Chapter 46: Memory Recovery

The more he pondered the details, the more he felt something was wrong, vaguely sensing a hint of strange dissonance.

Junior Brother Bai Ming stood up abruptly. "Could it be… No, that can't be. I must be overthinking it."

Bracing himself against the floor and gazing at the light emitted by the night-luminescent stones on the ceiling, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a sense of confusion.

Forget it. Once Wanqing finishes her seclusion, I will ask her subtly.

He summoned the Qingming Storm Soul, preparing to continue his cultivation.

Three days passed.

Junior Brother Bai Ming opened his eyes in the cultivation room; his brows were lowered, and his mouth was turned down in a frown.

That thought was like a needle, stuck in his heart, constantly irritating him.

The more he tried to suppress it and not think about it, the clearer it became.

He could no longer calm down.

With a long sigh, Junior Brother Bai Ming retracted the Qingming Storm Soul. After sensing that there was no one outside the door, he could no longer suppress the thoughts in his heart.

He wanted to know the truth.

He wanted to clear up all of this.

Gently pushing open the door, Junior Brother Bai Ming channeled the concealment technique within the Wuxiang Wind-Control Tactic, his footsteps as light as a gust of wind.

Taking advantage of the cover of moonlight, he traversed the corridor and arrived at that place, both familiar and strange.

The bright moonlight shone upon the earth; the moonlight was serene, the evening breeze was gentle, and the entire Song residence was silent.

"Whoosh—"

The layer of soil on the surface was blown away again, revealing the iron door that could no longer close the entrance.

Placing the iron door gently to the side, Junior Brother Bai Ming's form turned into wind, slipping into the secret chamber.

The spirit candle was lit, illuminating the grim exterior of the cells. The iron door grilles reflected the flickering figures of the candlelight, which entered his eyes.

He paced to the last cell.

Discovering something unusual, Junior Brother Bai Ming touched the iron bars, feeling the slight indentations on them.

"This is…"

His brain suddenly began to ache, and an inexplicable rage rose from within Junior Brother Bai Ming's heart.

[Why is it like this? Can I not even exit this prison door?]

Blurred images emerged in Junior Brother Bai Ming's mind: it was a pitch-black environment without a single glimmer of light, and he was there, pounding on the iron door as if venting his anger.

He retreated a few steps, clutching his head with both hands, not daring to experience the strange rage within his body.

But the fuse had already been lit, so how could it stop?

An endless stream of rage rose from his heart, like water without a source, coming from the heavens, flowing ceaselessly.

But what made it even more unacceptable to him was that this rage was not being vented wantonly; it had a clear target.

Someone he was most familiar with, someone closest to him.

Junior Brother Bai Ming fell to his knees on the cold floor, his eyes filled with tears. "No, I don't want these memories. Get out of my mind!"

Under the intense emotions, the spiritual root in his lower abdomen emitted a warmth, as if responding to this rage that had appeared out of thin air.

Junior Brother Bai Ming clutched his stomach. "What is happening? My spiritual root, it's so hot!"

A burning pain originated from his lower abdomen and quickly spread to his internal organs, as if it wanted to burn his viscera into a pile of charcoal.

Accompanied by rage and pain, the lost memories continuously appeared, and the various events of the past began to resurface.

These memories were chaotic and fleeting, like shards of glass, gushing out all at once and intertwining with Junior Brother Bai Ming's existing memories.

A large amount of information flooded his mind; Junior Brother Bai Ming's brain was in chaos for a moment, as if it were about to explode. He desperately slammed his head against the ground, attempting to alleviate the pain.

But the new memories mixed with the old ones, appearing alternately and assaulting his sanity.

[Young Master Bai is truly naive.]

[Little Bai, it is so good that you could wake up.]

[If you don't want to die, then beg for mercy like a dog; perhaps I will spare you.]

[According to secular customs, we are betrothed.]

[Kneel for me!]

[That is what a bridal chamber is like; surely you want it, my dear Bai?]

With his scalp pressed against the cold floor, Junior Brother Bai Ming did not move. After an unknown amount of time had passed, his body finally trembled slightly.

Junior Brother Bai Ming slowly stood up, his tone indifferent. "Song Wanqing…"

…

The moonlight was sparse, the starlight brilliant.

A young girl in white arrived before the door of the cultivation room; she carried an exquisite food basket in her hand, with a hint of worry between her brows.

She arrived before the cultivation room with trepidation.

The spirit lamp at the entrance was extinguished; her heart skipped a beat, and she felt somewhat flustered inside.

Without caring to think much, she pushed open the room door, only to see that it was empty inside.

He left.

When?

A thought appeared in her mind; the worry between her brows turned into panic, and her fingers tightened around the handle of the food basket.

A wisp of breeze cut through the moonlight, blowing against the girl's fair neck, and a gentle voice sounded from behind her.

"What is it, Xiaoxue? Is there something you need me for?"

Xiaoxue turned around in a hurry, unable to even hide the panic in her eyes. "Young Master."

Catching a glimpse of the food basket, Junior Brother Bai Ming revealed a gentle smile. "Is this prepared for me?"

Xiaoxue was stunned, then nodded. "Yes, I saw that you like to eat this roast duck, Young Master, so I thought to buy some."

Junior Brother Bai Ming took the food basket. "I am truly grateful. I have been cultivating for so long, and I am a bit weary."

Putting away the fluster in her heart, Xiaoxue secretly stared at Junior Brother Bai Ming, observing his every move.

Opening the food basket, Junior Brother Bai Ming sniffed the fragrance of the food, then turned his gaze toward Xiaoxue.

"Xiaoxue, there is something on your face."

Xiaoxue was stunned and touched her face with her small hand. "Is there?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming took a step closer, bent down to get close to Xiaoxue's face, stared at her watery eyes, and said softly, "Two cute eyes, one petite nose."

Feeling Junior Brother Bai Ming's direct gaze, Xiaoxue subconsciously turned her face away to avoid it. "Young Master, you are teasing me again."

Junior Brother Bai Ming straightened up. "Are you wondering how I went out? The cultivation room was too stuffy, and my cultivation technique is wind-attribute, so the outside is more suitable for me to practice techniques."

After finishing, he summoned a gust of wind and struck it toward the sky.

Having her inner doubts poked, Xiaoxue did not know how to reply for a moment.

Junior Brother Bai Ming pretended to sigh. "I remember that you are also a disciple of the Yuqing Sect, Xiaoxue. Why bother delaying your own cultivation for my sake?"

Xiaoxue shook her head. "How can my aptitude compare to Young Master and Young Miss? Cultivating a few days less doesn't affect me much; it doesn't count as a delay."

Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes narrowed slightly. "It wouldn't be that Wanqing is afraid of me going out to flirt with other women and sent you here to watch me, would it?"

Xiaoxue waved her hands repeatedly. "It's not that. It's just that I was afraid you might have some needs sometimes, Young Master, so I was waiting outside."

"So that is how it is. You are thoughtful, Xiaoxue." Junior Brother Bai Ming waved to say goodbye. "Then I will go in to cultivate first."

The door closed slowly, and Junior Brother Bai Ming's figure gradually disappeared from Xiaoxue's sight. Remembering the young man's gentle smile earlier, she let go of the sleeve she had been gripping tightly, her heart relaxing.

What am I really worried about?

"Bang—"

The iron door of the cultivation room closed, cutting off the bright moonlight and also blocking the girl's line of sight.

Entering the cultivation room, the smile on Junior Brother Bai Ming's face disappeared, and he set the food basket down casually.

"The timing is somewhat unfortunate."

He felt the concentration of spiritual energy in the cultivation room, calculating Song Wanqing's Golden Core formation status.

Five days had passed since the two of them separated; if she only used one day to adjust her state, then Song Wanqing had already been forming her core for four days.

Looking at the changes in spiritual energy and the celestial phenomena outside, it had already passed the halfway point; she would successfully form her core within five days.

But five days of time was simply not enough for him to escape the control of a Golden Core cultivator. As long as Song Wanqing successfully formed her core and had the intention to search, he would be captured and brought back in minutes.

Does Song Wanqing have this intention?

The result is inevitable.

Not to mention there is also a Patriarch Song.

How can he, Junior Brother Bai Ming, escape, and in which direction should he flee?

Junior Brother Bai Ming lightly pounded the wall. "Song Wanqing, you are truly terrifying."