Cao Chun Hua's change was a lot more drastic. No matter what he thought in his heart, he couldn't help his body from growing into the frame of an adult man. It was too hard to retain the same kind neutrality in appearance in his youth. He had no choice but to admit that he was really a 'rotten man' and changed back to men's clothing. Even so, he was still hesitant to let go and chose the name 'Cao Chun Hua' — except for himself, no one could tell how 'Chun Hua' was different to 'Niangzi'.

*Chun Hua means spring flowers and Niangzi means lady.

"How come we cannot move past yet?" Cao Chun Hua asked, stretching his neck. "I haven't seen my Marquis for several years, I've been unable to sleep these past few days."

Chang Geng gloomily glanced at him, silently giving Cao Chun Hua another tick. He was waiting until he gathered words such as 'my family's Marquis' a total of fifty times from this person's mouth, then he'd give him a beating.

Cao Chun Hua still wasn't aware of this, he asked again: "Big brother, this time returning to the capital, will you inherit your royal status? I heard that the former emperor had prepared the Yanbei Wang Manor for you. Then, will you move out in the future, or will you still be living in the Marquis' Manor?"

Chang Geng was startled for a moment, then smiled bitterly: "That would depend on whether Marquis still wants me here or not."

Looking back now, Chang Geng could not imagine how he managed to gather the courage that year to leave the manor, to leave Gu Yun.

Not meeting him was alright, but this time as he encountered Gu Yun in Sichuan, he felt as if he had come directly face to face with his fated destiny. Even if beaten to death, it would still be difficult to accumulate the determination he mustered up that year.

Chen Qing Xu told him to 'stay calm, do not let your thoughts run astray', of course, this had a role in restraining the Bone of Impurity from acting up. But human emotions, anger or joy, sorrow or happiness, all were attached to one another. With the restraint of resentment and anger, joy would also then naturally fade away as time passed.

One would become like grass without sun — although it could stay alive, its colors had all faded.

Chang Geng thought that he was about to become a Buddha.

Up until he met with Gu Yun again.

Not mentioning the exhaustion of traveling together with Gu Yun, if they were not dealing with rebels all day, it was fighting the bandits. Yet Chang Geng's heart was always filled with inexplicable happiness, eagerness, and expectancy – as if when he opened his eyes in the morning, he already knew something good would happen.

Although he knew that nothing good would actually happen, the Bone of Impurity still came to visit him every night.