Chapter 10 Amnesia
Di Feisheng, with the "earth-shaking discovery" he got from Jiao Liqiao, was filled with an unprecedented, burning and urgent emotion in his heart, and rushed towards the quiet Lotus Tower almost regardless of anything.
He pushed open the car door and Li Lianhua, who was reading a medical book under the lamp, was startled and looked up in surprise.
Their eyes met.
Di Feisheng's eyes were no longer filled with the confusion and inquiry from before, but instead held an almost scorching, naked light, as if he had finally cracked the most profound martial arts secrets and found the only correct answer.
He strode forward and approached Li Lianhua directly. His tall figure brought a strong sense of oppression.
"Li Lianhua," he said, his voice deeper and hoarser than usual due to excitement. "I understand."
Li Lianhua's heart skipped a beat at his gesture. She subconsciously took a half step back and forced herself to remain calm: "...know what?"
"I know why I react when I'm close to you," Di Feisheng said, his eyes blazing as he spoke every word clearly. "That's a man's desire. He wants a reaction from someone."
Li Lianhua's pupils suddenly constricted, and the medical book in his hand fell to the ground with a "pa" sound. His face instantly lost all color, then quickly flushed red again, and his tongue seemed to be tied. "You...what are you talking about?!"
"That's not nonsense." Di Feisheng took a step forward, practically trapping him between himself and the bookshelf. His tone was the confidence and persistence of a martial arts fanatic who had solved a difficult problem. "As Jiao Liqiao said, this reaction only occurs to people with whom he has a desire. And for me, it's only for you."
He stared at Li Lianhua's face, which was almost blank with shock, and continued to throw out more heavy words: "So, Li Lianhua, I want you."
boom--!
Li Lianhua felt as if a thunder had exploded in her head, and she was completely struck by this sentence, her soul shattered to pieces!
"You...you..." He pointed at Di Feisheng with trembling fingers, speaking incoherently with anger, "Di Feisheng! Have you gone crazy from practicing martial arts?! Do you like men?!"
Upon hearing this, Di Feisheng frowned slightly, as if he had thought about the question seriously for a moment, and then answered more directly and matter-of-factly: "I don't like men."
He paused, his eyes fixed on Li Lianhua with great concentration. His gaze was pure, direct, and even carried a kind of paranoid affection that he himself was unaware of.
"I just want you."
"Whether you are a man or a woman, whether you are Li Xiangyi or Li Lianhua, I don't care."
"I only want you."
"Come back to the Golden Mandarin Duck Alliance with me. I will cure your poison and protect your life."
This unvarnished, overbearing, and shocking confession, like the most potent poison, instantly broke through all of Li Lianhua's psychological defenses. He hadn't been unaware of Di Feisheng's recent anomalies, but he had never imagined that this man could... could so directly and unreservedly express such a shocking thought!
Embarrassment, shame, panic, and a hint of extremely secret throbbing that even he himself dared not delve into... countless emotions instantly overwhelmed him.
He pushed Di Feisheng away violently, his voice trembling: "You are crazy! Completely crazy! Stay away from me!"
After saying this, he rushed out of the door in a panic, not even caring about the vixen. He used his best and last remaining lightness skills and disappeared into the thick night without looking back.
He had to escape! Now! Right now! Away from this suddenly dangerous flute!
Di Feisheng hadn't expected Li Lianhua to react so violently, to actually run away. He froze for a moment, then immediately gave chase. He had only one thought in mind: He couldn't let him escape! He had to find out why he was running away. If he wanted to, then he should catch him. What was wrong with that?
However, although Li Lianhua's martial arts skills were only a fraction of what they were before, her ability to hide and escape had reached perfection. Adding to her familiarity with the terrain, she managed to shake off Di Feisheng for a while.
Di Feisheng's pursuit proved fruitless, and his impatience and anger surged. As he searched the forest, a pair of eyes, mad with jealousy, glared at him from the darkness—it was Jiao Liqiao, the one who had followed him out of love and hatred!
Seeing that Di Feisheng was so obsessed with Li Lianhua that he even chased her out, she completely lost her mind.
"Your Majesty... since you are so heartless, don't blame Qiao Qiao for being cruel... If I can't have you, no one else can!" She gritted her teeth and used the strong aphrodisiac poison she had prepared long ago, which she originally wanted to use to force Di Feisheng to submit. She mixed it with a strange medicine that could cause memory disorder and released it silently.
The flute flying sound that was bent on chasing Li Lianhua was caught off guard and inhaled the poison powder. He felt dizzy and his internal energy was instantly disordered. His vision went black and he lost consciousness.
Di Feisheng woke up in the cave, his head splitting with pain, as if countless steel needles were throbbing inside his skull. He looked around. The surroundings were jagged and rocky. Outside, the sky was gray and the wind was howling. Who was I? Why was I here? He tried to recall, but his mind was a chaotic blank, as if every trace had been brutally erased.
A huge, helpless feeling of emptiness gripped him, something he had never experienced before. He subconsciously clenched his fists, only to feel a sharp sting in his palms.
He spread his hands.
Three bright red, slightly crooked characters were deeply engraved into the skin and flesh. Some places had even scabbed over, and some places were still slightly bleeding - Li Lianhua.
Who is this?
Why engrave this name on your hand?
An enemy? A benefactor? Or... someone more important?
This name was like a stone dropped into stagnant water, stirring a faint ripple in the empty lake of his heart, bringing with it an indescribable bitterness and throbbing. The only thing he was certain of was that he had to find this person! This was the only belief that kept him from completely losing himself.
He walked out of the cave, his steps a bit unsteady due to the disordered internal energy and memory loss, but his body's instincts remained, and his martial arts foundation was intact. He encountered the first woodcutter and stepped forward to stop him, his voice hoarse from not speaking for a long time: "Excuse me, do you know where Li Lianhua is?"
The woodcutter was frightened by his pale face and empty yet sharp eyes, and shook his head hurriedly: "No, I don't know what lotus is..."
He walked into a small town and saw a street vendor. He approached again and opened his palm: "Looking for Li Lianhua."
The vendor looked at the bloody writing on his palm, his face turned pale with fright, and he waved his hands repeatedly.
He broke into an inn, grabbed the owner's collar, his eyes empty but filled with terrifying paranoia: "Li Lianhua, where is she?"
The shopkeeper was so frightened that his soul was about to be shattered, and he trembled: "My dear hero... I really don't know you..."
No one knows. This name seems to be just an empty phantom.
He wandered aimlessly, not knowing where to go. When hungry, he instinctively hunted wild animals for food; when thirsty, he drank from mountain springs and streams. He had lost all common sense and acted solely on the instincts of a wild animal.
The toxins in the body hadn't been completely cleared, and combined with the symptoms of amnesia, they recurred frequently. Sometimes, a splitting headache would suddenly strike, and visions would flood before my eyes. Fragmented, incoherent images would flash by, bringing deeper pain and confusion. Sometimes, Qi and blood would flow backward, forcing me to stop and practice breathing exercises. Unaware of the source of the energy, I could only suppress it haphazardly, often exacerbating the injury.
But he never stopped. Whenever he felt a little relieved, he would continue to move forward, open his palms, and stubbornly show the name to everyone he met, even though the answer he got was always no.
Bitter wind, sun, rain, and frost. His once stern face was now more haggard and dusty, his black robe torn and stained. Only his eyes, amidst the emptiness, always burned with an inextinguishable fire, staring intently at the three words on his palm.
His strange behavior quickly attracted attention in the world.
A man in black with extremely high martial arts skills, a dazed look, and constantly asking about "Li Lianhua" - this news soon reached the ears of certain people.
Former members of the Golden Mandarin Duck Alliance arrived, attempting to bring back their "Lord." However, Di Feisheng didn't recognize them at all, and showed no reaction to their references to "Leader" and "Hegemon." Instead, he persistently demanded, "Do you know Li Lianhua?" Upon learning that he didn't, he ignored his questions and continued his wandering. His subordinates, helpless, could only secretly follow and protect him, but they dared not approach.
The people at Sigumen also noticed his abnormality. Xiao Zijin and others were full of doubts, suspecting that this was Di Feisheng's conspiracy. After several attempts to test him, they found that although his martial arts skills were still there, his mind seemed to be damaged. He was only obsessed with finding Li Lianhua. This actually reduced some of his hostility and made him more confused and wary.
Some former enemies, seeing his seeming downfall, sought revenge. Though Di Feisheng had lost all memory, his fighting instincts were deeply ingrained. His inner strength, Bei Feng Bai Yang, activated spontaneously in times of crisis, often inflicting fatal or injure attackers. Yet, he never lingered. Once he had defeated an enemy, he would immediately resume his search, as if nothing was more important than finding "Li Lianhua."
After defeating his enemies, he collapsed in a dilapidated temple due to exhaustion and poison. The former members of the Golden Yuan League who had been following him secretly had no choice but to take him back to a nearby branch to take care of him.
In a coma, he still clenched his fists and muttered the name.
An old subordinate who had searched for Li Xiangyi after the Battle of the East China Sea looked at the name on Zun's palm and his current appearance. He had a thought in his mind and made a bold guess: "Zun is so persistent... Could this Li Lianhua be the same as the missing Li..."
He didn't dare to finish his words, but the Medicine Demon beside him seemed to be lost in thought. He recalled the unusual attention the Venerable had shown to Li Lianhua.
When Di Feisheng regained consciousness, the Medicine Demon cautiously stepped forward and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, the Li Lianhua you're looking for might be... a doctor? And one who rides in a walking wooden building?"
A doctor practicing medicine? A walking wooden building?
These words were like a key, suddenly prying open a blocked corner deep in Di Feisheng's mind!
Some blurry fragments flashed by: a slowly moving wooden building, a pale and thin figure, a faint aroma of herbs, an indescribable feeling of... security?
His empty eyes suddenly focused! He suddenly grabbed Medicine Demon's wrist with such force that it almost broke his bones. His voice was urgent and hoarse: "Yes! It's him! Where is he?! Take me to find him!"
Although his memory has not yet recovered, his intuition tells him that this is the person he is looking for!
With a clear direction, Di Feisheng could no longer hold back. He ignored his frail body and the dissuasion of his subordinates and set off immediately.
Yao Mo could only point out the approximate area where Li Lianhua might go based on sporadic intelligence.
Di Feisheng immediately set out on his journey, traveling day and night. His health deteriorated, the poison attacks became more frequent, and his headaches were splitting, but he ran faster and faster. It was as if an invisible force was pulling him towards the unknown person who was his entire world.
He passed through mountains and forests, crossed streams, and entered towns. He no longer asked questions aimlessly, but instead searched persistently for a walking building and a doctor named Li Lianhua.
His clothes were ragged and his face was weather-beaten, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. His palms were always clenched, and those three words had already penetrated into his bones.
Finally, at the end of a remote country road.
He saw it.
A familiar wooden building slowly drifted by. Herbs were drying under the eaves. In front of the building, a yellow dog ran happily.
A thin man in plain gray clothes was standing with his back to him, drying something in front of the building.
At that moment, everything was silent.
All the hardships, emptiness, pain, and persistence seemed to have found a home at this moment.
Di Feisheng stopped and stood in the distance, staring blankly at the figure's back. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, with a familiar feeling that was almost painful.
He slowly and with great difficulty opened his palm, which had been clenched for too long and was almost stiff, and pointed the name blurred by blood on the palm towards the back.
Thousands of words, endless searching and suffering, in the end, only turned into an extremely hoarse, uncertain and trembling call, breaking through his dry throat:
"...Li...Lotus?"
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