The Seventh Tier of the Karmic Prison held no light, no wind—only a three-inch bronze cauldron suspended at its center.Glowing script coiled across its surface:"Feed it with a mother's love; stoke it with memory's flame—
and Heaven's Dao shall burn for ten thousand years."As Xie Wuchen drew near, his chest felt pierced by ten thousand needles.Inside the cauldron, a wisp of soul curled like an infant—serene, gentle.
It was his mother.But her spirit was impaled by countless golden threads, each tethered to the cauldron's inner runes.
Her maternal compassion was being siphoned away, strand by strand, rising as pale smoke into the void."No…" His voice cracked.Bai Ying turned away, eyes closed in sorrow."This is the Cauldron of the Loving Mother. It harvests the purest bonds of kinship from across the world. Your mother offered herself willingly… to buy your safety.""She didn't know it was a trap!" Xie Wuchen roared. "Heaven's Dao lied! They told her drinking the Forgetful River Elixir would spare her pain—but they turned her into fuel!"He lunged at the cauldron, ready to shatter it.But the moment his fingertips brushed its surface—The entire City of No Memory convulsed!A rift tore open in the void. A golden-armored divine general stepped forth, voice glacial:"Rebel against the Dao—you dare destroy Heaven's Heart-Lamp?!"Xie Wuchen said nothing. He swung his wooden sword.Though he'd forgotten flight, his sword intent burned brighter than ever—
This strike held no thirst for blood. Only one purpose: to protect his mother.Snow-white light flashed—and severed three golden threads!His mother's soul trembled. Her eyes fluttered open."Chen'er…"Just those two words—and Xie Wuchen wept uncontrollably.But his tears never touched the ground. The cauldron sucked them in, transforming them into another wisp of smoke."Cease this folly!" the general thundered. "Every surge of your emotion deepens her torment!"Indeed—her spirit began to fray at the edges.Xie Wuchen froze, sword trembling in his hand.Then, a frail voice echoed from the base of the cauldron:"Child… don't cry. Mother doesn't hurt."The old beggar!He sat cross-legged within a translucent projection beneath the cauldron, half-ghost, half-memory."Who are you?" Xie Wuchen asked."I am you—from the last cycle." The beggar smiled sadly. "I too broke into this prison, desperate to save my mother. But in the end…
I became part of Heaven's Dao myself—forced to watch her refined day after day, powerless to stop it."He pointed to the cauldron's inner wall."There's only one way to break the cycle: gather nine drops of true tears to reforging the Core of Remembrance. But the final drop…
requires blood from one's closest kin."Xie Wuchen understood.To save her, he must draw a single drop of blood from his mother's fading soul—
knowing it would hasten her dissolution."And if I can't bring myself to do it?""Then you'll watch her burn as fuel for eternity." The beggar sighed. "The Great Dao devours people—it never asks if you're willing."Meanwhile, atop Path-to-Inquiry Cliff, Qingming Sect.Luo Qingyi hung bound to the Pillar of Shattered Hearts, her white robes stained crimson.Sect Master Xuanwei stood on the cloud platform, holding a jade vial filled with cerulean pills."Swallow the Forgetfulness Pill. Erase every memory tied to Xie Wuchen—and you remain First Disciple of Qingming."
His tone was calm. "Refuse… and endure nine strikes of Heavenly Thunder. Your soul will scatter like dust."Luo Qingyi lifted her head. Beneath her vermilion mole, her eyes were ice."Master… you took this pill yourself once, didn't you?"Xuanwei's expression flickered."That's why you forgot how our mistress died." She gave a faint, bitter smile. "She, too, drank the Forgetful River Elixir—willingly—so your heart wouldn't break when she passed…
But later, you discovered her soul had also been refined into the cauldron."Xuanwei's hand clenched inside his sleeve."I won't repeat your path," Luo Qingyi said softly, closing her eyes. "Better to shatter… than to forget.""Foolish stubbornness!" Xuanwei snapped. "Execute the sentence!"The first thunderbolt struck!Luo Qingyi bit her lip, silent—only her left hand clutched the old handkerchief tighter.In the lightning's glare, she saw a vision: young Xie Wuchen beneath pear blossoms, turning back with a smile:"Senior Sister… if one day we stand on opposite sides, will you kill me?"She'd answered: "No. I'll wait for you to come back."The second thunderbolt fell!Blood trickled from her mouth, yet she whispered:"Wuchen… hurry… find the truth…"As the third bolt gathered in the clouds—A dragon's cry split the sky!A streak of azure light tore through the heavens, crashing onto the cliff—
Xie Wuchen, wielding his wooden sword, had channeled the power of the River of Memories to send his voice across realms:"Luo Qingyi! I received your blue lotus—
it told me someone is still waiting for me to come home!"The storm hesitated.Tears streamed down Luo Qingyi's face—but she smiled.Back in the depths of the Nether Realm,
Xie Wuchen slashed his wrist. Using his blood as ink, he wrote his mother's name upon the cauldron's wall.The characters blazed with azure flame.
From his mother's eye, the ninth drop of true tears slid free."Mother," he whispered, "this time—I save you."The cauldron exploded.Her soul dissolved into luminous motes, flowing into the scar on his chest.
For the first time, the gray thread receded—one full inch.The old beggar's form began to fade."Remember, child…
What Heaven's Dao fears most isn't rebellion…
but someone who remembers—
remembers suffering, remembers love,
remembers why forgetting is the true death."(End of Chapter Eight)