Chuxuan looked at everything around him, feeling a deep sense of familiarity, yet racked his brains to no avail as to where this place actually was.
This was a cliff, with a path stretching right to its edge, and from down below came the relentless sound of crashing waves slamming against the rock face.
Beneath the towering precipice churned treacherous, raging waters; a single misstep meant being dashed to pieces upon falling.
Just as Chuxuan was struggling to recall, a sound suddenly drifted over from the distance.
"Catch him! Don't let them get away!" A frantic voice rang out, instantly drawing Chuxuan's attention.
Chuxuan raised his head to look into the distance and saw a figure stumbling toward them.
"How can this be..." Chuxuan watched in bewilderment as two figures approached from afar. A man was holding a woman in his arms. The man looked identical to Chuxuan himself, yet his face was deathly pale, his aura weak, and his body covered in patches of blood—evidently severely wounded.
Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Chuxuan stood frozen in place as the heavily injured man, holding the woman, walked toward the cliff's edge, passing straight through Chuxuan's body before continuing forward.
"This..."
Chuxuan was like a mere spectator; the people around could not see him at all.
Though he felt entirely immersed in the scene unfolding before his eyes, Chuxuan was powerless to stop it.
Looking at the bruised and battered man, and at the woman in his arms with her fading aura, Chuxuan felt a sharp ache in his chest.
In an instant, his heart felt torn to shreds, his head throbbing as if it would split open as a series of fragmented images flooded his mind.
"This is my past memory." Chuxuan suddenly remembered everything.
"Ji Zixi!"
Chuxuan quietly watched the scene unfold. In his memory, the past Chuxuan was gravely wounded, stumbling all the way to the edge of the cliff while holding Ji Zixi, whose life was slipping away.
"Xier, I'm sorry. It's my fault I couldn't protect you. If there is an afterlife, I swear I will keep you safe for all eternity!" Chuxuan looked affectionately at the beloved in his arms.
"Brother Chuxuan, your embrace is so warm. Xier is content." Ji Zixi left her final smile for Chuxuan.
With that, Chuxuan clutched Ji Zixi and leaped together off the cliff, plunging into the roaring waves below.
Yet at that moment, the scenes in Chuxuan's memory did not end, which caught him somewhat off guard, for these were memories he had never possessed before.
Looking down into the deep sea beneath the cliff, Chuxuan saw a ray of white light suddenly burst from his own chest, instantly enveloping both him and Ji Zixi. The white light then shot straight up into the sky, piercing toward a distant, unknown realm.
Chuxuan watched as this beam of white light subsequently split into two, each ray flying off in a completely different direction.
One of the rays plunged directly into a world, streaking across the firmament like a falling star and crashing heavily into the ground—a sight that reminded Chuxuan of his own arrival in this world.
As for the other ray of light, guided by some unseen force, it traveled a vast distance, pierced through countless realms, and ultimately arrived in another world, plunging directly into a pool. Faintly, Chuxuan could see Ji Zixi's stunning face undergoing a profound and breathtaking transformation.
Meanwhile, following the departure of Chuxuan and Ji Zixi, the operational trajectory of their original world seemed to undergo subtle shifts.
As for the men in black who had chased them all the way, they stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the churning waves, staring at one another in helpless dismay.
Just then, an elderly figure suddenly appeared, looking at the men and saying calmly, "Let everything return to peace!"
As Chuxuan looked at this elderly figure, he was astonished to discover that it was none other than his grandfather, who had passed away many years ago. This filled him with utter disbelief.
He watched as the old man merely gave a casual wave of his hand, and the entire world transformed, as if Chuxuan and Ji Zixi had never existed at all. Those who had persecuted them met their karmic retribution, and the world continued to spin on its normal course.
Finally, the old man cast a pensive glance at Chuxuan. Those deep, fathomless eyes seemed capable of seeing the present Chuxuan, leaving him deeply shocked.
"Past events have vanished with the wind!"
"The path ahead must be walked with unwavering resolve!"
The old man's voice echoed in Chuxuan's ears, lingering for a long time.
"Boom..."
The sound exploded in Chuxuan's mind like a thunderclap, jolting him awake from the chaotic trance.
"So it was just a dream!" Chuxuan let out a long sigh.
Yet, when he saw the pocket watch in his hand, he knew this was no mere dream; these were events that had truly happened to him in the past.
A multitude of memories flooded his mind—these were all memories of his former life.
Deep within his mind, he remembered the most important person of all: Ji Zixi, the one who had left her most beautiful smile for him.
In the depths of his consciousness, her appearance and her smiles remained fresh and vivid.
She was the girl who had brought warmth to his life, prompting Chuxuan to reminisce about those wonderful days gone by.
In that world, Ji Zixi and his grandfather were the two people who had treated him best.
Recalling the scene he had just witnessed and looking at the pocket watch in his hand, Chuxuan fell into deep thought. His grandfather was likely far from ordinary.
And Ji Zixi was the person Chuxuan cared about most in the world.
After his grandfather left, Chuxuan had lived entirely alone, isolated and helpless in this world, until Ji Zixi—this kind and gentle girl—stepped into his inner world and brought him warmth.
Chuxuan had originally believed he could walk hand in hand with Ji Zixi until they grew old together, never expecting the impermanence of the world.
During a trip, Ji Zixi's beauty caught the eye of a group of arrogant scions, and Chuxuan was gravely wounded trying to protect her.
In the end, to protect Chuxuan, Ji Zixi willingly stepped forward to block a fatal blow meant for him, perishing in the prime of her life.
Thinking of this, a wave of profound sorrow washed over Chuxuan. Gazing at the bright moonlight outside the window, a deep yearning for his beloved welled up inside him.
"Zixi, no matter the ends of the earth, I will find you. I will keep you safe for all eternity and never let you suffer the slightest harm again," Chuxuan vowed silently to himself.
Remembering the final scene he had witnessed, he had a premonition that Ji Zixi had not truly left him behind, but was in some very distant place.
"Zixi, I will definitely find you." Chuxuan clenched his fists tightly, his gaze gradually turning resolute.
He looked down at the pocket watch in his hand. It seemed to be a precious artifact, and he had a hunch that it was a treasure capable of changing his destiny, and perhaps even leading him back to Ji Zixi.