All the people under Heaven.
How heavy are these four words?
Xu Ping’an had never memorized them, so he wasn’t sure. But just hearing them made his shoulders feel unbearably heavy, as if he couldn’t even straighten his back.
He held his brush above the paper for a long time, thick ink dripping onto the rice paper, but he still couldn’t manage to draw a single stroke.
“Heh…”
With a self-deprecating laugh, Xu Ping’an casually set the brush back on the rack. He took a deep breath, walked to the window, and hid in the shadows, peering through a gap outside.
The courtyard remained peaceful. Even after hearing his earth-shattering words, the three people in the west wing seemed unmoved.
But Xu Ping’an knew very well—what he said was enough to shake anyone’s worldview, Li Yuer and the others included.
Why haven’t they come out yet? Did I scare them so badly they’ve lost their minds?
Though his words had sounded cold and heartless, Xu Ping’an still worried about Li Yuer.
After all, it’s just professional ethics.
“Darling~ Darling~ Are you there?”
Pei Qingxuan’s voice came from outside the door.
“Dear, weren’t you taking Mumu for a walk?”
“Mhm~ All done~”
“All done?”
Xu Ping’an was stunned. Hadn’t she just left less than fifteen minutes ago?
And she’s already finished?
In the courtyard, the little donkey was standing there, motionless.
“What… what’s wrong with it?”
“I don’t know~ I took it around the mountain, and then it ended up like this.”
Pei Qingxuan looked at him with an innocent expression.
“You… you took it, and in five minutes, you ran around that mountain behind us?”
He pointed at Pei Qingxuan, then at the mountain behind the house in disbelief.
That mountain was nearly a thousand meters tall.
“Yup~ Didn’t you say I should take it for a walk around the mountain?”
Pei Qingxuan looked genuinely curious.
Xu Ping’an was speechless.
Is that what I meant by ‘walk around the mountain’?
Now he understood why the donkey was standing there, dumb as a post.
It must have been Pei Qingxuan who dragged the little donkey up and down two thousand meters in five minutes.
If it wasn’t stunned, that would be strange.
If it were him, he’d be stunned too!
Not asking a thing, she just grabbed the rope and dragged it up the mountain—two and a half minutes up, two and a half minutes down.
The donkey hadn’t even realized what was happening before it was back down again.
“Forget it… It’s fine, a little exercise is good.”
Seeing the confusion in Pei Qingxuan’s eyes, Xu Ping’an softly comforted her, pulling her into his arms.
Only in moments like this did he feel that the chaos outside was far away from him.
He closed the door with a casual motion and pulled over a chair, sitting by the window.
Pei Qingxuan seemed to enjoy being in his arms, lowering her head and resting it gently on his shoulder.
“Darling, you seem troubled.”
“You noticed?”
Xu Ping’an looked at the woman in his arms, a bit surprised.
He hadn’t expected her to be so simple-minded, yet so keenly perceptive.
“Mhm~ Is it because of Sister Yuer?”
Sister… Yuer?
“Since when did you two start calling each other sisters?”
“A while ago~ The first time we met, we started calling each other sisters. She said it made us feel closer.”
His silly wife, not even realizing she’s been baited.
Did Li Yuer really just want to get closer to you?
She’s trying to steal you away, my foolish wife!
Xu Ping’an shook his head and smiled wryly.
Isn’t it obvious?
Li Yuer must be planning to start with Pei Qingxuan, which is why things turned out this way.
Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that she genuinely wanted to be friends with Pei Qingxuan.
But… if she were really that simple, she wouldn’t have come to this courtyard for treatment.
Nine Yin Severed Meridians, Heaven’s Malice, Earth’s Aversion, Seven Apertures, Supreme Jade.
With a single glance, she could come up with a hundred and eighty schemes.
She was cunning among the cunning.
Even Xu Ping’an couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t be outplayed by this girl.
Let alone the amnesiac, muddleheaded, and silly Pei Qingxuan.
“From today on, you can’t meet with Li Yuer anymore, understand?”
“Why?”
Pei Qingxuan didn’t object, but she looked at Xu Ping’an with curiosity.
Xu Ping’an considered for a moment before explaining to his wife:
“She wants something from me, but I don’t want to do it. So I want to avoid her. If nothing unexpected happens, she’ll be leaving in a few days. When the time comes, say goodbye properly. This might be the last time you see her.”
Although he didn’t know exactly what was happening in the Imperial Court, the Emperor had coughed up blood in front of the Wenwu Baiguan.
This was no small matter!
And now, the Sect Master of the Floating Cloud Sect was missing. Putting the pieces together—
Even a fool could see that some Prince or Imperial Prince was planning to overturn the heavens.
A healthy body suddenly vomiting blood could only mean one thing: poisoning.
From Li Yuer’s words, several things became clear.
First, the Emperor vomited blood, and the court was in turmoil.
Second, the Court Loyalists managed to temporarily control the Imperial Court, but feared the situation would change, so they summoned the Zhennan King to the capital to stabilize the ministers.
Third, after the Emperor vomited blood, instead of seeking the Floating Cloud Sect’s cultivators to detoxify him, Li Yuer came directly to him for help.
This clearly meant that the Floating Cloud Sect was in chaos as well.
Perhaps all the factions had already split apart.
Now, the Floating Cloud Sect couldn’t be relied on, and the regional lords’ intentions were unclear.
Many of them were probably watching and waiting, but surely some were biding their time, waiting for the next move.
And what would that next move be?
Of course, the current Emperor’s Heavenly Mandate would come to an end.
Once that happened, no matter what edicts the Emperor issued, ambitious men would find a pretext to raise troops in the name of supporting the throne.
Then, a drama of Qing Jun Ce and Jing Guo Nan would unfold.
There might even be a young Emperor on the throne, with a Regent in control.
In short, the muddy waters were beginning to stir.
And Li Yuer was clearly already caught up in it.
“Mister, Yuer begs Mister to grant a solution! Since Mister can see through the ills of the present court and foresee the decline of Great Qi, Yuer earnestly requests Mister’s counsel!”
Before Xu Ping’an could react, Li Yuer’s voice came from outside the door again.
“Mister need not answer in haste. Yuer understands Mister’s concerns. Yuer does not ask Mister to step forward, only to offer a single plan—to save Great Qi from collapse, to prop up the crumbling edifice!”
Xu Ping’an slapped his thigh, making Pei Qingxuan whimper in pain.
“Great, I’ve said too much—now she’s set her sights on me!”