The Past

"A mortal? Even if you don't like me, please don't be like this, Young Noble," the young lady said with tears in her eyes.

"Is this a play?" Quan Jiang asked warily.

He heard that some cultivators have weird personalities. He took a step back to distance himself from them.

"Young Noble! Are you suffering from amnesia?" the young lady asked sadly.

"No. Stop messing around with me!" Quan Jiang shouted aggressively.

He wasn't going to allow them to play with him even if he was powerless.

"Young Lady, don't push it. The Young Noble must have his reasons," one of the middle-aged men said.

"Yes… Xue will leave now," the young lady said and turned around.

She called herself 'Xue'. A cute name for a beautiful lady as it meant 'snow'.

Quan Jiang watched them leave with a pained expression. They were the first people he met, but he couldn't even follow after them. He was afraid of being taken advantage of by cultivators.

Soon, they were gone from his sight.

Quan Jiang doesn't regret it. He continued his journey as if nothing had happened. At least, he was now sure that he wasn't in the afterlife.

After several hours of journey, the sky was orange with the sun slowly descending down. Quan Jiang finally reached a city.

It was surrounded by a forest with a lake beside it. Hundreds of people were traveling through the entrances.

He walked towards it and marveled at the high walls. It was more suitable to call this city a fortress.

Everything was unfamiliar to Quan Jiang. His eyes curiously looked around while he entered the city without any problems.

Some of the passersby would look at him for a bit. Their eyes showed disdain because he looked like a country bumpkin.

"What do I do now?" Quan Jiang muttered to himself.

He doesn't know where to go. There was nothing he could recognize here.

He looked around and found an empty alleyway. He sat on the ground and rested his back against the wall. He was too tired to care about lodging. This was better than nothing.

The night sky covered the whole city. The beautiful stars shone down and reminded Quan Jiang about the dream he had seen. He gripped his fists tightly as he thought about revenge.

One day, he would return to Soaring Swan Country and kill Zeng Wei, just like he saw in that vision. Soon, Quan Jiang felt tiredness spread through his whole body.

The long journey through the forest took a toll on his mortal body. He had to force his way out through the thick vegetation. It wasn't easy because there was no predetermined path.

…

"Young Noble…"

A sweet and familiar voice sounded beside Quan Jiang's ears. He sleepily opened his eyes and found a beautiful face staring at him.

"I-It's you!" Quan Jiang moved backward in dread.

'This crazy woman is back,' he thought to himself.

"Young Noble, why are you sleeping in this lonely alley?" Xue curiously asked.

"It's none of your business," Jiang coldly replied.

His impression of her was already pretty bad. She now reminded him of his current situation, which made his impression of her reach negative levels.

"Young Noble, if you want a place to stay, the Guo Clan still has your room available," Xue earnestly said.

"My room?"

"Yes. You left a month ago without letting anyone know. I-I thought you abandoned me. I ordered the clan to search for you, but it seemed like you vanished like smoke." She paused for a bit before continuing. "And then I had to pay the price for the Duan clan to divine your location. You know, they are great fortune tellers, right?"

"..."

"A year ago, you visited our clan. You said we had some fate with you, so you taught me cultivation. I improved a lot with your teachings. And then… we watched the cherry blossoms fall under the tree during the Spring Festival."

Xue was patient as she explained what transpired between them in the 'past'. Hearing them only made Quan Jiang very confused. Her sincere appearance conveyed that she wasn't lying.

"All of this happened a year ago..?" Jiang asked, full of confusion.

"Mm. Young Noble, if you don't remember things, I can help you remember them."

"Are you sure you aren't mistaken?"

Suddenly, Xue embraced him tightly. She placed her head against his chest and listened to his beating heart. Her flowery and attractive scent wafted into Jiang's nose.

"This embrace, smell, and heartbeat, I recognize them all. I can't be mistaken," Xue said and looked up at him with a smile.

Jiang felt pained seeing that smile. It reminded him of Lin Fengfang. Nevertheless, he didn't try to push her away. Her sincerity won him over.

"But I woke up on a beach. How can I be the same person? And I also don't have any cultivation to speak of," Jiang said.

"You don't have any cultivation?" Xue asked in shock.

She grasped his wrist. A strand of warm and soothing energy flowed into Jiang's body. She scanned his whole body and found that he was really a mortal with no cultivation to speak of.

"This can't be! You lost your memories and also your cultivation! Your enemy is so ruthless!" Xue screamed angrily.

"W-Wait, I really don't believe I lost my memories. I could still remember trying to kill myself yesterday," Jiang answered.

"Young Noble, I will help you regain your memories. Even if the enemy is strong beyond my comprehension, I will still help you," Xue said with eyes full of determination.

"...Fine."

Jiang could only agree. She was so serious about it, so he felt helpless. Besides, he was also unsure if he actually lost his memories. He suddenly showed up on a beach when there were no seas near the Soaring Swan Country.

Maybe, he survived the Death River and managed to travel to this area.

"Let's go, Young Noble."

She tightened her grasp on his wrist and pulled him up to stand.