Unaware of the world for three hundred years 1

The sky was a hazy blue, overcast. Wild grasses grew rampantly, swaying in the wind, and a faint ripple seemed to rise from the stone tablet.

The past flashed before her eyes. Huaiwen knelt before the stone tablet, tears streaming down her face. According to common sense, she should have died three hundred years ago, so why was she still alive now?

Huaiwen noticed her surroundings, and the stone tablet caught her eye. She remembered that there was a sealing spell on the stone tablet. She reached out to touch it again, but as soon as she touched it, her whole body felt like it had been struck by lightning, numb and tingling.

Then, she sensed a wisp of Fulan's soul calling to her.

Huaiwen stood there stunned. She thought she was hallucinating, so she checked again and again. The stone tablet sealed nothing but a wisp of her master Fulan's soul.

Humans have seven souls and six spirits; what would happen if one soul or one spirit were missing?

Why is her master's spirit here?

After a long while, Huaiwen got up from the sandpit. She touched her body and found it covered in cursed shackles. She was determined to find out what had happened during the time she lost her memory and why she was now bound by these cursed shackles.

Bai Bumian has disappeared without a trace.

Huaiwen didn't pursue him any further; she wanted to use magic to protect the wisp of soul on the stone tablet. But she suddenly realized she couldn't. She gave a self-deprecating laugh and could only leave helplessly.

By the time they returned to Yong'an City, it was already dark.

The Yong'an city gates, which were usually guarded, were now deserted. Huaiwen walked in and saw the streets littered with corpses. The further she went in, the more dead she saw.

Soon she saw the Taoist priests she had met just yesterday lying dead in the street. Each of them died in the same way as the Qian family steward. Huaiwen saw familiar traces in them.

Burning, pattern.

Suppressing the raging anger in her heart, Huaiwen walked along the corpse and slowly arrived at the Qian residence.

Black mist covered the area, and the Qian family was about to suffer disaster.

She cautiously entered, and soon arrived at the place where Master Qian and Madam Qian had performed the ritual. Before she even stepped inside, she saw the fog growing thicker and thicker.

Footsteps approached, and Huaiwen hid. She listened intently; the footsteps were heavy, like the rhythmic thumping of soldiers marching into battle.

She peeked out and soon saw something emerge from the thick fog—golden armor and jade robes.

Headless and bodyless, clad in golden armor, surrounded by a constant stream of black energy.

The golden armor seemed to possess sentience; it surveyed the area, and Huaiwen quickly held his breath. After its scan, the golden armor leaped over the high wall and left the Qian residence.

Huaiwen chased after him, following him all the way to the Qian family cemetery. There stood a person on the grave, his back to Huaiwen. Even just seeing that back made Huaiwen's heart skip a beat.

She recognized that figure all too well; it was her master—Fu Lin. Having not seen him for so long, Huai Wen was especially excited. Fu Lin had previously said he had a way to resolve the black energy mass, and since the golden armor and jade robe were inseparable from it, he must have come to solve this problem.

Huaiwen watched from afar as the golden armor and jade robes stopped in front of Fulin, the black energy constantly surging out and surrounding Fulin, but unable to enter his body.

Fu Lin took a step forward, and the black energy dispersed. The golden armor and jade robes, on the other hand, moved forward and were suddenly absorbed into Fu Lin's body.

The more Fu Lin struggled, the tighter the golden armor and jade robes became. Huai Wen wanted to help, but was pulled back. Huai Wen turned around and saw that the person who came was Bai Bumian.

He made a shushing gesture and shook his head, preventing Huaiwen from going forward. Huaiwen ignored him and turned around; Fulin and the golden armor were already gone.

Huaiwen shouted sternly, "What are you doing?"

Bai Bumian remained silent, staring blankly at Huaiwen. He then stretched out his left hand, causing water to surge up, which he flicked against a tree. Huaiwen looked over and saw the ripples of water.

Huaiwen was terrified. She stared at Bai Bumian, then at the ripples in the water. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she stepped back, looking at Bai Bumian in disbelief. The person before her was nothing more than someone possessed by a wisp of her master's soul.

She had only heard the priests say that her master was the only one who had successfully performed the Rewinding Technique. But now it seemed that her master's Rewinding Technique had failed.

Fu Lin has one wisp of her soul sealed at the stone tablet, and another wisp is right before her eyes. Therefore, Fu Lin is currently incomplete. This shows that Fu Lin has attempted the Rewind Technique twice, and both times she failed.

Huaiwen was distraught, feeling isolated and helpless.

Why is she still alive? Why did her master activate the time travel technique? What is the connection between that black mass and her and her master? There are too many mysteries.

Bai Bumian pulled Huaiwen into his arms and whispered in Huaiwen's ear, "Ajun, don't be afraid. Even if I am just a wisp of a soul, I will be with you."

"What should we do, Master?" Huaiwen burst into tears.

Bai Bumian comforted him, "Then let's investigate and find out the truth."

A shooting star fell from the sky, leaving a trail of light across the heavens. But as dusk fell, the trail became faint and indistinct, then swallowed up by the sunset's glow, and could no longer be seen.

Huaiwen suddenly spoke up: "Master, let's go back to Fengqin Mountain."

"Alright." Bai Bumian nodded. "However, you should still call me Brother Bumian."

Huaiwen nodded and added, "And...Ah Ling. I also want to find him."

Bai Bumian advised, "He will find you, but not until the little tricks you've played on him are over. For now, you should go back to Fengqin Mountain."

Since that was the case, Huaiwen gave up and went to Fengqin Mountain with Bai Bumian.

As dawn breaks on the horizon, alas, three hundred years have passed, and everything at Fengqin Mountain has changed.

This place was once brimming with vitality, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, serene and tranquil, a treasure trove of natural wonders. Now, it's nothing but an empty mountain, overgrown with weeds, and layer upon layer of withered trees and fallen leaves. Even those who live nearby are unwilling to come here; there's nothing of value to be found in the mountains.

Moreover, since Fulin disappeared, the disciples have joined forces to seal off the entrance to Fengqin Mountain. Now that they are here, even if they go up the mountain, they will not be able to find the entrance to get in.

Bai Bumian asked Huaiwen if he could open the entrance.

Huaiwen took two steps forward, closed her eyes, and immersed herself in the forest, trying to feel it all. Memories of Fengqin Mountain from three hundred years ago kept flooding her mind.

A breeze blew by, her dress swayed, and the bamboo grove was clearly visible. The melody of the accordion played softly, creating a delightful scene. But even if the past was beautiful, one must live in the present. Huaiwen slowly opened her eyes, raised her hands, and summoned the spirit butterfly, which landed on her fingertips.

The spirit butterfly flapped its wings, causing air currents to surge around it. As Huaiwen stretched out his fingers, the spirit butterfly left his fingertips and flew away. They danced around the mountains and forests, searching for the entrance to the organ.

The fairy butterfly flew forward, and Huaiwen and Bai Bumian followed. The two followed the fairy butterfly, pushing aside the bushes and dead trees, walking along the winding path, and wading through the stream, finally stopping in front of a frail little sapling.

Bai Bumian frowned: "This?"

Huaiwen said, "You'll only know if you try."

The two spirit butterflies slowly disappeared, and Huaiwen sighed, "But I certainly can't open the entrance to Fengqin Mountain now. I'm covered in curses, which seal my source, so I can't use it."

Bai Bumian asked regretfully, "What can we do then?"

Huaiwen looked at him and forced a smile: "But fortunately, you have a wisp of my master's soul in you. My master's true soul will surely be able to open the entrance. Give it a try, Brother Bumian."

Bai Bumian nodded, seemingly understanding. Under Huaiwen's guidance, he touched the sapling, and soon a wisp of pale blue fairy energy flowed from his hand to the sapling.

The sapling, nourished by the water, grew rapidly, gradually becoming a crooked tree. It then replanted its branches in the ground, forming an archway. Next, the surrounding trees began to shift positions, exchanging and intermingling until they formed an array that isolated the archway tree from the outside world.

Huaiwen then conjured up the spirit butterflies, letting them fly lightly over the archway. In an instant, the archway glowed with blue light, as if a barrier was blocking the spirit butterflies from entering.

Huaiwen had no choice but to walk forward on her own. She tentatively reached out to touch it, and sure enough, she sensed the presence of the barrier. Huaiwen glanced back at Bai Bumian, then resolutely walked inside.

Passing through the archway, Fengqin Mountain, which had been silent for three hundred years, once again came into Huaiwen's view.

Just as she remembered, except that the main hall of Bishanqin was a bit darker, there were more fallen leaves and spider webs on the beams, there was no incense burning in the bronze cauldron at the entrance, and there were more weeds and wildflowers on the bluestone path.

The two continued walking, and at each place they went, Huaiwen recalled every little detail that had happened there.

Bai Bumian asked, "Where are we going?"

Huaiwen gazed into the distance, as if something was drawing her in. She replied wistfully, "Clear Water Pool."

Passing through corridors of all sizes and across a bamboo grove, the two arrived at the Clear Water Pond. It was exactly as it had been years ago, unchanged. Huaiwen, however, remembered that she had once fallen into depravity here.

That time, she went to the Void Realm before she could return to the Clear Water Pool to find out what was going on, and little did she know that she would be gone for three hundred years.

Huaiwen squatted down and scooped up some water with her hand, but she didn't get anything from it. Looking down from her position, the pool of water was crystal clear, and there was no mechanism or disturbance that caused it to sink to the ground.

So why did she go to the underground cemetery?

"Huaiwen, look what this is!" Bai Bumian shouted, pointing at something.

Huaiwen walked around it, and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw a stone she had never seen before by the clear water pool. The stone was carved with water lilies, and a person was lying in the water lilies. The person looked very much like Huaiwen herself.

Huaiwen immediately looked towards the clear water pool, grabbed Bai Bumian's hand, and placed it on the water lily stone.

In an instant, the entire clear water pond was filled with water lilies, and in the center of the pond was a huge water lily, which seemed to contain something inside.

Huaiwen seemed possessed at that moment. She stepped into the clear water pool and slowly walked towards the center. Bai Bumian called out behind her, but received no response.

The water slowly submerged Huaiwen's thighs, then his waist. As Huaiwen touched the water lily, light shone down from the sky, and the water lily bloomed.

A dazzling array of colors and ethereal mist emanated from the water lily, where a semi-transparent figure lay in eternal slumber—that person was Huaiwen himself.

Huaiwen's face was ashen, as if a huge boulder was pressing down on her heart. Her eyes were red, her nostrils trembled slightly, and her lips were pale.

Soon, Huaiwen felt herself being called from within the water lily. Powerless to resist, she looked at her translucent body and closed her eyes heavily.

Blue and gold light intertwined in the air, water lilies began to bloom all around, the entire clear pool shimmered, water mist increased, and a sweet floral fragrance wafted out from the water.

Huaiwen returned to her original form, and all the spiritual energy of the water lilies flowed into her body, giving her translucent body a vibrant color. Slowly, the light began to dim, and the water lilies began to close.

The water lily closed as the light disappeared.

The waterfall suddenly burst forth, and the clear pool was no longer calm, but churned with waves, layer upon layer of spray forming a wall of water.

"boom--"

The water wall collapsed halfway down, and Bai Bumian looked over. The water lilies had vanished, leaving only Huaiwen standing upright in the air with his eyes closed. Upon closer inspection, he realized that all the tiny water lilies had withered.

"bite--"

A clear and melodious sound rang out; it was the organ playing in the mountains.

The melody begins, and the organ plays again. Nourished by the entire mountain forest, supported by the clear pool, and sheltered by the water lilies, it has been preserved for three hundred years, its form remaining intact.

Huaiwen opened her eyes, her body and mind now one, completely without flaw. Huaiwen's male form wasn't due to the cursed shackles; it was merely a lie Liu Xi had told her.

She watched the man's body lie in the center of the pool, Huaiwen tormented. Had her life been bought with another's?

What is the truth behind all of this?