Chapter 620: The Ancestor's Gift (9)

"Does Big Sister really not want to see Big Sister's big sister?"

Guan Xinyue was pulled back from her trance by this question. She turned her head; the lights of the old house were as warm as ever, and the sound of the pipa strings was like a plea. She could not remember clearly; it felt as if someone had always been playing the pipa.

"Who is playing the music?" the little girl asked.

"It is my Nainai," Guan Xinyue answered without realizing it.

"What is the name of this piece?" the little girl asked again.

"It is..." Guan Xinyue could not hear the melody clearly, but in a blur, she knew the name, "Remembering Jiangnan."

"Why remember Jiangnan? Does everyone love Jiangnan?" the little girl asked in confusion.

"That is just a distant intention," Guan Xinyue replied. The words her grandfather had once answered her with came naturally from her own mouth, "The meaning of Jiangnan is that the most beautiful moment in life is the springtime of one's life."

"But it is already gone," the little girl said.

"Yes, it is already gone," Guan Xinyue said, "Events are like spring dreams, leaving no trace. No matter how beautiful a floral affair is, once it blooms to the end, it is over."

She suddenly felt a truly heart-wrenching pain; it was a pain she had suppressed for a long time and refused to face. She had always been able to isolate her pain. As long as she could still strive, as long as there was still room to work on this matter, she had not yet reached the end of the world. She could still see her grandfather, still find her big sister, and their family could still return to the past.

But now, looking at the old house, seeing her family living happily as usual through the glass on the window, this false reality shattered her protective shell into pieces. She had actually known all along; she knew in her heart what had happened.

She knew her grandfather was dead. Dead meant dead; even a Mage could not bring him back to life. She also knew she would never be able to see her big sister again. She knew it; otherwise, Luo Qi would not have stopped searching, nor would he remain silent about it. She knew that losing her temper at Luo Qi was unreasonable, and keeping her distance from him was just venting her anger. But if she didn't do this... if she didn't do this... she would only want to howl and scream.

Someone hugged her. The little girl's body pressed against her, warm and soft, like the spring sunshine falling upon her. In this moment, she suddenly felt content and carefree. She could not see the people she wanted to see, but they were right by her side. For a long time, the love and warm companionship that had been cut off from her returned to her side. It felt as if they had always been there; she had just forgotten, just couldn't see.

"What is this?" she murmured.

"So warm," the child said, "I will always be here. They will be here too. I will make them always be here."

"Don't go," Guan Xinyue said involuntarily.

"I will not go," the little girl said, "They will not truly leave either. They left traces in your soul; they shaped your soul. As long as you are alive, they exist. If you die, you and they will remain in the next soul you shape. If I die, I and my 'them' will remain in your soul. Let us make a Contract, shall we?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Guan Xinyue laughed, "Stories say that souls cannot be used to make a Contract just like that."

"You don't get to choose a Contract; if there is compatibility, it will be established."

"You are just a little child, like a blank sheet of paper. You would be compatible with anyone," Guan Xinyue said without thinking.

"That is why when I met you, I was painted by you."

"You remind me of someone," Guan Xinyue said.

"Luo Qi," the little girl and she said at the same time.

"Luo Qi!"

"Mahjong, what are you shouting for? You are only distracting me, and it does no good at all," Luo Qi said. He stared at Guan Xinyue irritably. She seemed to be dreaming; perhaps he could take a look at her dream, but that would do her brain no good—he was heavy-handed.

Mahjong could not care about that now, "After excluding all impossibilities, the only possibility left is that she has been subjected to a mental attack. How can you not see anything?"

"I said there is no mental attack! I checked, and her Yajian is completely intact and safe—it is in a state of total safety," Luo Qi said.

"Heh heh, it's a bit like the stance of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine fighting it out."

Luo Qi turned his head back in annoyance and discovered that the one with the loose tongue was Zhou Ruisi, "Know-it-all, then you come and analyze what this situation is. Don't use some human narcolepsy or whatever to spout nonsense."

Zhou Ruisi closed his mouth again, "Then I don't know; I really don't know."

The Clownfish spoke steadily at this moment, "It looks like someone has set a mental trap, snaring the Yajian that is most easily misled."

Luo Qi laughed, "I also think that might be the reason, but I cannot be sure. Yu Shu is very familiar with this!"

Unexpectedly, the Clownfish raised his head to look at him, "Why are you not sure?"

Luo Qi was speechless.

"You didn't finish your books," Du Zhengyi did not leave him any face and said bluntly, "From the situation, I also think this is the case. But a trap that only dares to capture human Yajian is too useless. What is the logic of setting it here?"

"Unclear, no need to think too much about it," the Clownfish said.

"Guan Xinyue's grandfather also set this kind of trap," Luo Qi said, "Yu Shu, have you seen that trap?"

Du Zhengyi glanced at Luo Qi and then looked toward the Clownfish.

The Clownfish's blurred features made it impossible to make any indirect judgments based on his micro-expressions; he always remained like a silhouette behind a curtain. He looked at Luo Qi calmly, did not answer Luo Qi's question, and moved to the next step, "Does Guan Xinyue know about the Mage's Soul-Calling Book?"

"She is not a Mage; is that of any use to her?" Luo Qi had to say.

"Does she know of the existence of the Soul-Calling Book?" the Clownfish asked.

"She knows. She saw us operate it with her own eyes and heard the incantations. However, she may have forgotten; many things have happened since then, and that was just one small thing among them," Luo Qi said.

"The human brain does not forget anything; they only think they have forgotten and do not know how to summon the memory," the Clownfish said, "You can summon her to try. You can use Yajian to enhance the intensity of the incantation piercing into her brain. She will remember the day she heard it. A mental trap must be broken from the inside. You had better read your textbook twice; don't be like a high-energy idiot."

Luo Qi suppressed his anger, "I can try, but I don't think..." He glanced at the Clownfish, realizing there was no need to say this; he knew the Clownfish was right.

Guan Xinyue held the child's hand. The thick fog in the mountains spread, carrying the choking smell of burning firewood. "What is happening?"

"Someone is coming," the child answered.

Guan Xinyue suddenly felt panicked. The lights of the old house suddenly went out, and the thick fog gathered from the mountains, about to swallow her in the blink of an eye. She hurriedly reached for the child's hand, "Don't get lost."

"Soul, come back! Leave your constant abode,

Why go to the four corners? Forsake your happy place,

And leave that ominous place!

Soul, come back! The East cannot be trusted.

The long men are a thousand fathoms tall, only the soul is sought.

Ten suns rise in turn, melting metal and scorching stone.

They are all accustomed to it; if the soul goes, it will surely be released.

Come back! It cannot be trusted.

Soul, come back! The South cannot be stayed in."

"This is..." Guan Xinyue covered her ears in pain. The happy feeling of being accompanied by her relatives retreated rapidly in the thick fog, and the desolate soul-calling song rang out in the depths of her memory. "Who is it... don't go..."

The little girl disappeared into the thick fog.

"Xinyue?" Another girl was holding her hand, "Xinyue, are you awake?"

She opened her eyes and saw Liu Ziyu looking at her anxiously.

Life had been rather difficult for a while, but today I am finally happy again and continuing to update the text.

Updating Deep Space Screw tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)