He had just uttered the last word when the pedestrian light at the empty crossroads turned green.

Afraid that Gan Qing would show some kind of reaction, the moment it turned green, Yu Lanchuan dragged her to charge across the road like he was rushing for time. He was tall and his legs long, and he walked fast enough that there was a breeze. Gan Qing didn't know whether to laugh or to cry, dragged behind him like a kite.

Yu Lanchuan had a good figure and carried his clothes well like a clothes rack. From the back, his profile was neither wide nor narrow, his shoulders were very level, and a faint warmth from his body passed through his immaculate and creaseless light jacket. A section of his shirt was revealed at the ends of the jacket sleeves, spotlessly white.

It was immediately obvious that he was born a meticulous person, and also grew up a meticulous person.

For some reason, Gan Qing recalled that summer's night that she had tossed to the back of her mind for many years.

Fifteen years ago was too far away. Furthermore, the incident that day couldn't be considered anything shocking to Gan Qing. Her memory of it had long since turned hazy. Now, she suddenly caught a thread of it and she quickly dragged it to the front for a close look. The memories that were so hazy that they only consisted of a teenager wearing doggy-patterned underwear gradually became clear, overlapping with the person before her.

At that time, his eyes had been larger than they were now. His eyelids weren't yet so thin that they were like a sheet of paper and the sharp edges of his bones were buried under baby fat. The black of his eyes had been a little larger than most people's so when he looked at others, his gaze was exceptionally grave. On that hot and humid night, he was kidnapped by the Travellers' Sect mob for a day and a night, yet seemed to have been as particular about cleanliness then as he was now.

Even the stink of the landfill whose lethalness could rival biological weapons did not engulf his body. He had clearly been the one in a panic and directionless and following her to run away, yet he still had the mood to give her a lesson on the olfactory senses of dogs.

It made one feel that he wasn't being fussy just for the sake of being fussy, but instead had his reason and logic.

That was right, back then, he had even kept calling her "Jiejie" but now that he was grown up, he learned how to put on an act!

The wind blew a lock of hair from the side of Gan Qing's head to her face and it happened to get caught on her nose. She shook her head a couple of times but that lock of hair just insisted on tangling with her nose and didn't want to shift away at all. The ends of her hair tickled her and made her want to laugh, and she let out a snort of laughter. "Little Master Yu, I want to make a report."

"What?"

He had just uttered the word when he felt Gan Qing's hand move. Yu Lanchuan's fingers first tightened involuntarily, then, realising that it was inappropriate, he hurried to let go but he realised that Gan Qing's hand was moving upwards. Using the protrusion of the bones on the back of his hand, she brushed the lock of hair away. The stray lock flew loose, revealing her eyes that had a rather improper look. When the light shone on them, her irises seemed to multiply into a thousand layers, the end unable to be seen at a glance. That pair of eyes glanced up at him from below. "I want to make a report to inform you that I want to use my hand for a while."

Yu Lanchuan, "..."

Improper and flirtatious!

His mind wandered and before he realised it, they had crossed the road and Gan Qing had taken her hand back. Yu Lanchuan curled his thumb into his palm, kneading it in turn with each of his fingers. He started searching madly in his mind for a topic of conversation to fill in this blank space between the two of them.

"Your last question just now." He kept his voice very low and very steady, asking seriously and gravely, "What did you mean by it?"

Gan Qing looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile. Little Master Yu was a white collar worker who was rarely exposed to the harsh elements. His face was as fair as his collar was white and could not hide his flushed colour. From the curve of his ears to the tip of his chin, he was completely red. It was really quite adorable.

After smiling, the corners of her mouth paused slightly and there was a faint sense of helplessness. She was like a demon of ice and snow that had wandered from the coldest depths into the mortal realm by accident. She was used to emptiness and loneliness and cold, but by chance, she encountered kindness in the mortal realm and the warm wind blew on her until her head felt dizzy and swollen. The pressure was as great as mountains and she did not know what to do.

"Qiao-Qiao mentioned that when her father lost contact, it was when she was around ten months old. I saw that her work badge says she's a Gemini, so her birthday should be somewhere between the end of May and the beginning of June. She will be eighteen years old when it's her birthday. Calculating based on that, her dad should have lost contact during spring seventeen years ago," Gan Qing said. "I'm quite sensitive to that time period, so I asked a bit more."

Yu Lanchuan pressed further, "What happened in spring seventeen years ago?"

"Nothing much," Gan Qing said briefly. "A flour factory in the neighbouring province exploded and more than ten people died. Among them, the necks on two bodies had cuts measuring three cun and two fen long, so everyone said that Wan Mu Chun had drunk back the water they used to wash their hands clean of their old deeds and was appearing in jianghu again."

Yu Lanchuan came to an abrupt stop. "Just now, she said the address of the letter was…"

"Yeah, it's possible. Or it could also be a coincidence."

Yu Lanchuan's mind was busily spinning. "I heard Old Han say before that the flour factory explosion back then involved eighteen lives. Most of them were innocent ordinary people and there was also a child. There were Wan Mu Chun's marks on the bodies. Wei Xiao had always refused to give an explanation. So what on earth happened?"

"A cut measuring three cun and two fen can be considered to be a safeguard against fakes," Gan Qing said closely. "For example, if you hire me to kill someone…"

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Hypothetically." Gan Qing waved her hands. "The commissioner would usually first pay a deposit. In the past, I would bring them the head in exchange for the rest of the payment. In modern times, no one wants heads anymore so another kind of token is necessary to collect the remaining payment to prove that the person did not die by accident and that I'm also not stealing someone else's kill. To hide their motives, some commissioners would hire more than one killer. An unusual wound is a mark to safeguard against fakes. It's a unique skill that is very hard for outsiders to imitate. All those with this mark are jobs done by me. But if there is no one paying, then the murderer has no need and will also not reveal their unique mark. You get it, right? After all, the jianghu is full of people and prying eyes. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Things like murder and arson are best kept as hidden as possible."

"So, what you're saying is that the flour factory incident was a case of a hired killing?"

"At that time, Wei Xiao had already changed his name to Wei Changsheng and was living in hiding. Even if someone wanted to invite him out of seclusion, no one could locate him," Gan Qing said in a very calm and impartial tone. "This thing was indeed done by Wei Huan. Don't ask me why Wei Xiao shouldered this blame for him, I told you before that I don't know. Maybe that traitorous 'dashixiong' of mine was the true descendant of Wan Mu Chun. I don't know if he was Wei Xiao's biological son. In any case, that old man spent much more effort teaching him than he did me."

Yu Lanchuan's brows furrowed. "But why would you connect these two incidents together? Only because of the coincidental timing?"

"I'm not sure, just intuition." Gan Qing paused. She lifted her head. The trees on both sides of the road had put out leaves, leaving only a narrow strip of sky in between. A bit of mist floated in the distance. "Maybe because of Wang Jiusheng and Travellers' Sect. Meizhen-jie said that because my mouth and my hands misbehaved, because I called Wang Jiusheng a turtle and angered him, I created trouble. However… I'm not trying to get out of it, but I can't help but feel that he wouldn't go that far just over that."

It was true that Wang Jiusheng was nothing good. But if a person could wash himself clean of his past until he was spotless and unblemished, and could steadily maintain his position as the North Branch Master of Travellers' Sect for decades, powerful enough to call the wind and summon rain, he would not be so petty. There was an entry hurdle even to become a supervillain. Those—like Yang Ping—whose heart and thoughts were more fragile, who were more sensitive and self-abased, were usually more suited to being a small-time homeless baddie.

When she wrote those words back then, it was purely out of childishness, nothing more than a practical joke. Even if she had ruffled Wang Jiusheng's feathers, did he need to clash directly with Wan Mu Chun?

Even though Wei Xiao had become Wei Changsheng, he was still definitely not easy to handle. He had to be extremely careful and must kill him in one strike. Otherwise, Wang Jiusheng had a large family and a big business while there was no gap Wan Mu Chun could not slip into. One was in the light while the other was in the darkness. Wang Jiusheng was evidently in more danger. He set up his plot for so many years and waited until everything was in place before taking Wei Xiao's life. If it was purely because of a little girl's name-calling, then this man really had too much time on his hands.

"I can't help but feel that there must be something between Wang Jiusheng and Wan Mu Chun since early on. When I saved you that time, at most, I only exposed where Wei Xiao was hiding." As she walked slowly towards No. 110, Gan Qing spoke, lost in thought. "Qiao-Qiao's words may not be true. Could you tell?"

"Especially the part about her uncle being the messenger. Her words are very vague and after thinking carefully, they don't seem quite right." Yu Lanchuan pushed his glasses up. "But I don't know if this is because she's young and can't convey her elders' words clearly or if she's tricking us on purpose."

Qiao-Qiao could not speak. Gan Qing could still understand a little sign language but Yu Lanchuan was completely ignorant, so Qiao-Qiao had no choice but to write on paper to communicate with them. Writing took more time. Sometimes she forgot what she wanted to say when she took up the pen and sometimes she got stuck, and that already gave her more time to edit her words. It was easier to lie compared to when communicating directly with spoken words.

But why would she need to lie? Yu Lanchuan felt that right now, everything before them was like trying to make out the flowers through the mist.

The people in the Five Supremes' generation were born during the years of chaos. Surrounded by smoke and gunfire, they were just in time for the era when heroes were born. They were the jianghu's final burst of glory. Later on, it was the decades when the times changed radically. Everything underwent great transformations, changing beyond recognition. Their youth were tumultuous, clamorous and full of events beyond belief. Amidst the rise and fall of the times, countless sects disappeared without a trace. The dreams of heroes became a fleeting illusion. Some bore this blow to their heart in silence but there were also those who continued to hold the old dream, unwilling to wake up even now.

And when it came to the generation with Gan Qing and her peers, everything had changed. The rules of society did not wait for the elderly to acclimatise and instead, went on to complete its reconstruction on its own. The old people were left far behind. They could not be like Wang Jiusheng and adapt to the changing circumstances without any shame, and could only place their hopes on the younger generation. Awkward and clumsy, they tried to pass down the spirit of the martial arts way, things such as "chivalry," "duty," "tenacity" and "we are all brothers." Meanwhile, the disagreements and useless dregs from that era were discarded and they thought it best if they were never brought up again.

But there were two sides to every coin. Was there anything that was wholly positive?

It was unavoidably nothing more than wishful thinking.

The older people's hiding and concealment resulted in them leaving a pile of legacy issues to their confused and lost descendants.

Yu Lanchuan suddenly said, "Let's talk about your shifu."

Gan Qing stared blankly.

And also, you. That was what Yu Lanchuan thought in his heart, but he turned his head to the side again and made an excuse. "Information about other people can still be found by asking around but you people from Wan Mu Chun are too antisocial and isolated. We can only rely on your memory."

"All right. Wei Xiao…" Gan Qing nodded but for a moment, she was stuck for words and didn't know where to start. "Wei Xiao… Wait, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know. Just talk about something you remember." Yu Lanchuan suddenly softened his tone. "There's no hurry, take your time."

And so, Gan Qing fell into silence for a long while, all the way until the two of them returned to the entrance of No. 110. Then, she suddenly broke the silence and said, "He had always wanted me to study medicine."

Yu Lanchuan quickly came to a stop and looked at her from three steps away.

Gan Qing herself didn't know why she was talking about this matter. But her mind was truly empty so she could only speak randomly, saying whatever came to mind. "...As long as there were kids taking the gaokao where we lived, he would always urge them to apply to study medicine. Every day, he would nag in my ear that I should study something useful to society. I don't know what he was thinking." Gan Qing smiled. "But in all those years, I've never seen him successfully convince a single person."

"Why was that?"

"Even if the kids of Mudpool Backlane attend senior high, at most it would be No. 13 High School," Gan Qing said lazily. "No. 3 and No. 13 are less than two stops apart and their names differ only by one character. But you guys nurture the pillars of society while we nurture the mud beneath the pillars. After the exam, all the notices of admission that we get come from the construction site at our doorstep. Study medicine?"

Yu Lanchuan suddenly paused. "You're from No. 13?"

Gan Qing shrugged at him. She was not ashamed of her alma mater—she and her alma mater were of the same stock anyway.

Yu Lanchuan's eyes suddenly brightened. "We once went to No. 13 for a basketball match, do you remember? It was the intercity basketball tournament for youths, it was held for only one year—the next year, a few major senior high key schools joined hands to write a petition saying that it disrupted the students' studies and could easily cause injuries. For the finals, we were the away team. It was held at No. 13. That day, your school bleachers were full of people. I was the point guard."

In fact, he was not only the point guard, he was also the captain. Leading a team of academic tyrants against No. 13's lousy and rule-breaking tactics, he had unrelentingly snatched the champion trophy from the hands of those little hoodlums.

That match had been an exhilarating and hotblooded one. Even when recalling it ten years later, Yu Lanchuan still had to force the corners of his mouth down to maintain his aloofness and pretend to be bringing it up casually. He furtively put out a "Wasn't I very cool?" bait and waited for Gan Qing to take it herself.

He even cleared his throat and purposely put on a nonchalant face and said, "We just played casually. I think we won… Ai, I don't remember it clearly anymore. I only remember that the small restaurant near your school was pretty good. Did you watch the match?"

"Probably not." Who would have thought that one line from Gan Qing would extinguish the spark in his eyes. "After all, at No. 13, I was considered to be a refined academic tyrant. I didn't like joining that kind of excitement."

Yu Lanchuan, "..."

That subtle shift in his face when his features froze was exactly what Gan Qing liked to see. She couldn't resist teasing him. "However, you guys didn't leave quickly after the match. Instead, you guys bragged about it behind the school and were nearly cornered and beaten up. I still remember that. In the end, you guys escaped by climbing over the wall. I also heard that one of you heroes even tore your pants."

"What are you laughing at! What's so funny!" Yu Lanchuan realised that his pretense had been seen through and veins bulged at the corner of his forehead. "You don't like joining the excitement of a basketball match but you went to watch a fight? Were your interests so weird since you were young… Wait, we fought at a rather out-of-the-way small restaurant outside the school. How did you know about that?"

Gan Qing, "..."

The small restaurant was where Wei Xiao worked. At that time, she had been eating in the back kitchen of the small restaurant. A group of smelly and sweaty boys had suddenly barged in, bragging noisily on the other side of the wall. Their ruckus irritated her so she played a trick. She recorded their boasting on her MP3 player and called some people.

Yu Lanchuan raised an eyebrow.