Awakening

Su Ziji's expression turned strange.

According to the cultivation method, he was supposed to absorb spiritual energy, temper the natures of countless demons, and extract an innate divine ability from all manner of demon natures, fusing them into one before it could be considered dragon nature. Yet demon aura still remained uncleansed; only by summoning clouds and spreading rain, accumulating merit, could he advance into a true dragon.

But he was human. Where would he find any demon nature, much less the natures of countless demons? As for summoning clouds and spreading rain to accumulate merit, there was no need even to mention it.

"Perhaps I can try absorbing spiritual energy?"

Su Ziji glanced at Ye Buhui. Though she was still asleep, her brows remained faintly furrowed, and he could not help but sigh inwardly. He closed his eyes and followed the cultivation method, beginning to draw in spiritual energy.

"..." After a long while, Su Ziji opened his eyes, bitterness on his face.

"It cannot be said that there was no effect at all, but that tiny wisp of spiritual energy is far too feeble. I fear it would not even compare to eating a bowl of rice."

"What use is such a drop in the bucket?"

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard a "snap" from afar. The sound was exceedingly faint, yet aboard the silent painted boat, it rang out with perfect clarity.

"Someone has awakened. Hm, it is that young lady from the Hu Family." Su Ziji immediately drew his head back. That girl was deeply mysterious; it was better not to provoke her. Moreover, at the sound, Ye Buhui's eyelashes stirred as well, as though she were about to wake.

Two rooms away, Hu Xiyan jolted awake. Looking around, where was there a water palace or a great demon? Only Hu Nineteen's little face rested against her as she slept soundly on the couch.

"Did I... faint?" Hu Xiyan hurriedly rose and surveyed the room. The maid on another small couch was still sleeping deeply, utterly unaffected.

Could everything just now have been an illusion?

No, that was not right!

Recalling the scene she had "seen" moments ago, Hu Xiyan hurriedly turned back to the bronze mirror. The painted boat appeared extremely strange. People were asleep everywhere, yet no one was missing, nor were they simply sprawled on the floor. Instead, each had found a suitable place to sleep.

It was as though they had grown tired after the chess tournament ended and found places to rest on their own.

No, no. Hu Xiyan pondered carefully. "I clearly saw wind and thunder descend, destroying more than half of the Dragon Palace's final hall."

"At the time, I thought there was no chance of survival, yet I woke up here instead."

"Could it be..." She could not help touching half of the Rosewood Pendant, lost in thought.

"Thinking back now, that blood Baleful Intent attack was somewhat subtle. It seemed it was originally not aimed at me, but shifted slightly when it struck. Could it be that I was locked onto because I am a demon?"

Yet even after thinking it over, she could not figure out the exact reason.

More importantly, suspicion had already arisen within her.

The Dragon Palace's opening was certainly no ordinary matter. Ye Buhui and Su Ziji, who had solved the chess puzzle inside, could not be ordinary either.

Ye Buhui was one thing. She was a woman and could not possibly be the "fated one." But Su Ziji was far too suspicious. Yet the Rosewood Pendant had shown no reaction whatsoever.

"Nineteen, wake up." After some thought, Hu Xiyan pushed her.

"Ah, I'm so tired. Sister, why did you wake up so early?" Hu Nineteen awoke from the push and yawned, seeming rather puzzled.

"How did you fall asleep just now? Do you remember?" Hu Xiyan asked.

"..." Hu Nineteen did not understand what her sister meant. Only after a moment did she react. "Didn't the chess tournament end, and then everyone rested?"

"..." Hu Xiyan was startled. Ice-snow clever, she immediately thought of something. Could it be that, aside from the chess players, everyone else believed this was merely normal rest after the chess tournament ended, without a single person growing suspicious?

That was enough to make a fox afraid.

Altering memories on such a vast scale—how could that not be terrifying?

"Little Nineteen, have you heard of the Dragon Lord of the Panlong Lake Water Palace?" Hu Xiyan asked, watching her expression.

Hu Nineteen yawned. Though she was a junior of the Fox Tribe, she had entered Qingqiu and absorbed spiritual energy. After receiving a seed, she had been favored and thus worked aboard the painted boat all this time. She truly had heard quite a few tales about the Dragon Lord here.

"I know about that!" Once she finished yawning, she spoke at once. As a young fox, she still wanted to show off her extensive knowledge. "The Panlong Lake Water Palace originally had a Dragon Lord. Several hundred years ago, it became the master of Panlong Lake. Not only did the Demon Race within the lake obey its commands, even the water demons connected to Panlong Lake followed its orders."

"Some foxes said that it would later become the Demon Emperor who established the Demon Court, but I do not think that is possible!"

As Hu Nineteen spoke, she licked her lips. She thought of Zhengde braised chicken again. Why did she feel so hungry? Could it be that she had not eaten before sleeping?

Impossible. She might forget anything else, but she would never forget that.

Yet her stomach was still hungry!

Her sister did not notice this. Hu Nineteen could only draw out her voice. "Later, for some unknown reason, that Dragon Lord stopped appearing. The local aquatic clans lost their restraints and, over time, fell apart."

"Sister, are you hungry? Let's go to the kitchen and see whether there is anything to eat!"

"Dragon Lord, Demon Court..." Hu Xiyan noticed her pleading. After standing dazed for a moment, she sighed. In truth, she knew only this much as well, but because of what she had personally experienced, she could almost certainly determine that the Dragon Lord had indeed been the Demon Emperor who briefly established the Demon Court in the future.

It should not have been the decline of spiritual energy. That had been a gradual process.

Yet the Demon Emperor's disappearance had happened within a short span of time.

Did the Dragon Palace's opening have some special connection to the fated one? She could not understand it no matter how she pondered. Seeing Hu Nineteen's pitiful gaze, she suddenly heard some movement. Thoughtfully rising, she said, "I'm a little hungry too. Let's go to the kitchen together and have a look."

Had the people outside awakened?

This would let her investigate whether all of their memories had been altered.

And whether those who had been bitten to death or brushed by Against-the-Wind were all right.

"Wonderful!" Hu Nineteen immediately rolled off the couch. Almost in sync with her getting down, a soft groan sounded. The painted boat, once blanketed in silence, gradually filled with voices and movement, coming back to life from its deathly stillness.

Inside the painted boat's cabin, more than a dozen chess players lay sprawled out. The others who had also fallen unconscious were all struck by a collective headache, their brows tightly knitted.

Seeing this, Su Ziji already had a guess in his heart. He gave Ye Buhui a meaningful look, and the two walked out of the cabin onto the deck.

It was dawn, yet dark clouds still hung heavy overhead, with threads of fine rain falling. Ye Buhui seemed to want to speak but stopped herself. Clearly, she too was unsettled and doubtful about what had happened before.

"You still clearly remember what happened, but if my guess is correct, these people's memories have likely been tampered with," Su Ziji said in a low voice.

"Then we..."

"We received a fortuitous opportunity, so naturally we are not among them. We just do not yet know what memories were changed, or whether I have guessed wrong. So do not make it known. Let us watch and wait; a little probing will make it clear."

As the two spoke, those sleeping in the cabin gradually woke. Yet none of them immediately regained full clarity.

"What happened to me? Why does my head hurt so much? Ow, it hurts like hell!" One chess player clutched his head, brows furrowed, his face twisted in pain.

"My head, ow, my head..." Another chess player beside him similarly held his head and groaned.

Zheng Yingci was among them, but he differed somewhat from the others. Though his head hurt badly enough that he had no choice but to frown, scene after scene flashed rapidly through his mind.

Even amid the pain, the images in his memories were swiftly being replaced. Yet his self-control was far stronger than the others', and for a time, he was actually able to wrestle against that invisible force.

He wanted to say something, but his throat hurt as well, and he could not utter a single sound.