A voice, cool like rain, first entered his ears, then resonated in his mind. Liu Jiang Fiusheng slowly turned his head to look at her.
At that moment, his gaze upon her was somewhat distant and probing, but in an instant, he seemed to recognize her, pursing his lips into a smile, his eyes rippling like clear, pure lake water: "Ah Yi..."
Gu Junshi walked up to him, her eyes like two cold stars embedded in ice and snow. Her fingertips gently caressed his delicate, tightly drawn brows, and Liu Jiang Fiusheng's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
She was checking if the memories that had been sealed within him had been restored.
Clearly, they had not.
Then what was that anomaly he had displayed moments ago?
Gu Junshi harbored suspicion in her heart, but her expression remained unchanged. She spoke softly, "Is there anything you wish to ask me?"
Liu Jiang Fiusheng readily asked her, "Ah Yi, where did you go just now?"
"Seeing you asleep, I went out for a stroll. Are you feeling any better now?"
"For some reason, my injuries have greatly improved since waking up this time," he said, looking at her with gentle eyes.
Gu Junshi knew that his unusual behavior was likely due to him sensing something, but she feigned ignorance, as some matters were not yet ready to be revealed.
"I suppose the healing pills sent by Elder Jiu Li have taken effect."
Is that so?
Liu Jiang Fiusheng's slender eyelashes fluttered. When the two of them were alone, his usual icy, unapproachable demeanor often melted into a spring of warmth. He drew his robes closer and gently embraced her waist, pressing his face against her warm abdomen. "Ah Yi, what kind of person do you think I was before?"
Gu Junshi's gaze drifted casually into the air. "Why did you suddenly think of asking that?"
Liu Jiang Fiusheng didn't know why either.
Perhaps it was because... someone had told him that it was she who had refused to let him recover his memories.
Before waking, Liu Jiang Fiusheng had a dream.
In the dream, a stern voice with supreme will asked him, "Liu Jiang Fiusheng, do you truly intend to live on in such ignorance?"
"Who are you?"
In the dream, he seemed like a soulless puppet, all emotions and feelings as indifferent as water.
"Your memories were sealed by Gu Junshi. As long as you leave her, you will be able to restore all your memories and become yourself again."
"She is merely a mortal. How could she seal my memories?"
"You believe her? A woman who disregarded the bond of husband and wife and killed you so many times."
Liu Jiang Fiusheng remained silent for a moment.
"The truth you wish to know, Liu Jiang Fiusheng, is far more cruel than you imagine. That woman was never your suitable match from beginning to end."
"Who exactly are you?"
"Kill her, or stay away from her. Otherwise, when you remember everything, you will deeply regret your current soft-hearted choice."
That voice seemed to be brainwashing him, constantly flooding his mind with negative emotions.
Finally, Liu Jiang Fiusheng grew angry.
"My affairs are none of your business!"
He suddenly woke from the dream, and his heart felt like it had a gaping hole. He was empty, and the person himself was empty. He sat stunned on the bed for a long time.
He turned his head and looked around, only to find that Gu Yi was not there.
Then, he stared blankly at a spot.
What was real, and what was false?
Although Gu Yi was a mortal, Liu Jiang Fiusheng found that he still could not see through her.
What did she truly want?
What did she want him to do?
He got out of bed, his body instinctively waiting by the window. He looked outside, waiting for her return.
"Ah Yi, do you want me to remember past events?" he asked her.
But Gu Junshi did not answer this question. Instead, she asked him, "Husband, tell me, after I left, did anything happen to you?"
He wanted to ask her, did you really seal my memories?
He refused to believe such absurd words.
"...No."
However, it seemed he had also learned to hide things from her.
Gu Junshi turned and asked the Treasure-Seeking Rat, but it also said no one had visited.
Unable to ascertain the reason for Liu Jiang Fiusheng's strange demeanor, Gu Junshi could only temporarily drop the matter.
---
On the other side, the demon girl in the secret chamber opened her eyes again. In these past days, Xiao Chenmu had come almost every day. Sometimes, he would only make a brief appearance due to his busy schedule, and other times, when he was free, he would stay longer.
It was as if they had a tacit agreement to see each other daily.
When he arrived, they would chat, and sometimes, noticing the weariness on Xiao Chenmu's brow, she would simply accompany him in silence.
An atmosphere of warm reliance often enveloped the two of them.
Gu Junshi, following Mu Nanxue's script, had finished telling the "story" they had agreed upon with Xiao Chenmu. She had expected that, upon completing the task, Xiao Chenmu would not visit for a while. But for some reason, he still "reported" in daily.
Feeling that the plot concerning Xiao Chenmu had reached a point where it was about to conclude, she became too lazy to continue acting. This was because the matter with Liu Jiang Fiusheng had given her a strange feeling that someone was causing trouble in places she couldn't see.
During these recent visits, Xiao Chenmu noticed that the girl seemed much colder. He assumed it was because her injuries had not yet healed, so he brought her a pill called "Return Origin Pill." The "Return Origin Pill" was a more precious healing medicine than the "Spring Return Pill." Even the highly esteemed elders of the Void Sect did not have many in stock, yet he was willing to use it on a demon.
This was enough to prove his genuine affection for this demon girl.
Gu Junshi, of course, did not refuse. After obtaining the pill through deception, she continued to let her body remain in a weakened state, as the demon body would ultimately be killed by the mastermind behind the scenes.
But clearly, the events began to deviate from her initial calculations.
Often, many things were interconnected, with a single move affecting the entire system.
She did not meet the end of her death.
Gu Junshi was indeed not killed during the plot that was supposed to occur, and she was still alive and well.
Could it be that for some reason, the mastermind had given up?
But Gu Junshi decided to bow out, regardless of the reason.
It was difficult for someone to want to live, but was it difficult to want to die?
In these recent days, Xiao Chenmu had brought Gu Junshi many things to decorate the secret chamber. He, who should have been a rough person who paid no attention to such details, patiently and meticulously arranged things for her.
Gu Junshi thought, since an assassination was not coming, she would choose a different way to die.
"Brother Xiao, will I be imprisoned here forever like this?" The light in the demon girl's eyes gradually dimmed with each passing day.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chenmu felt an inexplicable pang in his heart.
Then he heard her say, "If that's the case, I would rather die..."
"No," Xiao Chenmu said, unable to bear it. He pulled her into his arms. "You have not stained your hands with anyone's blood, so you should not bear guilt that does not belong to you. Ah Xue, I will not let you be imprisoned here forever."
The demon girl was greatly moved by his words. She nuzzled his chest with her soft little face and said shyly, "Brother Xiao, I... I like you."