Childhood Memories
The crystalline blue spiritual energy instantly spread from Yu Zhu's feet to the black-robed cultivator, and the ground froze.
Yu Zhu used the Mirage Array to temporarily trap the black-robed cultivator. "Jing Xu, run!"
"Hmph, trying to escape?" The black-robed cultivator chuckled, then lowered his voice, "Aren't you coming out yet?"
Aren't you coming out yet?
Ten-year-old Yuzhu was hiding in a thicket of grass when a dark figure suddenly appeared not far from her and said this.
She didn't understand what had happened. All she knew was that her mother suddenly took her out of town, tied a safety knot around her neck, told her to hide, and then disappeared.
She clutched the safety amulet, trembling, trying to stifle her already faint sobs, but she was sure the man had heard her long ago.
Whoosh!
A heavy sword dripping with blood was pointed directly at her brow. She opened her eyes wide in horror and saw a man in a black robe standing before her.
The man's figure overlapped with the black-robed cultivator in front of him. Upon hearing similar words, Yu Zhu froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
"Aren't you coming out yet? Zheng Qi, go and catch that kid."
Yu Zhu suddenly snapped back to reality and saw a woman in gray suddenly appear from the side and fly towards Jing Xu.
Yu Zhu frowned deeply. She hadn't noticed Zheng Qi's presence earlier. The Mirage Array hadn't trapped her. Yu Zhu lightly touched the ground with her toes, trying to stop Zheng Qi.
A sharp palm strike intercepted her, but Yu Zhu somersaulted to avoid it.
"Let me test the skills of the disciple personally taught by Immortal Venerable Qiongfang," the black-robed cultivator said with ill intent.
The ice spikes and icicles conjured by the mirage array were easily dispersed by the black-robed woman, preventing her from reaching Jing Xu's side at all.
A strong sense of being watched enveloped Yu Zhu. The black-robed cultivator curled the corners of his mouth and said, "As expected of Qiong Fang's disciple, he can achieve this even at the Nascent Soul stage."
Yu Zhu swallowed the metallic taste in his throat, his heart filled with alarm. If he could see through her cultivation level, his cultivation was probably above hers. It was over; he was really going to die here.
Yu Zhu took out the Cloud Ice Pearl and various talismans and threw them at the black-robed cultivator, hoping to buy him a little more time.
On the other side, Jing Xu, having been overwhelmed by the black-robed cultivator, was already at his limit.
Zheng Qi glanced at Yu Zhu and the black-robed cultivator. Long cracks appeared on the frozen ground, and the Mirage Array was about to break.
Four silver-gleaming short arrows appeared between Zheng Qi's fingers. With a casual flick of her wrist, the arrows lined up and shot towards Jing Xu.
Jingxu parried with his sword, but after a few breaths he could no longer hold on. He was pushed back several feet by the arrow and crashed into the mountain wall with a loud bang, sending down a shower of rocks and debris.
As the dust settled, the jade bamboo had already been swatted to the ground by the black-robed cultivator.
“We’ve caught him,” Zheng Qi said coldly.
Yu Zhu lay on the ground looking at Jing Xu, who had been bound like a rice dumpling by several silver chains.
Yu Zhu braced herself on her elbows and struggled to her feet. Her gaze swept over the cave entrance, and she collapsed to the ground again, seemingly losing all strength.
Upon seeing this, the black-robed cultivator leaped in front of Jing Xu and reached out to grab Jing Xu's collar.
A golden blade suddenly appeared, slicing off half of the black-robed cultivator's hand.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yu Zhu leaped up and scattered a handful of Cloud Ice Pearls, freezing the black-robed cultivator and Zheng Qi, and pulling Jing Xu out in front of the two.
Yun Bingzhu was no match for the two. The two used their magic power, and the ice shattered instantly.
Zheng Qi turned her head to look at the entrance of the ruins cave, where Chang You walked out, his clothes half-covered in blood.
Changyou's expression was solemn as he threw out array formations at the two of them with his pen.
Explosions erupted. Yu Zhu retrieved Jing Xu's sword, led him into the cave, gave him a bottle of pills, and then used her sword to cut the silver chains binding him.
The sword blade collided with the silver chain, sparks flying.
Crack! The silver chain broke, and so did the sword.
Yu Zhu wiped the blood from her lips, threw the sword aside, and walked out of the cave.
At this moment, Changyou stood in front of the cave entrance, confronting the two.
Zheng Qi stood in the treetop, holding a bow and shooting out streaks of light to cover the attack of the black-robed figure.
Changyou did not appear weak; his brushstrokes were like dragons and phoenixes dancing.
Although the two sides were locked in a stalemate for a time, a trickle of blood still flowed from the corner of Changyou's lips.
Yu Zhu's face was pale, her brows furrowed. She took out an empty Cloud Ice Pearl, formed hand seals, gritted her teeth, and poured all her spiritual power into the pearl as a gust of wind and snow sword intent.
The black-robed man kept striking out with his palms, and streams of dense, dark magic power surged toward Changyou.
Yu Zhu shot the Cloud Ice Pearl at the black-robed man.
"A trivial skill." The man in the black robe waved his sleeve indifferently.
Unexpectedly, the Cloud Ice Pearl suddenly emitted a blinding white light, and a strong wind carrying flying snow rushed towards the black-robed man and Zheng Qi. The black-robed man, who was directly hit, was forced to close his eyes by the wind, and Yu Zhu immediately threw out the sect leader's sword intent jade tablet.
Caught off guard, the man in black was struck squarely by the sword intent, but Zheng Qi leaped forward and caught him.
"Want to come again? I have more than one Nascent Soul Sword Intent in my hand." Yu Zhu said expressionlessly, holding the sword intent jade tablet that had flown back.
The man in the black robe paused, and after a long silence, took a deep breath. "Let's go!"
The two disappeared.
*Pfft*—Yu Zhu spat out a mouthful of blood, the warm blood dripping down her chin onto her chest, staining her clothes red once more.
Yu Zhu's legs buckled, but fortunately Chang You caught her in time.
Changyou half-dragged and half-supported Yuzhu to lean against the mountain wall next to Jingxu and gave her a bottle of pills.
Changyou's face turned slightly pale. "The secret technique of Baicao Village didn't work?"
"Yes... I fainted before, but now... I'm still awake," Yu Zhu said in a trembling voice.
Changyou cursed under his breath, "I'd rather have just passed out."
"Ha—cough!"
Seeing Changyou lose his composure for the first time, Yuzhu couldn't help but laugh out loud, which aggravated her chest and abdomen, causing pain.
Yu Zhu pressed her chest; that black-robed man was truly ruthless, he had almost shattered her sternum.
Yu Zhu tilted her head slightly to look at Jing Xu. Chang You fed Jing Xu another bottle of medicine and was channeling spiritual energy into him. Jing Xu's complexion looked a little better.
Changyou set up a formation for the two of them, saying, "I haven't heard from Ah Xun yet. I'll go check on her first and then come back to pick you up."
"Mmm," Yu Zhu replied weakly.
The demonic power within his body surged, wanting to seize the space vacated by the depleted spiritual power. The Divine Soul Seal was activated, suppressing the demonic power at all costs.
Hold on, you must hold on. You almost destroyed Luobai Residence when you went mad before. Jingxu is here this time, don't kill him.
Yu Zhu closed her eyes, gripped her clothes tightly, curled up into a ball, and occasionally let out a painful groan. Her lower lip was a bloody mess, and it was hard to tell whether the blood was from a recent bite or from a previous injury.
In a daze, Yu Zhu felt someone pinching her cheeks and slowly applying pressure.
Yu Zhu suddenly tensed up, then obediently opened her mouth, and a pill was pushed between her lips, which she swallowed subconsciously.
Are they pills, not liquid medicine?
My wrist was grasped, and a trickle of fluid slowly entered the veins of the Solomon's Seal.
Yu Zhu struggled to open her eyelids; it was Jing Xu.
Yu Zhu twitched her wrist slightly, but was unable to remove it.
"Senior sister, I've recovered most of my strength. It's alright if I transfer some spiritual energy to you," Jing Xu said softly.
"Oh, then you..." Yu Zhu's lips parted, but she herself wasn't sure if she had said what she was about to say.
“Yes, I know,” Jing Xu replied gently.
Jingxu carried Yuzhu on his back. "Senior Brother Changyou sent a message saying that the group of people has left. Zhao Xun was released by them and he is waiting for us not far away. I will carry Senior Sister down the mountain. If Senior Sister is in too much pain, she can still bite me."
The path down the mountain was not smooth. Without the aid of magic, Yu Zhu, lying on Jing Xu's back, felt like she was sitting in a swaying cradle and gradually became drowsy.
Yu Zhu knew that she had fallen into the original owner's memories and was experiencing everything from the original owner's perspective.
She was sorting herbs in the yard when her mother rushed home in a panic, grabbed her and ran outside. They ran until it was dark, then her mother stuffed her into a clump of weeds, put a safety buckle on her, and then turned back the way they came.
The mother was on her way back to save a mother and daughter she had met. Not long ago, the woman had asked the mother for help, but the mother had not responded.
Yu Zhu knew that her mother would never return. She stared at her mother's retreating figure, hoping that she would turn around at least once.
Previously, when Yu Zhu recalled things, the face of the original owner's mother was always unclear.
As if knowing what Yu Zhu was thinking, the original owner's mother stopped and then turned around.
Yu Zhu froze. Her mother! That was her mother! She looked just like her mother; that was her mother!
Yu Zhu wanted to rush out and hug her, but she was as if she were imprisoned in place, unable to move an inch, and could only watch her back recede into the distance.
"Mother...Mother...Mom, Mother..."
A faint sound came from behind him. Jingxu suddenly felt a faint dampness on his neck. The dampness deepened, and Jingxu stopped in his tracks.
"Is it raining?"
Feeling the moisture on her face, Yuzhu asked softly.
Just then, raindrops fell, landing on Jingxu's face. He looked up and saw a layer of dark clouds covering the sky. Duiyun Mountain is shrouded in mist and clouds year-round, with occasional showers.
"Yes, it's raining."
Jingxu gripped Yuzhu tightly and continued walking forward.
The rain was falling softly, not too heavy, but noticeable enough to be heard.
They hadn't walked far when they saw Changyou and Zhao Xun.
Unlike Jingxu, the two of them each carried an umbrella.
Seeing this, Changyou flicked his finger and created a spiritual energy shield above Jingxu and Yuzhu's heads.
Feeling that the dampness on his neck was no longer increasing, Jing Xu did not refuse, as he truly had no more spiritual energy left.
When Yu Zhu opened her eyes, she was back in the small courtyard of Bailan Lane. The magic power in her body had subsided, and her soul imprint had also quieted down. She stared blankly at the bed curtains above her.
The original owner's mother looks exactly like her mother, so are they the same person?
And that black-robed monk, was he the one who captured the original owner and slaughtered the town?
Their faces are different, but their voices seem to be the same. Did they use a face-changing technique?
Yu Zhu closed her eyes and carefully compared the two in her mind.
Someone pushed the door open and entered, but Yu Zhu did not open her eyes.
Until he grasped Yuzhu's wrist, strands of spiritual energy flowed into Yuzhu's meridians.
Do you have a lot of spiritual power?
Jingxu shifted his gaze from Yuzhu's wrist to her face and saw that Yuzhu was staring at him.
Jing Xu smiled slightly, "Senior sister, you're awake. I've fully recovered."
He still held the jade bamboo wrist and channeled spiritual energy into it.
Yu Zhu let out a sigh of relief, too lazy to say anything to him.
After a while, Jingxu released his hand after transferring his spiritual energy, his palm brushing against Yuzhu's hand, bringing a slight itch.
Yu Zhu unconsciously curled her fingers slightly, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and grabbed Jing Xu's wrist.
Jing Xu was stunned for a moment, then spread his hands, letting her look at him.
After cultivation, a cultivator's physical functions will be enhanced, making it difficult to leave marks when using ordinary weapons. However, if they use objects containing spiritual or demonic energy for a long time, marks will still be left on their bodies.
Yu Zhu recalled the black-robed cultivator's palm strike in his mind; his palm was covered with thick calluses, indicating that he was likely accustomed to using a heavy sword.
Yu Zhu released Jing Xu's hand and met his calm eyes.
"Ha, you practice swordsmanship really hard, your hands are calloused."
Jing Xu withdrew his hand. "Did the calluses on my hands rub against Senior Sister?"
Yu Zhu sat up and said, "No, no, it's just that I haven't practiced swordsmanship much these past few years, and my calluses have all disappeared. I miss the days when I practiced swordsmanship hard." As she spoke, Yu Zhu opened her hands.
Jing Xu looked at it; the palm was fair and tender, and the flesh and bones were well-proportioned. It did not look like someone who had practiced swordsmanship for a long time, but this hand could swing the sword and repel enemies time and time again.
“Oh right!” Yu Zhu withdrew her hand. “My master must have taken all the good stuff from the ruins. There’s nothing in the stone chamber.”
Yu Zhu only realized later that Baili Hanying was the name of the Immortal Venerable Qiongfang.
Mentioning Qiongfang, Jingxu pursed his lips. They all guessed why the black-robed cultivator had come. They didn't know where the information had leaked, but they were here to verify if there was anything wrong with Jingxu's soul.
Yu Zhu sighed, thinking of herself, and seeing Jing Xu lower his eyes, she asked in a low voice, "Jing Xu, don't you want to be the Immortal Venerable Qiong Fang?"
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