After a dramatic confrontation with An Long, Song Qingshi and Yue Wuhuan finally begin to speak openly about their feelings. Their relationship deepens--an oasis of tenderness in a world that has offered them little peace. But shadows remain. Even with treatment, Yue Wuhuan's illness still festers, and Song Qingshi faces his own sickness: the slow collapse of his cultivation. Worse yet, the system--the mysterious voice that first bound him to this story--is far from satisfied with his failure to save the "right" person. As the truth behind Song Qingshi's biggest mistake unravels, so does reality itself. Perhaps he and Yue Wuhuan are nothing more than puppets of fate, destined to be twisted and broken by the heavens. Is anything in the world strong enough to break that cycle?