Chapter 127 Continuous Memory Dislocation Time
The wooden house remained as cramped and narrow as ever.
A few years older, Yu Tianxing was taller and more slender than before. He sat in the open space next to the bed, taking up almost two-thirds of the space in the wooden house. If she took two steps forward, she would bump into him.
Ji Mingran chose to sit on the floor facing him, with his back to the wooden door.
With just the right amount of space remaining, Ji Mingran sat down with his legs bent, his right shinbone touching his raised left leg, and the back of his hand resting on his knee touching the back of his hand.
As their skin pressed tightly together, she noticed that the back of his hand, which she was touching, was trembling slightly. Then, her fingertips tightened, and Ji Mingran looked down at her.
Yu Tianxing turned his palm, which was resting on his knee, and gently pinched her with his index finger and thumb.
Yu Tianxing didn't flinch at the fingers that were being kneaded. His eyes were gentle: "I haven't been in this room since you left. I came here as soon as I saw you today."
Ji Mingran recalled the scene of their meeting not long ago. His gaze swept over everyone, including himself, without lingering for long.
It turns out he had noticed me. "I thought you had forgotten me, or didn't recognize me. I was hoping to find another opportunity to get to know you again."
Ultimately, this is a series of memory scenes. Once you jump to a new scene, the characters' timelines are refreshed, and it's perfectly normal for events from the previous memory scene to disappear.
If this is indeed Yu Tianxing from a new memory scenario, he wouldn't recognize her since he hasn't experienced the previous memory scenario.
Although the scenes in the memories are different now, it is still the same person, so I can save myself the trouble of getting to know him again and again.
However, Ji Mingran didn't care whether Yu Tianxing remembered or not, since she and Yu Tianxing would eventually get to know each other.
Developing a relationship with Yu Tianxing was as easy as breathing; it happened every time, and she didn't need to put in any effort.
Seemingly afraid of causing the girl to misunderstand, Yu Tianxing explained, "This time I won't be as reckless as I was when I was young. They are watching my every move, and I might accidentally involve you. If I act normally, I won't attract their attention, which is the safest way for you."
So he just stayed in the little house and waited for me to come back?
Ji Mingran caught the lingering fear and desolation in her dark eyes and suddenly realized that she might have thought that her disappearance was caused by Mao Qingyun instigating bullying and infighting among the junior disciples.
She recalled the last words she spoke to Yu Tianxing in the previous memory scene. She said she would handle it and told him to focus on his cultivation in peace.
Chronologically speaking, she disappeared after he emerged from seclusion. From Yu Tianxing's perspective, this became her solution. Therefore, when Yu Tianxing recognized her this time, he pretended not to see her.
"Six years, you've disappeared for six whole years." Yu Tianxing closed his eyes in distress, his brows furrowed. He sighed, then opened his eyes again, staring intently at her, as if asking her or talking to himself, "Where did you go?"
How could she explain the jump from the memory scene? And if she were to bring it up, how could she explain her current state? Ji Mingran let him pinch her fingertips, only raising her eyes to say, "It suddenly happened like this. I've been attending classes in the study hall the whole time."
She thought that jumping to a new memory scene would refresh everything that happened, but that wasn't the case.
Mo Jingshuang's words made her suspicious, until she opened the door and saw Yu Tianxing waiting for her. Only then did she realize that the timeline of the memories she jumped from one memory point to another was actually continuous.
For her, it was a matter of a moment; for the Yu Tianxing in her memory, she had truly disappeared for six years.
Should he tell him that this place is actually just his memory? If he did, what would be the consequences? Ji Mingran had no clue what to do. After thinking it over and over again, he decided to observe the situation further before choosing an opportunity to explain to Yu Tianxing.
So she reassured her, "Actually, I've always been here, but there are some situations I can't control."
Once he gets out, he'll understand what's going on.
Yu Tianxing looked at her quietly, his dark eyes filled with unfathomable emotions, and simply replied softly, "Mm."
"When did you realize I was missing?" Ji Mingran also wanted to know what had happened in the memory scenes she had skipped.
"After I came out of seclusion, I went to look for you. I saw Junior Sister from afar and knew you were gone." Yu Tianxing's voice was somber as he recalled that memory.
His eyes were fixed on Ji Mingran, his five fingers curled up and held her fingertips. After feeling the warmth, the tightness and palpitations in his heart eased a little. He continued, "After that, he was never around. I thought it was my second senior brother who did something to you, but after investigating, it wasn't him."
After Ji Mingran left, the junior sister who once carried Ji Mingran's soul showed no abnormalities. She maintained a normal routine of cultivation and had no recollection of what had happened between him and Ji Mingran. That memory was taken away by the departing person.
Yu Tianxing knew that this body of his junior sister had now lost her true primordial spirit and was merely a puppet that looked like an ordinary person.
She returned to silence, no longer actively asking questions, and sat back in the back row of the study hall, going to and from the classroom alone every day. Only Mo Jingshuang, another junior sister who was close to Jiang Chaoxing, for some reason developed a great fondness for the junior sister and would talk to her from time to time.
Ji Mingran: "It really wasn't him. I'm not sure myself, but anyway, that's where we are."
"I understand. You left not because you wanted to. You wanted to stay, didn't you?" Yu Tianxing's voice was alluring.
Ji Mingran was speechless for a moment, both right and wrong. She didn't want to stay in these memories forever; she had to get out eventually.
Seeing that she did not respond, Yu Tianxing's dark eyes gradually turned cold.
After a moment's thought, Ji Mingran said, "I don't want to stay here, but I want you to come with me."
The chill vanished in an instant. Yu Tianxing stared at her blankly for a long time without any reaction, his eyes filled with confusion. After a while, he carefully took her hand, intertwined his fingers, and murmured to himself, "This is real, not a dream."
Ji Mingran squeezed his palm back: "I have indeed returned. But I don't know if I will disappear again in the next instant. I haven't figured out the pattern yet, and I can't control it." She comforted him: "You don't need to be too persistent. You and I will meet again."
“I’ve thought about it. If your departure wasn’t of your own volition,” Yu Tianxing smiled at her. “Perhaps it’s because your primordial spirit is unstable. This matter can be resolved with one thing.”
An item immediately popped into Ji Mingran's mind; could it be...?
“The Spirit Ring is the treasure of the Nameless Sect, and it is controlled by the sect leader.” Yu Tianxing said softly, “Over the years, I have been planning to bring down all the senior brothers and sisters and take over the position of sect leader. In this way, as long as I find you and equip you with it, your primordial spirit will be stable in one body and will not go out of control.”
Ji Mingran stared at him, lost in thought. One day in the future, he would indeed hand over the Spirit Ring to him. Ji Mingran seemed to see the boy before him overlap with the boy who had forcefully shoved the Spirit Ring into his hands.
Her voice softened: "That day will come."
She was willing to accept his gift and stay by his side. The unease that had been weighing heavily on his heart for so long was swept away, and Yu Tianxing's expression softened, his smile deepening.
Seeing his cheerful expression, Ji Mingran hesitated about what he was about to say.
"Hmm... Yu Tianxing, I heard some news about you today," Ji Mingran asked. "But you might not be happy to hear it. Do you want to hear it?"
"What is it?" Yu Tianxing stared at her with his dark eyes, without hesitation.
“I heard the sect leader and his wife say that you weren’t picked up by them,” Ji Mingran said. “They were told by fortune tellers that they needed to pick up people, so they went and picked you up.”
“I know,” Yu Tianxing said softly. “When they found me, I was already five years old. The old woman who raised me had passed away. That winter, I was begging on the street when my father and mother found me, brought me back, and treated me as their own child, taking good care of me.”
Ji Mingran's eyes slowly widened.
Before Yu Tianxing, he was actually a little beggar.
In Ji Mingran's mind, Yu Tianxing was a prince who had been living away from home and the young master of a secluded sect. He was always aloof and noble, and every move he made revealed his relaxed elegance.
She never imagined that Yu Tianxing had such a background as a beggar.
“My father and mother are skilled in divination; they have long foreseen the arrangements of fate and accepted its guidance. Participating in the spiritual cultivation competition and this trip to the abyss are no different.” Yu Tianxing seemed amused by her surprised expression, a smile playing on his lips.
“They took in more than one child, but only told me that he was a child who had been raised outside since childhood and then brought home. This was probably because they had once again glimpsed that elusive will of Heaven and took this action.”
He knew all along, as expected. In that case, she didn't need to offer any further reminders.
As for other matters, Ji Mingran felt there was no need to say more.
This place is a memory. Changes in memory do not mean changes in facts. After the disciples of the Nameless Sect went to the Abyss, the Nameless Sect was destroyed. What happened more than two hundred years ago is history, an indisputable fact.
Two hundred years later, he reappeared in the mortal world. Could this be considered reincarnation?
What happened afterward is known only to him. She entered his memory here, passively, but it was ultimately his privacy.
Whether she chooses to stay here or not, she will see all of Yu Tianxing's past experiences.
"Yu Tianxing, I have some things to do here, and I might accidentally see everything about you." Ji Mingran asked, "Can you accept that?"
"You want to understand me." The warm orange candlelight spread evenly in his eyes, seeping into the depths of a cold pool, his voice low and husky, "I couldn't ask for more."
Yu Tianxing looked at him with a serious and inquisitive expression: "Ask whatever you want to ask."
After saying that, he leaned forward and lowered his upper body, tilting his face slightly upward and looking at her expectantly.
The two closed the distance between them in an instant, and his ethereal, stunningly beautiful face drew near, his eyes smiling as he looked at her.
Ji Mingran suddenly felt his heart pounding wildly, and his breathing became erratic.
Strange, we haven't even kissed yet, so why are these symptoms appearing again?
Have your symptoms worsened?
"I can't think of anything to ask right now." Ji Mingran lowered his gaze, staring at his thick eyelashes, before calming himself down. He hadn't experienced what the future held, so he couldn't answer.
The gaze shifted downwards and lingered on the pale pink lips.
Ji Mingran couldn't resist and leaned in, pressing his lips against hers.
She could clearly feel Yu Tianxing's breath catch in his throat, and the chest he was touching was pounding violently.
It seems that she's not the only one with these symptoms; Yu Tianxing has them too.
This is a normal reaction for anyone. Ji Mingran was relieved.
A palm pressed down on the back of her head, her lips pressed tightly together, and then Ji Mingran felt her center of gravity shift as Yu Tianxing picked her up, turned her around, and placed her on the bed.
Yu Tianxing leaned down and pressed down on her, his warm, moist breath falling on her face, neck, and lips.
She was being kissed while pressed against him.
Ji Mingran thought to herself that Yu Tianxing's symptoms were just as severe as hers, and he definitely needed to practice more to alleviate them.
With that thought in mind, she wrapped her arms tightly around Yu Tianxing's neck, tilted her head back, and opened her lips to respond.
The gentle licking gradually intensified into a passionate and lingering sensation, the temperature in the room steadily rose, and the atmosphere became increasingly enchanting and intertwined.
"Why is your face so red?" Ji Mingran heard Yu Tianxing chuckle softly in his hazy state of consciousness.
The hands that were originally wrapped around Yu Tianxing's neck moved to the sides of his face, squeezed together, and made Yu Tianxing look up.
His tongue glided across her lips, and he reluctantly pulled back a little so she could see him clearly.
“Your face is even redder!” Ji Mingran retorted.
"Yes." Before she could finish speaking, Yu Tianxing moved closer again, their warm breaths mingling as he held her lips in his mouth. He said in a muffled voice, "That's why you need to practice even more."
......
A clear, tinkling sound emanated from the hairpins and ornaments in the hair bun.
"It's so beautiful." Mo Jingshuang smiled, her eyes crinkling, and touched the new hairpin she had received. "I really like this gift."
Jiang Chaoxing leaned against the tree trunk, his head bowed as he carefully observed the girl's expression.
A slight pressing sensation came from his cheek. Jiang Chaoxing turned his face, but the fingertips on his face did not leave. As soon as he turned back, his cheek was pressed even deeper.
"That's it?" He scoffed. "I finally managed to get it from Senior Brother Heyi. He originally wanted to give it to Senior Sister Miao. You can imagine how difficult that was."
“It is indeed difficult.” Mo Jingshuang spread her other fingers and pressed them together on his face. “That’s it.”
"Tsk." Jiang Chaoxing was speechless: "If someone else were to pass by, they would think you slapped me."
"No way, there's no one else here," Mo Jingshuang said with a gentle smile.
"Isn't this it?" Jiang Chaoxing turned her head to the side, following the direction of the palm print on her cheek, pretending that she had just been slapped.
Seeing the opportunity, the girl in front of him quickly tiptoed and lightly kissed the man's face.
Jiang Chaoxing was startled and quickly turned around.
Mo Jingshuang had already taken a few steps back, her fair cheeks flushed with pink: "Is that alright?"
"What if I say it's not enough?" Jiang Chaoxing asked, her lips curving upwards as she covered her cheek where she had been kissed, her voice drawn out.
Mo Jingshuang glared and raised her hand: "Then I'll really give you a slap."
"Okay, okay." Jiang Chaoxing walked over and took her hand. "Just kidding."
Mo Jingshuang did not pull away from the hand that was being held, and smiled faintly with her eyes lowered: "I want to share one of this little trinket with my junior sister. She rarely comes with me to pick you up today, and she was almost squeezed flat."
Jiang Chaoxing paused, her gaze lingering: "She's going with you? Doesn't she never join in these kinds of activities?"
“I thought so too, and with Senior Brother Tianxing there, she definitely wouldn’t accompany me.” Mo Jingshuang didn’t notice Jiang Chaoxing’s strangeness and smiled, “But she still went with me, and even stood in the front row with me, so I should thank her even more.”
“At such a time, and so unusually, it is indeed rare…” Jiang Chaoxing: “Yes, we should thank her properly.” Holding the girl’s soft hand, he said gently, “It’s late, I’ll take you home. It’s not too late to thank her in a couple of days.”
"Okay," Mo Jingshuang replied. The two held hands and walked towards the other end of the forest.
......
Yu Tianxing didn't leave until almost dawn. If he didn't have to pack his luggage, he would have stayed until just before departure.
"You really don't want me to go?" Ji Mingran's gaze fell on Yu Tianxing's crimson lips.
He was already like this, so she wasn't going to be any less. She casually cast a healing spell to restore her swollen lips and make Yu Tianxing look more normal.
Yu Tianxing smiled faintly, then leaned down and kissed him again: "This journey is dangerous, you stay here and protect yourself."
Ji Mingran: "Okay."
After saying goodbye to Yu Tianxing, she sprawled back onto the messy bed.
My fingertips unconsciously rested on my neck.
Yu Tianxing wanted to obtain the Spirit Ring to stabilize her primordial soul. However, the Spirit Ring was actually already on her body.
She couldn't touch it, but she could clearly feel it hidden within her primordial soul.
So what exactly is my current state? Am I a soul residing within this minor disciple of the Nameless Sect?
Ji Mingran decided to try extracting the Yuan Soul.
Now that she has obtained the Spirit Ring and the Spirit Stone, she has no worries and no politeness as she browses through the inherited memories in her mind.
Upon finding a soul-shedding technique suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators, Ji Mingran understood it smoothly, digesting the knowledge in an instant, and then made a hand seal.
A sudden clarity of mind washed over Ji Mingran, and she felt a sudden lightness. Focusing her mind, she floated lightly off the bed.
Looking back, I saw her lying on the bed with her eyes closed.
A refreshing coolness spread across his neck, and Ji Mingran traced the source of the coolness with his fingertips.
In the soul form, the Spirit Ring reappears.
At a rustling sound, Ji Mingran looked up. Her body had already opened its eyes and was slowly getting up from the bed.
Ji Mingran raised an eyebrow. After her primordial spirit left her body, this body was in such a state. So, it was her primordial spirit that forcibly occupied the body of this junior sister from the Nameless Sect?
But it seemed that wasn't the case. She stood up, her expression dazed, but after a while, she regained her composure. She didn't seem to doubt how she had suddenly returned to the cabin from the study hall.
Ji Mingran floated on the bed. When she got up, her gaze went straight through her and she stared blankly at the wall.
It wasn't thinking; it was pure self-reflection.
Ji Mingran carefully observed the person quietly facing the wall, and a feeling suddenly arose in his heart that the person in front of him was like a machine. She was programmed to mechanically perform the set actions, and if something unexpected happened, she would enter a crash state, just like now.
Her system crashed because of interference from her own primordial spirit. What about the others? In these memory scenarios, do they also repeat the actions of each scene day after day, replicating each memory image?
Yu Tianxing is different; compared to others, he is more vibrant. This is because this is his memory, and the version of himself within that memory is influenced by his subconscious.
Jiang Chaoxing was in a similar state to Yu Tianxing. He had been dragged in by himself, so logically, Jiang Chaoxing in the memory scene should have some degree of self-awareness.
Ji Mingran was deep in thought, his body sitting up, facing the wall in a daze.
Knock knock. A knocking sound.
Both the dazed body and the pensive Ji Mingran turned their heads to look at the same time.
The sky was just beginning to lighten when Yu Tianxing set off. Who would come at this time?
"Junior Sister, it's me." Jiang Chaoxing's voice rang out from outside the door.
The person sitting on the bed in a daze slowly turned their head, and their unfocused gaze gradually focused.
Not hearing a response from inside, Jiang Chaoxing knocked on the door again. "Junior Sister, wake up! Shuangshuang asked me to bring you something on my way. The others have already set off, and I need to leave quickly."
"Okay," the person sitting on the bed responded softly, but did not move.
Jiang Chaoxing waited a moment and then said, "Junior Sister, the defenses in this room are layered upon layered. I dare not barge in unless you open the door."
His tone was impatient, "Open the door quickly,"
"Okay." The person on the bed responded again, then slowly got out of bed, walked to the door, and opened it.
The wooden door opened a crack, revealing Jiang Chaoxing's expressionless face.
Their eyes met.
Crimson blood spurted out, instantly filling the narrow room. The girl's eyes glazed over, her neck limply bent to one side, and her body tumbled to the ground.
Unexpectedly, Ji Mingran, who was standing at the bedside, immediately activated the Spirit Healing Array. She frowned and stared at the body lying in a pool of blood.
The healing array is ineffective.
"We've come this far." Jiang Chaoxing took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from between her fingers. "Why not end it all?"
The air pressure changed abruptly, and Jiang Chaoxing's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could put away the handkerchief in his hand, a swift and silent sword intent struck fiercely, piercing through his body in one blow.
Jiang Chaoxing's eyes widened, he groaned, clutched his chest and staggered backward, raising his sword to block the swift sword shadow that followed.
With a sweeping motion of his sword, he launched an immediate attack, followed by a barrage of more sword shadows striking down upon him.
"Even if she opened the door willingly, she couldn't remove all the protection..." Jiang Chaoxing's face darkened, and with a flick of his sword, several sword strikes landed on the body that had fallen behind the door.
The girl was struck by several swords, her limbs were severed one after another, and her body, despite suffering such severe injuries, lay motionless on the ground, clearly dead.
Jiang Chaoxing, with his sword at the ground, breathed heavily and withdrew his gaze.
He forcefully blocked the defensive sword strike, all to ensure she died completely.
This action only further provoked the sword formation set up in the house, and the impenetrable sword intent swept wildly. Jiang Chaoxing's face twitched, and he raised his sword and slashed, unleashing a surge of sword intent to block the first layer of sword intent rushing in.
Before the second sword intent could strike, Jiang Chaoxing twisted the copper coin he had taken from his sleeve, tossed it into the air, and his figure vanished instantly.
Bang bang bang bang bang! Losing its target, the sword strikes, fueled by rage, crashed to the ground, sending grass clippings and dust flying, the earth trembling and rumbling as if weeping for the dead.
Ji Mingran squatted beside the tragically dead body, his face grave in thought.
In this primordial spirit state, she cannot use formations or sword techniques.
Although she is unaffected by the loss of her physical body, she cannot return to her former life.
The clear, crisp sound of bells drifted on the wind.
In his ghostly form, Ji Mingran flew toward the source of the sound.
In the waist-high grass, a panicked Mo Jing Shuang trembled and collapsed, her eyes wide with fear and tears welling up. She covered her mouth tightly to keep herself from making a sound.
The bell sound just now came from the hairpin she wore in her bun.
Ji Mingran withdrew his gaze and looked at the slowly rising sun.
Even now, the memory scene remains there; she hasn't moved on to another scene.
If her body dies, she will no longer appear in subsequent scenes. Does this mean she cannot access later memory scenes?
Since we can't be passively redirected...
After a moment's thought, Ji Mingran took flight and sped toward the gate of the Nameless Sect like a shooting star.
Author's Note: Here's a combined compilation for everyone, thank you all! [starry-eyed emoji]
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