senior Chen Bin and doesn't believe it. From Ran Haoling, she discovers that after the attack on Clear Serenity Sect, the sect's strength diminished, and both good and evil sought the power of the Unfounded Skill. Seeking revenge, she confronts Clear Serenity Sect. Chen Bin, captured by thieves, endures seven days of torture without revealing Ye Wuzhi's appearance. Eventually, drugged, he provides her description. Chen Bin is killed, and Zhao Tianshuo sacrifices himself for the sect.

Knowing Ran Haoling is the mastermind, Ye Wuzhi wants revenge. Dai Menghui and Wei Dongyang, aware of the consequences, stop her. Meng Sanxi suggests a plan: manipulating the thieves by making Yun Gui pretend to be a doctor, peek at the contract, alter the map, create discord among the three leaders, and then reveal Ye Wuzhi, drawing the pursuers into a trap. Wei Dongyang, fighting the thieves, displays the moves that killed Bei Xiaohai. When Ye Wuzhi is about to kill the leader, Meng Sanxi intervenes, holding her sword, pleading for her not to stain her hands with blood.

Ye Wuzhi stops, collapsing into Meng Sanxi's arms. Wei Dongyang, concerned, is denied a closer look by Meng Sanxi. Ji Mingzhao is perplexed by Meng Sanxi's inappropriate treatment of her lifesaver, while Yan Sifang suspects Meng Sanxi of wanting to monopolize Ye Wuzhi and Ji Mingzhao. Liu Yungui, to avoid future trouble, speculates that the other two leaders are almost defeated and decides to leave. Dai Menghui gains the approval of two leaders, with one offering him a stack of silver notes. The other finds money too vulgar and drapes a cloak made by his wife over Dai Menghui, encouraging him. Ji Mingzhao's Unnamed Emporium captures the flower thief, gaining praise from the public.

Injured, Ye Wuzhi leans on Meng Sanxi as they sit on a cart, pulled by Yan Sifang, while Ji Mingzhao walks beside them. When Ye Wuzhi wakes up, Yan Sifang suggests changing the person pulling the cart due to fatigue. However, everyone prefers the current arrangement, and Ji Mingzhao and Ye Wuzhi find the four-person group suitable for their journey.

Five years ago, Yan Sifang forged the Bright Sky Sword for a sect, becoming the sect's divine weapon and earning him considerable money. Asked to forge another, he created the Shattered Sky Sword, adding a hundred thousand taels to his wealth. Yan Sifang made a pact with the sect leader not to disclose his involvement, and in return, the leader wouldn't reveal Yan Sifang's whereabouts. They parted ways, and Yan Sifang returned to Tuoba Village.

The villagers seemed skeptical until the old village chief greeted Yan Sifang. They warmed up, inquiring about his life. Yan Sifang's old house was securely locked, making him think the chief preserved it, but upon opening it, he found a storage room with valuable items. The chief revealed their royal lineage and the village's purpose as a refuge from wars. Yan Sifang, skeptical until shown the imperial seal, believed the chief's words.

Utilizing his skills, Yan Sifang crafted elixirs, buying various goods for the villagers, distributing his earnings, and advising against farming. The chief mentioned the village's discovery and a buyer for the stored items, promising resettlement in the city. Seeing Yan Sifang's prosperous life, the chief decided to move the village.

Returning later, Yan Sifang found the village gone. At night, he sneaked into the mansion using a map, broke six locks, and, after opening a secret room, saw the imperial seal. Despite temptation, he left it untouched. Ji Mingzhao, noticing Yan Sifang's absence, worried and contemplated reporting to the authorities. However, thinking of the reward for catching the flower thief, she slept until morning.

The next day, Ye Wuzhi, Meng Sanxi, and Ji Mingzhao, having breakfast, saw Yan Sifang return. He didn't reveal his whereabouts, teasing Ji Mingzhao and swiftly distributing the reward. Afterward, he checked the wanted posters. Knowing Ye Wuzhi's gambling habits, she lent money to Meng Sanxi to gather information. She planned to interrogate the master once Meng Sanxi subdued him using deceitful methods.

Observing Ye Wuzhi's calculations, Meng Sanxi felt hurt, realizing his perceived lowliness in her eyes. The rankings showed No-Name Emporium at fourth and Gu Nianjiu's shop at fifth. Gu Nianjiu, distinguishing singles with accessories, gifted everyone a charm. Yan Sifang chose a triangle for single status, surprising Ye Wuzhi, who merely wanted variety. Gu Nianjiu rejoiced at Meng Sanxi's presumed lack of success in pursuing Ye Wuzhi.

To boost the shop's ranking, Ji Mingzhao planned an art event but faced a lengthy approval process. Desperate, they sought help, but the authorities couldn't expedite the process. Dai Menghui, recognized by a gang leader, aimed to solidify his position. Ji Mingzhao, disguised as gang members, gifted the leader to secure favorable words and discovered the leader's interest in Tuoba Linghu's crafted Shattered Sky Sword.

Yan Sifang, in order to help Dai Menghui complete the mission successfully, quickly stopped the gang leader who was about to leave. He wanted to know if the leader only wanted to see the divine weapons in the yamen or if anything crafted by Tuoba Linghu would suffice. Upon learning that any divine weapon would do, he mentioned that the Liang family also had one. However, the Liang family's security was tight, and it wasn't easy to enter.

Ji Mingzhao, thinking of Gu Nianjiu, went to find her. Gu Nianjiu, seeing Ji Mingzhao's attire, immediately guessed that he intended to conceal his identity. She found an excuse to speak privately with Ji Mingzhao. Ji Mingzhao admitted his desire to see the Liang family's divine weapon, and Gu Nianjiu asked for the plan. Ji Mingzhao had no choice but to reveal that in nine days, they would organize a public event in the square to gain votes. Even if someone tried to imitate, it would be too late.

Gu Nianjiu requested Ji Mingzhao's agreement to co-host the event, and only then was she willing to lead a group into the Liang mansion. Gu Nianjiu, using the excuse of delivering new products to the Liang family, had Yan Sifang, Ji Mingzhao, Ye Wuzhi, Meng Sanxi, and the gang leader who wanted to see the divine weapon distribute gifts, while she engaged the steward.

Meng Sanxi, taking advantage of the situation, went with Yan Sifang to the maids' quarters to find the master's wife. They identified the target, with Yan Sifang keeping watch, and Meng Sanxi passing on messages during the gift distribution. The gang leader was delighted with the divine weapon and immediately instructed to return a letter expressing satisfaction to the gang leader. Dai Menghui, interpreting the gang leader's actions, realized the plan to steal the Liang family's divine weapon that night. He instructed Ji Mingzhao to continue playing her role, while he directly occupied Ji Mingzhao's master bedroom, justifying it as being for the sake of the people.

Ye Wuzhi wanted to find Wei Dongyang, but he had been missing for ten days. Knowing that the three aunts knew a lot, she inquired with them. Uninterested in the disappearance, they changed their minds when Ye Wuzhi mentioned Meng Sanxi's hint about a mysterious past between Wei Dongyang and himself. Sensing valuable information, the aunts promised swift results.

Yan Sifang went to Fengren Court late for dinner. The head chef had already left, and Qiu Yuebai personally cooked for him. Yan Sifang found the food delicious and wished to eat it for a lifetime. However, realizing he had no money today, he used the pendant given by Gu Nianjiu to settle the bill.

Yan Sifang wrote a letter to Meng Sanxi but struggled to fit it into her house. Ultimately, he decided to leave the letter and went to the woods. As he opened the lid, Meng Sanxi stopped him. Yan Sifang already knew that Liang Lao Si must be related to the disappearance of Tuoba Village, and he wanted to avenge them. Meng Sanxi advised him to gather all his enemies before taking action, but Yan Sifang feared that living with them would make him reluctant to seek revenge. Confident in his mechanisms, Yan Sifang sparred with Meng Sanxi. Meng Sanxi, under the effect of a pill restoring eighty percent of his strength, engaged in the fight. Using his mechanical armor, Yan Sifang exhausted Meng Sanxi until he collapsed. Carrying Meng Sanxi, who pretended to be unconscious, they returned home. At the courtyard gate, they detected a strong fragrance, and with the room empty, they didn't know where to find people.

Suddenly, the aunts appeared, saying that they saw Ye Wuzhi, Ji Mingzhao, and others being abducted by gang members and had already left the city. Yan Sifang and Meng Sanxi rushed to pursue, but it was curfew, and the city gate was difficult to exit. Yan Sifang had a secret weapon, and carrying Meng Sanxi on his back, he climbed over the city wall and used a horse to chase after the abductors.

Dai Menghui had already been tied up by the gang leader and thrown into the carriage to prevent casualties. Forced to cooperate, he let the leader tie him up. When Yan Sifang caught up, using his mechanical armor, he quickly subdued everyone. The yamen officers also arrived. Yan Sifang and Meng Sanxi, to avoid exposing themselves, pretended to be unconscious on the carriage. Dai Menghui had no choice but to claim credit for subduing the thieves, but the officers were skeptical when they saw Dai Menghui tied up. Meng Sanxi found Wei Dongyang, suspecting him of leaking information that led to the revelation of Ye Wuzhi's secret as Mo Ruoshi. She went to hold him accountable. Wei Dongyang admitted that he was from the 37th Road, but he genuinely hadn't leaked any information. He decided that Meng Sanxi would come to him for answers in ten days.

Many years ago, Meng Sanxi brought Bei Xiaohai back to the sect to celebrate the New Year and unexpectedly found it deserted. Although he couldn't believe it, a letter on the table from Wang Dali explicitly told him that everything was true. In the letter, Wang Dali claimed to be a deity, but Meng Sanxi didn't believe it. On the back of the letter, Wang Dali expressly stated that he and his disciples were deities, had returned to the heavenly court, and it wasn't what Meng Sanxi thought – they had just moved without informing him. Bei Xiaohai stubbornly believed that the sect had only moved and left a message for Wang Dali, asking him to disclose their new address.

The next year, Meng Sanxi, whose life had taken a downturn, returned once again. This time, his good friend Bei Xiaohai had been killed. He hoped for a reunion meal but found the sect still empty, and there was no response to the message left the previous year. Feeling despondent, Meng Sanxi left another message, adopting a more humble tone, pleading with Wang Dali to provide the new address. Meng Sanxi hoped that Wang Dali was truly a celestial being, as that would mean he knew Meng Sanxi had been searching for them and would come to see him. Meng Sanxi concluded the letter with a sentence threatening to throw a tantrum if he wasn't given the new address, spending another lonely Spring Festival.

These two years had been good for Meng Sanxi – not only did his martial arts greatly improve, but he also swept through both the dark and white sides of society. Returning to the sect once again, he found it devoid of people, which saddened him. However, he still harbored hope. So, when his martial arts were depleted, he returned once more, only to be greeted by an empty courtyard. Meng Sanxi, now the target of the sweep, learned about Bei Xiaohai's hometown. He returned to clear Bei Xiaohai's name, and this should be his last visit. Seeing no response to his messages, Meng Sanxi incessantly brainwashed himself, convincing himself that Wang Dali and the others were indeed deities, which explained their prolonged absence.

Tears streaming down his face, Meng Sanxi shouted to the sky, declaring that Wang Dali was a deity, ensuring he had lived a lively life until now because of their blessings. With the notion that they were deities, Meng Sanxi's courage seemed to grow. Today was the day of Ji Mingzhao's party. To ensure smooth proceedings, she convened a meeting with her employees. However, Meng Sanxi, Ye Wuzhi, and Yan Sifang whispered below, leading to Ji Mingzhao's dissatisfaction. After the meeting, she demanded the three to stay behind, warning them not to mess up.

Meng Sanxi, Ji Mingzhao, and Yan Sifang adhered to Ji Mingzhao's request and went to accompany Ying Baichi for practice. After reaching the location, Qiu Yuebai wanted Yan Sifang to taste his new dish, and Ying Baichi wanted Ye Wuzhi to listen to his new poem, but both were rejected. Liu Yungui and Dai Menghui, seeing Ji Mingzhao absent from rehearsal, also chose to leave without looking back, one claiming to visit a patient and the other citing work.

Meng Sanxi found the master of the Liang family, who wanted to cut off his hand. He produced a packet of powder, instructing him to poison it. However, the master of the Liang family, skilled in discerning any poison, was skeptical. Over the years, he had been poisoned by the Liang family's master several times but had never succumbed. Still, Meng Sanxi insisted, claiming the medicine was his own creation. The master of the Liang family began to believe when he left, suspecting that Meng Sanxi and the others were plotting against him. He secretly returned to observe them. For an entire afternoon, the four endured a standoff, staring at each other. When the party began, their legs were already numb.

Concerned that Meng Sanxi and the others were plotting against him, the master of the Liang family had thought of a countermeasure. After administering the poison, he planned to observe its effects. If it failed, he would throw Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi into dealing with the master of the Liu family, then run away himself. Seizing the opportunity while the master of the Liang family was administering the poison, Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi grabbed some food to eat. The master of the Liang family, seeing this, immediately snatched the food and ate it himself. Yan Sifang had already laced the hallucinogenic mushrooms into the food. After the master of the Liang family ate it, he fell under the influence of the hallucinogen. Meng Sanxi, responsible for ensuring everyone was affected, took the severed hand to the party to meet his wife and daughter, while Ye Wuzhi and Yan Sifang went separately to find out the truth from knowledgeable people.

To entice the master of the Liang family into falling for their plan, Meng Sanxi also ingested some hallucinogenic mushrooms. In the hallucination, he met his good friend Bei Xiaohai. Yan Sifang also entered the hallucination, and unlike the visions of his parents he saw years ago, this time he encountered the old village chief. The old village chief advised him to take it easy and not burden society by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.

When Meng Sanxi cried in Bei Xiaohai's arms, all his sect friends suddenly appeared. Learning that Meng Sanxi hadn't shed a single tear for them, they were a bit unhappy and asked for the reason. They found out it was because Meng Sanxi had blamed them for not secretly putting silver notes in his baggage before he left the sect. They exclaimed one by one the amount they had covertly included, some as little as a few dozen taels, others as much as over a thousand taels. These silver notes were all lost by Meng Sanxi himself. This made Meng Sanxi let go of the resentment in his heart, and he laughed heartily because he knew that his sect brothers had never abandoned him.

In the hallucination, Ye Wuzhi saw her master, who was still worried about her temperament being influenced. Upon learning that she had started drinking, he advised her to drink less. Zhao Shishu (a senior uncle) knew that Ye Wuzhi wanted to go to the gambling house and generously distributed silver notes to everyone. Just as everyone was pleased, the master reminded them to keep their emotions in check.

Yan Sifang knew he was in a hallucination but still enjoyed the warmth of the villagers' presence. He was afraid he might become addicted to the hallucinogenic mushrooms, so he kept his head down, not daring to look up. His parents appeared in the hallucination, claiming they had their reasons for leaving him alone in the village. However, Yan Sifang had secretly visited them five years ago and had seen them as a happy family. He knew they were trying to deceive him, so he endured the fading effects of the hallucinogenic mushrooms and returned to reality.

Ye Wuzhi looked at the stack of silver notes in front of Senior Uncle Zhao, feeling puzzled. Soon, she also woke up from the hallucination. Meng Sanxi had always been conflicted about whether his sect brothers were really deities. When he saw them emit a golden halo, he started to believe this, watching them disappear. Bei Xiaohai was also about to leave, and Meng Sanxi understood that he was already dead. Despite his reluctance, he had to face this reality and woke up from the hallucination.

After Yan Sifang, Ye Wuzhi, and Meng Sanxi all woke up, they spontaneously claimed they were doing well. Soon, Yan Sifang and Ye Wuzhi worked together to bring the severed hand to Meng Sanxi. Yan Sifang questioned the Liang family's master about whether he knew about the Tuoba Village massacre. When he didn't know, Yan Sifang asked about the incident where the merchant caravan was attacked. He learned that it was the other Liang brothers who had attacked the caravan but had falsely framed Liang Wu for it. He couldn't help but sigh at the complexity of powerful families.

The Liang family's master had not taken much of the hallucinogenic drug, and Yan Sifang saw that he was about to wake up. So, he gave him another poison. Meng Sanxi rushed back with the severed hand. When he saw that the Liang family's master was awake, he quickly took a pill that could restore his strength by one-third and protected the severed hand as they entered a room. Just as they sat down, the master of the Liu family also woke up and heard the sounds of a fight outside. He immediately issued a warning.

The Liang family's master realized that his strength was greatly diminished and didn't dare to confront the master of the Liu family head-on. He also had no way to deal with Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi, so he went to find Ji Mingzhao's bad luck. At this point, the evening performance was nearing its end. Yan Sifang, Ji Mingzhao, Ying Baichi, and Ye Wuzhi had all disappeared, and the planned choral performance couldn't proceed. Ji Mingzhao, keeping her composure in the face of adversity, asked Gu Nianjiu to perform a solo instrument piece.

As soon as the sound of the guzheng started, the Liang family's master descended onto the stage. Ye Wuzhi, Yan Sifang, and Meng Sanxi followed him down, and they quickly engaged in a battle. To appease the audience, Ji Mingzhao announced that this was a special performance they had prepared, and she herself joined the fight. Yan Sifang kept trying to shoot the Liang family's master, but he kept missing. Fortunately, in the end, he seized an opportunity to shoot him. However, the Liang family's master pulled out the needles that had struck him and shot them back at others, causing panic.

During a crucial moment, Qiu Yuebai and Dai Menghui finally intervened. They managed to protect everyone's safety, forcing the Liang family's master to retreat. The performance was a success, and the audience was highly satisfied.

This time, Unknown Emporium has directly risen to the first place. Ji Mingzhao, in her joy, couldn't help but show off a bit. So, with Meng Sanxi, Ye Wuzhi, and Yan Sifang, she shouted at the top of the rankings to challenge Ji Mingxin, asking her to open her eyes and see that Unknown Emporium is now in first place. However, Ji Mingxin didn't show up at all. Not willing to be lonely, Ji Mingzhao went to show off her ranking to Gu Nianjiu. Gu Nianjiu received the second place this time, already the first for the Liang family. However, she envied Ji Mingzhao's freedom, so Ji Mingzhao extended an olive branch to Gu Nianjiu, saying she had a big plan and wanted to invite Gu Nianjiu to join. However, Gu Nianjiu had her own plans and didn't agree.

The Yamen of Muyun City suddenly announced that the originally promised reward of the Poxian Sword for the first place would be replaced by a poetry collection written by Ying Baichi and a ten thousand two silver voucher for the Ying family's business. This news dissatisfied Ji Mingzhao, Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi, who all sighed in disappointment. A new city lord arrived in Muyun City, and the people welcomed him. Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi initially thought it was uninteresting, but they unexpectedly found that the new lord looked a lot like someone they knew. The three couldn't help but catch up to get a closer look, and Ji Mingzhao found this behavior strange.

Meng Sanxi, Yan Sifang, and Ye Wuzhi pondered their own thoughts under the rankings. Regardless of what Ji Mingzhao said, their responses were perfunctory, which made Ji Mingzhao a bit angry. She asked the three to go back to the store and ponder. Ji Mingzhao, feeling proud of her first-place ranking, wanted to inform Ji Mingxin with a big show. So, she specially invited a group of people to rehearse with her, determined to make Ji Mingxin feel ashamed for underestimating her in the past. Ji Sanjie came out when she heard the noise, thinking Ji Mingzhao forgot to bring her keys. Ji Mingzhao asked to see Ji Mingxin, but Ji Mingxin had already gone to the money house early in the morning. Her parents followed to show off because, last month, all the shops were losing money, but Ji Mingxin's shop made over three thousand two. Knowing this, Ji Mingzhao, hearing Ji Sanjie mention the two thousand two Ji Mingxin lent her for turnover, no longer had the face to boast to Ji Mingxin. She had to quickly go for financing to expand the store and strive for more profits.

As soon as Meng Sanxi returned to the store, he wanted to spread some news. So, he asked Yan Sifang and Ye Wuzhi to watch the store while he hurriedly left. Meng Sanxi accused Lao Wang Noodle House of giving inaccurate information about prices. This angered the shopkeeper, who simply brought out the money box to refund Meng Sanxi. But Meng Sanxi refused. The shopkeeper could tell that Meng Sanxi wanted to spread news, but he couldn't afford the real culprit's price. The shopkeeper then mentioned that Dai Menghui left the Dai family to seek revenge for Dai Da. In recent years, Dai Menghui had become increasingly poor but had earned the title of one of Muyun's Five Sons through persistence and effort, indicating that he wasn't idling in the Yamen. Ye Wuzhi, as soon as she had money, wanted to gamble. She followed her inner desires, asked Yan Sifang to watch the store, and immediately rushed to the gambling house. The beggar at the door asked Ye Wuzhi for a penny, congratulating her on her good luck. However, before the beggar could finish speaking, Ye Wuzhi lost all her money. Seeing Ye Wuzhi's eager eyes, the beggar thought she might be able to turn things around with a steel plate and quickly protected his copper plates. Ye Wuzhi noticed that the person selling chestnuts next to the gambling house was her senior brother Zhou Yang. She went up to recognize him, but he didn't want to acknowledge her at all. Ye Wuzhi pointed out the wound on his neck, which he got during their sparring. Zhou Yang quickly adjusted his collar but still refused to recognize Ye Wuzhi and left.

Yan Sifang's parents brought their children to Unknown Emporium to buy things. Seeing their happy family, Yan Sifang envied them but also felt pain. While looking for money, he couldn't help but cry hiding under the counter. When Ye Wuzhi returned to the store, her eyes were also wet. Ji Mingzhao happened to bring people back to visit, saying that the two were crying because they wanted to cry on their own, asking them to put up the "Temporarily Closed" sign and not let anyone in. Meng Sanxi and Ye Wuzhi, on behalf of Ji Mingzhao, went to receive the award. They recognized the new city lord and the guard as people from their sect and were invited to the lord's mansion. The city lord, Gao Ziyu, was Meng Sanxi's senior brother. He wanted to explain the matter of the sect, but Meng Sanxi stubbornly believed that they were all immortals who had gone to heaven and refused to recognize Gao Ziyu. Ye Wuzhi's martial uncle was frightened by the people from Sanqi Dao, so he pretended to be dead with the surviving eleven people, escaping a catastrophe. They hid in the market just to survive. Ye Wuzhi, who had seen the "Wu Wang Jue," would bring danger to them. So, Zhou Yang and Zhao Shishu didn't dare to recognize Ye Wuzhi.

Yan Sifang always unconsciously stared at the table of a nearby family. Hearing the child's father scolding the child for eating loudly and shaking his legs, he unconsciously compared it, always stopping subconsciously. Qiu Yuebai noticed Yan Sifang's actions and advised him not to be so concerned. Yan Sifang expressed his sadness, saying that no matter how similar, he could never replace the child at that table. Qiu Yuebai told Yan Sifang that he, too, was an irreplaceable person.

Meng Sanxi went with a sword to find Wei Dongyang. At this time, Wei Dongyang was sitting bored in a chair in the courtyard, looking at the sky. Meng Sanxi saw the cloth strips wrapped around the hilt of Wei Dongyang's sword and remembered that day in the thieves' den when Wei Dongyang was his fifth brother, Wu. In Muyun City, there is a celebrity named Li Junzi. Wei Dongyang went to see her performance seventeen times in four months, spending all his monthly money and even the silver extorted from Meng Sanxi and others. Meng Sanxi already knew that Bei Xiaohai and Li Junzi were in love in the past, but faced opposition from their families. After Bei Xiaohai's death, Li Junzi returned to Muyun City to make a living by dancing, but her soul was missing a piece. Muyun City is a good place, and if ordinary people live there, they should be able to live well. However, Meng Sanxi and Wei Dongyang are people of the Jianghu and are destined not to be peaceful.

Wei Dongyang has been learning brewing and pottery recently, but his skills are really poor. The wine he brews is like porridge, and the ceramic cup leaks. Twenty days ago, Wei Dongyang received a mission to kill Meng Sanxi. However, his previous mission was to protect Meng Sanxi. He didn't understand why the mission changed so much. So, he hid in the courtyard for ten days and finally understood the meaning of the elder before leaving. Wei Dongyang and Meng Sanxi met in a military confrontation. This time, deliberately luring Meng Sanxi alone, he knew that he was absolutely no match if Ye Wuzhi and Meng Sanxi teamed up. After Meng Sanxi took the medicine, he fought evenly with Wei Dongyang. However, when Meng Sanxi's sword stabbed over, Wei Dongyang chose to close his eyes and seek death. Meng Sanxi was puzzled and wanted to withdraw his move but couldn't stop it. Fortunately, Ye Wuzhi and Yan Sifang arrived, and they poisoned Wei Dongyang, causing him to lose all his martial arts within a day. Meng Sanxi stopped Ye Wuzhi from dealing with Wei Dongyang until now, he learned from Wei Dongyang that he had actually been chosen by Sanqi Dao as a discarded child. If Wei Dongyang successfully killed Meng Sanxi, he would be eliminated by Sanqi Dao for killing an innocent person. If Meng Sanxi killed him, he would be eliminated for killing an innocent person. Wei Dongyang didn't want Meng Sanxi to die, so he wanted to end it all with his own death. Meng Sanxi felt that he could still choose to both be injured and escape punishment, but Wei Dongyang already knew the harm Sanqi Dao caused to ordinary people. He also knew that Sanqi Dao had killed Bei Xiaohai, and he didn't want to go back and become a tool for clearance. Regardless of Wei Dongyang and Meng Sanxi's thoughts, Ye Wuzhi only knew that she had to go to the Yamen to handle the matter of hitting someone. So, Wei Dongyang was banished by the Yamen for seven years for injuring Meng Sanxi, resolving his dilemma. Meng Sanxi was very satisfied with this ending. He had already handed over all the evidence to the Yamen and promised Wei Dongyang that they would be friends when he returned.

Ye Wuzhi already knew that Zhou Yang didn't recognize her to save his life. She felt guilty for tearing Zhou Yang's pants last time. She borrowed money from Meng Sanxi to buy new clothes and sent them to Zhou Yang. Pretending not to know him, she bought five bags of chestnuts, gave one to the beggar at the entrance of the gambling house, and carried the remaining four bags home. Meng Sanxi sighed about recent events and wanted to believe that there were truly immortals in the sky. However, he couldn't convince himself. At this time, Ye Wuzhi, who never lied, expressed Meng Sanxi's feelings, making Meng Sanxi feel comforted. The two shed tears with red eyes. Ye Wuzhi's biggest heartache was that no one dared to admit knowing her, but Meng Sanxi dared. Wherever and whenever, Meng Sanxi would openly admit that he knew Ye Wuzhi, which deeply moved her. In the past, Yan Sifang was always trapped in his father's teachings, not daring to shake his legs, needing to wear shoes properly, and not making a loud noise when drinking soup. But now he has cast all of that aside. Ye Wuzhi and Meng Sanxi accompanied Yan Sifang to do the movements he had never dared to do, and the three of them became more and more intoxicated as they drank. Ji Mingxin and Dai Menghui have always been working hard to avenge their brothers. Qiu Yuebai accompanied Ying Baichi to visit his parents. The two worried about how to delay their wedding. Liu Yungui went to see Duan Shou, and Duan Shou said he didn't reveal what he did that year to Meng Sanxi. On the mountain road, Lao Ding and Gu Nianjiu walked among a group of people, and in the distance came angry curses against Sanqi Dao.

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