Chapter 39: The Most Precious Memento

Nangong Yin shot Yan Yuanqing an exasperated look. “Can you use your brain for once?”

Yan Yuanqing was indignant. “How am I not using my brain?”

Nangong Yin pointed at Yan Zhao and asked her, “What’s her name?”

“Yan Zhao, obviously.” Yan Yuanqing answered without hesitation.

Only after the words left her mouth did it click. She froze.

She looked at Yan Zhao, then at Nangong Yin, and finally back at herself.

A bold idea surfaced.

Yan Yuanqing said, stunned, “I snatched your child and raised her myself, making her take my surname?”

“…” Nangong Yin yearned to slap her backhanded, just to knock some sense into her.

How had she been so blind as to fall for Yan Yuanqing? This woman was all looks and no substance, a complete idiot.

“She is our child!” Nangong Yin raised her voice, a hint of exasperation leaking through. “The bloodline in her veins shares my origin, and she looks so much like you. Do you still not understand?”

Yan Yuanqing was stunned for a moment. She blinked, and then a light gradually dawned in her eyes.

Her worry turned to joy. “Really?”

Nangong Yin covered her face with both hands, silently reciting a mantra: Don’t get angry, don’t get angry, no one will replace you if anger ruins your health.

Yan Yuanqing turned and crouched beside the bed, staring intently at Yan Zhao. The more she looked, the happier she became. “I knew it. This child felt familiar the moment I saw her. So she’s my child with Ah Yin. Aiya, Ah Yin and I already have a child this old.”

Nangong Yin was speechless.

Dealing with Yan Yuanqing’s scatterbrained logic left Nangong Yin not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She should never have expected Yan Yuanqing to be reliable.

She walked to Yan Yuanqing’s side and looked at Yan Zhao.

Seeing Yan Zhao’s cheeks flushed rosy in sleep, a sense of joy spontaneously bloomed in Nangong Yin’s heart as well.

When she spoke again, her tone was resigned. “Aren’t you going to ask how she came to be?”

Yan Zhao’s appearance was inexplicable. If she existed outside both her and Yan Yuanqing’s memories, then she likely did not belong to this time and space.

“What does it matter?” Yan Yuanqing took one of Yan Zhao’s hands and patted its back reassuringly. “Regardless of the reason, this child came to us. That means she is connected to us by fate.”

Nangong Yin was persuaded.

She turned her head to look at Yan Yuanqing and gave her a silent assessment: It wasn’t that this woman wasn’t smart; occasionally, she possessed a wisdom of pristine simplicity.

Nangong Yin sat down on the edge of the bed and said to Yan Yuanqing, “Just now, I examined her body internally. I found she is innately deficient. Her divine soul is incomplete and cannot bear the power of the Devil Vein. Perhaps that is why you sealed the Devil Vein within her.”

Yan Yuanqing had a sudden realization. “So that’s how it is.”

“…”

Nangong Yin couldn’t be bothered to explain in detail to this woman who was missing a few screws. She decided to get straight to the conclusion.

“This child’s body cannot remain in this state forever. It’s fortunate that her physical body is no longer weak. Why don’t you and I join forces to rebuild her meridians? Although newly formed meridians are still fragile, once she cultivates in the future, the impact of the Devil Vein will be nothing to fear.”

Yan Yuanqing’s eyes sparkled at the suggestion. “A great idea!”

There was no time like the present. Yan Yuanqing was impatient by nature and wanted to act immediately. She promptly pulled Nangong Yin into helping Yan Zhao rebuild her meridians.

The process of rebuilding meridians was originally very painful. However, Yan Zhao had eaten so many Wine Fruits that she was dead asleep, utterly oblivious to the changes in her body.

Days and nights cycled outside the cave abode. Forty-nine days and nights passed. But for Mahayana Realm cultivators, forty-nine days were but a brief nap, gone in the blink of an eye.

The moment the meridian reconstruction was complete, the dark golden bead on Yan Zhao’s chest suddenly flickered violently.

Nangong Yin and Yan Yuanqing watched the bead fly out from Yan Zhao’s collar and circle her body.

The bead erupted with brilliant golden light, a dazzling radiance that cast a dense, shimmering aura between heaven and earth.

Within the hazy, mist-like scene, ripple-like waves arose.

Nangong Yin’s shoulders jolted, and her eyes snapped open.

A leaf detached from a branch, spiraling through her field of vision.

The earth trembled. Every flower and tree on the Floating Island resonated with the summons of a mysterious power, rustling in cheer.

A faint golden glow flickered in the depths of the palace complex, strikingly similar to the scene she had just witnessed in her dream.

In the corner of her vision, Jiang Ying landed softly, stopping before her. She knelt on one knee. “Devil Lord, an anomaly has occurred within the Immortal Abode. It is suspected that the Xuanhuang Secret Key has been activated. Should we investigate?”

The Xuanhuang Secret Key…

She recalled the child from her dream—Yan Zhao—and the dark golden bead hanging around her neck.

It was this child who had entered her dream and disturbed her memories.

Nangong Yin’s eyelashes fluttered, hiding a damp glint of tears in her eyes.

“You are still here, aren’t you?”

If someone hadn’t guided her from the shadows, how could she have had such a dream at this exact time and place?

This was Yuanqing’s residence. Without her permission, absolutely no one could reach the deepest courtyard of the cave abode.

There, hidden away, was the most precious memento Yuanqing had left for her.

·

Yan Zhao had a wonderful sleep. When she woke, she found herself sprawled over the dressing table in the bedroom.

She opened her eyes groggily. It took a moment before she realized she was currently inside the Immortal Abode of Immortal Venerable Yuanqing.

She had been rummaging for food and supplies, and also looking for the Little Fox. How had she suddenly fallen asleep?

It felt like she had a dream after dozing off.

She couldn’t remember the dream’s content. It was probably a good dream, because upon waking, her body felt light, as if bathed in sunlight, warm and comfortable.

The persistent hunger that had accompanied her since childhood seemed to have vanished.

She didn’t feel that urgent need to eat anymore.

An Immortal’s residence truly was different from other places. Just falling asleep slumped over here was worth more than eating ten Demon Cores.

Yan Zhao thought to herself: If she lived here, she could just sleep whenever she got hungry. No more painstakingly searching for food. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Returning from her dream to reality, Yan Zhao got up. Unexpectedly, after lying prone for so long, her entire skeleton crackled loudly the moment she moved.

An invisible warmth surged up from the area of her navel, flowing naturally through her internal organs, limbs, and bones.

Yan Zhao didn’t notice the changes in her body; she just felt this had been a truly good sleep.

She walked out of the room and saw the empty pavilion in the courtyard. A blurry image surfaced in her mind, as if someone was supposed to be there.

But when she looked closely, there was clearly no one.

She didn’t dwell on it. After a single glance, she withdrew her gaze, looked left and right, then randomly picked a path and continued forward.

Suddenly, she heard a burst of footsteps, hurried and rapid.

Yan Zhao looked toward the source of the sound but saw no one.

She tilted her head in confusion, wondering if she had misheard.

But the footsteps grew clearer. She stood in place for a few breaths before the owner of the footsteps finally appeared in her vision.

It was a woman with a serene aura and an exceptionally clear, beautiful face, yet her expression was dark as still water.

She had seen her before—the Eldest Senior Sister from Tianzhu Peak. What was her name again?

·

Ren Qingyue hurried through the Main Hall, then followed the Jade Beast’s guidance all the way to the depths of the palace complex. As she crossed the final palace gate, she came face-to-face with Yan Zhao, who was walking out.

Yan Zhao stood alone in the middle of the small path, head tilted as if pondering something, looking as muddle-headed as ever.

It seemed she wasn’t injured.

Ren Qingyue let out a sigh of relief, walked over quickly, and called to her, “Yan Zhao, come with me and leave this place immediately.”

The strange power that had appeared earlier came from an unknown source. Ren Qingyue felt this place was unsafe to linger in.

Yan Zhao glanced at her, then quickly lowered her eyes, standing motionless.

Seeing that Yan Zhao wasn’t listening, Ren Qingyue simply reached out and grabbed her wrist.

She tugged, but Yan Zhao didn’t budge.

Ren Qingyue was astonished. Subconsciously, she applied more force.

This time, she clearly felt resistance from Yan Zhao.

Yan Zhao was unwilling to leave with her. She stood rooted to the spot like a wooden stake, possessing some unknown strength to resist Ren Qingyue’s pull.

“You…” Ren Qingyue started. She had only uttered one word when Yan Zhao suddenly exerted force and shook off her hand.

Caught off guard, Ren Qingyue actually let her break free.

Then, without a word, Yan Zhao turned and ran in the opposite direction.

“Yan Zhao!” Ren Qingyue was frantic. She shouted, “Why are you running?!”

But Yan Zhao’s ears seemed purely decorative. She didn’t take in a single word. She even sped up, and it looked like she was about to disappear from sight.

Ren Qingyue couldn’t believe it. How could Yan Zhao run so fast?!

But she couldn’t just leave Yan Zhao alone. She immediately set off in pursuit.

Yan Zhao’s speed had increased, but Ren Qingyue’s cultivation base was high, after all. Although she was injured and could only exert the strength of the Early Golden Core Stage, she was adept at various spells. With a casual Divine Movement Spell cast upon herself, she easily caught up to Yan Zhao.

Sensing the person behind her closing in, Yan Zhao wanted to run even faster.

But she hadn’t taken more than a few steps when the ground suddenly vanished from under her feet. Ren Qingyue grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her up.

“Why did you run?” Ren Qingyue couldn’t comprehend Yan Zhao’s behavior.

Yan Zhao had failed to escape and was caught, dangling from Ren Qingyue’s grip. Struggling was useless now.

She hung there like a little chick, limbs dangling naturally, swaying side-to-side with the motion of Ren Qingyue’s arm.

Yan Zhao’s mouth was sealed tighter than if it were stitched shut. No matter how forceful Ren Qingyue was, she simply refused to speak.

Ren Qingyue was so angry that the veins on her forehead throbbed wildly. But she knew Yan Zhao’s temperament best. Swallowing the fury in her heart, she patiently said, “Honestly tell me why you ran, and I’ll give you a Demon Core.”

Yan Zhao lifted her head, shot her a quick glance, and answered, “I don’t want to go back to the Sect.”

So that was it. Yan Zhao had thought Ren Qingyue was here to capture her and take her back.

Ren Qingyue immediately deflated. How could she have forgotten? In Yan Zhao’s eyes right now, she was just the Eldest Senior Sister of Tianzhu Peak—always cold and indifferent. How could that compare to the Little Fox who accompanied Yan Zhao day and night?

For no apparent reason, a touch of sadness rose in Ren Qingyue’s heart, but she was helpless.

She felt a sense of powerlessness, not knowing how to communicate with Yan Zhao.

During the silence, she saw Yan Zhao extend her open palm toward her.

Ren Qingyue: “?”

Yan Zhao pouted. People with high cultivation had such poor memories too.

She had to remind Ren Qingyue. “The Demon Core.”

Ren Qingyue: “…”