Six months later…[Author: Oho ho~ time flies!]
Xi Youran lay under the shade of a sprawling tree, the soft wind lulling her toward sleep. Her body was tired, but her mind refused to rest, buzzing with thoughts of the sudden upheaval at the capital.
"It's been six months… JianZi has been updating me on the capital's events, but this sudden change… is it TianZi again?" she murmured to herself.
Sleep eventually won, and Xi Youran drifted into a peaceful, yet haunting slumber on the soft green field.
Dream Sequence
"Don't! Let her go! No!"
Once again, Xi Youran found herself trapped in that nightmare—the dream that had plagued her for weeks. This time, clarity struck her. These were not her memories—they were Grandpa Yan's memories.
Xi Youran's dream:
A girl called Ling Xi lay naked on the cold, hard ground. Bandits surrounded her, and a man named Mu Fei—Grandpa Yan in his youth—was helplessly tied nearby, struggling to intervene.
"Ling Xi… No! Let her go! Please!" Mu Fei shouted, but the bandits were relentless. Xi Youran, powerless, sobbed beside them. "Stop! I don't want to watch this anymore!"
The memory unfolded cruelly: Ling Xi endured unspeakable pain, all while Mu Fei fought futilely, beaten down until he passed out. Xi Youran could only watch, heartbroken and helpless.
Finally, the vision shifted. Ling Xi and Mu Fei embraced, and for a fleeting moment, it seemed like solace—but Xi Youran's mind raced with questions. What happened after that?
Xi Youran awoke with a start, sitting up in her bedroom. Hui lay curled in his beast form beside her, peacefully sleeping. Grandpa Yan stood silently by the window, gazing at the starry sky.
"Grandpa Yan…" she whispered, rising slowly. A weight settled on her chest, a mix of grief, guilt, and sorrow.
"Yes, Mu Fei," the old man replied softly, turning to her with a faint, sad smile.
Her heart sank. "Your real name… Mu Fei? The legendary alchemist?"
"Perhaps it's time you knew everything," he sighed, meeting her tearful gaze.
Xi Youran recounted the recurring dreams, and Mu Fei's eyes darkened with sorrow.
"Ling Xi and I… we were childhood sweethearts. We never had the chance to marry. That day you dreamt of—I went to the back of the mountain to gather herbs. Ling Xi insisted on coming, which… led to disaster. We were ambushed, and yes, it was planned—by her family, to ruin my reputation as a scholar in the capital."
Mu Fei paused, then continued. "We were found a week later. All blame fell on me. I was exiled and began living here. I cultivated diligently, but my memories began to fade. When Ling Xi came to me… I could no longer remember her. I tried desperately, but it was already too late. I compiled my work into books to remember… to keep some part of myself intact."
Xi Youran's voice trembled. "What happened to Ling Xi?"
"Humiliated, disowned… her family's plan all along," Mu Fei whispered. "By the time I realized, it was already too late. I wanted to tell her I loved her… but I never had the chance."
Xi Youran's memory flashed to another dream: a snowy mountain, a man and a woman parting ways, a poignant goodbye—now she understood.
Her knees buckled, tears streaming. She sobbed for Mu Fei's suffering, for the cruelty of fate, and for the hatred of her own weakness.
That night, Xi Youran cried herself to sleep. When morning came, she was still emotionally raw—but the world waited for no one.
A group of figures in black cloaks and strange masks suddenly surrounded the house. Xi Youran, still shaken from the previous night, had to face a new and terrifying threat—her journey for power, mastery, and survival was about to be challenged far sooner than she expected.
Hui, now alert in his human form, hissed quietly beside her. Grandpa Yan's eyes narrowed. "Stay behind me, Xi Youran. This will be dangerous."
The shadows closed in, and the air thrummed with tension.
The mountain, once a haven, had become the stage for a new battle.