Memories of the Past

Li Shi'an asked cautiously, "Does the young master know his current situation?"

Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "It must be that during the process of enlightenment, the Seven Emotions and Six Desires have been diminished. However, there's nothing wrong with that. In this state, the mind and spirit are more in harmony with the Great Dao, and my cultivation will improve by 30% compared to before."

Looking at Gu Yuanqing's smile, Li Shi'an felt a chill run down his spine.

In the past, when he looked at Gu Yuanqing, he saw that Gu Yuanqing also possessed an otherworldly quality, like Banished Immortal, but that was Immortal Qi among mortals.

Although Gu Yuanqing seems no different from usual now, his every move seems to lack humanity.

Most importantly, Gu Yuanqing was not unaware of his own situation; on the contrary, he was quite clear that this situation could not be dispelled simply by revealing Xuanji mystery.

Li Shi'an left in a hurry, and Gu Yuanqing watched him go to Fengtian City.

An hour later, Li Haotian flew through the air and arrived directly at North Spring Mountain.

"Your son greets his father."

Even though Li Chengyi was nearly forty, as the emperor, he was still meticulous in his greetings to Gu Yuanqing, kowtowing and paying his respects.

Gu Yuanqing gestured for him to stand up and smiled, "You must be here for my current situation, just like Senior Li, right?"

Unlike Li Shi'an, Li Chengyi, being his son, had fewer reservations in front of Gu Yuanqing. He said, "Father once told me that Immortal Path cultivation is just cultivation; one must never lose one's humanity, otherwise, how is one different from Puppet of the Dao?"

Gu Yuanqing looked slightly dazed. "I think I said that."

Li Chengyi continued, "Father once said that I desire both the joys of family life and the blessings of Immortal Path. Has Father forgotten his words? To choose one and discard the other is a mundane pursuit, not what Father desires."

"That sounds familiar; it seems like I really did say that."

Gu Yuanqing frowned slightly. These words were familiar, but seemed to come from a long time ago. Even though Li Chengyi brought them up, they still felt somewhat vague.

Li Chengyi said a lot more, all of which Gu Yuanqing had said before.

After these words, he felt that Gu Yuanqing's humanity seemed to have returned somewhat.

Li Haotian suddenly took out a painting.

Does Father remember Mother?

The painting depicts a woman with willow-leaf eyebrows and Stars -like eyes. Though only a few strokes are used, her charm is captured.

"You drew this?"

Li Haotian shook his head and said, "No, it's my mother's self-portrait. She left it for my Imperial Grandpa when she left this world, and my Imperial Grandpa gave it to me."

Gu Yuanqing looked at Li Miaoxuan, and the originally blurry image gradually became clear, and all sorts of past events seemed to slowly resurface in his mind.

Li Chengyi then asked softly, "Father, what exactly happened? Could you tell me?"

If it were anyone else, Gu Yuanqing might not bother to answer, but Li Chengyi in front of him had a blood-related connection with him. This blood connection also brought back memories that had become blurred without him realizing it.

He said, "I... as your father, fished for Dao Soul in the Boundless River of the Ancient Realm, Dao Soul to comprehend the Great Dao. It was the years of the Dao Soul that diluted past memories, and the Dao Mark washed away the Seven Emotions and Six Desires."

What does Father plan to do?

Gu Yuanqing was silent for a moment, then smiled gently, "It's alright. These memories and emotions are only fading, not disappearing. It's just a matter of how I choose. You should go back now. Your father needs to think things over carefully."

Li Chengyi kowtowed and took his leave, but before leaving, he suddenly smiled and said, "Father, you don't even have any of Mother's belongings here, so I'll hang this painting in your room."

He hung Li Miaoxuan's painting in Gu Yuanqing's bedroom, then bid farewell again and left.

What needs to be said has been said. His father's cultivation and abilities far surpass his own. No one in this world can control his father; it all depends on his own choices.

Gu Yuanqing was indeed fully aware of the current situation, but he hadn't paid attention to it before. However, after Li Haotian talked about the past, it reminded him of things that had happened before, and he decided to think about it carefully before making a decision.

For the past six months or so, Gu Yuanqing has almost never stopped cultivating with the help of the Dao Soul.

If it happened once or twice, it wouldn't have much impact on one's memory. But Gu Yuanqing has been almost constantly searching for Dao Soul for the past six months, using them for cultivation or to recover his mind.

Under the constant impact of the Dao Soul Years, in these short six months, he felt as if he had personally experienced countless years.

Compared to this, the total span of my past and present lives is only a little over sixty years.

This amount of time is far too short compared to the long years that the Dao Soul has experienced.

These real experiences were subsequently submerged in the vast ocean of time.

At this moment, when he recalled the things and people of the past, it was as if countless years had passed, and they became blurry and insignificant.

It's like when you're old, you suddenly remember a heavy rain from your childhood. No matter how happy and excited you were when it rained back then, it won't affect your decision to do something now.

Without Li Chengyi's presence, even if Gu Yuanqing knew that this was the result of the passage of time, he might not have looked back and taken it to heart.

"However, since it's a choice, let's take one last look at our past selves before making a decision!"

Gu Yuanqing muttered to himself indifferently. He knew that his state was different from before, but whether this difference was good or bad was a question he had to ask himself.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the painting hanging in the room.

The woman in my memory gradually became clearer with this portrait.

"By the way, where exactly did I first meet her?"

This memory, forgotten for countless years, resurfaced in his mind, and when the thought arose, his thoughts couldn't help but follow it.

At this time, Gu Yuanqing was Void Heaven Great Cultivator, no longer an ordinary person. Even his earliest memories could be recalled if he wished.

As I casually browsed through the pages, many memories from the past surfaced in my mind.

Gu Yuanqing saw the faces of her parents for the first time and also experienced the events of her childhood in the Prince's Manor once again.

He saw that night again.

He was previously numbed by drugs and alcohol and couldn't remember much, but this time, his recollection allowed him to witness that night as if he were an observer.

"She had already become Grandmaster at that time, and even in her weakened state, she was far beyond the control of someone like Gu Yuanxuan. Judging from her eyes, she clearly recognized me back then. I have also experienced the weakened state of Grandmaster. If she really wanted to resist, she might have had ways to do so. At worst, she could fall from the Grandmaster Realm, but with her talent, it would be easy for her to step into the Grandmaster again."

As memories surfaced, the light in Gu Yuanqing's eyes gradually changed, as if this aspect of his humanity was about to awaken.

Suddenly, he sensed Dao Body appearing above North Spring Mountain within the Demon Realm.

"Daoist Friend Gu, my name is Yan Zongsheng. Please show yourself!"