Chapter 33: A Startling Memory Stirred by the Plucking of Strings

Xianzhou Province. Heavy snow.

As Mieying had predicted, a blizzard had suddenly descended upon the area that afternoon. Viewed from above, the mountains and rivers were blanketed in white, shimmering like a polished mirror. When Hua Sheng had departed during the day, the region had been bathed in sunlight; he had not expected that in less than half a day, the land below would be completely buried under snow.

It was fortunate that Mieying carried her oiled-paper umbrella, which shielded both of them from much of the biting wind and snow. By comparison, Tianjizi and Lu Dongbin, who had flown through the blizzard, already had a layer of frost clinging to their shoulders.

After descending to a lower altitude, Hua Sheng spotted the familiar Dachan Temple. Its once-brilliant roof tiles were now covered in a thick layer of white snow. If not for the orange glow emanating from the Thousand-Age Incense Burner in the center of the temple, it would have been nearly impossible to discern its location in the pitch-black night.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the temple, Hua Sheng knew that the Panxian Cave was close at hand. He was utterly exhausted from the day's events, and his eyelids felt as heavy as lead. Yet, this was clearly no time to rest. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes and slapped his cheeks hard, forcing himself to muster every ounce of remaining energy.

Lu Dongbin and Tianjizi landed in the snow first, followed closely by Hua Sheng and Mieying. Upon touching down, they realized the snow had already drifted past their knees.

"Are you cold?" Seeing the fierce wind and snow, and noting how thinly dressed Mieying was, Hua Sheng could not help but worry.

"I’m fine! Besides, this oiled-paper umbrella blocks most of the wind and snow—it’s quite reliable!" Mieying giggled, pointing to the red paper umbrella she held.

Lu Dongbin surveyed the surroundings, calculated with his fingers, and said, "The Panxian Cave must be right here."

With that, he pointed into the air. His long sword flew from its scabbard behind him with a sharp metallic ring. Lu Dongbin caught the hilt, danced a flourish in mid-air, and chanted, "By the mandate of the law, hasten!"

A celestial formation appeared where the sword’s tip cut through the air; the wind and snow scattered upon approaching the barrier, unable to touch the four of them. Seeing that the snow had ceased, Mieying folded her umbrella and held it at her side.

Lu Dongbin leaned against his long sword, closed his eyes, and placed two fingers against his chest, murmuring an incantation. Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open and shouted, "Break!"

He swept his sword through the air with a soft swish. A fissure instantly tore open in the space before them, the edges curling back like torn paper. The pitch-black entrance of the Panxian Cave was revealed.

Hua Sheng had been here before. Realizing he was likely the only one among them who had entered the cave, he warned, "Everyone, be careful. The walls inside this cave swallow light. Even with illumination, it’s easy to collide with the cave walls."

"Just follow me!" Tianjizi, seemingly unfazed, strode into the Panxian Cave.

Hua Sheng and Mieying each conjured torches for light and followed him in. Because the walls absorbed light, their field of vision was extremely narrow. A single wrong step would result in a collision with the hard stone. Tianjizi, relying on his "Ultimate Fortune," moved forward without hesitation, while Lu Dongbin followed closely behind, keeping a single step's distance.

The cave was filled with countless twists and turns. Even though Hua Sheng had been here once, he had forgotten most of the route. Because Lu Dongbin and Tianjizi were moving too quickly, the two of them vanished from sight after a series of sharp turns.

Seeing they were lost, Hua Sheng was about to rush forward when he slammed into a stone wall with a dull thud. He rubbed his forehead, fearing a large bump would form. "Perhaps we should wait here. They’ll come back to look for us when they realize we’re gone."

Mieying, however, was not worried at all. "What’s so special about relying on luck? I’m going to rely on my wits!"

She waved her sleeves, raised her right hand, and chanted, "By the mandate of the law, hasten!"

Immediately, a fluorescent orange mist emerged from her palm. As the mist poured out and settled on the ground, it looked as if a glowing orange carpet had been laid out. The mist clung to the stone walls and spread, and in no time, a luminous path appeared on the ground.

"Look! Isn't there a way now?" Mieying pointed to her forehead. "You have to use your brain."

Her resourcefulness made Hua Sheng want to shower her with praise, but before he could speak, she ran ahead. Before long, the two arrived in the depths of the Panxian Cave.

It was the only place in the cave that emitted light. The ethereal, dreamlike Bodhi tree still stood in the center of the cavern. Its dense leaves each radiated a fluorescent green glow, and the ground beneath the tree was covered in a web of glowing, thin energy strings.

Tianjizi and Lu Dongbin were standing on these strings, and Mieying strolled onto them as well. Hua Sheng, at the tail end, moved cautiously. Remembering the massive tremors caused by stepping on the strings previously, he lightened his step as much as possible. The energy strings beneath his feet vibrated slightly, but it did not cause any issues.

"I almost forgot," Hua Sheng said. "Everyone, be careful. There is a giant wolf spider in this Panxian Cave."

"Eww! Don't talk about spiders! Just the thought of it gives me goosebumps—I hate ugly things!" Mieying shuddered.

Hua Sheng teased her, "Aren't birds supposed to eat insects? Why are you afraid of them?"

"Pfft! Miemeng birds don't eat bugs! Our ancestors ate berries!"

"I’m just giving a warning! The giant wolf spider I mentioned was already dealt with; I tied it up like a rice dumpling before I left last time!"

Tianjizi listened and asked skeptically, "Where exactly is this giant wolf spider you speak of?"

"Right there..." Hua Sheng began to point, but he suddenly realized that the spot where the spider had fallen was completely empty. He exclaimed in shock, "How is it gone? It should be right there! I couldn't have misremembered!"

Tianjizi snorted. "Though this cave is large, it is clear at a glance. What you spoke of must have been a mere bug!"

"That wolf spider was larger than ten oxen! But that was a long time ago. Could it have starved and shriveled up after being tied for months without food?" Hua Sheng searched back and forth in confusion, thinking it impossible. Even if it had broken free, where had the tangled energy strings gone? They should have been scattered on the ground.

Tianjizi looked at Hua Sheng, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Are you trying to say that someone has been to this Panxian Cave since you left?"

"Yes, exactly!" Hua Sheng muttered. "Someone must have been here! That’s why both the spider and the energy strings used to bind it are gone!"

Tianjizi said nothing, but his eyes were filled with disdain.

At this moment, Lu Dongbin interrupted them. "Let us not dwell on such trivial matters; there is important business to attend to."

He gazed at the energy strings on the ground, pondered for a moment, and began to chant while forming celestial seals. He traced a finger across the ground, and a circular purple celestial formation over a meter wide instantly appeared.

Lu Dongbin said to Hua Sheng, "Step into this formation."

Hua Sheng recalled that the Taoist Spirit Immortal had previously asked him to find Master Jueguang to prove his innocence. Now that Lu Dongbin was doing it, the formation was certainly no problem. Aside from the whereabouts of Lan Caihe, if his own memory confirmed he had never been to the Klin Magic School, having Lu Dongbin of the Eight Immortals as a witness would be even more persuasive.

Thinking of this, Hua Sheng said, "Immortal, since you can check past memories, why not check the last few months as well, to see if I have ever been to that foreign land of France?"

Tianjizi asked, "The purple-gold thread on your robe was never compared. Why check for it? Is that thread related to you?"

Hua Sheng realized he had his own entanglements with Tianjizi and decided it was best not to reveal the Spirit Immortal's conclusion too early. If it were proven he had never been to France, he could dismiss the thread as a misunderstanding even if it were eventually traced back to him.

He replied vaguely, "No, I just thought since we’ve gone to such trouble to come here, and since this formation is set by you, Immortal Lu, it would be a waste to use it only once. We might as well do a full check."

Lu Dongbin did not answer; he simply asked for Hua Sheng’s birth date and time, began to pace around the formation, and then touched the back of Hua Sheng’s head with his finger.

Hua Sheng felt a cool sensation, as if a breeze were blowing through his brain. He heard a *whoosh*, and an image projected into the air before him.

The scene in the image was filled with wind and rain, seen from a first-person perspective. The person was standing on the bow of a cruise ship. The ship was pitching in the storm, and the person’s body and hands were covered in blood. Hua Sheng knew this was his own experience.

The Ghost Crone Wuwang, the exotic beast Qiongqi, the little girl in black, Mingyou. These memories Hua Sheng had lived through appeared one by one. Immersing himself in them again, he still felt a tremor in his heart.

"The cruise ship... it’s the ship that appeared when the Clever Box Capture Game was corrupted," Tianjizi said coldly, staring fixedly at the screen.

Hua Sheng glanced at him from the corner of his eye; Tianjizi’s face was devoid of expression. Hua Sheng suddenly felt a sense of unease.

Then, the person known as Young Master Lan appeared—it was Lan Caihe. Lan Caihe had easily subdued the Ghost Crone Wuwang. Wuwang shattered into fragments, and those fragments stained Hua Sheng’s arm. Right, those fragments had later restored Wuwang when the Clever Box Capture Game was corrupted during the Heavenly Eye trials.

Hua Sheng remembered that Wuwang was a "killer" sent by the future super-intelligence to hunt down Mingyou. Tianjizi’s eyes were bloodshot, as if desperate to know everything. What had happened after Wuwang was destroyed the first time?

Just then, Hua Sheng was struck as if by an electric shock. A crucial memory surfaced from the corners of his mind. He remembered seeing several images when Mingyou shattered! But because he had been caught in the illusion of the Immeasurable-level technique caused by the Years-Star Veil, and subsequently found himself in a hospital, he had once thought it was a dream within a dream and had ignored it until now.

He had attacked Lan Caihe! He did not know Lan Caihe’s whereabouts, but he had seen a vision of himself stabbing Lan Caihe. The Years-Star Veil had shown him that.

"Oh no!" Hua Sheng’s heart pounded as if it were about to leap from his throat. If that were true, he might lose his life to Lu Dongbin’s sword! He tried to break free from the celestial formation, but as his body shifted, the flickering image caught Tianjizi’s attention.

Before Hua Sheng could retreat, Tianjizi pointed a finger: "Freeze!"

Hua Sheng was instantly immobilized by a binding spell. Tianjizi’s face turned furious. "What did you remember that makes you want to run!"

At that moment, scenes that no one had ever seen or imagined slowly unfolded like a grand curtain being drawn back. Hua Sheng held his breath as he watched.

In the image, Lan Caihe asked Hua Sheng, "This girl is a disaster sent to the world. Do you truly intend to protect someone who brings such calamity?"

Lan Caihe then attempted to burn Mingyou to death with flames. Hua Sheng stepped forward to stop him, absorbing the fire into his own body.

Lan Caihe stepped back. "No wonder you want to save her. You are... a demon!"

Then, Lan Caihe ignited the Samadhi True Fire, attempting to destroy both Hua Sheng and Mingyou in a sea of flames.

"My father’s Samadhi True Fire! So that was it! How were you not burned to death!" Tianjizi turned his head and glared at Hua Sheng, his eyes burning as if he wanted to tear him to pieces.

The Samadhi True Fire had indeed been absorbed into Hua Sheng’s body.

"The method of absorbing Immeasurable-level spirit essence!" Lu Dongbin drew his sword and pointed it at Hua Sheng, shouting, "You are not human at all! You are a Phoenix Demon?"

Hua Sheng felt as if his blood had frozen. Both Lan Caihe and Lu Dongbin calling him a demon felt like a terrible omen. The most important thing now was to break free from the formation, or he might die on the spot!

Nearby, Mieying was startled and shouted, "W-what are you doing!"

Tianjizi roared, "Do you not understand? This brat is a demon! The Immortal Realm has been peaceful for years; he is the monster who infiltrated the Saintly Peace!"

"You’re lying! He’s a human!" Mieying argued.

Tianjizi raged, "Foolish girl! If he were merely a mortal of flesh and blood before coming to the Technique Academy, how could the Samadhi True Fire, a Lingxiao-level celestial technique, fail to burn him to ash?"

Mieying stamped her feet in frustration. "I don't care! Lan Caihe must have been mistaken!"

Lu Dongbin shouted, "Insolent! I am here, how dare you, a mere girl, act so wildly! Such gibberish!"

"It was a mistake! Hua Sheng is a good person, I know he is good..."

Before Mieying could finish, the Hua Sheng in the vision plunged an iron rod into Lan Caihe’s chest!

"Abomination!" Tianjizi was consumed by rage. A flaming sword materialized in his hand, trembling with his fury. He and the Lan Caihe in the vision spoke in unison: "You dare... kill an Immortal!"

Seeing this, Lu Dongbin chanted, "By the mandate of the law, hasten!" Thick iron chains, like serpents, bound Hua Sheng tightly.

"Vile demon! I, Tianjizi, shall take your wretched life to avenge my father!"

Tianjizi raised his flaming sword and thrust it toward Hua Sheng’s chest! This strike was meant for nothing less than his life.