The first signs of inner demons appeared in the cool night.
The night was as dark as ink, staining the sprawling palaces and pavilions of the Qingyun Sect. Xie Yunzhi sat alone in his newly opened cave, surrounded by spiritual energy far surpassing that of the mortal world. Yet, his mind was in turmoil. The panicked look in the eyes of the menial disciples he had seen during the day kept flashing through his mind.
Those eyes… ordinary and unremarkable, yet for a fleeting moment, they revealed an inexplicable familiarity, stirring a chaotic area deep within his memory. And that subconscious "Be careful"…
He shook his head, trying to dispel these pointless thoughts. His fingertips brushed against the longsword lying across his lap, the cool touch invigorating him slightly. The "Flowing Light Sword" that Su Qingqing had given him today was indeed of superior quality; its blade was like a pool of autumn water, its inner radiance perfectly matching his own pure spiritual root attributes.
"Junior Brother Xie, this sword has been with me for many years. Today I present it to you, hoping your path to immortality will be smooth and you will soon ascend to the Great Dao." The woman's gentle voice still lingered in his ears, carrying sincere expectations. He should be grateful and devote all his attention to this rare opportunity and gift to immortality.
But why is it that, deep down, there's always a subtle voice stirring within him, reminding him of something... discord?
He closed his eyes and attempted to circulate the sect's fundamental cultivation technique, the Azure Cloud Technique. Spiritual energy flowed like a stream, slowly circulating through his meridians, bringing abundant vitality and power. However, just as his mind gradually sank into a state of complete absorption, a faint yet exceptionally sharp pain suddenly pierced his consciousness!
"Ugh..." He groaned, then suddenly opened his eyes, his forehead already beaded with cold sweat.
It wasn't a case of demonic possession. The feeling was far more bizarre, like a fragment of a memory forcibly sealed away, not belonging to him, filled with intense resentment and unwillingness, trying to break free of some kind of shackles. A flash of blood seemed to pass before his eyes, and he heard the sharp clang of clashing weapons and a shrill scream in his ears. The sound... was indistinct, yet it made his heart clench suddenly.
Is it the influence of a dream recurrence? Or is it a secret hidden within this body itself?
Xie Yunzhi touched his chest, where the jade pendant he wore close to his body was radiating a warm glow, as if soothing his restless mind, or as if silently echoing something.
*---
Meanwhile, in the cold pool behind the mountain.
The icy water from the pool washed over her ankles, soaking through her thin trousers. The chill felt like countless fine needles piercing her very bones. Mo Xiaoyu knelt on the slippery bluestone by the pool, using a blunt brush to scrub away the years of damp, slippery moss that had accumulated on the stone wall.
Water splashed on her face, mingling with the sweat beading on her forehead, making it impossible to tell whether it was hot or cold. Her arms were already aching and numb, her fingertips were red and chafed from the icy water and the rough brush, and every exertion brought excruciating pain.
Silence reigned all around, broken only by the whistling of the mountain wind through the treetops and the gentle murmur of the flowing water in the pool. Darkness swallowed her small figure, with only the faint lights of the core disciples' area in the distance, like stars in the sky, seemingly unreachable.
"Get out of Qingyun Sect..." The cold words of the managing disciple still echoed in my ears.
Should we leave?
The thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly extinguished it. She couldn't leave. Yunxi… no, Xie Yunzhi was here. His journey had only just begun, and the Qingyun Sect could offer him the best resources and protection. And that Su Qingqing… she couldn't see through her, but the way that woman looked at Xie Yunzhi was far more than just a senior sister's admiration for her junior brother. She had to stay, even if it meant being like moss in a gutter, hidden from the light, she had to protect him until she was sure he was truly safe, until… he no longer needed her.
But will that day really come?
When he regains his memory and recalls his past, remembering her as an "old friend," will he be grateful for her protection at this moment, or... will he feel that she is superfluous and has become an unbearable stain on his glorious path to immortality?
A bitter and desperate feeling, like the icy water of the pool, almost overwhelmed her. She stopped moving, curled up her cold body, buried her face in her knees, and her shoulders trembled slightly. Her silent weeping was drowned out by the sound of the flowing water.
*---
Inside the cave, Xie Yunzhi was ultimately unable to settle down and meditate. The restlessness originating from the depths of his consciousness, intertwined with the warmth of the jade pendant on his chest, made him uneasy. He got up, pushed open the stone door of the cave, and strolled into the night.
The cool moonlight spilled onto the mountain path, and all was quiet. He walked aimlessly, and for some reason, his feet involuntarily led him towards the back of the mountain. The closer he got to the back of the mountain, the thinner the spiritual energy became, and the air was filled with a damp and chilly atmosphere.
He vaguely heard the faint, intermittent sound of water, and... a suppressed, animalistic whimper.
As if guided by some strange force, he followed the sound and went around a bamboo grove.
Then, he saw her.
Under the cold moonlight, the thin, lowly handyman disciple huddled by the icy pool, her body so frail it seemed a gust of wind could blow her away. Her shoulders heaved, and she buried her face deep in her hands; her suppressed sobs sounded so helpless and sorrowful in the silent night.
In an instant, Xie Yunzhi's heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something, and a sharp pain spread out, clearer and more specific than what he had felt in his sea of consciousness before!
Why... does he feel so bad when he sees her cry?
A strong, almost instinctive impulse surged within him—he wanted to go over to her, to ask her why she was crying, to… pull her up from that cold place.
He even subconsciously lifted his foot.
But just then, the scene of Bai Luoye reappeared in my mind. Her fearful, bowed head, Su Qingqing's scrutinizing and displeased gaze, and that inexplicable yet quickly dissipating sense of familiarity...
His steps froze.
Reason returned. He was a newly promoted genius disciple of the Qingyun Sect, while she was a lowly servant. His rash concern would likely bring her more trouble than comfort, just as it had during the day, leading to unwarranted punishment.
Moreover, this uncontrolled, intense emotional fluctuation caused by a strange servant is abnormal in itself. Is there some connection between this and the strange stinging pain in his mind?
All sorts of doubts and considerations, like cold chains, bound his steps and sealed the words that were about to spill from his mouth.
He stood quietly in the shadow of the bamboo grove, like a silent observer, watching the trembling, small figure under the moonlight.
Mo Xiaoyu cried for a long time, until her tears dried and her whole body was numb with cold. She struggled to lift her head and haphazardly wiped away the tears and water stains on her face with the back of her icy hands. She couldn't collapse; the work wasn't finished yet.
She picked up the heavy brush again, turned around, and prepared to continue the seemingly endless cleaning.
Just as she turned around, her gaze inadvertently swept over the edge of the bamboo grove not far away.
The moonlight outlined a tall and slender figure, who stood silently in the shadows, seemingly having been there for an unknown amount of time.
Their eyes met suddenly in the cool moonlight.
Mo Xiaoyu's pupils suddenly contracted, and the brush in her hand fell to the bluestone with a "clatter".
Thank you... Thank you Yunzhi?!
How did he get here? What did he see? Did he see her crying so pitifully just now?
Overwhelmed by panic and embarrassment, she wished she could immediately jump into the icy pool behind her and hide.
When Xie Yunzhi met her eyes, which were red and swollen from crying and now filled with panic and disbelief, the jade pendant on his chest suddenly became burning hot without warning. The heat rushed into his limbs and bones, and the shattered cries in his mind became clear again—
This time, he almost caught a syllable!
That was a name… a name that should have been completely foreign to him…
He stared at her, forgetting to leave and forgetting to speak. The night wind blew, the bamboo shadows swayed, stretching the short distance between them into a silent, turbulent, and timeless river of time.
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