The girl effortlessly picked up Chen Xuan'an and carried him toward an imposing red Hongqi H5.
Opening the car door, she gently placed Chen Xuan'an in the front passenger seat, immediately took out a red pill and had him swallow it. After briefly tending to the wound on his head, she got in the driver's seat and drove the Hongqi H5 out of everyone's sight.
Bouncing along with the motion of the car, Chen Xuan'an groggily opened his eyes shortly after. It took him quite a while to collect himself before he turned his head to look at the girl who was intently driving.
Sensing that Chen Xuan'an had woken up, the latter asked in a soft voice, "Awake? Feeling any better?"
Chen Xuan'an did not answer her question, instead asking with a puzzled look, "Who are you? Where are you taking me?"
The girl hesitated for a moment and said softly, "You don't need to know who I am. You just need to know that I won't harm you."
"Why should I trust you?"
The girl retorted, "Why? Just because I saved you a moment ago."
Chen Xuan'an was left speechless, thinking to herself—*wait, why is this girl so fickle? One second she's all gentle, and the next she turns hostile and denies knowing me.* Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Still, I can't trust you. After all, this is our first time meeting, and you have no reason to save me. Pull over and let me out."
As he spoke, Chen Xuan'an subconsciously raised his voice.
Seeing how stubborn Chen Xuan'an was being, the girl said in exasperation, "Fine, you really don't know me, but I know you."
Hearing this, Chen Xuan'an racked his brain, but no matter how hard he searched, he could find no memories of the stranger before him. Thinking of this, Chen Xuan'an dropped all politeness and let out a cold snort.
"Hmph! Since you claim you know me, then tell me—where, and who am I?"
The girl gave a captivating, wicked smile and said, "Chen Xuan'an, three years ago, in Modu, we met more than once. Back then, you really were just a ninth-grade student."
Hearing this, Chen Xuan'an let out a cold snort.
"Hmph, three years ago? Is that even possible? I've never been to Modu in my life. If you're going to lie to me, at least come up with a better excuse."
The girl glared at Chen Xuan'an and said with displeasure, "Please don't interrupt me. I haven't finished talking yet. Three years ago, you were struck by a car in Modu and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. All the doctors were helpless and had no choice but to declare that resuscitation had failed, telling your family to prepare for the worst. Your mother collapsed straight into your father's arms, her vision going completely dark. In the end, it was only because a girl in red broke into the operating room that you managed to claw your way back from the gates of death. Even though you miraculously survived, you lost that period of your memory as a result."
Chen Xuan'an furrowed her brow, completely unconvinced. He shook his head in rebuttal, "Impossible! If it really happened the way you said, why wouldn't I know about it? My parents never mentioned anything of the sort to me. And besides, who was that girl in red? Do you know her?"
The girl let out a cold snort. "Hmph, they didn't tell you because it was for your own good. As for who the girl in red is, I can tell you that much."
After a long silence, Chen Xuan'an finally asked doubtfully, "So by your logic, you really do know her, or are you just pulling my leg?"
The girl curled her charming cherry lips. "Believe it or not. We don't really know each other—we just crossed paths once. Her name is Longqiu Xueyaochuan. I heard she is the eldest legitimate daughter of the Longqiu family in Fanzhou, southwestern China, and she's also a member of Tianfeng Pavilion. That's all I know."
Chen Xuan'an silently muttered this unfamiliar name to herself, truly having no memories associated with it. She turned her head and asked, "Um... who did you hear this from?"
The girl fell silent for a moment. Chen Xuan'an sensibly kept his mouth shut, waiting for the girl to give her an answer. She had expected the girl to brush her off with evasive words, but what the girl said next utterly shocked Chen Xuan'an.
"Dongfang Zhi, the Grand Elder of Yayue Pavilion."
Chen Xuan'an was dumbfounded, absolute disbelief written all over her face. She asked uncertainly, "What? Dongfang Zhi? Yayue Pavilion? And the Grand Elder? Are you fucking kidding me again? Are you pulling my leg with some web novel plot here? You aren't going to tell me it's that old man from our village, are you?"
"Let me tell you something, I know Dongfang Zhi. That old man is a complete lunatic. He lives right behind my house and mutters nonsense all day long. Several times he's cornered me, claiming I'm some kind of general, that people out there need me, and that they're waiting for me to go back. It drives me out of my mind! Let me tell you, don't be fooled by him—never trust him."
Hearing this, the girl said with a poignant sigh, "A novel? If only it really were a novel. Then so many people wouldn't have had to sacrifice themselves for your sake."
After a brief pause, the girl continued, "That's right, it's the exact old man you mentioned. Don't be fooled by his appearance; he is no pushover."
Hearing this, Chen Xuan'an was even more perplexed, and immediately retorted, "Huh? What do you mean 'so many people sacrificed themselves for my sake'? Why? What are you trying to say? That old man looks sickly; he couldn't even beat up a little kid."
The girl smiled and said helplessly, "What he said was spot on. You still don't believe him, do you? The reason he appeared by your side in the first place was to protect you. Let me ask you: didn't he arrive in your village the year before you were born? When you were eight years old and chased by a pack of wolves in the back mountains, wasn't it he who helped you lure the wolves away?"
At this moment, Chen Xuan'an was utterly stunned. How did she know all this? Could everything she was saying actually be true? In the past, her father had indeed mentioned to her that Dongfang Zhi had arrived in the village around that exact time. Apart from the night she was born, when he was nowhere to be found, ever since Chen Xuan'an could remember, she had essentially seen him every single day.
The girl continued, "Do you know why he wasn't there on the night you were born? And why, on the very next day, he returned to the village covered in wounds?"
What? The girl's words sent Chen Xuan'an, already in a state of profound shock, into an absolute tailspin.
Her grandmother had mentioned these very things to her before, but back then she had just taken them as a joke. Yet this girl knew every detail. Enraged, Chen Xuan'an glared coldly at the girl, demanding in a chilling tone, "Have you been investigating me?"
The girl merely smiled, entirely unfazed by Chen Xuan'an's anger, and said in an even, unhurried tone, "Actually, he was protecting you that night too, which is why he sustained such severe injuries. That night, your Second Uncle appeared by your side to protect you, and besides him, a girl in red brought 168 people who also rushed to your defense. Those people, including your Second Uncle, were all summoned by Dongfang Zhi."
"Meanwhile, Dongfang Zhi himself took three Tier 10 Martial Artists to intercept another group intent on assassinating you. The four of them fought a bitter battle against six Tier 10 Buddhist cultivators and twelve Tier 9 Buddhist cultivators. In the end, although they killed everyone on the other side, two of the Tier 10 Martial Artists died, and the remaining two were left heavily wounded. That time he helped you lure the wolves away, he almost died in the back mountains as well; his injuries hadn't even fully healed back then, and his cultivation realm plummeted drastically."
"And your Second Uncle and the others weren't in much better shape. 124 people died, and apart from your Second Uncle and the girl in red, every single survivor was heavily injured. Not even your family knows about these things."
At this point, that stubborn streak deep inside Chen Xuan'an's heart wavered slightly. After all, everything the girl said largely matched up—except for the parts she hadn't known—yet she still stubbornly insisted, "I don't believe it."
Seeing that Chen Xuan'an was still being so obstinate, the girl laughed in exasperation. She glared fiercely at her and said coldly, "Hmph, believe it or not. One day, you'll understand."
The girl's piercing gaze sent a chill down Chen Xuan'an's spine. Especially recalling the fate of that kidnapper earlier, she suddenly felt her back grow icy cold, prompting her to ask in a softened tone, "Understand what?"
Seeing that Chen Xuan'an seemed to be starting to believe her, the girl sighed, "Some things are better left unknown—at least for now, you aren't ready to know them. Knowing too much will do you no good whatsoever, nor anyone around you. If you don't want to bring trouble to the people around you, don't ask so many questions. When the time comes, you'll naturally understand."