Busy
I should have known better than to watch so many TV dramas! Hanjiang only regrets her quick tongue!
"Would you believe me if I said I was transferred from the palace?" Han Jiang feigned ignorance.
"I believe you," Cang Jing chuckled, as if he would believe you if you said you came from outside the book.
Such a familiar conversation, it was as if time had returned to that night when she and Cang Jingqi confronted each other at the medicine shop, and he also smiled and said that he "believed".
Han Jiang stared at Cang Jingqi, and said as if possessed, "Cang Jingqi, do you believe everything I say?"
Cang Jingqi ignored Han Jiang's disrespect in not addressing him as "Your Highness" and immediately replied, "Yes, I believe whatever you say."
But her expression clearly said, "No, Han Xiaoman, I don't believe anything you say."
Before Han Jiang could say anything more, another young man stepped out of the palace: "Brother, Mother is waiting for you."
He must be Cang Jingmo.
Cang Jingqi ignored Han Jiang and followed Cang Jingmo into the palace.
Han Jiang couldn't keep up. The guards outside the palace seemed to have suddenly noticed her presence and stopped her, asking, "What are you doing here? What are you doing here?"
"Ah, I am, I am..." Han Jiang stammered, unable to come up with a reasonable job title.
"If she's looking for me, just take her to my place and wait for her." Cang Jingqi, who had already entered the palace, turned back and explained to the guards.
Han Jiang didn't understand why Cang Jingqi would help her out of that predicament.
Logically, this illusion should be Cang Jingqi's memory, but Han Jiang never appeared in Cang Jingqi's childhood.
Han Jiang looked down: she was actually wearing the clothes from the Four Continents Sect. She wasn't appearing in this illusion as anyone else, but truly as "Han Jiang."
Putting aside why she entered Cang Jingqi's illusion, the fact that she could appear in someone's memory as an outsider is completely unexpected! This doesn't fit the usual pattern of memory illusions!
If the illusion that Cang Jingqi is trapped in is the same as his own, created by expectations, then that's not right either. How could Cang Jingqi be expecting a past where Han Jiang existed?
This is even stranger!
Okay, that's not even the weirdest thing, because there's something even weirder!
Han Jiang was led to another side hall of the palace, where he was seated in the courtyard, and served pastries and tea.
The previous Demon Lord had three children. After the eldest prince, Cang Jingqi, came of age, he abdicated but did not pass the throne to any of his children. Instead, he entrusted the second prince, Cang Jingmo, with managing the affairs of the Demon Lord, while the Demon Lord himself went into seclusion, only emerging during the Snow Festival each year, supposedly to share the joy with the people.
The Second Prince's coming-of-age ceremony did not take place during the Snow Festival, so the Demon Lord did not even participate in his child's coming-of-age ceremony.
One after another, people came in delivering pastries, constantly interrupting Han Jiang's train of thought.
"We don't need that many!" Han Jiang said.
"Ah, this is His Highness's usual amount."
With half the round table covered in snacks, Han Jiang couldn't help but wonder if Cang Jingqi would get cavities.
A little girl skipped and hopped into the courtyard through the side gate, nodded to Han Jiang in greeting, and then took a plate of pastries in front of him.
After a while, two little girls who looked exactly like the ones before ran into the yard together and took away another plate. One of them reminded Han Jiang, "My brother won't be back for a long time. If you're tired, go inside and take a nap!"
Han Jiang's mind was filled with doubts.
Is this the proper attitude to have towards a stranger?
No, Han Jiang is fooling herself. This is not actually Cang Jingqi's memory. This is a hallucination she had after eating mushrooms on the mountain in the previous illusion!
Hanjiang pinched her arm: Ouch!
Not only does it hurt financially, it hurts mentally too.
The side gate of the courtyard opened again, and three people entered.
Han Jiang suddenly stood up: "Won't it be three identical little girls walking in this time?!"
She was overthinking it; it was two identical little girls with a boy.
The three of them sat down next to Han Jiang and began to eat the pastries on the table.
Han Jiang then realized that the previous two attempts were tests.
"Eat slowly, drink some tea, don't choke." Han Jiang pushed the tea towards the three of them.
The boy pushed the tea back: "Only you like to drink tea, brother."
It wasn't specified which brother it was, but Han Jiang subconsciously thought of Cang Jingqi. Perhaps it was because this was Cang Jingqi's courtyard?
The Demon Lord has three children in total. What's the deal with these three in front of you?
"Do you know me?" Han Jiang asked.
"I don't know you," the little girl said, "but I know you."
"How do you know Cang Jingqi knows me?" After Han Jiang asked this question, the three of them stopped and looked at her, as if she had said something she shouldn't have.
No one questioned it, and they continued to enjoy the delicious food in their hands.
The three of them silently finished the pastries on the table, left a small plate for Han Jiang, and left through the side door.
They had barely left when Cang Jingqi returned.
As if everything was going according to his plan, Cang Jingqi sat opposite Han Jiang, leisurely pouring himself a cup of tea. He noticed that there was no teacup in front of Han Jiang; another teacup with tea on the table was in front of her to her right.
"You don't drink tea?" Cang Jing asked.
Han Jiang nodded, then asked, "Why did you help me?"
"Don't we know each other? It was just a small favor."
Knowing each other? Why would Cang Jingqi in the illusion know Han Jiang?
Han Jiang: "Then tell me, who am I?"
“I don’t know, but we definitely know each other.” Cang Jingqi took a sip of tea. “So what happened? Have I lost my memory? Or are we in an illusion?”
Han Jiang was taken aback, then said, "We are in an illusion, and this is your illusion. Now that you've realized that, wake up quickly!"
"Since this is my illusion, how did you get in?"
"We are in a multi-layered illusion; I must have fallen in from the previous illusion."
"I see," Cang Jing said. "Then you can leave. Leaving the Demon Palace will allow you to leave my illusion."
Han Jiang was confused: "I'm leaving? What about you? Aren't you leaving?"
Cang Jingqi did not answer, but stood up and made a "please" gesture, indicating that Han Jiang should leave through the main gate.
What else could it mean? It's simply telling Han Jiang to leave him alone. Han Jiang was completely bewildered. This person knew this was an illusion, and even knew how to leave, yet chose to stay? Did he have another plan?
"Cang Jingqi, are you trying to investigate the rebels?" Han Jiang remained seated.
Cang Jingqi looked puzzled: "What are rebels? I don't care. Please leave."
"Fine, if he doesn't want to leave, he doesn't have to." Han Jiang thought to himself, why should he meddle in other people's business? So he followed Cang Jingqi's suggestion and headed out of the Demon Palace.
As they approached the boundary between humans and demons, the human landscape before them gradually went blank, transforming into a blinding light. Without experiencing severe dizziness, the ground beneath Han Jiang's feet went from solid to nothingness and then back to solid.
It was still dark when the mansion finally returned to its original state.
Han Qi was not by her side; she and Han Jiang only met in a mental illusion and did not meet in reality.
Han Jiang quickly pulled out a tracking talisman and set off to find Han Qi first!
The real mansion wasn't as winding and complex as the illusion. Han Jiang quickly found Han Qi unconscious in the corridor, guessing that he was trapped in the illusion and hadn't come out.
If you want to help someone trapped in an illusion, you can enter their illusion through spiritual resonance.
Han Jiang's spiritual power was almost zero, making it difficult to even unleash, let alone resonate with others. She had no choice but to carry Han Qi on her back and lead her out of the mansion.
Time had become blurred, and Han Jiang had no idea how much time had passed since Chi Jin left.
Han Jiang hadn't taken two steps when the temperature on her back rose rapidly. She had to put Han Qi down, and after they separated, Han Qi's temperature dropped again.
Could it be that the stagnant spiritual energy has flared up again? There's nothing we can do about this cold spell!
Wait a minute, it doesn't seem like spiritual energy is stagnating, but rather dissipating. The spiritual energy around Han Jiang is becoming increasingly dense, all emanating from Han Qi.
A powerful spiritual force pulled Han Jiang closer, forcing her to move near Han Qi.
Hanqi's spiritual power was forcing Hanjiang to resonate with her!
Forced resonance is generally impossible to achieve.
But if they are twins, then yes.
That night, twins were born in a remote village. It was said that they were blessed by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and were different from ordinary people.
Han Jiang saw a little girl standing in the center of the fire.
There's no need to guess who she is; she's young Hanqi, Luoluo's younger sister, Yaya.
She clutched the token left behind by Han Tian in her hand.
Logically, Cang Jingqi had already extinguished the village fire before leaving, so the flames burning here are not the real ones from his memory, but rather the hatred from his illusion.
"Hanqi..." Hanjiang called softly.
Hanqi looked up: "I hate the demon race..."
"I will kill the demons..."
Han Jiang asked, "Why?"
"That demon took my sister away." Han Qi was in a daze, answering questions in a daze.
When Hanqi ran back from the foot of the mountain, all he saw was the charred village and his departing elder sister.
Demonic energy permeated the air.
"It must have been the demons who destroyed the village!"
The fire was strange; it was a burst of flames caused by concentrated spiritual energy. Han Tian couldn't extinguish it and had to ask Cang Jingqi for help. However, after Cang Jingqi covered the village with demonic energy, Han Qi mistakenly believed that the demons had destroyed the village.
"And the sect leader of the Four States Sect is an accomplice!" Han Qi added.
"Tell me what you saw?" Han Jiang asked, holding Han Qi's hand as if coaxing a child.
"Two strangers came to the village and asked me about the altar. One was a demon, and I could sense that his demonic aura was different from our spiritual aura. The demon said the other person was the future sect leader."
They asked many people, but the village wouldn't reveal the altar's secret. They had no choice but to leave, and I watched them go. Then my sister and I went up the mountain… When I woke up, my sister was gone. I ran down the mountain; there were fires everywhere. I saw the two strangers again; they had returned. I ran back up the mountain to find my sister… The fires were out, and my sister had gone with them.”
“I went to the Demon Clan to find my elder sister and asked them where Luo Luo was. I went to the Four Continents Sect to find the sect leader. All the elders of the Four Continents Sect gathered together to discuss my matter, but the sect leader standing there was not the person I was looking for, and he did not know where Luo Luo was either.”
Han Jiang sighed helplessly: You've got the wrong person!
Do you know what that human chieftain looks like?
Hanqi shook his head.
"Do you remember what Luo Luo looks like?"
Hanqi shook his head.
Given the immense pain, it's already remarkable that she can remember most of what happened back then. Other details have been worn away by the passage of nine years, leaving only obsession and vague impressions.
She knew that the current sect leader, Lei Mo, was not Han Tian, but she couldn't remember what Han Tian looked like.
"Luo Luo wouldn't have left me alone. They must have tricked Luo Luo and killed her." Han Qi couldn't find anything, so she had to make up an ending for her older sister.
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