Memories

Xing Yao watched the clones still absorbed in comprehending the laws and thought, When you come out of seclusion, your new home will give you quite a shock. He cast aside the stray thoughts in his mind, instantly sinking his awareness into the mental link and connecting directly to Clone No. 5 and Clone No. 6, who were operating outside.

For the past two days, these two clones had been responsible for roaming outside and gathering information. They had kept an extremely low profile, never wearing any masks from beginning to end, mingling with the crowds as ordinary young cultivators, no different from any other candidates preparing for the exam. Even walking right past an Awakened patrol would not draw the slightest attention.

Xing Yao calmly issued instructions to the two clones, his tone steady and clear. He told Clone No. 5 to focus on rumors and developments throughout the city, investigate the strength of the other candidates and rumors concerning the trial, and secretly observe the large-scale deployments of Awakened teams to determine their patrol patterns, the reasons for their mobilization, and the reason for the heightened vigilance that the authorities had never explained to the public. At the same time, he instructed Clone No. 6 to watch the movements of the city's major underground forces and gray-area circles. These forces had a considerable presence in the city and were far better informed than ordinary people. He wanted to see whether they knew the inside story behind the citywide lockdown and heavy Awakened deployment, and whether any secret intelligence about the college entrance exam trial had leaked.

The two clones listened quietly to his instructions without any unnecessary response, simply committing every requirement firmly to memory. Then, following Xing Yao's orders, they spread out into different areas of the city and began investigating without a sound. Clone No. 5 mingled around the squares and noticeboards where candidates gathered, pretending to chat and look around, his ears constantly catching the conversations around him. He committed every scrap of hearsay, every discussion among the candidates, and even casual exchanges between the Awakened to memory. Clone No. 6 roamed deep in the streets and alleys, along the fringes where different forces' territories met, discreetly observing the movements of the various criminal forces and recording their personnel transfers, unusual gatherings, and the exchanges and activities hidden in the shadows.

Yet despite their caution and extensive coverage, after two continuous days of investigation, the two still failed to obtain any useful information. Whether it was the true reason behind the large-scale Awakened deployment or the abnormalities hidden behind the college entrance exam trial, information was sealed tight throughout the city. Even the sizable criminal forces were utterly in the dark, and no reliable inside information had leaked. Everything remained on the surface, consisting of nothing more than the official claims of an upgraded trial, strengthened security, and a nationwide live broadcast. There was not the slightest clue to the deeper truth.

When Xing Yao learned this through the mental link, he was not surprised. With the city on such high alert, important information was bound to be kept under a tight lid. It was only natural that two ordinary-looking clones could not uncover the inside story.

He did not have the two clones continue their futile investigation and immediately issued new orders: Clone No. 5 and Clone No. 6 were to stop all information-gathering activities at once, abandon their stay outside, and return ahead of him to regroup at the new home in the suburbs, taking the safest and least conspicuous routes.

The instant they received his instructions, Clones No. 5 and No. 6 did not delay in the slightest. They immediately reined in their auras, blended into the crowds, and unobtrusively turned to hurry back toward the new home. They still wore no masks and still looked like the most ordinary passersby. Avoiding heavily patrolled areas all the way, they slipped silently through the streets and alleys without attracting the attention of any force.

Watching the mental feedback showing the two clones on their way back, Xing Yao slowly withdrew his awareness and looked out the window again. Throughout the city, Awakened teams were still patrolling everywhere. The oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe, pedestrians hurried along, and an invisible gloom shrouded the entire city.

Xing Yao's brows drew together slightly, and he murmured, "Even the underground forces can't get any information. It looks like things are going to be even less peaceful than I imagined."

He stood quietly in the room, waiting for the clones to return, and the unease about the trial in his heart gradually grew heavier amid the city's eerie atmosphere.

Xing Yao's gaze returned once more to his mental world. He quietly watched Clones No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4, who were still devoting all their efforts to comprehension and had yet to fully succeed. Agitation and urgency surged uncontrollably in his heart, winding around his chest in tightening coils.

The start of the college entrance exam trial drew ever closer. Outside, the situation was eerily tense, the Awakened had locked down the entire city, and undercurrents churned without cease. Yet the clones who formed the core of his fighting strength were still at a critical stage of comprehension, unable to bring it to a successful conclusion. The more he thought of the pressure of the nationwide live broadcast, his concern over being unable to expose his clones, and the reality that he would have to brave the trial alone, the heavier his anxiety grew, until it threatened to spill over.

Yet even as his emotions surged, he remained where he stood, making not the slightest sound or disturbance.

He knew that interruption was the greatest taboo when his clones were comprehending laws. Even the tiniest outside disturbance could bring all their previous efforts to ruin, and might even risk a backlash from the laws or the collapse of their comprehension. The more anxious he became, the more he had to force down every emotion, pressing that heavy agitation firmly into the depths of his heart. On the surface, he remained calm, even slowing and softening his breathing for fear of disrupting the clones at this most critical moment.

His heart burned with urgency, yet he could only wait in silence.

These conflicting emotions pulled relentlessly at Xing Yao's heart, shrouding his entire being in an oppressive tension.

He slowly raised his hand and gently took a slightly yellowed old photograph from inside his clothes. It was the only photograph of him together with his parents and older brother. In it, he was still a young, innocent child, holding his brother's hand as he stood between his parents, his eyes curved with a smile, full of happiness untouched by the ways of the world.

As his fingertips gently stroked the photograph's corners, long since worn smooth, memories sealed away in his heart surged up uncontrollably.

When he was little, his parents had always been gentle and patient, and their favorite thing was playing hide-and-seek with him and his brother in the courtyard. His brother always ran swiftly, shielding him behind his back as they secretly hid in the most concealed corners. When their parents pretended they could not find them, they would jump out laughing to give them a fright. The sunlight had been warm then, their laughter bright. The feeling of home was the tenderness he missed most in his life.

But later, his parents went out one day and never returned, vanishing completely as though they had evaporated from the world.

From then on, his brother became his only support and raised him single-handedly. His brother still protected him and kept him company just as he had when they were little, and their games of hide-and-seek never stopped. But back then, he had not understood that hidden in his brother's eyes were a heaviness and strength far beyond his years.

He had thought his brother would always stay by his side.

Until one day, his brother smiled and told him, "Let's play hide-and-seek one last time." He obediently closed his eyes and counted, eagerly waiting for his brother to jump out as he always had. But when he opened his eyes, the courtyard was empty. His brother had disappeared too, vanishing without warning, just like their parents.

As it turned out, in this game of hide-and-seek, his parents had hidden for a lifetime, and his brother had hidden for a lifetime too. In the end, only he remained, living all alone in this world.

Xing Yao's fingers tightened slightly around the photograph, his knuckles turning white. His eyes grew a little hot, but not a single tear fell.

All his perseverance, all his efforts to grow stronger, all his obsession with making his way into Abyss Suppression Academy stemmed from this tiny photograph, from his missing family.

He took a deep breath and carefully tucked the photograph back inside his clothes, close against his heart.

No matter how dangerous the road ahead was, no matter how many conspiracies lay hidden in this college entrance exam trial, he had to keep going. He had to find the truth, find his parents, and find his brother. That was his only reason to keep living.