As the petals gradually fell away, the pitch-black space changed too. The water beneath his feet slowly turned transparent, and pale roots stretched out from beneath the flower, growing and branching rapidly before bearing fist-sized spheres that resembled fruit.
Xu Huo sank beneath the water. When his mental energy touched one of the fruits, his point of view was immediately pulled lower. A moment later, an old woman's spiteful face appeared before him. The wrinkles on her face twitched, each one radiating loathing and coercion. She said something filthy, while a young man and woman beside her chimed in.
These three were probably Ms. Yao's mother, younger brother, and sister-in-law. They were saying that a child had just been born in the family and there wasn't enough room in the house, so they wanted to move to a bigger one.
Xu Huo only glanced at the scene before pulling his thoughts away and choosing another sphere.
It was another memory: Ms. Yao's mother threatening and tempting her into marrying Wang Chengren. She claimed Wang Chengren was the best match Ms. Yao could find; otherwise, she could go marry that disfigured nouveau riche tycoon she had mentioned earlier.
Xu Huo looked at several more in quick succession. They were all painful memories for Ms. Yao. As the roots grew deeper, the memories became more distant, but even after so much time, they hadn't faded. Instead, they seemed to have undergone a peculiar kind of processing.
For instance, once Ms. Yao grew up, her perspective focused more on her family members' faces, as if she were scrutinizing and observing them.
During her school years, she paid closer attention to their eyes. Reading their expressions was how she secured a better environment in which to survive.
As a child, Ms. Yao focused more