"I actually lost my memory, hahaha..."
A chilling laugh, enough to raise goosebumps, escaped his throat.
"Lang Ci, do you know?" Liu Jiangfusheng pulled him closer. "I'm married."
Lang Ci's expression turned instantly dark and ferocious.
"What did you say?!"
To hear Liu Jiangfusheng utter the word "like" in his lifetime was an almost unbelievable thing.
For someone like him, who possessed no heart, to one day like someone?
Lang Ci tore through the binding gale winds, floating in the air, and exclaimed in surprise, "Liu Jiangfusheng, are you sleepwalking, or are you playing a joke on me?"
How could he possibly believe such a thing?
How could Lang Ci believe that in just a few short years, this person could be transformed into a completely unrecognizable stranger?
Married!
How dare he!
Although, his previously ethereal and aloof demeanor truly did seem the part, like a high mountain flower whose aura could not be defiled or blasphemed, hahaha... So, after losing his memory, he could still have such a "pure" side.
In that case, it was entirely possible that after losing his memory, he might genuinely have fallen for someone!
"Liu Jiangfusheng, and now, after remembering everything, do you still like her?" Lang Ci lowered his gaze, his casual tone as cold and sharp as a wind blade.
Liu Jiangfusheng's laughter gradually subsided. A slender, lily-white finger gently traced the smiling tear at the corner of Lu Che's soft eye, leaving a red mark that made the extraordinarily beautiful face appear even more vibrant and alluring.
He put away his semblance of deranged, manic laughter, but a subtle, precarious curve remained on his lips, which were still tinged with the depth of his smile. He cast a lazy glance at Lang Ci, his eyelids half-lowered, revealing only the long lashes casting a shadow on his face, as clear and white as snow. His expression was split, and a vermilion mark gradually appeared between his brows.
Melancholy.
Elegantly tragic.
Dangerous.
His exceptionally captivating voice, carrying a slight hoarseness, like a hook snatching souls, asked, "I do like her..."
Lang Ci's brow furrowed imperceptibly. He couldn't quite tell if Liu Jiangfusheng was telling the truth or lying, but this was clearly not the time for them to reminisce slowly.
He felt that Liu Jiangfusheng's descent into the mortal world had not awakened much of his humanity; instead, it had eroded his spirited will with meaningless existences.
This was far from their initial expectations, even contradictory.
But no matter what, he had found him. It was just that Lang Ci never expected to find him still suffering from amnesia. Logically speaking, as his Yinghuo life star had returned to its position, he should have recovered his memories long ago. However, when he saw the unfamiliar, appraising gaze directed at him, he knew something had deviated from the original course.
Indeed, his failure to regain his memories was not an accident, but rather someone had interfered with his fate.
What was peculiar, however, was that the intervenor had only sealed Liu Jiangfusheng's memories without altering the trajectory of his destiny. So, was this person acting unintentionally, or intentionally?
Lang Ci said in a deep voice, "Don't forget she's still waiting for you. I don't care if you get married and have a wife after becoming a mortal, but now that you've remembered everything, you should completely cleanse yourself of this vile and dirty past. If you don't... I will do it for you."
Liu Jiangfusheng's breathing was light. With a slight movement, his shimmering snow-white robes seemed to float ethereally. Perhaps due to the overwhelming memories in his mind, his face was overlaid with a layer of sickly paleness. His eyes, shaped like peach blossoms, bloomed with a rosy blush on the outer edges, and his eyelashes curled upwards, creating a deceptively harmless appearance.
"What are you going to do for me?" he asked softly.
A trace of coldness flitted across Lang Ci's lips. He took it as a rhetorical question. "Could it be that you've truly become addled after this descent into the mortal world?"
Hearing this, Liu Jiangfusheng raised his eyes. A chilling aura flashed through his clear, pure eyes, like an oncoming storm that made it impossible to breathe.
"Lang Ci..." His voice was low and misty, captivating, but the words spoken from his thin lips sent shivers down one's spine. "Don't touch her, or I will slaughter your entire Er'er Mountain."
Lang Ci's heart jolted, but he met the threat with a cold sneer.
He scoffed dismissively, "Liu Jiangfusheng, with your current cultivation?"
"Yes, precisely with my current self."
A ghostly figure suddenly appeared behind Lang Ci. The chill of the wind and snow permeated his bones and flesh. The pervasive biting wind transformed into sharp, flowing cold swords, each "white streak" that flashed before his eyes becoming a sharp, bloodthirsty sword light.
All of Lang Ci's vital points were being threatened, targeted, and cornered. He had no idea when Liu Jiangfusheng had appeared behind him; perhaps it was when he spoke, or perhaps it was the moment his voice fell.
He was held captive by Liu Jiangfusheng's sword energy, unable to move. Any rash action might result in the engulfing killing intent, like a venomous serpent, descending upon him the next second.
"You truly want to kill me, is it because you saw my foolish appearance before, or are you worried I will tell her what happened to you in the cultivation world?" Lang Ci's ordinary and unremarkable face stiffened slightly, but he revealed a look of disdainful mockery.
He had suppressed his cultivation to participate in the "Rookie Ranking." This suppression was not merely a superficial concealment but a genuine transformation into a Golden Core cultivator through the use of elixirs.
Liu Jiangfusheng was also at the Golden Core cultivation level, but he was clearly not a normal Golden Core cultivator. Therefore, after their brief clash, Lang Ci knew that in his current state, he was no match for him.
If he wished to kill him, unless he revealed his true cultivation, he would be at his mercy.
"It's none of those things. I simply find you... to be an eyesore. You were before, and even more so now."
Liu Jiangfusheng's eyes, as beautiful as glazed pottery, even carried a frost-like killing intent. The sword light in his hand grew increasingly sharp, eventually transforming into a colossal, flowing sword body, and he fiercely slashed towards Lang Ci.
Lang Ci stood there. He had participated in the "Rookie Ranking" solely for Liu Jiangfusheng; he had no interest in being the champion of the "Rookie Ranking." Therefore, after a few moments of shifting his gaze, he allowed the sword to strike him.
However, before he lost, he threw out a sentence: "I hope what you said earlier was a lie, otherwise... even if I let her go, she will surely die!"
Lang Ci, severely injured from the martial arts stage, fell powerlessly from the heights and crashed onto the ground.
Liu Jiangfusheng won this round with little effort. He stared down at Lang Ci, who was struggling to get up, and met the other's meaningful yet malicious gaze. He responded with a spring mountain smile, but the darkness in his eyes teemed with demons.
He said.
"Then I will wait."
Disciples on other martial arts stages were still engaged in combat. After all, only evenly matched opponents remained on the stages, making it difficult to determine a winner quickly.
After the surrounding sounds completely quieted down, Liu Jiangfusheng's gaze grew increasingly distant. He could finally calm his mind and sort through the two sets of memories in his mind.
One was the "Liu Jiangfusheng" who had lost his memory after becoming a mortal, and the other was his true past memories.
He finally remembered the important things he had forgotten.
— The Great Dao Heartless Art.
The supreme Great Dao cultivation technique he had brought into the mortal world.
The Great. Dao. Heartless. Art!
Heh heh, only now did he understand why Gu Junshi wanted to kill the mortal "Liu Jiangfusheng."
So that was it.
So this was the truth that the amnesiac "Liu Jiangfusheng" had been desperately searching for.
The pupils of his eyes trembled uncontrollably. He licked his burning, scarlet lips, his eyes so dark they were terrifying.
The instigator of all this, the cause and effect of this entire cycle, was actually related to himself.
The "Gu clan" he had chosen back then was able to break free from the fate he had calculated and even kill him in return, even using his amnesiac self to guide him step by step into her "trap."
Gu Junshi...
Gu Junshi.
She... she is truly remarkable, and she makes him like her so much.
What should he do?
Even though he remembered that she was somewhat reluctant to kill her.
His gloomy gaze was now concealed by greed and obsession, wishing he could chew her into pieces and meld with her bones and blood.
Even when he recalled the moments of near-death, that woman was ruthless, even more so than him.
The sudden desire for destruction slowly ground over his heart, and then he tightly clenched it between his fingers, as if playing with fatal danger.
He retracted his pathologically beautiful smile and returned to being the normal "Liu Jiangfusheng." He was not a devil, nor a man-eating monster; he was a little rabbit, a pitiful little rabbit raised by the Gu family.
He was naturally skilled at impersonating someone else, so no one would notice.
On another stage, Ru Lan and Lu Ziyin had been locked in a prolonged struggle, but no one expected that the first person to be eliminated would be Lang Ci, who had advanced from the "minor competition."
With his defeat, one martial arts stage was vacated.
Ru Lan could no longer control herself and cast her gaze towards the spectator stands of the Peerless Realm. There stood an extremely handsome man with an extraordinary demeanor, his wise and gentle eyes seeming to perceive everything and know everything. His entire being exuded the noble elegance of a mature man, accompanied by a transparent quality that commanded admiration and a unique temperament touched by the gentleness of time.
Master...
He had come to see her after all.
She then looked at the woman beside him.
Very beautiful.
From the first glance, she gave off a breathtaking beauty.
Compared to her, an ordinary person, that woman was like a fallen immortal, otherworldly and transcendent. Autumn chill, clear stream, vacant emerald – every beautiful word that could be associated with her was applicable.
Such a woman could make all women in the world feel inferior and withdraw.
Ru Lan was no exception.
But what made her different was that she would not give up.
She had been by her Master's side since childhood. He had treated her very, very well, attentive to every detail and caring in every way. She believed he had feelings for her.
As for that woman, who came from a mysterious noble family and happened to meet her Master by chance, they had only been together for half a year. She did not believe her Master would abandon her for her.
In her wishful thinking, Ru Lan would rather deceive herself.
She never thought deeply, even if her Master had feelings for her, they were not the kind she desired. Even if his feelings for that woman were shallow, they could naturally develop into affection and lead to marriage.
Everyone in this world seeks different karmic affinities. What's wrong with forcing it?
Whether forcing it was sin or fate, she would grit her teeth and accept it.
"Lu Ziyin, is there anything you desire but cannot obtain?" Ru Lan suddenly asked.
Lu Ziyin also knew about Ru Lan's unrequited love for her Master.
Not only her, but since she made no secret of it, many people actually knew. However, as it had never been brought to the forefront, and with the protection of Venerable Nan Yuan, they could only feign ignorance.
Cases like this were not uncommon in the cultivation world. Those with apparent moral integrity adhered to self-discipline and would not engage in acts that would lead to backbiting. But if you were so powerful that others dared not criticize you, only daring to whisper behind your back, that was also a form of skill.
However, Venerable Nan Yuan was clearly not someone who would go with the trend and challenge worldly taboos.
If Ru Lan did not wake up soon, even with Venerable Nan Yuan's affection, he would no longer tolerate her.
Therefore, Ru Lan knew she could no longer show too much emotion, at least not now.
Lu Ziyin's expression flickered for a moment upon hearing this, then he smiled. "In this world, there are countless good things, but can one obtain everything? Ru Lan... seeing that we have met, I advise you to let it go."
Ru Lan had a pretty, girl-next-door appearance, but her eyes held a beastly ferocity that was ready to bite. "I refuse!"
She flung her "Namou Kun Band," and it swung in circles, emitting an orange-red glow. Lu Ziyin unfurled his fan, transforming it into a long sword.
"You're playing for real."
"Who's playing with you?!"
"Then I'll get serious."
"Too much nonsense."
Lu Ziyin's sword light carried the artistic flair of calligraphy, while Ru Lan's Namou Kun Band spun rapidly. After their collision, they exploded apart.
On another martial arts stage, Gui Ying challenged Yan Tianjiao, and Dan Ya faced Cheng Hong.
Liu Jiangfusheng received a bye.
—
The seal Gu Junshi used to imprison Liu Jiangfusheng's memories had been half-broken. The remaining half was another layered seal, the first layer being easily detectable, but the second layer was not so simple.
She needed to stay by his side, so she would not let him completely become the Dragon Emperor of the original plot.
In the original plot, after Liu Jiangfusheng married Gu Yi, he was injured in the head during Gu Yi's attempt at a forceful union, which led to the recovery of his memories. The process and outcome were very melodramatic. Upon recovering his memories, he naturally lost his original innocence. In fact, due to his hatred for Gu Yi's coercion and humiliation, and for marrying such a woman, he directly killed his wife and left.
Later, he became a righteous and just young man. He established a sect, upheld principles, and gained glory. He was also loyal and righteous to the female leads, supporting characters, and male supporting characters, completely lacking the dark and sickly disposition he had when he killed his wife.
He disguised himself as harmless and pure, appearing as prey just like the amnesiac Liu Jiangfusheng.
He achieved everything he desired, receiving all the glory. What happened after that... the original plot was silent.
However, Gu Junshi believed he always had a purpose. The Heavenly Dao making him the Son of the Heavenly Dao definitely did not mean for him to simply descend to the mortal realm for a casual visit.
But the subsequent events abruptly stopped; she could see no further.
And now, the unseen scenes would begin with Lang Ci's appearance and Liu Jiangfusheng's recovery of his memories.