Doctor Chi Yuan's Calculations Ran Deep

It was early spring, and the remaining snow had long since flowed into the streams, leaving no trace of white. Wildflowers, their colors spreading across the land, swayed peacefully between the mist and the wind. A thin mist, as pale as a white snake, reached above the ankles, yet vanished with a girl's smile as she turned back, her sleeves fluttering lightly.

Bathed in the bright and glorious sunlight, feeling the lingering dampness on her fingertips, and breathing in the increasingly fresh air, Su Qing'an finally looked up at the immortal who had continued walking forward, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

The image and evaluation of Chi Yuan in front of her were very different from those given to her by the world.

When Su Qing'an's memory was completely blank, he had some free time and read books about her, as well as heard many biographies related to her.

At that time, after regaining part of his personality and starting to sort out his memories, he thought that the other party should be a god or Buddha who was not smiling and had no emotions or desires. However, now that they have met and gotten to know each other, he finds that the real immortal is like a girl who is always smiling, casual, natural, and bright and clear.

The fairy has been wearing flowing robes lately, seemingly prioritizing comfort over a fitted style. However, this rather languid attire only accentuates her slender figure. Whenever she travels to different places, she likes to stock up on local specialty snacks at the best stores, and her pockets are always stuffed with the malt candy that the boy hadn't finished.

The girl always looked directly into his eyes with her beautifully colored eyes, and occasionally she would smile faintly and gently for no reason. She habitually talked about trivial and long-standing things from the past. Her cherry blossom-colored lips were moist and soft, and the tone of her voice was gentle and soft as she spoke, as if she were weaving a sweet net that he could not escape.

This is not like the original Chi Yuan. Even though he has lost the memories associated with it, Su Qing'an can still glean the answer from Xiao Xuan and Rong Yue's reactions.

But what does it matter?

The boy only knew that she wouldn't suffer misfortune or feel unhappy because of this change. After understanding this, the only question seemed to remain about his own personal feelings about it.

And he... didn't dislike Hua like that.

Rather, it's more accurate to say I have a slight liking for it.

Su Qing'an asked:

Where are we going?

Fu Hua gazed at the distant mountains and rivers and replied:

"Let's go to Cloud Dragon Waterfall, where a Heart Seal resides."

She paused, her lips slightly upturned, and said:

"There was also a storage room containing some clothes, a machine for extracting spring water and flower petals to make tea or smoothies, and some other odds and ends."

"You happen to be able to take a bath there for a while. Although you haven't sweated because you're constantly covered by the Heaven and Earth Qi and your walking has taken care of it, it would still be better to wash up. What do you think?"

Su Qing'an had no objection; he said softly:

"Alright."

The boy wanted to ask why everyone wasn't summoned all at once, since the two relatively normal humans, Li Shishi and Jiang Rongyue, were the ones who most needed a bath along the way.

--Xiao Xuan, being Armed Puppet, has her own cleaning system, so it doesn't matter.

But upon closer reflection, he realized that Hua was theoretically his wife, and the difference between men and women could be disregarded, but Rongyue and his Senior Sister Shishi obviously could not be exempted from such rules, which was even more unreasonable.

So they left it at that point, not dwelling on it further, and instead inquired about another matter:

"Are those objects left behind by Hua's former acquaintances?"

Fu Hua did not shy away from the question, she said:

"Yes, I took Rongyue back to Mount Taixu for half a month before. During that time, I tried to recover some of my Heart Seal, and that's how I remembered Cloud Dragon Waterfall."

"Xiao Xuan should still remember, right? I had indeed forgotten that this used to be one of Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan's favorite places to visit."

"Memories recovered from a Heart Seal tell me that they used to enjoy having me periodically reverse the Celestial Phenomenon at Cloud Dragon Waterfall, turning the thick fog and clear lake into rising steam and hot springs, where I would then soak in them."

"As for the objects there, Cang Xuan used to often send me out to find materials. Over time, there are actually many strange and unusual objects in Mount Taixu that are inherited from the previous civilization."

"But so much time has passed, I don't know if the facilities inside are broken."

Su Qing'an hesitated for a moment. Even Hua had said that so much time had passed, which meant it must have been at least during the Xuanyuan era. Even if the clothes were still there, wouldn't they just deteriorate?

But after briefly connecting the technology he had witnessed in the Previous Civilization, the boy felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that he hadn't had much interaction with it, and the figures of Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan were present in his recently recovered memories.

During the time when Su Qing'an was trading and experimenting with Doctor Mobius in the Previous Civilization, he did indeed have interactions with those two girls. They were Mobius's assistants, and they were not only very knowledgeable but also possessed various legacies left over from the Previous Civilization.

Under these conditions, it was not a difficult task to deploy the technology of that era to a certain extent.

For example, Mount Taixu has a maze that can automatically expel outsiders.

Its essence is a large-scale change to the entire local magnetic field, so it has been able to maintain a stable function without any maintenance.

The reason why there are villages within Mount Taixu is not, as Li Shishi thought, that the Udu-dust was used to screen qualified people to live there.

Initially, these were people who unintentionally passed through the maze and chose to stay in the mountains. Given Fu Hua's personality, unless the other party was a truly wicked person, she obviously wouldn't deliberately drive them away. So, as time passed, it gradually developed into its current size.

The boy's manas consciousness could accurately perceive the difference between the surrounding area and the outside world, and he said softly:

"The magnetic field of Mount Taixu is a bit strange. I think I sensed a similar wavelength in the previous era."

Fu Hua replied:

"You'll understand once you've stayed longer. The overall structure of Mount Taixu was completely altered by Cang Xuan a long time ago. In the beginning, one could easily glimpse the different seasons of the year within Mount Taixu."

"On one side, maple leaves blaze like fire; on the other, peach blossoms bloom in delicate beauty."

"The winter plum blossoms coexist with the lake full of water lilies, showcasing the four seasons simultaneously in different areas of Mount Taixu."

"Xiao Xuan could go to a lake full of lotus flowers to pick lotus seeds and build a snowman in the nearby mountains in one day. For people of this era, Mount Taixu at that time was no different from a fairyland."

"Later, Dan Zhu did something to the earth's veins, causing the seasonal changes to become unbalanced and accelerated. Cang Xuan had no choice but to adjust the earth's magnetic field back to a frequency similar to the original one. Although some abnormalities remain, it is largely the same as the beginning."

As she finished speaking, her lips curled slightly, revealing not regret, but only a hint of nostalgia:

"But this is for the best."

"At least, a normal cycle of spring, summer, autumn and winter, a complete cycle of the four seasons, can tell me that a year has passed. But if I live on Mount Taixu where all four seasons coexist, I can't even perceive the passage of time."

Before the immortal could reveal her loneliness, she stopped in her tracks as she was pulled along by her fair wrist. She looked back at the boy who was holding her wrist and saw that he was looking at her. For some reason, her earlobes felt a little hot.

The girl looked away, but then grasped the other person's hand, stopping the conversation about the past.

She shouldn't still be that prisoner bound by the past, a prisoner whose time has stood still.

At least for now, Fu Hua is more looking forward to seeing how life will unfold in the future.

Fuyun Temple.

Jiang Rongyue stepped outside.

In the distance were towering, magnificent mountain walls and a sea of clouds. Looking closely, one could vaguely glimpse the azure sky beyond. Although she had grown somewhat accustomed to such scenery over the past two weeks, she still felt a sense of openness and relaxation upon seeing such bright and magnificent landscapes.

The girl walked towards the Chuyun Pavilion, which was not far from here. This was a building where her master did not often reside.

From the backyard of Fuyun Temple, one can see that some skilled craftsman built it to the edge of the mountain wall, inlaying some of the black wood and foundation inside. What is revealed is an exquisite and ancient pavilion that is presented to the world in a suspended manner.

She walked to one side of the cliff, where she could still see the ancient, broken wooden stakes with their edges worn smooth, and the hemp ropes that were wrapped around them and hung down into the abyss, swaying in the wind.

This was originally a suspension bridge leading to the Chuyun Pavilion. It is said that it was very sturdy in the first hundred years and was a bridge used exclusively by Master and his friends.

However, after Chi You appeared, the bridge was left unrepaired and eventually broke apart. The immortals who could ride the wind and Xiao Xuan who could fly with the help of scrolls could not possibly notice this flaw.

In short, perhaps in an effort to preserve that sense of history and vicissitude, it has never been repaired.

Jiang Rongyue could not ride the wind by borrowing the Heaven and Earth Qi, so she needed to use the hook at her waist to reach Chuyun Pavilion in a more convenient way.

The girl glanced at the scenery below the cliff, only able to glimpse a Sea of Mist that resembled dragons and snakes swimming. Judging from the visual perspective, it was difficult to determine the distance to the bottom of the abyss. However, judging from the babbling sound coming from her ears, the distance between the cliff and the bottom of the abyss was not very far.

The river below, if we really look into it, might originate from the same water vein as the Cloud Dragon Waterfall that Master visited.

Even so, if an ordinary person were to slip and fall, their chances of survival would be slim.

Jiang Rongyue was fearless and didn't think much about it. With the adjustment of her breathing, all the strength in her body was gathered into one place, and the hook in her palm tore through the mist in the space and wrapped around the wooden stake opposite.

With a quick pull, the girl's slender body was enveloped by the rope wrapped around her waist. Her dusty boots traced graceful steps in mid-air, accompanied by the shattering sound of breaking glass. She traversed the hundred-meter distance with an unconventional and elegant demeanor.

She then stepped onto the mountain wall below Chuyun Pavilion, and without hesitation, leaped into the hollow like a swallow, grabbed the iron chain inside, and climbed up on her own.

Although I heard that there used to be an easier way to get up here, the facility has lost its original function due to the passage of time.

Jiang Rongyue didn't care about any of that. She glanced at the dark door deep inside the pavilion, where many divine weapons were kept. She had been there once before and taken a sword from it.

The red-clad Ruoshui was well preserved there, showing no trace of the passage of thousands of years.

These weapons, crafted from the cores of Thousand Herrscher and Soul Steel, belong to the next level of top-tier creations left over from the previous era. They possess resilience and immortality that defy the passage of time, allowing them to be passed down through generations without much maintenance.

She silently walked towards another room, where the ointment her master had mentioned was located. After taking it, she could leave immediately.

For a Courtesan who had recently been living a life of luxury, her foot injury was already considered serious.

Jiang Rongyue's Stigmata ability made her unafraid of pain and hardship from a young age.

Because of this, the girl, unaware that she was fundamentally different from ordinary people, caused a lot of trouble when she first traveled the world.

After understanding the reasons behind it, she deliberately restrained herself, but this made her somewhat sensitive to the possibility of someone even slightly close to her getting hurt.

Almost everyone except themselves is vulnerable.

This is a subconscious feeling that later common sense and reason could hardly cover up.

The warmth and slipperiness of that person's blood sliding from their fingertips now seem like a haunting nightmare, murmuring the sins of old dreams.

The girl sank that image into her heart, then composed herself and calmly brushed her hand across the spotless metal countertop.

Her pale fingers traced intricate patterns with the Heaven and Earth Qi, creating a vast void in the Soul Steel watch case. A chilling aura spread as the virtual screen slowly rose.

She calmly entered the password, letting the cold air, like a White Comet, spread throughout the room, revealing fragments of things frozen in time in this small compartment.

A photograph, as if sealed in a transparent frame like Amber; a worn-out, somewhat faded silk ribbon used to tie up hair; an unremarkable copper hairpin; a wooden carving of a young girl, seemingly frozen in time, within a transparent square; and a Soul Steel box containing nano-medicine.

In that instant, Jiang Rongyue seemed to have parted the heavy weight of history and time, and glimpsed an extremely ancient past.

She stared at the blurry photograph shrouded in cold mist, then reached out and grasped the square box that was clearly an ointment in her palm, letting the image gradually clear in her vision, speechless in a daze.

--The immortal was dressed in a light blue robe, his snow-white hair tied into a ponytail under the dark blue silk. His beautiful, jewel-like rose-red eyes looked helplessly at the camera, while a natural smile unconsciously graced his lips. On his head was a somewhat comical paper hat.

--Beside her, two beautiful girls with similar appearances but different eye colors held her slender arms, their expressions ranging from lively to aloof, but all of them smiled at that moment.

--On the table in front of the three people was a cream cake, quite common in the previous era, with only two number-shaped candles on it representing the person's age, suggesting that the time was extremely long ago. The scenery behind them could be vaguely identified as the Fuyun Temple, which had not been built for long.

Didn't Master tell me to come and get the ointment?

Why would you let her see such a private item?

The girl clutched the Soul Steel Box in her hand, looking bewildered and somewhat confused.

The immortal emerged from the illusion woven by Udu-dust, gazing at the photograph, and whispered:

"That was before the establishment of civilization in Shenzhou. We had just been awakened from a near-eternal slumber and still followed our old habits for solace."

"In Rongyue's words, it's probably a birthday celebration."

"Back then, neither Dan Zhu Cang Xuan realized that time is truly a very long time... a very long time, so long that even starlight will one day dim, so long that only one person remains in this world, utterly alone, so long that... even birthdays gradually lose their meaning."

Jiang Rongyue remained silent; her lifespan was far too short compared to that of immortals.

Just as a mayfly, which lives only a day, cannot comprehend the length of a human life, this weight and sorrow are not something a child under twenty can understand.

She could only suffocate and bewilderment in the vast ocean, and for some reason suddenly asked:

"So, Master, do you still feel happy from that time?"

Fu Hua said softly:

"It's precisely because I'm almost forgetting that I need to take a look."

She gazed at the image in the photograph and murmured softly:

"I think I'm mostly happy."

The immortal shifted his gaze to the girl's profile and said softly:

"Rongyue, the 'ointment' in your hand is something that can turn the tide of life and death in critical moments."

"Given your personality, if you truly wish to travel down the mountain with Shishi, you probably wouldn't want to see anything happen to her. Although it's still a while before you go down the mountain, it's better to entrust her to you in advance."

"Across from this room, there's an ointment for healing common flesh wounds. Please help yourself."

After he finished speaking, the illusion vanished.

Once again, only the girl remained alone inside.

She stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly a smile appeared on her lips.

So Master... even knew about my past.

Is it because of Udu-dust?

Jiang Rongyue clearly knew that her past memories had been spied on, but she could only feel a warmth spreading through her chest.

She looked at the photo again and realized that the silk ribbon her master used to tie his hair was exactly the same as the one he had given her that day.

The girl murmured to herself:

"... What a precious gift!"

A cool, white mist enveloped the area, and the lake water above the cliffs gathered from all directions, rushing down like a galloping white horse, transforming into Milky Way that suddenly plunged into the lake, splashing out in endless waves and ripples.

The roar of the waterfall cascading into the lake could not quell the rustling of the person's clothes slowly falling to the ground. It seemed that the mind, with its changing emotions, transformed this into an indelible roar, forcing the attention to shift.

The boy silently submerged most of his body in the cool lake, letting the water ripple. His eyes were closed, and his face gradually grew hot with his shallow imagination.

So why did I overlook the fact that the other person would also shower together...?