“Forgot a lot about him?”
Qin Wanyuan blinked in surprise. She truly hadn’t expected Jiang Moqing to give such an answer.
“Mhmm. Perhaps it’s the effect of the Heartless Valley’s cultivation technique. I really don’t remember anything about him.”
Jiang Moqing spoke calmly, but this time she was referring to completely forgetting everything related to her Dao companion.
“The Heartless Valley’s cultivation technique has that kind of effect…?” Qin Wanyuan frowned.
She still didn’t fully believe what Jiang Moqing said. After all, she had used a Shared Dream Talisman on Jiang Moqing during this time.
The foundation for constructing a dream from memories was the shared recollections between Lin Que and Jiang Moqing. If Jiang Moqing had truly forgotten everything from the past, then the dream should have only shown Lin Que’s memories.
And even if Jiang Moqing had temporarily lost her memories for some reason, the Shared Dream Talisman should have made her recall her past with Lin Que.
She knew all this but Qin Wanyuan didn’t expose Jiang Moqing’s lie. She merely expressed polite regret.
With that, the emotional topic came to an end. The two then had an ordinary discussion about swordsmanship, and Qin Wanyuan soon took her leave.
After she left, Jiang Moqing did not leave the pavilion. She simply sat on the stone bench, staring blankly at the scenery in the courtyard.
This courtyard had been carefully built by a certain someone. It was elegant and full of the warmth of daily life. In the past, whenever she sat in the pavilion, Jiang Moqing would always feel a sense of peace and a trace of warmth.
But today, there was only a faint, lingering ache in her heart.
She didn’t know why.
Jiang Moqing slowly stood up and returned to her room. She opened a drawer in her dressing table, inside which lay a letter made of parchment or more accurately, a blood-written letter.
[Never, ever get close to Lin Que again. Stop disturbing his life!]
What greeted her eyes were lines of dark red, twisted characters. The bloodstains were deep, nearly soaking through the parchment. Just looking at the letter, one could feel the threat and oppressive force behind those words.
And yet—
The person who had written this blood letter was none other than Jiang Moqing herself. And the letter wasn’t meant for anyone else. It was left for herself.
“Why… would I write something like this?”
Jiang Moqing reached out a fingertip and gently traced the dark red writing, her willow brows slightly furrowed.
What she had told Qin Wanyuan earlier wasn’t entirely a lie. Jiang Moqing had indeed lost her memories with Lin Que. Many of those memories had only resurfaced recently through her dreams.
Among the various techniques practiced in Heartless Valley, there existed one extreme method of cultivation: sealing one’s heart and locking away all emotions and desires in order to achieve maximum efficiency in cultivation.
Naturally, any memories that might stir such emotions would also be sealed away.
But among all those emotions, Jiang Moqing had retained only one….hatred. A deep, bone-engraved hatred.
Her hidden surname, her usurped clan, and the sight of her parents being brutally killed before her eyes. These, Jiang Moqing had never once forgotten.
She was willing to give up everything for revenge even her life. But why… was it that only that young man could shake her heart?
Through the dreams she had experienced over these past days so vivid it was as if she had lived them, Jiang Moqing recalled many moments she had once shared with Lin Que. The emotions and desires that should have been sealed away were gradually awakening.
Her uncontrollable urge to reach out to Lin Que… was one such manifestation.
At the same time, a surge of confusion rose in Jiang Moqing’s heart. She couldn’t understand why the once cold and sword-obsessed young man had become gentle nor could she understand why… that soul-stirring gentleness was directed at another woman.
If she had not regained some of her memories, Jiang Moqing would have been like a soulless machine: emotionless and mechanical. She would have carried out the instructions in the blood letter, never approaching Lin Que again and staying out of his life until the day she died.
But…
The box named curiosity had already been opened. The seed of desire had been planted deep in Jiang Moqing’s heart, and it had begun to grow wildly in the soil of jealousy. It was now completely uncontrollable.
“I… want to know more about him. What exactly did he go through… that he would leave me and turn to her?”
Jiang Moqing lifted her head. Reflected in the crystal mirror atop the dressing table was her flawless, breathtaking face. Like an eternal glacier, pure and cold.
And yet, on that face that should have remained eternally cold, a trace of something began to appear. It was something even Jiang Moqing herself couldn’t quite read: a hint of madness and hysteria.
This expression both familiar and foreign left her confused.
Her fingertips brushed across her cheek, grazing the corner of her lips. A flicker of shock appeared in Jiang Moqing’s eyes.
Because… she was smiling.
***
At this very moment, unaware that Qin Wanyuan had awakened a slumbering monster, Lin Que was carrying the huge egg as he paid a visit to An Xiaoyao’s cave dwelling.
Since the egg couldn’t fit into the storage ring, Lin Que had no choice but to wrap it in a red cloth inscribed with a concealment formation so as not to attract attention.
“Master, it’s me, Lin Que.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the door of the cave dwelling swung open, and An Xiaoyao stepped out wearing a qipao. For some reason, Lin Que felt that the slit on this qipao was even higher than the last time. It was nearly past the line of her hips, reaching a dangerously high point.
“Que’er, why did you come alone this time? Where’s Wanyuan?” An Xiaoyao asked curiously.
“She’s visiting Senior Sister’s place,” Lin Que replied calmly.
“Qing’er… are you sure it’s fine to leave them alone together?”
“Wanyuan knows her limits. There shouldn’t be any problems.”
As he spoke, Lin Que stepped forward. “Master, could we talk inside?”
It was only then that An Xiaoyao noticed the large egg wrapped in red cloth cradled in Lin Que’s arms.
“My mistake for not noticing sooner,” she said, stepping aside to let Lin Que in. Only after casting a soundproofing formation did she shut the door.
Once they reached the courtyard, Lin Que finally pulled back the red cloth, revealing the massive egg. The markings on its surface glowed faintly with a red light.
“This is… a divine beast?”
An Xiaoyao exclaimed in surprise. Then, with a furrowed brow, she gently traced the patterns on the egg with her fingertip.
“Que’er, have you shown this egg to anyone else?”
“Other than me, only you and Wanyuan have seen it,” Lin Que replied.
“Only me and Wanyuan, huh… You really trust me, Que’er. Aren’t you afraid I might get any wicked ideas?”
Hearing this, An Xiaoyao couldn’t help but feel a sudden urge to tease him.
“If you want it, Master, I’ll give it to you. I could never repay all that you’ve done for me in this lifetime. What’s a mere egg in comparison?”
Lin Que responded without hesitation.
“Silly disciple… do you have any idea how valuable a divine beast egg is, and yet you talk about giving it away so easily?”
“It’s precisely because it’s so valuable… that it’s worth giving to you,” Lin Que said sincerely.
An Xiaoyao paused, stunned by his words. A faint blush crept onto her elegant, stunning face.
“It’s a good thing I know what kind of person you are. If it were any other girl, she’d probably already be falling for you.”
After a brief pause, she continued:
“All right, let’s get back to the main topic. Tell me about the egg’s properties.”
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