“It is… and it isn’t?”
“W-what does that mean?”
Xiao Qingxuan anxiously voiced her inner confusion, looking at Ye Luqing with deep worry.
Senior Sister Bai He also frowned slightly. As a Spirit Transformation Stage Arrayist, her proficiency in spiritual power was not weak, but she too failed to grasp the meaning of those words.
“A-Qing…”
Xiao Qingxuan instinctively wanted to go to Ye Luqing’s side, but the panicked look in those eyes stopped her in her tracks.
“Her soul is indeed Ye Luqing. No matter how a person’s soul changes, the body and soul will always have a core resonance.” Bai Yuhan said, “If she had been possessed by an outsider, the soul would definitely have a slight disconnect from the body.”
As a Dao Integration Realm Arrayist, she could spot the signs of possession at a glance.
“Luqing’s soul and body are perfectly attuned. There’s no possibility of possession.” Bai Yuhan hesitated for a moment before slowly continuing, “It’s just that…”
“Her soul is too pure. She has indeed lost her previous memories.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qingxuan immediately said,
“Vice Sect Master Bai, please help restore A-Qing’s memories!”
Bai Yuhan sighed. “The way of memory is too complex and obscure. It’s not the same as how our Formation Arts Lineage uses spiritual power.”
If deploying a spell array was like painting with bold, sweeping strokes, then restoring memories was like sketching with a fine-tipped brush.
“Her cultivation has fallen from the previous Nascent Soul Stage to the Golden Core Stage. The problem must lie with her Primordial Spirit.”
“In this regard, I fear I am also powerless…”
Hearing this, Xiao Qingxuan felt as if she had been struck by lightning, staggering back half a step in disbelief.
“No, this is impossible.”
She had some difficulty controlling her emotions and suddenly stepped forward to grab Ye Luqing’s shoulders.
“A-Qing… A-Qing wouldn’t forget me!”
【Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value has risen to 79%】
“It hurts…” A pained expression flashed across Ye Luqing’s face.
Sensing the trembling body of the one she cared for, Xiao Qingxuan withdrew her hand as if shocked by electricity, immediately becoming somewhat at a loss.
“A-Qing, I-I didn’t mean to…”
Bai Yuhan, standing to the side, sighed and looked at Xiao Qingxuan with a hint of pity.
“Luqing is my Direct Disciple. Azure Sky Peak will take good care of her.” Bai Yuhan turned her head. “Xiao He, take Luqing back first.”
“Yes.”
Bai He stepped forward, her tone gentle, and softly patted Ye Luqing’s head.
“Junior Sister, come back with me first.”
“Rest up, and your Senior Sister will introduce you to the other disciples of Azure Sky Peak.”
Currently, Azure Sky Peak had three Direct Disciples. She was the Senior Sister, Ye Luqing was the Second Senior Sister, and there was one Junior Sister.
Besides the Direct Disciples, Azure Sky Peak also had many inner and outer disciples.
Although Ye Luqing was a Direct Disciple of Azure Sky Peak, she spent most of her time with Xiao Qingxuan of Heavenly Sword Peak, so most disciples had never met her.
Ye Luqing looked up at the gentle and reliable Bai He. She had originally planned to keep faking her amnesia, but seeing this, a new idea suddenly popped into her head.
“Mm… thank you, Senior Sister.”
She stood up, taking Bai He’s hand. Her petite, peach-blossom-like cheeks looked bashful, her delicate nose slightly red, and her brilliant green eyes sparkled with a hint of hopeful anticipation.
The moment Bai He met those verdant green eyes, her breath caught. She had never seen Ye Luqing show such an endearing expression.
Even as the Senior Sister of Azure Sky Peak, the chances she had to see Ye Luqing were few and far between. Every time she saw her, it was Ye Luqing in a hurried rush.
With such stunning looks, it was no wonder she could make the icy fairy of Heavenly Sword Peak so smitten.
“Let’s go. I’ll first familiarize you with Qi-controlled flight.”
“Mm.” Ye Luqing smiled sweetly.
Xiao Qingxuan’s heart clenched. Watching Ye Luqing being led out of the cavern by Bai He, she subconsciously reached out, wanting to touch her, but her body felt as heavy as if filled with lead, afraid of frightening Ye Luqing again.
Why?
Why was A-Qing so afraid of her, yet willing to leave with Bai He?
Before, A-Qing wouldn’t let anyone touch her except for herself; she would only stick close to her.
An inexplicable chill rose within her, making her feel cold all over, yet she was powerless to dispel it.
Xiao Qingxuan’s hand fell limply, and her head drooped low.
“A-Qing…”
Bai Yuhan shook her head almost imperceptibly, her arms folded beneath her chest, the proud white jade mounds straining the gauze of her robes to their limits.
As Ye Luqing’s Shizun, and the lover of Xiao Qingxuan’s Shizun, she usually paid close attention to these two girls.
The year Ye Luqing joined the sect, Azure Sky Peak only accepted her as a Direct Disciple.
At that time, Senior Sister Bai He was preparing to break through to the Spirit Transformation Stage and had no time to look after the disciples below her, leaving Ye Luqing all alone.
Bai Yuhan, as Vice Sect Master, was even busier with affairs and could only occasionally offer some guidance.
Thus, she asked Sect Master Feng Linyi to have their Heavenly Sword Peak’s Xiao Qingxuan, who joined in the same batch, interact more with Ye Luqing.
These two had spent several years together day and night now. With something like this happening, she could understand Xiao Qingxuan’s feelings.
“Qingxuan, you should return to Heavenly Sword Peak first.”
“I have already contacted the elders of Cauldron Peak. They will come tomorrow for a consultation to stabilize Luqing’s soul first.”
“As for restoring her memories… I’m very sorry, but currently, no one in the Profound Firmament Upper Sect may be capable of doing so.”
As one of the Thirty-Six Upper Sects among the transcendent-rank powers, the Profound Firmament Upper Sect had three Dao Integration Realm Dao Venerables, but no great experts specializing in the soul.
As a Dao Venerable of the Formation Arts, Bai Yuhan’s proficiency in spiritual power could be considered the highest in the sect.
If even she had no solution, let alone the elders of Cauldron Peak—even the Peak Lord of Cauldron Peak coming would be useless.
Just as Bai Yuhan was about to leave, she suddenly heard a thud behind her.
She turned her head back and saw Xiao Qingxuan actually kneeling directly on the ground.
“Shishu Bai!”
“A-Qing’s soul was damaged, causing her amnesia, and it was all my fault.”
“I beg you to use your influence to contact the Illusion God Sect for this disciple. They might have a method to restore memories!”
Looking at Xiao Qingxuan kneeling steadfastly, a trace of pity rose in Bai Yuhan’s heart.
“This matter was mainly due to the treacherous methods of the Devil Cultivators of the Soul-Slaughtering Sect. Knowing your temperament, you have already done well.”
She naturally knew that Ye Luqing lost her memory covering Xiao Qingxuan’s retreat. But for Xiao Qingxuan, at the Half-Step Spirit Transformation stage, to kill a Spirit Transformation Stage elder of the Soul-Slaughtering Sect was an immense contribution.
Afterwards, to avenge Ye Luqing, she had killed every single Devil Cultivator who had attacked Ye Luqing.
As an elder who had watched Xiao Qingxuan grow step by step, Bai Yuhan naturally knew what kind of person Xiao Qingxuan was.
Cold, emotionless, indifferent to everything except discussing the Way of the Sword, becoming stronger through cultivation, and sect missions. A perfect seed for cultivating the Emotionless Sword Dao.
Looking at Xiao Qingxuan, Bai Yuhan couldn’t help but think of Feng Linyi from several hundred years ago.
Master and disciple were truly so alike.
“Ah…”
“The Grand Elder is guarding the sect’s core, and your Shizun is in closed-door cultivation.”
“I must remain to oversee the sect and cannot go there personally. However, I will put in a good word for you with the Illusion God Sect.”
“The Illusion God Sect’s relationship with your Shizun is not good, one could even say it is terrible. You must remember, no matter what happens, your own safety is the top priority.”
The Illusion God Sect, like the Profound Firmament Upper Sect, was a transcendent-rank power. However, the Illusion God Sect only had one Dao Integration Realm Dao Venerable and was listed among the Seventy-Two Lower Sects of the transcendent ranks, placing it slightly below their Profound Firmament Upper Sect.
Other than the Soul-Slaughtering Sect, which was a Devil Gate, the Illusion God Sect was indeed the righteous sect most skilled in the way of the soul.
Xiao Qingxuan nodded. She knew that the older generation of the Profound Firmament Upper Sect and the Illusion God Sect had poor relations, but now, to retrieve Ye Luqing’s memories, she could only borrow their power.
“Shishu Bai, back then… how did my Shizun offend the Illusion God Sect?” Xiao Qingxuan asked.
They were all righteous sects, and all transcendent-rank powers. Grudges between the older generation usually didn’t affect the younger ones.
It would be best to know the whole story, to avoid inadvertently offending the Illusion God Sect when she got there.
