Those memories are so real, yet so unattainable, like a dream from which I can never wake up.

Hongying felt as if her heart was being torn apart; she felt an unprecedented sense of loneliness and helplessness.

Just then, Li Xi and Wan Yue walked over quietly and sat down next to Hong Ying.

They didn't speak, but simply stayed quietly with Hongying, letting her thoughts drift in her memories.

After a while, Hongying finally spoke.

Her voice was a little hoarse, but full of determination: "Xiaoxi, I want to go see Jin'er."

Li Xi nodded. She knew that Hongying needed to face this fact and find a way to release her emotions.

The Li family's cemetery is located on Qingluan Mountain, thirty miles outside the city.

The environment here is serene and the air is fresh. It is surrounded by green mountains and shady trees. Song Yuan personally buried them here, hoping that their souls could rest in peace.

Hongying clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms, yet she felt no pain.

Her gaze was fixed on her daughter's tombstone, and tears streamed down her face.

Her heart ached as if it were being torn apart, and memories of her time with her daughter flashed before her eyes—those warm moments now unattainable.

“My child…” she murmured, her voice choked and hoarse.

She slowly knelt down and stroked the name on the tombstone, as if she could feel her daughter's presence.

Hongying's body trembled slightly as the grief in her heart surged like a tide, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She wouldn't have lost her memory if she hadn't left; it took her over thirty years to find her way back.

But everything had changed; her Jin'er was no longer there.

She missed every moment of her daughter's growth, missed her laughter and tears, missed Jin'er's dependence on and expectations of her.

Hongying closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her grief.

She knew she couldn't dwell on her grief forever; there were more important things waiting for her to do.

She had to be strong and spend the rest of her days making up for the love she had failed to give her daughter, and wholeheartedly caring for the bloodline left behind by Jin'er.

Li Xi and Wan Yue stood silently behind her, watching her back with feelings of helplessness and heartache.

“Let’s go. Next time, we’ll get some people to renovate this place. Jin’er doesn’t like such a desolate place.” Her voice was hoarse, as if consumed by endless sorrow.

"Okay." Li Xi nodded; it was indeed her oversight.

Xuanming Gate is located in the south of the city, surrounded by dense forests and steep mountains, as if it were isolated from the world.

This sect was once renowned throughout the martial arts world.

Legend has it that the feng shui masters here can interpret a person's life by observing their birth chart and can also predict future trends based on celestial phenomena.

Moreover, they are skilled at calculating auspicious days and times, locating dragon veins and auspicious sites, and predicting people's fates.

Therefore, the Xuanming Sect was once a bustling and lively place.

But now only ruins remain, everything has turned to ashes, leaving only a deathly silence.

Returning here again, Wan Yue's mood became unusually heavy.

His eyes were slightly red, and tears were welling up in them, but he held them back.

He came to this place years ago after learning of his daughter's accident.

At that time, the surroundings were in a mess, and black ashes covered the ground.

The air was filled with the smell of burning, mixed with a faint odor of smoke, making people feel stuffy and depressed.

Now, the vast Xuanming Gate is overgrown with weeds, and moss fills the gaps between the stone bricks in the courtyard, as if telling the story of the vicissitudes of time.

The wind blew, and a rustling sound came from the grass, like a whisper or a sigh.

The three stood in the center of the desolate courtyard, their emotions unable to settle for a long time.

Li Xi was searching for the courtyard where the original owner's family lived, which had appeared several times in her dreams.

In my memory, that familiar courtyard should be located in the northeast corner, surrounded by a bamboo forest, quiet and secluded.

"Follow me." Li Xi took the lead and walked towards the northeast corner.

She felt as if she had walked this road countless times, passing through several abandoned houses with ease, and finally arrived at the bamboo grove.

The bamboo forest remains lush and green, its leaves swaying gently in the breeze, rustling softly as if whispering secrets.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows and bringing a touch of life to this desolate courtyard.

"This is it." Li Xi stopped and looked at the courtyard hidden deep in the bamboo forest ahead, a strange emotion welling up in her heart.

The courtyard is dilapidated, with peeling walls and a broken roof, but its former glory can still be vaguely seen.

Every plant and tree in the courtyard seems to be telling a story of the past.

"Let's go in," Lin Feng said softly, breaking the silence.

The three of them carefully made their way through the bamboo forest and arrived at the courtyard.

The courtyard gate was burned down to just a few charred wooden stakes, looking utterly dilapidated.

Looking at the scene before her, Li Xi couldn't help but frown, a touch of sadness rising in her heart.

The once familiar courtyard now feels so strange, as if time has changed everything.

She slowly walked to the courtyard wall, which was once neat and tidy but is now dilapidated and even collapsed in some places.

The beautiful flowers, plants and trees of yesteryear have disappeared, leaving only desolation and ruins.

However, amidst this mess, an old locust tree still stands tall.

Its lush foliage seems to tell a story of the vicissitudes of time and its resilience.

Li Xi stood quietly under the old locust tree, gently stroking the trunk and feeling the power it conveyed.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, as if they were communicating with Li Xi.

She closed her eyes, immersing herself in the tranquility of the moment, recalling the time she spent here as a child.

"Mommy, I want to eat ginkgo nuts!"

"Okay, shall I take you to pick some later?"

"Yay!"

She remembered that when the original owner was a child, she always liked to climb the old ginkgo tree and pick the golden ginkgo fruits.

Sometimes, she would eagerly take a bite, only to frown at the bitter taste.

But every time, her mother would smile and tell her that she had to cook the ginkgo nuts before eating them, so that she wouldn't get poisoned.

"Father...Mother..."

Li Xi couldn't help but murmur softly, tears blurring her vision.

She gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Was it an uncontrollable sorrow deep within the original owner's body? Why did she feel it so profoundly?

Li Xi looked up at the old ginkgo tree standing tall in the courtyard; everything here seemed to be something she had experienced before.

The emerald green ginkgo leaves swayed gently in the spring breeze, as if whispering something to her.