Chapter 54 Illusionary Moon Maze
"You must listen to me. I will arrange everything properly and protect you!"
"Alright, alright, then I won't give the antidote to Lu Xueqi. I'll let her die slowly!"
"Wu Yan also knew about Bi Yao several years ago and had been in love with her for a long time. He wanted to propose marriage to the Ghost King Sect. If the sect leader agrees, Wu Yan will take good care of Bi Yao and protect her for the rest of her life."
"I don't care if you're being sincere or not. If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll kill you!"
"I just don't want to marry you, but I don't mind marrying you!"
"I was there when you and Zhang Xiaofan were rehearsing at the Yudu Theater that day. You were just like the woman in the play, radiant and free-spirited, as if everything in this world could be changed because of you, as long as you wanted it!"
Biyao sat beside the Full Moon Well, holding the Mohele in her hand, her mind filled with memories of her past with Qin Wuyan!
In the past few days, she has gradually recalled some unfamiliar and vague fragments, and felt that Zhang Xiaofan and Aunt Bai's words were not credible. They were both hiding something. Since she knew that they were deliberately hiding something, she did not want to ask anymore. She was unwilling to do something that would only make things awkward for herself!
She could only hope that she could remember something. Recently, things related to Qin Wuyan kept popping into her mind. She had a vague feeling that the person in her dream was Qin Wuyan!
But why him?
What connection could that ruthless, cunning, and treacherous Poison Prince possibly have with her?
She shook her head self-deprecatingly, thinking that she must have slept too long and damaged her brain.
Do you feel like you've forgotten something?
Suddenly someone spoke, and Biyao looked up to see a person wearing a large black cloak and a black veil. Only his eyes were visible.
Those eyes held a smile, yet they sent chills down one's spine, filling one with inexplicable fear.
"Who are you!?" Biyao's expression hardened, and she stood up abruptly, looking at him warily.
"I'm here to tell you the truth." The man in black approached step by step, the surrounding atmosphere cold and eerie.
"They're all lying to you, making you think you've only been asleep for fifteen years, but in reality you've lived for another fifteen years. It was Qin Wuyan who fed you the Forget-Me-Not Gu, so you've forgotten everything."
"Why would he do that?" Biyao asked, puzzled.
The man in black smiled slightly: "Because you fell in love with him, and he had to die for you."
“No…” Biyao wanted to retort, but her lips trembled and she couldn’t utter a single word.
She subconsciously felt that what this person was saying was true.
"Don't believe me? Then take a look at yourself now." A bronze mirror with dragon and tiger patterns suddenly appeared in the man's hand.
The silver light blinded her, and before Biyao could cover her eyes, she felt her light legs become incredibly heavy, as if a sunken ship had been anchored and could not move. The skin on her hands gradually turned into rough tree bark, and her hair grew wildly into vines that twined around the tree trunk.
The most painful part is the heart inside the chest, pounding wildly as if trying to break free of the cage of flesh and blood.
She tried to shout, but her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't make a sound.
"Your body is no longer that of an ordinary person. It was Qin Wuyan who made a deal with the Nine Netherworld Emperor to allow you to be reborn as a human through the Divine Tree."
The man in black put away the bronze mirror, and Biyao's body returned to human form. As if all her strength had been drained, she weakly collapsed to the ground, looking somewhat dazed.
"Only Qin Wuyan can cure your Forget-Me-Not Gu; I am powerless to help you. If you still don't believe me, tonight, on the night of the full moon, drink the water from the Full Moon Well, and you will see the memories you have forgotten in this life within the well. But I must warn you, Qin Wuyan is planning to attack the Qingyun Sect. If you don't go to him in time, you may be waiting to collect his corpse."
"Who are you? Why are you telling me all this?"
The man in black turned to leave, but when he heard Biyao's question, he suddenly stopped, turned back and smiled, "Who I am is not important. What's important is that you regaining your memories is what will be useful to me."
After speaking, he drifted away, his figure gradually disappearing into the dark yellow desert.
Biyao stood there stunned for a long while before slowly turning around to look at the Full Moon Well in front of her. It was only past Shen Shi (3-5 PM), and the sky was still bright, so she could only see herself in the clear, still water of the well.
She hurriedly drew water, drank several mouthfuls in succession, and sat by the well, staring intently at the surface of the water, hoping to see something.
"Young Master?"
Seeing that Biyao remained seated by the well, the wild dog cautiously called out.
Biyao seemed startled, her body trembling. She turned around abruptly, and seeing it was a stray dog, she breathed a sigh of relief and scolded, "What are you doing sneaking around like that?"
The wild dog lowered its head, feeling quite aggrieved, and said, "Young master, I was just worried that you would fall in because you've been sitting by the well for so long."
Biyao glared at him and said irritably, "I'm not a child, how could I fall into a well so easily?" As soon as she finished speaking, she felt that these words were very familiar, as if she often said them before.
She looked at the stray dogs, her gaze chilling: "Stray dogs, tell me honestly, have you all been hiding the truth from me? Have I not been asleep all these years?"
"No!" the stray dog hurriedly denied, but his tone clearly betrayed his guilt.
Biyao's eyes sharpened, and she said sternly, "Will you talk or not?!" She activated the Heartbreak Flower in her hand, and a beam of bright white light transformed into a rope, binding the wild dog.
"If you don't tell me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Young Master!!" Wild Dog struggled frantically, and when he suddenly saw Su Zhenzhen and Tang Yuan appear, he shouted urgently as if he had grasped a lifeline: "Right Protector, Hall Master Su! Please save me! Young Master Biyao is forcing me to tell the truth."
"Yao'er!" Su Zhenzhen rushed over hurriedly, "Did you remember something?"
"What are you thinking about?" Su Zhenzhen asked.
This shows that she has indeed forgotten a lot of things.
Biyao's face turned deathly pale as she stared at the two of them. She had no memory of them in her mind. In the past few days, all she knew was that they were disciples of the Tianli Divine Sect, yet she felt a strange sense of familiarity with them.
She suddenly released the spiritual power that had been binding the wild dogs, transformed the Heartbreak Flower into a long sword, held it to her neck, and said sternly, "Tell me, what exactly happened in these fifteen years? What's the story between me and Qin Wuyan? If you don't tell me, I'll die right here in front of you!"
As she spoke, she brought the blade an inch closer to her neck, her expression stern and resolute.
All three were shocked. Wild Dog jumped up and down in a panic, shouting, "No, no, no! Young Master, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"
"Wild dog! You!!" Su Zhenzhen was very resentful of his compromise, but she also knew in her heart that if anything really happened to Biyao, Qin Wuyan would skin them alive when he came back.
"Alright," Tang Yuan sighed, and said to Biyao, "Yao'er, put down your sword first, and we'll slowly tell you some things, okay?"
Biyao nodded slightly and slowly sheathed her longsword.
Su Zhenzhen stepped forward, took Biyao's hand, and said with heartache:
“Yao’er, we only recently learned that you were the former young master of the Ghost King Sect, Bi Yao. As for why you don’t remember what happened in the past fifteen years, it’s because the sect master gave you the Forget-Me-Not Gu. We don’t know why he did it, but I believe it was to protect you.”
Biyao clenched her hands tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.
What the man in black said was actually true.
Su Zhenzhen then told her many more things, starting from the moment she entered the Tianli Divine Sect, almost without any detail. However, there were some things that Su Zhenzhen had not witnessed firsthand, so she could only give a general account. They were mostly about how good Qin Wuyan had been to her. As Su Zhenzhen recounted these things, the vague memories in her mind gradually became clearer.
...
On the quiet path leading to the Illusion Moon Cave in the back mountain of Qingyun, a purple figure flashed past with lightning speed.
"Ah..." Accompanied by several cries of pain, the Qingyun disciples guarding the back mountain fell down one after another.
The man in purple slowly stepped forward, and after confirming that the others were indeed lifeless, he soared like a dragon to a cave.
At first glance, the cave appeared utterly ordinary, its entrance half a meter higher than a person's height and about seven feet wide. It was surrounded by green vines and thorns, some branches drooping down to the entrance, swaying gently in the mountain breeze. And right beneath those green vines, on the stone above the entrance, were carved four characters: Illusion Moon Cave!
The cave is named Illusion Moon because, on a moonlit night, there are colorful and beautiful strange rocks in front of the cave, like a dream. But more importantly, there is a natural wonder within the cave. Once a person enters, it is as if they have fallen into an illusion. Those who are not of strong will will become deeply trapped inside and unable to extricate themselves, and their entire cultivation will be destroyed in an instant.
Before arriving, Qin Wuyan had already gathered all the information related to the Illusion Moon Cave. He timed his arrival perfectly, arriving just as dawn was breaking and the moon was setting, precisely when the cave's maze formation was at its weakest.
As soon as Qin Wuyan stepped into the cave, a cool mist swept over his face, followed by the roaring sound of a waterfall, like an ancient dragon imprisoned, pounding and roaring restlessly against the rock walls, making the stones beneath his feet tremble slightly.
He struggled to steady himself and carefully moved forward. The light inside the cave gradually brightened, and the surrounding scenery shifted and changed. Only a bright moon, shaped like a jade plate, seemed to be embedded in the cave wall. White mist rose like waves in a sea of clouds, enveloping Qin Wuyan as he moved forward. The sound of rushing water in his ears gradually transformed into calls that seemed to transcend time and space: "Wuyan... Wuyan..."
Biyao?!
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Qin Wuyan froze, stopping in his tracks. He immediately realized that this was the so-called Illusionary Moon Maze. He tried his best to stay awake and continued forward. As his vision advanced, the white mist in front of him gradually dissipated, but the calling voice in his ears grew closer and clearer.
"Wu Yan... save me... save me..."
Qin Wuyan stepped forward and saw Biyao bound by iron chains to a tall stone pillar, her face covered in blood, crying out in broken despair, "Wuyan...save me! I'm suffering so much in the Nine Nether Hell, being tormented by mountains of knives and seas of fire. Wuyan, save me, save me..."
Heart-wrenching screams pierced his ears, suddenly striking at the deepest pain in his heart. Although he knew in his heart that it was a maze, saving Biyao and letting her live well was his greatest wish in this life. The Illusionary Moon Maze would amplify a person's deepest desire to make up for some regret, driving them mad.
Therefore, even though he knew it was an illusion, he couldn't help but rush forward and keep cutting the iron chains with his sword.
"Biyao, don't be afraid, I will save you!"
"Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!..."
The entire cave echoed with a metallic, chilling hum. No matter how hard he tried, even as blood seeped from the web of his hand gripping the sword hilt, the chains remained as hard as iron, showing no sign of breaking.
"Biyao, I will save you!"
"I will definitely rescue you!!"
Qin Wuyan became increasingly delirious, like a maddened beast, pouring all his strength into cutting the iron chains while repeatedly chanting, "I will save you! I will save you!!"
Twenty-five years ago, after Biyao perished under the Zhuxian Sword, he reconciled with Zhang Xiaofan, hoping to bring Biyao back to life. However, despite his best efforts and even exhausting his cultivation, he was to no avail.
For the next ten years, he didn't even have the chance to see her. He could only hear from Qinglong that she was sleeping in a stone chamber on Fox Ridge Mountain, her appearance never aging, but she was just sleeping peacefully forever.
He always thought that if he could go back in time, he would never let her go to Qingyun Mountain, and he would never be soft-hearted enough to let go of the opportunity to save her.
"Biyao, I will save you, wait for me... wait for me, I will definitely save you! I will definitely save you!!" He muttered to himself as if he were crazy, tears and sweat streaming down his face, leaving a messy, ravenous trail.
"Qin Wuyan!!!"
He vaguely heard someone calling him, which sounded a lot like Biyao's voice. He looked up blankly, but Biyao was still tied to the stone pillar. So he kept burying his head and using the Love-Slaying Sword to cut at it.
Ten years of longing, a hundred years of crossing; I cannot bear to look back without severing this yearning.
Those hard, cold iron chains, like his longing for Biyao, were impossible to sever; instead, they grew even heavier with each impact.
"Qin Wuyan, stop!! Did you hear me?!"
He seemed to hear it, yet also seemed not to hear it. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hands seemed to be moving beyond his control, hacking away frantically. Tears streamed from his eyes as he cried out, "Biyao, I...I want to save you..."
Suddenly, someone grabbed the blade of his sword, stopping him from moving, and snatched the sword from his hand while he was distracted.
With a clang, the sword fell to the ground.
Someone yelled at him, "Qin Wuyan, wake up!!"
Qin Wuyan suddenly woke up with a start. His eyes widened as Biyao was already standing in front of him.
But the Illusionary Moon Array's influence on him hadn't completely disappeared. He paused, then, unable to control himself, stepped forward and pulled her into his arms with all his might, repeatedly murmuring her name, his voice hoarse and broken, even tinged with a sob: "Biyao... Biyao... I will save you, I will bring you back..."
Biyao was held tightly in his arms, her breath almost caught in her throat, yet she couldn't move. Hearing his calls to her again and again, and remembering his crazed and deranged state when she entered the Illusion Moon Cave, she couldn't bear to push him away. So she let him hold her for the time being, gently patting his back as if comforting a child.
"Yes, you saved me, you brought me back to life, I'm here..."
A wave of bittersweetness washed over her, and her eyes unconsciously filled with tears. She hugged his still trembling body tightly.
She never imagined that he was the one who saved her.
Although she hasn't fully recalled her memories of this life, she already knows clearly that the person who risked his life to save her was not Zhang Xiaofan, whom she had always longed for, but Qin Wuyan, whom she had always rejected and hated.
Why, it had to be you?
How much have you actually sacrificed for me?
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