Chapter 83: How should she face him after her return?
If it were Shu Qing, who grew up in the modern era, she would definitely rush up and give Jiu Su a hug right now; if it were the ancient immortal Xia Shan Jun Ashu, she might turn around and leave, temporarily detach herself from the situation of being separated for a thousand years, sort out her thoughts, calm her mind, and then come back to talk to him about the feelings of separation.
However, now that she had memories of two lifetimes, she didn't know how to react. In her haste, she could only call out "Little Red" and couldn't say anything else.
She could only stand silently in place, gazing at Jiu Su without a sound.
After a long pause, Jiu Su gently called her name, "A-Shu?"
He always called her that, but she could always tell the difference in those two soft words—he guessed it all, he knew she had completely recovered her old memories in the illusion of "peeping".
So, how should she face him?
Between them are blood feuds, acts of saving lives, and differences in stance... Although the differences in stance in this life are not as sharp and irreconcilable as in the previous life, it is still the source of all conflicts.
Each and every one of these matters has yet to be settled; where do we even begin to investigate and make things clear?
Shu Qing didn't know, and neither did Jiu Su. For a while, they couldn't even find a starting point for a conversation.
The calming music from the Supermarket Administration was still echoing in the air, but it had no effect whatsoever; it felt more like a summoning of souls, making people restless and agitated.
The only meaningful thing is that the music still indicates that someone is waiting for their news. Taking this opportunity, the two of them unanimously shifted their focus back to their current predicament.
"Hmm," Shu Qing replied dryly, then asked, "How did you find me?"
“…I told you before that my collar contains your essence and blood, so no matter where you are, I can find you.” Jiu Su replied, almost bewildered. “Even if you are trapped in the ‘Peeping’ past space, I can still find you. Luckily, I left this key.”
Shu Qing said "Oh". When she only had modern memories, she didn't understand how this spirit ape was doing things. Now that her past memories have returned, the spirit ape's methods and purposes are like a blank sheet of paper - it just covets her talent and has its eye on her ability to gather willpower in her soul for its own use. It wants to trap her with the past and then devour her soul.
It's quite embarrassing that she fell for this trick, but she managed to regain Xiashan-kun's memories, so it was a blessing in disguise.
She raised her hand, her palm shimmering with a clear light. No longer needing anyone's help, she had regained her ability to mobilize spiritual energy.
“I already know why the monsters went out of control,” Shu Qing said. “Maybe there’s a way. Let’s find a monster that’s gone out of control and test it out.”
Jiu Su walked silently ahead, leading the way for her.
Once a person gets down to business, their mind quickly settles down. As Shu Qing walked, she took out her phone and sent a message to her colleagues at the Supermarket Management Bureau outside to let them know she was safe.
After sending the message, Jiu Su stopped in front of a cage. Inside the cage was a level 6.8 out-of-control monster. Its abilities were not particularly destructive; it could only cause hallucinations. It was the safest one in the cell.
Even with Jiu Su's demonic power acting as a barrier, Shu Qing still felt a certain degree of confusion in all five senses when she got close. The cage in front of her vaguely showed signs of turning into the main hall of Liuxia Peak, and she could faintly hear the sound of clashing weapons.
The spiritual energy flowed quietly through her senses, and everything became peaceful. Shu Qing placed her hand on the cell door, and the clear light seemed to extend from her palm, reaching all the way to the out-of-control fox demon in the cage, scanning it up and down.
While she was investigating, Jiu Su stood silently beside the cage, lost in thought.
"As expected..." Shu Qing withdrew her probing spiritual energy and said softly, "It's him."
"who?"
“My former master, Kunlun Immortal Lord Zhiheng,” Shu Qing said, “do you still remember what his ‘Dao’ was?”
Zhiheng practices alchemy and spends most of his time in the rear. Jiusu has never fought him head-on, and her knowledge of the "Dao" he wields is limited to hearsay; she has never personally experienced it.
When Shu Qing asked him this, he even had to think for a moment before he could remember, "Seek your true self?"
“Yes. Don’t underestimate it. It’s not just for guiding the younger generation. It has many uses.” Shu Qing briefly told Jiu Su how Zhi Heng had instigated the conflict between the two clans. These old stories were so painful that neither of them wanted to mention them again. Even during the days when she was asleep in Jiu Su’s demon soul, she didn’t say anything about them.
Seeing the change in Jiu Su's expression, she said, "I guess these few out-of-control monsters were originally people who hated humans and wanted to act recklessly like the great demons of ancient times. They could have controlled themselves, but this 'original intention' was amplified infinitely. Since they don't have the strength of the demon soul of the great demons of ancient times, they completely lost control, leading to the situation we see today."
With this clear direction, Jiu Su immediately understood: "Your method is to have me destroy the connection between these out-of-control monsters and the 'Dao' of balance."
"Hmm. I know it's difficult to break the connection between monsters and the concept of 'out of control,' since it's an innate cause and effect. But my master... Zhiheng's 'Dao' was artificially added, so it shouldn't be difficult to do, right?"
“Indeed.” Jiu Su finally showed her first smile since their meeting. “Step back a little.”
Shu Qingyi stepped back a little. She looked at the familiar chill surging around the out-of-control fox demon, and her thoughts unconsciously slipped away from the troubles that were currently in front of the two of them... sinking once again into the abyss of her past life.
She couldn't help but think: What should I do in the future?
In this life, from the very first meeting, Jiu Su was unwilling to have too much involvement with her. Before he took human form, he needed to find a place to stay temporarily, and moreover, he valued their years of friendship. Seeing that she was in distress and had no way out, he would definitely stay and accompany her on this journey.
That's just the kind of person he is. In this long yet short life, there are only a few people who treat him well, so each one is very important. Even if they were only "once" kind to him, even if that kindness was mixed with a lot of selfishness and desire... he can pick out the sand mixed in and cherish the rest.
His adoptive father, Taiyu, treated him well, so he wanted to repay him; Jin Wanli treated him like an elder brother, so he treated him like a brother; even Hu You, because he had taken care of him before, he said he didn't care, but in fact he still silently cared for and supported him in every way.
And that goes without saying for her.
She thought that he later agreed to start over with her on the condition that she had completely forgotten the past and was a completely new person.
She remembers nothing. Whether it's a debt of love or a debt of life, it's all wiped clean. Ignorance is no excuse, after all.
But now she's remembered it all again. All those past events have once again become a barrier between them. Can she still be as indifferent as she was before, as if none of it ever happened?
Shu Qing believed he couldn't do it. Moreover, judging from Jiu Su's personality, he probably couldn't be completely without resentment either.
"Alright." She heard Jiu Su say, and the knife-like cold air transformed into ropes, firmly binding the out-of-control fox demon. "However, severing the influence of the 'Dao' can only prevent its out-of-control state from worsening. I still need to spend some time regulating its demonic power so that it can recover."
Shu Qing quickly regained her senses and nodded calmly. Her gaze fell on the monster, which seemed even more insane than when she first saw it—before, it seemed to be able to communicate, but now it was struggling desperately, ignoring the blood being drawn from the ropes formed from the cold air, as if it had truly gone mad.
“It was because the ‘Dao’ was calming its spirit before, otherwise that out-of-control spirit ape wouldn’t have been able to talk to you and me,” Jiu Su explained succinctly. “I know what I’m doing.”
Shu Qing nodded. At this moment, the Super Management Bureau personnel who had been monitoring the situation inside the prison building rushed in in response. Dozens of people came from the other end of the corridor and surrounded the out-of-control monster, trying to ask questions one after another.
The large group of people talking at the same time sounded like a flock of ducks having a meeting. Director Yang cleared his throat forcefully, and the crowd finally quieted down.
Two caretakers, who had caught wind of the situation, shrewdly took the out-of-control fox demon from Jiu Su's hands and took the monster away to treat it. The rest of the people watched them expectantly.
Director Yang glanced at Shu Qing first. With his sharp eyes, he immediately noticed the subtle difference in her expression compared to before, so he bowed slightly and asked, "Now, how shall we address you?"
The other group of people present were stunned. This time, there was complete silence. They exchanged glances with each other: What's going on? Why is it "you" who went up? Isn't this a junior colleague from a business partner?
Only Jin Wanli had a complicated expression. He could treat the amnesiac Shu Qing as just an ordinary friend; but he couldn't do that with Xia Shanjun, who was once like a brother to him but later hated him to the bone. He could only turn his head away and avoid seeing her.
"No, Director Yang, don't flatter me." Shu Qing smiled brightly. "Just call me by my name, just like before."
Director Yang understood immediately—this was an implicit acceptance that he had regained his memories as "Lord Xiashan," but Lord Xiashan was equivalent to Shu Qing, whom they had known before. This "ancient immortal" only wanted to be a person, not treated like an antique; normal communication was sufficient.
Fortunately, the Super Management Bureau also lacked experience in dealing with ancient immortals, so Director Yang added a touch of respect to his original conversational tone, saying, "It seems that the two of you have already found the reason why the monster went out of control?"
“I suppose so,” Shu Qing and Jiu Su exchanged a glance. Knowing that Jiu Su didn’t really like explaining these things, she stepped forward to do it for her, explaining Zhi Heng’s “Dao” to the Super Management Bureau colleagues from beginning to end. Finally, she added, “I guess these out-of-control monsters are also affected by this. However, it’s best to wait until it’s healed and try to communicate with it before we can get any clear evidence.”
Everyone present was hearing the concept of "Tao" for the first time, and they were all taking notes. Therefore, no one asked Shu Qing about the unspoken meaning behind her words. Only Jiu Su exchanged a subtle glance with her.
The remaining "supernatural beings," including Jiu Su herself, all originated from the snow realm where Jiu Su was born. They hid in the snow realm to avoid the depletion of spiritual energy. However, Kunlun has long since turned into an ice field, and can no longer provide any protection for the ancient immortals.
Is it the surviving Zhiheng himself, or is there another hidden story?
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