Zhang Yan finished reading yet another novel that had just ended. Although it cost him half a day's wages, he was still very satisfied as a novel enthusiast. These days, it's not easy to find a novel that you can finish reading in one go; there are so many unfinished stories everywhere!

Zhang Yan gave the novel he had just finished reading a four-star review with satisfaction, and then promptly deleted it from his favorites. He had a habit of rarely reading a book a second time, so he wouldn't keep it in his favorites after finishing it. However, there were exceptions, such as... that deep pit from five years ago - "The Daily Life of a Sword Cultivator"!

This is a total trap! How did it get stuck at the point where the protagonist falls into the underground portal?! What happens next?!

Unfortunately, Zhang Yan had tried everything—cursing and pleading—but no further updates came. It was as if the author had vanished into thin air.

Of course, in these five years he has also witnessed this novel become a source of heartache for countless people, including himself. It was once popular among Xianxia novels, but there are very few that have such a "fairy-like" quality.

Zhang Yan clicked on it subconsciously and found that the thread he had left before had been updated. He was in a reading slump, so he had to check it out.

Soon, Zhang Yan noted down two book titles from the recommendations. Just as he returned to the homepage to search, an astonishing scene appeared—holy crap! It's come back to life!

An ordinary pseudonym (the author) has been launched!

...

Let's go back to two weeks ago.

Even in the sweltering summer heat, the curtained cave remained icy cold, with intermittent sounds emanating from within, especially clear in the otherwise quiet cave where only the sound of dripping water could be heard.

Zhao Changzhou hunched over, walking with difficulty through the water. Behind him was Chen Zhang, and Zuo Yu led the way.

Eight years later, the three returned to the curtained cave because of something they had recently discovered—a jade pendant with a vermilion bird design that was exactly the same as the murals they had seen here.

Based on their first experience, this is not a good place for 'tourism'.

Zhao Changzhou kept a close eye on the changes inside the cave, especially the temperature, because one wrong move here could be fatal.

Zuo Yu leaned down, his movements still nimble even in the icy water, and soon, the second stone door in front of the three of them slowly opened.

Unlike before, this place is very dry, and the temperature has become much gentler.

Directly opposite the main gate is a stone screen depicting a flock of Vermilion Birds in flight, a truly grand and magnificent sight.

The three experienced soldiers did not act rashly, but carefully checked their surroundings before changing out of their heavy equipment.

“Zuo Yu, there are murals here too.” Zhao Changzhou was the first to spot the murals behind the stone screen.

Chen Zhang immediately took out his camera, snapped a picture, and then stepped forward to observe.

"Judging from the style above, it is undoubtedly from the Great Wei Dynasty. However, the painting is in such good condition that the colors are still clearly visible." Zhao Changzhou found it incredible.

“The environment here is different,” Zuo Yu said, looking down.

"You mean there's no wind here?" Zhao Changzhou understood immediately.

Zuo Yu nodded.

"There's something else here." As Chen Zhang patted the items, he discovered something new: a Go board. Its design and craftsmanship were exquisite and elegant, perfectly matching the aesthetics of the Great Wei period.

"It's a draw," said Zhao Changzhou, who has some knowledge of Go.

"And what is this?" Chen Zhang asked.

"Let me see..." Zhao Changzhou approached again, then hesitated for a moment, "It looks like... a core?"

“It’s a jujube pit,” Zuo Yu said.

"Rotten axe handle?" Zhao Changzhou knew this allusion.

Zuo Yu continued to nod.

"But isn't this a bit too new? There's hardly any dust." Chen Zhang blew a breath onto the chessboard, and almost no dust was stirred up.

"There might be a trap—" Before Zuo Yu could finish speaking, Chen Zhang's hand had already reached out, but fortunately, there was no special trap.

"Where are there so many... traps? Damn, it can't be that bad, right? What I said just happened!" The moment Chen Zhang spoke, the entire space suddenly trembled.

"No, run! Get out of here first!" When it comes to running speed, Zhao Changzhou is definitely No. 1 among the three.

"Wait a minute." Zuo Yu grabbed the two of them, his eyes fixed on the sinking chessboard in front of him—

After a while, the chessboard completely collapsed, and the entire space became stable, as if the cataclysmic events just now were all their illusions.

"I'll go down and take a look." After saying that, Zuo Yu swung the rope, and the other end was fixed to the stone screen.

After hesitating several times, Zhao Changzhou finally couldn't help but speak, "The next step might be the same as last time, you still..."

"Only I will go down." Zuo Yu was not an impulsive person. In other words, he entrusted his back to the other two, which represented his complete trust.

Zhao Changzhou was persuaded again and had no choice but to agree, "Let's make it clear first, five minutes. If you don't hear from me in five minutes, I'll come down to find you."

He nodded, grabbed the rope with one hand, and jumped down.

The moment he fell, Zuo Yu felt the friction of the rope on his hands slowly disappear. Everything seemed to freeze. He lost all his senses. Blackness engulfed him, and a force was wantonly robbing him of his breath and life.

Zuo Yu panicked for a second, something he had never experienced before. Reason told him he had to control his mind. He focused all his strength on his hands, telling himself: I must grab it, I must grab it—

At this moment, an unknown force pulled him up, the darkness in front of him gradually dissipated, and his own senses slowly returned. Zuo Yu could vaguely feel that he was being held tightly by a pair of hands.

...

Chen Zhang sat down cross-legged, watching Zhao Changzhou walk back and forth, his watch practically spinning from his staring.

"Why is there still no news? No, I have to go down and check..."

"Hey, hey, can you not be so anxious? You know how skilled Zuo Yu is, he'll be fine. You have to trust him."

Zhao Changzhou didn't respond. He didn't know why, but he was extremely cautious about this place. It wasn't just because they had suffered a great loss here, but also because Zuo Yu cared too much about Jiuyue. And yet, this place had the exact same pattern as the 'key' Vermilion Bird Jade Token. Zhao Changzhou didn't dare to think too deeply about what this meant...

Five minutes have passed.

Chen Zhang couldn't sit still any longer. He felt that Zuo Yu shouldn't be so slow. Could something have really happened?

Just as he was about to peer down, a bluish-white figure suddenly appeared at the cave entrance, followed by a familiar face—Zuo Yu!

"Thank goodness." Chen Zhang quickly went forward to check on him. Fortunately, his breathing was normal, and it seemed that he had just fainted.

"It's you?!" Zhao Changzhou recognized the person in front of him; it was the one from Futu Manor!

The man tilted his head. "You know me?"

Zhao Changzhou noticed the other person's graying hair and was even more shocked. How could he have changed like this in just a few years? And his clothes... were also extremely strange.

"Do you know who I am?" The man asked again when Zhao Changzhou remained silent for a long time and just stared at him in a daze.

Zhao Changzhou then realized that something was wrong with this person. Why did he sound like... he had amnesia?

"Let's go out first, Zuo Yu's temperature is abnormal." Chen Zhang interrupted their staring contest.

Zhao Changzhou crouched down to investigate and found that it was indeed on fire; this place could no longer be stayed in.

"Let's go, let's get out of here first."

...

After successfully getting out of the house, Zhao Changzhou, having settled Zuo Yu in, made a cup of hot tea for the white-haired man at the table. Regardless of the circumstances, the man had saved Zuo Yu, and Zhao Changzhou should thank him both morally and logically.

"Actually, we only met once at Futu Manor. I don't know who you are, let alone your name." Just as Zhao Changzhou said, he thought he had only met the other person once at Futu Manor, and it was just a fleeting encounter. If the other person's appearance hadn't been so memorable, Zhao Changzhou wouldn't have recognized him immediately.

"What is Futu Manor...?" The man with a full head of white hair raised his eyes, his gaze filled with confusion and helplessness.

Zhao Changzhou scratched his head, then remembered a bald guy and said, "Oh right, but I do know someone who should know who you are." That's right, he was talking about Neil the Monk. They were in the same line of work, and although their connections were different, it was still possible to make contact through connections. Plus, with technology so advanced these days, sending a photo was a sure thing, wasn't it?

Xu Qian continued to look at him, a hint of expectation in his eyes.

"I'll do my best to help you get in touch," Zhao Changzhou nodded in agreement.

Thank you.

...

And so, Xu Qian, who had lost his memory, stayed with the three of them for the time being. The next day at noon, Zuo Yu woke up in the hospital, but strangely, there was a bit of cinnabar between his eyebrows. If you looked closely, you could see that the cinnabar was 'alive'!

Zhao Changzhou and Chen Zhang were used to it, and even explained to the unsuspecting Xu Qian that Zuo Yu would show signs of injury for a while after each serious injury, but these would gradually subside and he would slowly recover.

But something even stranger happened: Zuo Yu shed tears. He looked at Xu Qian and wept; those tears were blue.

This startled everyone else present. Could this be? Who is Zuo Yu? He's a top talent in the underworld. How could he suddenly burst into tears like that?

"You... know me?" Xu Qian was confused, but at the same time found the other person's blue tears very dazzling. He seemed to remember something, but the images that flashed through his mind were too blurry.

Unfortunately, Zuo Yu did not respond, because he soon fainted again. As he passed out, the dot between his eyebrows gradually faded away, leaving no trace.

Xu Qian felt a headache coming on, and his body swayed, almost unable to stand. Fortunately, Zhao Changzhou caught him in time.

Another day passed after the two of them went missing. On the third day, Neil and Monk sent back a message. After seeing the photos they sent, the other party immediately agreed.

That afternoon, the group arrived at the First Hospital of Suicheng in a relaxed manner.

Five years had passed since Xu Qian's last departure. During these five years, Xiao Qing and Yan Shou continued to run the small restaurant called Xishanju, and the Meng brothers would occasionally bring their children there for a meal. All this waiting seemed to be taking a new turn, until that person spoke his first words—

Do you recognize me?