"Swapped out..."
Ye Qiutang first froze at the suggestion, then began trembling uncontrollably. She didn't know why, but she was terrified—more terrified than she had ever been, as though she had inadvertently glimpsed the secrets of heaven.
She had sensed the strange things Song Tianyang had mentioned, but nowhere near as sharply as he had. She certainly hadn't reached the specific conclusion that they had been "swapped out."
Now that he had opened the floodgates, Song Tianyang had nothing left to hold back. He pondered for a moment, then continued, "Miss, I'd like to ask you something. Do you remember how we came to this temple?"
"We... We walked for a long time, then saw a group of monks carrying torches, and then..."
"What about before that?" Song Tianming suddenly cut in. "What were we doing before that?"
The question struck right at Ye Qiutang's sore spot. Her mouth fell open, but after thinking for a long time, she couldn't say a word.
"Phew..." Song Tianming let out a heavy breath. "It seems you're the same as us, Miss. You only remember that much too."
"We... We got lost in the mountains and wandered into the most dangerous miasma forest in Lingnan. We were all poisoned and passed out. Luckily... luckily, at the last moment, a gust of wind dispersed the poisonous miasma, and we barely escaped with our lives." For some reason, Ye Qiutang found herself saying all this as if by magic, as though it were deeply rooted in her memories.
"Did it really happen that way?" Song Tianming's voice was quiet, but firm.
At his words, Ye Qiutang's head began to throb. She clutched it, feeling as if something inside were writhing. The pain was so intense that she couldn't think straight. "What do you mean? You...