Chapter 179
Chapter 179
Ah Li? My wife?
My first thought was that he had mistaken me for someone else.
Liu Junyan and I were the couple… even if we hadn’t gotten our marriage certificate yet.
Then again, getting one would probably be difficult. I wasn’t of legal marriage age yet, and he… he didn’t even have an ID card.
Although I couldn’t make out the man’s face, judging by his build, clothes, and voice, there was no way he was Liu Junyan.
Then another possibility occurred to me. “I’m sorry, but you may have the wrong person. I’m not Feng Lishu.”
“Ah Li.” The man started toward me as he spoke. “Although you and Feng Lishu are twin sisters, the two of you are completely different. How could I mistake my own fiancee for someone else?”
His steps were light and swift, and he almost seemed to teleport across the distance.
Now that he was closer, I could finally see his face.
His Facial Features embodied the refined elegance prized in traditional Chinese aesthetics: a broad, full forehead — the area known in physiognomy as the Celestial Court — an aquiline nose, long brows, smiling eyes, prominent under-eye rolls, red lips, and pearly white teeth.
He stopped barely ten feet away and gave me a faint smile.
That smile was bright and radiant, and his entire being exuded warmth.
Another wave of dizziness swept through my head. Something seemed to be struggling to emerge from my long-sealed memories, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t grasp it.
Who was he?
Was he really my fianc??
No. Even if he was, that had happened in a past life. What did it have to do with this one?
I instinctively took two steps back to put more distance between us, then stressed once more, “I’m not Ah Li. I’m Xiao Jiu.”
Whatever had happened in my past life, in this one, Xiao Jiu was the only identity I recognized.
“You’ve been reincarnated, so I don’t blame you for forgetting your previous life.” The man was still smiling, apparently in an excellent mood. “Ah Li, we exchanged betrothal papers. Our engagement was acknowledged by our entire clan. Although your Nirvana failed in your last life and you died, as long as you returned through reincarnation, you would always remain my fiancee. Nothing has changed.
“Ah Li, I owe you a wedding. Come back with me. We can start over.”
As he spoke, he held out his hand and gazed at me expectantly.
He was waiting for me to place my hand in his.
But how could I possibly believe him based solely on his word?
To me, he was a complete stranger.
Besides, why had I come here? And why had I run into him the moment I arrived?
Could those things really be unrelated?
“Ah Li, have you forgotten me?” The man looked hurt. “Have you forgotten the vow we made at the foot of Cangwu Mountain? You said that in this life and every life to come, you would be Brother Qiu’s wife and no one else’s…”
Brother Qiu…
Why did that name sound so familiar?
I shook my head irritably, struggling to search my mind for anything useful.
Then it suddenly came to me.
Feng Lishu!
Feng Lishu had once screamed the name “Brother Qiu” at me in hysterics.
My head snapped up, and I stared at the man before me. Did that mean what he had said was most likely true?
After waiting in vain for a response, the man finally lost his patience. He stepped forward and reached for my hand. “Ah Li, come back with me. We’ve been looking for you for a long time-hiss!”
Just as his fingers were about to touch mine, a Copper Coin suddenly shot through the air and struck his hand with unerring accuracy.
My heart leaped. I turned toward the direction the Copper Coin had come from and saw two people and a cat standing on the endless road of yellow sand.
The Black Cat reached me in a few quick bounds, and I held out my arms to catch it securely.
It was the first time the little fellow had willingly let me hold it. It settled into a comfortable position in my arms but kept its head raised, its eerie green eyes fixed intently on the man before us.
“Xiao Jiu.” Liu Junyan’s voice rang out as he beckoned to me. “Come here.”
Beside him, Hu Yulin had his fan spread open and his other hand forming a seal, as though he had been maintaining some kind of spell all this time.
So Liu Junyan had managed to track me down with Hu Yulin’s help?
Holding the Black Cat, I started toward Liu Junyan.
But the man stepped in front of me, blocking my path, and reached out to grab me.
At that moment, the Black Cat’s fur suddenly stood on end in my arms. It let out a piercing yowl, bared its fangs, and lunged at the man with its claws outstretched.
The man reacted swiftly and dodged aside.
If he had been even a fraction slower, the Black Cat’s claws would have shredded his face.
At the same time, Liu Junyan flashed to my side and pulled me protectively into his arms. “Maotan, we’re going back.”
I stared at Liu Junyan in surprise. He had actually called the Black Cat Maotan.
The Black Cat was Du’e Maotan.
“Ah Li!”
The man cried out urgently behind me, but Hu Yulin flipped his fan at that very moment. A powerful Formation descended over us from above. My vision lurched, my feet left the ground, and the wind roared in my ears.
Then I sank into Hundun once more.
This time, I slept for a very long time.
When I finally awoke, I was back in my own room.
It was completely dark outside. Only the bedside lamp was on, its muted glow leaving the entire room hazy and indistinct.
The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Liu Junyan sitting beside me, his chin propped on one hand as he gazed at me.
He seemed so lost in thought that he hadn’t noticed me wake. His brow was tightly furrowed, and I couldn’t tell what was on his mind.
The moment I moved, he snapped back to his senses. “Xiao Jiu, you’re awake.”
He leaned closer and carefully checked my condition. Only after making sure I was all right did he take my hand and say, “Thank goodness you’re safe. I’m just glad you’re back.”
I still remembered everything that had happened, so I asked, “Where was that place? Do you know?”
“Yellow Springs Road,” Liu Junyan replied. “You were ambushed on the mountain behind Tafeng Village, and your Souls were dragged into the Underworld by a powerful force. Even my Soul-Tracking Talisman couldn’t catch up with you, so I went to Hu Yulin for help. He used the Fox Clan’s unique Glamour Spirit Tracking Art to locate your Souls. Fortunately, we reached you in time.”
I was stunned. That endless road through the yellow sands had actually been Yellow Springs Road?
Thinking back more carefully, could the river in the distance and the bridge spanning it have been the River of Forgetfulness and the Bridge of No Return?
Oh my God!
Didn’t that mean I had practically died once already?
This time, I had knowingly walked straight into danger because I wanted to uncover the mystery of my origins.
But why did it feel as though the deeper I investigated, the more tangled and impenetrable the mystery became?
What was the Formation on Qilin Mountain?
And who had unleashed the powerful force that dragged away my Souls?
The man I met on Yellow Springs Road had acted as though he knew my Souls would be taken there and had deliberately waited for me.
Could that powerful force… have come from him in the first place?
The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became. I looked at Liu Junyan and asked, “That man who was standing in front of me when you found me-did either of you recognize him?”