After finishing a grueling day of training, Yanqing came back and didn't even take a bath before collapsing into bed, utterly exhausted.
After sleeping for a while, Yanqing suddenly woke up. He caught a whiff of the smell on himself and nearly gagged.
"Go take a bath! You still have patrol tomorrow! Keep up the good work!" Yanqing encouraged himself.
Right then, Yanqing had a nightmare in bed.
In the dream, he and Baihong found themselves in a desperate situation, pursued by unknown enemies. Both he and Baihong were severely wounded and completely isolated without backup.
"What should we do? We're going to be trapped here! My phone has no signal, messages won't send, and the enemies are hot on our heels..." Yanqing clutched his wound with a painful expression.
"You go first, I'll hold them off. These enemies came out of nowhere, you can't fall here. Hurry, go." Baihong used his sword to block attacks coming from all directions, sustaining several new wounds in the process.
"No, it's all Yanqing's fault for being useless, I couldn't protect you... If we really have to die here, having you with me means I have no regrets."
Yanqing coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, forcefully propped himself up, and shouted into the distance, "Who on earth are you people? We have no quarrel with you, why hound us to the death?"
"Hmph, you don't need to worry about that! Just state your last words!
Hahaha, as long as you're dead, no one will be able to stop my grand plan. If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves for being blind and insisting on getting in our way. Killing you is the only way to vent the hatred in my heart!"
A malicious voice came from the shadows, its gender impossible to determine.
"Dammit!" Yanqing flew into a rage, tearing the wounds on his body and sending fresh blood gushing out.
"Hurry up and go, if you don't leave neither of us will make it out! If anyone should be saying sorry, it's me, for failing to protect you and letting you fall into a trap." Baihong gathered his inner energy, pushed Yanqing away into the distance, and faced the overwhelming horde alone.
"Stop wasting time with your pushing and shoving, neither of you is running away. It's just a matter of who dies first and who dies later. Both of you are poisoned, and without my antidote, do you really think you'll live to see tomorrow? Hahaha."
"Y-you despicable, shameless wretches! You don't deserve to be called human!" Yanqing couldn't help cursing.
"Haha! Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment. You aren't the only one cursing me anyway, I couldn't care less.
Pursue them! I want to watch them die with my own eyes. These people are too cunning, they gave us the slip several times before!"
Yanqing got further and further away from Baihong, watching helplessly as Baihong was brutally cut down by the enemies. Unable to do a single thing, a searing pain tore through his heart as his tears streamed uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything!"
Then he plunged into darkness.
"Ah!" Yanqing jolted awake, gasping for breath.
So it was all just a dream! But why did it feel so real?
Could something like this really happen in the future? And what about the General? What about the Cloud Knights of the Xianzhou! Did they all perish?
Yanqing didn't dare entertain such a possibility. Just how powerful was an enemy like this? No, this couldn't possibly be real.
Yanqing took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He suddenly noticed tear tracks on his face. Sure enough, the dream had been too real; it had genuinely scared him.
Yet, what if—what if he really encountered a scenario like that in the future? Was he just supposed to sit there and wait to die? It seemed he truly needed to become stronger!
Wiping away his tears, he washed up and headed out. The moment he stepped outside, a thought struck him: could this have anything to do with Baihong's past experiences? Although there was no concrete evidence, Yanqing trusted his own judgment.
He stopped in his tracks, deep in thought: perhaps this was also a hint regarding Baihong's background; I need to discuss this with the General and the others first.
With that, he made his way to Divine Foresight and told the General about what had happened.
Hearing this, the General nodded repeatedly and said, "Haha, interesting. In all my years, this is the first time I've heard of such a terrifying dream. Do you think this is connected to Baihong's origins?"
"It's just an intuition, but I find it hard to believe. Given his age, could he really have lived through something that terrifying?!"
Yanqing frowned. Most importantly, this was the first time in his life he had ever dreamed of such a horrifying scenario.
"Hahaha, nobody can say for sure. From what I've seen, that child has been through a lot; he's far too mature for his years. Ah, to borrow someone's phrase: he's an old soul in a young body.
Jokes aside, for what it's worth, I can guarantee he has faced countless dangerous brushes with blades and fire, walking through mountains of swords and seas of flames. You weren't there when we faced Phantylia, but he always charged to the front—it was like pure instinct. Logically speaking, a short-lived species his age should be carefree teenagers, but I noticed a seasoned edge in his demeanor that far exceeds his years. Did you pay attention to that?"
"Mm, but I didn't focus on it too much. As expected of the General, you noticed so much!" Yanqing said in a sudden realization.
"Haha, does that sound a bit exaggerated to you? But the universe is vast, and meeting all sorts of people shouldn't surprise us!
Still, we're completely clueless right now, and analyzing it here won't get us any results. We might as well bring in Lady Fu. Ah, time to bother her again."
After quite a while, Fu Xuan's figure appeared in Divine Foresight. The fury in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
"General, I don't know what urgent business you have with me. Let's get this straight first: I am already burning the midnight oil and working from dawn till dusk just dealing with the mess you left behind, giving me a headache. If you don't give me a good explanation... hmph hmph!"
Fu Xuan placed her hands on her hips and glared angrily at the man before her.
"Hahaha, Lady Fu, don't be angry. I know, you've really been troubled these past few days!
However, Yanqing had a nightmare yesterday, and after discussing it for a long time, we felt we still had to consult you!" Jing Yuan said placidly, completely unruffled.
"Oh? Let's hear it then!" Fu Xuan was kind-hearted after all, so she listened carefully to Jing Yuan's account.
When he finished, Fu Xuan frowned slightly and said, "This has to do with that Baihong? It seems this is a crucial clue. Yanqing, go fetch him here, we will activate the Scryvoyance Device immediately."
"Will this inconvenience you?" Yanqing asked.
"No. Besides, I gave my word and cannot break it. Furthermore, my divination indicates the timing is just right. Hurry along! I need to make some preparations first," Fu Xuan said, heading toward the Divination Commission.
Did she have to be so abrupt? Yanqing hadn't even reacted yet.
Jing Yuan looked at Yanqing and said, "Go on, don't keep the Master Diviner waiting."
Bidding farewell to the General, Yanqing went to find Baihong, explained the whole story, and then looked at him: "Do you mind the Master Diviner doing this?
Probing memories can lead to unpredictable events... I'm worried you won't be able to handle it."
"Since I gave Lady Fu my word, I must see it through. Although I don't know what will happen either, knowing you guys are here puts my mind at ease." Baihong pondered for a moment, then spoke with conviction.
When they arrived at the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan was already waiting there.
"Baihong, are you ready? First, I need some objects related to you so that the Scryvoyance Device can better divine your past."
Baihong hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't have many personal possessions on me, just two books Yanqing gave me, the sword on my back, and a jade pendant."
"That will suffice. Even with just these, we can extrapolate a few things. I'll have someone deliver these items to the foundation of the Scryvoyance Device shortly. I'm about to activate it now.
If you're ready, stand in the center. No matter what happens next, you must follow my instructions, understood?!
Also, some memories are not meant to be awakened. If you aren't prepared, do not force yourself," Fu Xuan explained.
Yanqing patted Baihong's hand, signaling him not to be nervous.
"Lady Fu is amazing, she knows what she's doing. I'm guessing she won't pry into your privacy indiscriminately," Yanqing whispered to Baihong.
"What are you thinking?! Even I don't have absolute certainty in deducing his past; I am merely inferring what likely transpired based on certain established facts. It isn't necessarily a complete restoration of the past, and you should know that, Yanqing," Fu Xuan instructed.
"Oh! Then be careful, I'll stand guard nearby. Lady Fu, you may begin." Yanqing stepped aside, filled with anticipation for what would follow.
Fu Xuan formed a hand seal, and the third eye on her forehead opened, bathing Baihong in the radiance emitted by the Scryvoyance Device.
Fu Xuan linked Baihong to the Grand Scryvoyance Device, and the device began reading his memories.
A flash of white light crossed Baihong's eyes, his consciousness momentarily blanked, and everything went dark.
After a moment, he heard a familiar voice: "Alright, you can open your eyes now."
Baihong opened his eyes to the familiar scenery of the Xianzhou.
"We are currently inside your memory. You can think of the me standing before you as a projection of Fu Xuan. This place contains all your current experiences on the Xianzhou; let's search for clues here first," Fu Xuan said.
The scenery before him was indistinguishable from reality. Baihong looked around for a long time without recalling anything.
"Looks like there are no clues here! And the memory hasn't degraded either. I must say, your memory is truly astonishing. You memorized every single word I said that day without missing a beat, and the scene from when I first met you hasn't changed at all.
Very well, let's go back to your memories from before you came to the Xianzhou," Fu Xuan said.
Baihong opened his eyes once more to reveal a breathtaking natural landscape: towering trees that blotted out the sky, a magnificent cascading waterfall, and the sounds of animals playing not far away.
"This place... looks so familiar!" Baihong remained silent for a long time before speaking.