Yao Zhu San? Alter memory?!

As Xie Bai thought of this, a jolt of awareness suddenly broke through his groggy state.

Through his half-open, narrow slits of eyes, he saw Yin Wushu leaning over him. A familiar and comforting warmth enveloped him, reminiscent of the times when, cold and unable to bear it as a child of five or six, he would crawl into Yin Wushu's arms.

Yin Wushu almost embraced him as he came close to his ear, speaking in a soft and soothing voice, "Xiao Bai..."

Xie Bai's fingers hanging off the bed twitched, his eyelids fluttered. He struggled to separate himself from the rapidly spreading effects of the Yao Zhu San, trying to stop Yin Wushu from continuing.

Because he knew, once Yin Wushu spoke, the Yao Zhu San would truly take effect. He didn't want his memories altered, whether they were happy or sad, anything related to Yin Wushu, he didn't want to lose a bit of it...

Xie Bai felt two forces tugging within him, one pulling him deeper into darkness, the other trying to drag him from the mire-like chaos. In this confrontation that nearly split his spirit and body in two, he struggled to raise his index finger.

The weight of just one finger felt like a thousand pounds, requiring all his strength just to hook onto the corner of Yin Wushu's clothes.

Yin Wushu paused, seemingly surprised that someone could maintain the slightest consciousness under the influence of Yao Zhu San.

Xie Bai heard Yin Wushu sigh softly and say in a low voice, "As stubborn as ever..." Then the finger that had hooked onto his clothing was taken into his palm.

As he was about to lose the strength even to grasp Yin Wushu's hand, the bed beneath him suddenly shook.

Then he realized it wasn’t just the bed shaking; more accurately, it was the entire building, or perhaps even the ground of the entire Guyang Street.

It was not unusual for slight seismic activities to occur elsewhere, but Guyang Street was an exception. The reason Tai Xuan Dao had been fixed on this street for hundreds of years was due to its unique position, essentially the 'eye' of the entire spiritual realm.

Any disturbance here indicated that something was affecting the entire realm of spirits and demons...

Under the influence of the Yao Zhu San, Xie Bai’s mind was sluggish. It took him a moment to realize that this so-called disturbance was undoubtedly linked to what Yin Wushu had discussed with him today—the struggle between the man under the ice and Yin Wushu was exacerbating the imbalance of yin and yang in the realm of spirits and demons, or perhaps the imbalance itself was making their conflict more intense.

As for what consequences the imbalance of yin and yang in the realm of spirits and demons could bring... Xie Bai, having lived for over a hundred years, had never witnessed it firsthand, but he had come across a few sentences in books, stating that when yin and yang are out of balance, the natures of spirits and demons become erratic, their emotions unclear and unstable, and in severe cases, it could even lead to chaos and conflict.

As Guyang Street became unstable, Yin Wushu also hesitated, his intended words delayed further.

The more precious and rare a medicine, the more delicate it tends to be, and the more particular its usage. Yao Zhu San was a classic example; legend had it that after ingesting the pill, if the memory wasn’t altered within the time it takes to snap one's fingers three times, the person would fall asleep for a day and a night, but if the hand wasn’t moved within that time, the first wave of the medicine’s effect would begin to fade, and the person's perception would gradually return.

Yin Wushu was interrupted several times, the time for three finger snaps had passed, and Xie Bai felt his limbs gradually regaining some sensation, no longer feeling like they were weighed down by a thousand pounds. As he seemed to gain enough strength to open his eyes, Yin Wushu’s brow furrowed, and his left thumb pressed against Xie Bai’s forehead, his mouth opening to speak.

However, Xie Bai, gathering all his strength, summoned two streams of black mist, one end of which touched the acupoint by his ear, preempting Yin Wushu.

Xie Bai didn't have enough strength to speak, but fortunately, with Yin Wushu’s thumb on his forehead, even without speaking, he could hear the words Yin Wushu intended to say in his heart.

He held onto a thought, coldly warning Yin Wushu, "If you dare to speak, I dare to destroy one of my senses before you do." If his hearing was destroyed, he wouldn’t hear anything, and thus his memory wouldn’t be altered by Yin Wushu’s words.

Someone else might not be able to bring themselves to do this, but Xie Bai was different; he could do what he said he would without blinking an eye, something Yin Wushu was all too aware of.

The bed beneath Xie Bai shook again, and the instability of Guyang Street became even more pronounced.

Suddenly, a rapid series of knocks, "thud, thud, thud," sounded at the door, urgent and rushed. Li Dong's voice came from outside, somewhat worried, "Boss, something's happening. It was sunny just now, but suddenly the sky has clouded over, and there are rolling dark clouds. The dry spring in the glasshouse has also suddenly started spewing yellow water!"

As Xie Bai’s senses quickly returned to nearly full capacity, the black mist touching the acupuncture point on his ear steadied. Yin Wushu, unable to act rashly under the threat of Xie Bai harming himself, and having no time to continue their stalemate in the room, simply shook his head and said to Xie Bai, “Try to get some sleep.”

With that, he dissipated into a mist and vanished abruptly.

Xie Bai instinctively tried to grab the corner of his clothing but, due to his senses not fully restored, he was a step too late and caught nothing.

Yin Wushu had left, but the golden threads that bound him to the bed remained unbreakable. The first wave of the Yao Zhu San seemed to be dissipating, but he could still feel an abnormal tipsiness quietly flowing through his veins.

Finally having enough strength to lift his eyelids, Xie Bai blankly stared at where Yin Wushu had disappeared. Too many thoughts churned in his mind at once, creating a tumultuous mess he could barely sort through.

However, the chaos was momentary, and soon he prioritized the most urgent issues—

The tremors on Guyang Street indicated disturbances in the realm of spirits and demons; the imbalance of yin and yang was not to be underestimated. Yin Wushu was clearly aware of this and had no intention of ignoring it. Whether it was the hints in his previous words or the Yao Zhu San administered to Xie Bai, all subtly indicated that he was planning to leave, to confront the man under the ice.

Regardless of whether that man was at his peak or in a trough, he was not easy to deal with. Yin Wushu's previous statements sounded casual, but who knew how many crucial details had been skipped...

As these thoughts surfaced, the subtle and unusual demeanor Xie Bai had shown at the market came rushing back into his mind.

Why did it feel like there wasn't much time left? Why did Yin Wushu purposely send him away to meet the man under the ice alone? Why deceive him into taking the Yao Zhu San? Why bind him to this bed to limit his movements...

A series of questions tumbled through his mind, each one explained by Yin Wushu, but Xie Bai wasn't foolish enough to believe them all.

This whole situation seemed like the actions of a dying man, an intuition that Xie Bai had long feared to consider but could not ignore.

But how could Yin Wushu possibly be dying?!

On one hand, Xie Bai found this thought absurd, yet he couldn't completely extinguish it...

Outside, indeed, dark clouds churned, the previously bright and warm sun now nowhere in sight. Dim thunder rumbled in the distance within the black clouds, intermittently flashing, dazzling Xie Bai’s eyes.

Suddenly, a bright flash of lightning streaked through the clouds, and a thunderclap exploded just as Xie Bai remembered something Yin Wushu had said: like everything in the world, yin and yang depend on each other. There is black where there is white, no good without evil, both indispensable.

Then... as long as Yin Wushu was still alive, that yin-associated man under the ice could not truly be reset. If that man under the ice was indeed completely reset, it meant that Yin Wushu would be too!

Yes! That was Yin Wushu's plan!

The moment this thought surfaced, Xie Bai felt as if his blood was running in reverse, chilling from his skin down to his heart. He lifted his newly reawakened hand and struggled fiercely, but the golden threads binding his limbs showed no sign of loosening.

In just a moment, he had tried almost every possible method to free himself, all to no avail.

There must be a way...

There cannot be no way at all...

A faint redness almost appeared in Xie Bai's eyes as he stared fixedly at the spot where Yin Wushu had vanished, repeating such thoughts over and over in his mind.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered as if he had thought of a solution.

He conjured a wisp of black mist and touched the floor by the bed, then through the floor, he found Li Dong on the first floor. With a slightly hoarse voice, he said softly, “Li Dong, please find me five Soul Dispersion Charms.”

 

Translator : DarNan