He Shutong's Reverse Redemption

In a daze, You Su felt as if she were in a vast, boundless black sea, experiencing that all-too-familiar feeling of falling.

Is this... back inside that black jellyfish?

You Su was somewhat bewildered, but managed to regain control of her body as she fell. Although she was surrounded by deep black water, there were shimmering bubbles floating everywhere. Each bubble was like a small world of light, enveloping lifelike moving images.

You Su casually picked out a few bubbles and peered inside, only to be surprised to find that the scene was completely different from when he had fallen into them before—the main characters in these images were no longer him, but people he didn't recognize at all.

He checked several in succession, but failed to find any common figures, as if each was an independent event.

Could these images be... the memories of those who were once devoured by that black jellyfish?

You Su studied the contents of these images more carefully, her brows furrowing slightly, and finally discovered their commonality: most of these images depicted heart-wrenching scenes.

Recalling his own horrific experience of falling into a black jellyfish, You Su could easily guess that these fragments of memory were the key to plunging those victims into despair and making them unable to extricate themselves.

They were thus corrupted by the black jellyfish, their entire bodies and souls becoming nourishment for this evil spirit. Only these unforgettable memories were preserved, like precious collectibles, hidden by the black jellyfish in this mysterious Sea of Consciousness.

Now that You Su has inherited the Black Jellyfish's abilities, he has naturally taken over this Sea of Consciousness. Therefore, he examines these eternally frozen memories as a ruler, and naturally, he will not see the memories about himself that were used to seduce him.

Just as You Su was pondering the advantages and disadvantages these unknown memories would bring him, his Mistress's familiar voice rang out again, pulling him back to reality.

His Mistress's call was clear and ethereal, like celestial music, piercing through layers of water and reaching the depths of his heart. You Su felt a tremor in his heart; the voice was both real and unreal, and he involuntarily followed its guidance, swimming with all his might.

As the distance closed, the sound became clearer. You Su casually pushed aside a huge psychedelic bubble, and the scene behind it made him instantly lose his senses, so shocked that he could hardly breathe.

His Mistress, the figure he had longed for day and night, the one who haunted his dreams, appeared right before his eyes.

She wore an elegant long dress, the hem swaying gently, like Fairy descending to earth. Her face remained exquisitely beautiful, like a newly blooming white lotus, pure and untouched by worldly dust. Her eyes were like a deep starry sky, or a clear spring, a single glance that seemed to last a thousand years. However, there seemed to be a hint of weariness and sorrow at the corners of her eyes, evoking pity in the heart.

His Mistress seemed completely unaware of his arrival. She was focused on the floating light screen in front of her, which was showing the scene of him insisting on taking his Mistress's wife away from outside her empty room when he was surrounded by Sect Master Qi and others at the Mandarin Sword Sect.

You Su quickly swam to his master's Mistress's side, momentarily flustered and unsure of what to say or do. Although he could occasionally see her, the only time Mistress truly saw Mistress face was during that fleeting glimpse on the night she first enlightened him. From then on, that beautiful figure had been buried deep in his heart, giving rise to complex feelings that differed from those between ordinary master and disciple.

But upon their long-awaited reunion, You Su felt Da Guo guilty than anything else.

After a long while, he finally mustered the courage to call out to his Mistress, but his cries seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, and his Mistress ignored him.

Only then did You Su notice that his Mistress's wife was also wrapped in a bubble!

The bubble separated him from her, as if they were from two different worlds.

You Su first apologized, then gently touched his Mistress's shoulder. As he expected, his hand passed right through Mistress body.

This is the Sea of Consciousness, a space without any physical form. You Su speculated that this bubble layer was a barrier between his and his Mistress's consciousness.

So, like those bubbles, he could hear the sounds inside by virtue of his status as the Lord of the Sea of Consciousness, but his voice could not reach inside.

But why is the Mistress here?

And she was so special, a single bubble carrying a person, not a memory...

You Su was completely baffled. He even began to wonder if he had fallen into some deeper illusion, and if his Mistress was a deeper form of delusion.

However, the black jellyfish imprint on the Golden Paper formed by the Golden Hydriform was clearly visible, proclaiming to him that he was the master of this dark Sea of Consciousness.

"Su'er..."

His master's Mistress's soft voice rang out again. You Su reacted instantly, only to realize that Mistress wasn't calling him at all, but rather calling for 'himself' who was constantly knocking on the door in the light screen...

Not only this sentence, but every "Su'er" heard before was calling out to "himself" in the painting!

In reality, the number of times the Mistress called him "Su'er" could be counted on one hand. It seemed that she found it difficult to say such an intimate term, so every time, it would make You Su secretly happy for a long time.

When You Su saw his Mistress looking at him with longing and a somewhat infatuated expression, he realized how deep Mistress feelings for him were. It wasn't that she didn't want to be closer to him; she was just used to being reserved.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck You Su!

He realized a startling possibility!

That means Mistress was never truly awakened from the black jellyfish's illusion! That's why she was still able to enter this space of Sea of Consciousness! The image on the light screen was the key that the black jellyfish used to bewitch Mistress's will!

That's impossible...

Aside from being somewhat mystical, this black jellyfish wasn't even a match for him in direct combat. Given his master's Mistress's strength, it was even more impossible that she couldn't detect that his mental block hadn't been removed.

Moreover, given Mistress's strength, since she was able to escape from this black jellyfish, she should be able to easily sever the mental barrier that the Evil Demon had planted in her mind.

Why does the Mistress keep harboring this mental block left by the Evil Demon...? Isn't this just planting a seed of future trouble for herself?

You Su became increasingly surprised as she thought about it, because there was only one answer to this question --

That means it's not that the Mistress couldn't sever ties, but that she didn't want to!

This scene represents her redemption, yet it will also become an even stronger shackle. She could easily have broken free of these shackles, thus avoiding the torment of ice-heartedness and the burden of her inner demons, but she chose not to...

Was it out of guilt, or to make amends, or out of reluctance to part, or perhaps for some other reason...?

You Su had no idea about this; he only thought his Mistress was incredibly foolish.

You Su stared blankly at He Shutong's flawless profile, and the seed that had been buried deep in her heart finally sprouted.

But as You Su's gaze hardened, He Shutong's eyes, inside the bubble, also began to harden, as if she had made a decision.

You Su was astonished to discover that the bubble in which his Mistress was standing was slowly merging with the bubble on the light screen in front of him, as if his Mistress was about to enter the world of memories in front of him!

You Su was extremely surprised, only to see his Mistress's figure gradually shrink and then begin to drift.

"Mistress... where have you been? Come with me!"

In the scene, You Su leans against the doorpost, somewhat discouraged, still making a last-ditch effort. At that time, the naive You Su couldn't believe that his Mistress had really abandoned him.

Looking at himself from that time, You Su felt inexplicably embarrassed. Although only a year had passed, he had undoubtedly matured a lot and understood much more. Faced with the same situation again, he would definitely not show that timidity again.

At this moment, the master's Mistress, who had been floating in the image, finally landed on the ground. Surprisingly, she landed at the back mountain of the Mandarin Sword Sect.

A thick fog obscured her figure; the back window of her room was open.

"You Su, don't you understand? She lied to you! The gray stone on the table can confuse the detection of Mystic Qi! That white jade is Sound Transmission Token! The dust in this room is enough to prove that she left long ago!"

Qi Daodong, standing at the door, mercilessly shattered You Su's stubborn illusion, and the cold reality almost drove the boy to the brink of collapse.

Looking back now, You Su realizes that the reason he felt so devastated was precisely because he had been meticulously fighting against everything since the time of True Man Ling, only to find in the end that he had been protecting an illusion.

Wait! What's wrong with Mistress...?

You Su instantly realized what He Shutong was planning to do!

She could easily climb over the low wall in front of her and return to her room through the back window!

She had to save the boy at the door who was begging her to leave with him!

She wanted the boy to know that she hadn't lied to him!

Qi Daodong glared hatefully at the boy in front of him, his eyes seemingly burning with flames. He secretly gathered his Mystic Qi, his fingertips twitching slightly, intending to deliver a fatal blow to this stubborn boy.

However, at this critical moment, Wu Cheng, who was being held tightly in You Su's hands, suddenly let out a shrill scream. The sound was sharp and abrupt, echoing through the mist.

Wu Cheng, screaming in agony, looked at You Su, who was still on the verge of collapse, and felt extremely anxious. He had originally intended to remind You Su to use him as a hostage to escape, but he never expected that You Su was so deeply involved that he couldn't be woken up at all. Instead, he woke up Qi Daodong, who was ready to pounce.

Qi Daodong's heart skipped a beat. He knew something was wrong and quickly took advantage of the moment before You Su could recover. He then produced two chains made of Mystic Qi from his sleeves, one binding You Su's hands and the other binding Wu Cheng's body, pulling him aside swiftly.

"To sink to such a state for a teacher's Mistress who abandoned you long ago, how filial you are!"

Qi Daodong, while making sarcastic remarks, rescued Wu Cheng and brought him back to his side.

He then helped Wu Cheng up, patting him on the shoulder with lingering fear.

"Luckily you were quick-witted, otherwise I would have been hesitant to act rashly."

Wu Cheng's face was deathly pale, but he still managed a bitter smile before turning serious and saying:

"Thank you, Master, for saving my life. You Su attacked me, which is why I was trapped. I am not satisfied and beg you, Master, to give me another chance. I will personally kill this evil man!"

Qi Daodong simply smiled, but his tone left no room for argument. "Cheng'er, you flatter me. Your ambitions are far-reaching; why bother competing with a monster who colludes with Evil Demon? You should rest aside; I'll do the dirty work!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Daodong leaped into the air with lightning speed, his palm pulsating with the force of thunder and lightning.

By the time Wu Cheng realized what was happening, it was too late to stop them.

You Su only realized what was happening after the hostages were rescued.

The first thing he did when he came to his senses wasn't to look for the hostages, but to stare blankly at the sky obscured by mist, as if trying to see something beyond that sky.

At this point, he was at his last gasp, his Mystic Qi exhausted, and he had no hostages to hold against him. Facing Qi Daodong, who was determined to win, he was like a lamb to the slaughter.

You Su seemed to have resigned herself to her fate, making no move to resist. She simply closed her eyes slowly and said weakly:

"Mistress... I'm sorry..."

Wu Cheng frowned deeply, his jaw clenched, lamenting that the world was about to lose one of the people he could consider a friend... He only regretted that he didn't know how to make friends and had caused the young man too much trouble.

The azure thunder has arrived, and the electric python surges forth!

However, at this critical moment of life and death! An extremely elegant immortal Immortal Sword suddenly pierced through the window with a sharp sound, bringing with it a fierce sword wind, pulling You Su back from the brink of death!

The Immortal Sword was as clear and melodious as a dragon's roar, and with a flash of sword light, it actually cut the surrounding blue lightning into pieces.

You Su suddenly opened his eyes, only to see the door gently pushed open, and a familiar figure slowly walked out. The woman was graceful, her white dress fluttering—it was none other than his beloved master's Mistress, whom he had longed for day and night.

He Shutong!

"Mistress!"

You Su exclaimed in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief.

He Shutong's lips curved slightly upward, forming a perfect arc. Her smile was filled with endless warmth and tenderness, like sunlight piercing through the clouds, instantly illuminating every corner of You Su's heart.

"I've always been here."

Upon seeing this, Qi Daodong and the others' expressions changed drastically. The sword light was so intense that it even thinned the sky-covering mist.

They never imagined that this woman, who had long lived a secluded life, would possess such formidable strength.

They looked at each other, their eyes flashing with apprehension, yet they dared not make any further rash moves.

"Who exactly are you?!"

Qi Daodong struggled to his feet from the ruins, his momentum much weaker. It didn't seem like he wanted to capture the Fairy as well, but rather that he wanted to die knowing why.

"So, it was you who said I lied to him?"

He Shutong's tone was dangerous. He gestured with his hand, controlling the sword. The immortal Immortal Sword spun lightly in the air, and waves of light pressed down on everyone present, making it hard for them to breathe.

Looking at this holy, majestic, and noble sword immortal, Qi Daodong felt as if he were seeing the bright moon through the mist, and his last bit of stubbornness was shattered.

He gritted his teeth and said, "You guys go first!"

"None of them will be able to leave."

He Shutong coldly delivered the verdicts on these people, as if the Immortal Sword were hanging above their heads.

But at that very moment, something completely unexpected happened.

"Mistress... I miss you so much, waaaah!"

You Su tightly embraced He Shutong's slender waist, wishing he could cling to her body with his legs, and buried his head in the elegant Fairy's full neckline in a coquettish manner.

He resembled a child who had suffered a great injustice and finally found someone to rely on; his pitiful appearance shattered the somber atmosphere that He Shutong had created.