Chapter 168: Regret

Li Su Shang's face showed genuine distress; she raised her hand and lightly tapped her own temples, "It seems… I can't quite remember what comes next. I only recall that after my mother left… afterwards, my memory was like being covered in a thick fog, muddled and confused. I also don't know why I woke up inside that 'Crystal Coffin.' It feels as if… a large chunk is missing in between."

She said this, her eyes showing bewilderment.

Hua stopped, turned to face Li Su Shang, her clear cold gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"The memory gap is so obvious…… Could it be due to trauma, or some kind of force interfering, causing amnesia?"

"Am-, amnesia?"

Li Su Shang's eyes were bewildered; this term was somewhat unfamiliar to her, but given her condition, it seemed quite understandable.

She then gave a carefree smile, "In the martial world, who hasn't had a few bumps? Grand Master, no need to worry overly."

Hua did not respond, she raised her right hand, her fingertips seeming to flow with a faint light.

"Do not resist, relax your mind."

Hua said calmly, "I am somewhat versed in the Method of Tracing Memory Path; perhaps I can take a look."

She spoke indirectly, but the meaning was clear.

Li Su Shang first startled, then her face showed surprise and reverence: "Probe the divine soul's memory? Grand Master actually masters such profound divine skill!"

She had no hesitation, immediately straightened her back, eyes firm: "Su Shang will submit to whatever Grand Master does."

Clearly she placed unreserved trust in this "Divine Spirit Patriarch."

Hua's fingertip lightly touched Li Su Shang's brow.

In the next moment, Li Su Shang felt as if a warm halo of light spread before her eyes, several illusory, soft golden-yellow feather-like light shadows drifting lightly, bringing a brief sense of dazed tranquility.

She blinked, and the light and shadow had already vanished, as if it were merely an illusion.

"Done?" Li Su Shang touched her forehead, feeling a bit dazed.

"Mm."

Hua slowly lowered her hand; on her usually expressionless face, a rare hint of "as expected" appeared.

Just as her perception was about to reach the depths of Li Su Shang's memory fog, in that Shana, a dark barrier appeared out of nowhere, upon which a line of text, even somewhat playful, suddenly emerged:

【The area ahead, come explore it later! (￣▽￣)~——Heimu left】*

This stylish message made Hua's probe feel like hitting an invisible wall, instantly rebounded.

Indeed, this was the work of that "Heimu."

She brought Li Su Shang here, and also locked the key memory—what exactly does she intend?

Seeing Li Su Shang's pleading gaze, Hua could only follow the message's hint, using a universal martial-world excuse: "Regarding your memory fog, the key point within will become clear when the opportunity arises. For now…… it is not yet the time to unveil it."

Li Su Shang, though somewhat confused, still nodded thoughtfully out of absolute trust in the "senior": "Junior understands. I will follow whatever the senior arranges."

In the course of their talk, the two had already arrived at the entrance of the Le Tu New District hall.

Before they even stepped inside, the hall's sound waves came rushing at them.

Hua stood at the doorway, merely glancing inside, and her steps halted.

A hint of emotion called "regret" flitted across her heart.

The hall before them could be called "Chaotic Demon Dance":

In the hall's center, Ailixiya still wore those pink star-shaped sunglasses, dancing to the energetic music with lively steps, her pink figure seeming to emit its own light.

Yidian leaned against her usual sofa, her drink half-empty, her exquisite face flushed with a tipsy blush, her gaze somewhat dazed as she watched her close friend dance, the corner of her mouth bearing a fleeting smile.

On the corner sofa, Kevin still wore those starry sky sunglasses, speaking to Su sitting opposite her.

Su had her hands clasped, wearing her usual warm and tolerant smile, though the arc of that smile seemed somewhat stiffened; evidently, the effect of Kevin's "joke" remained stubbornly below freezing.

And the open kitchen area was even more "fiercely contested."

Qianjie's tall figure was cloaked in a white chef's uniform, the gaze behind his dark red mask torch-like, as he "roared" commands at the oven and a pile of decorating tools.

Surprisingly, beside the workstation lay several plates of finished goods—exquisitely shaped, delicately colored pastries that looked quite appealing, forming an absurd contrast with the chef's violent demeanor.

Li Su Shang peeked out from behind Hua, seeing this scene, her small mouth unconsciously formed an O.

(Is this… the daily cultivation of the ancient sages?)

She was greatly shocked in her heart.

Although she couldn't understand what those glowing, resonant magical treasures and oddly dressed seniors were doing, the atmosphere that hit her face made her instinctively feel "unexplained awe."

So the immortals' lives are like this…… rich and colorful?

Just then, a figure silently appeared at another passageway.

Ying stood there silently, pink long hair, upright fox ears, a cold visage.

She too seemed drawn by the group chat message, yet she hadn't expected to first witness such a "grand scene."

She gazed at Ailixiya and the tipsy Yidian in the hall's center, then at Kevin telling cold jokes in the corner and Qianjie with his "magnificent momentum" in the kitchen; her calm face also flickered with a hint of surprise.

Her gaze then turned to Hua at the doorway, and to the stranger girl behind Hua, full of wonder and looking around.

Ying walked toward Hua, her steps soundless.

"Hua." Ying nodded in greeting, her voice clear and pleasant.

"Ying." Hua responded, inwardly relieved; finally someone with a relatively normal demeanor had arrived.

Ying's gaze fell on Li Su Shang, carrying a hint of inquiry.

Li Su Shang also immediately noticed this newly arrived senior, especially the pair of fox ears on her head, which were utterly different from her own.

She could clearly sense the restrained yet sharp aura emanating from the other, in no way inferior to those present in the hall.

This made her both nervous and excited—indeed, this is an immortal's abode; even seniors with beast ears possess such extraordinary bearing!

Before Hua could speak, Li Su Shang stepped forward one pace, clasped her fists in salute, and cried out clear and loud: "Junior Li Su Shang of the Supreme Freedom Sect, greetings… uh, greetings, O great immortal!"

Not knowing how to address this fox-eared senior at the moment, she simply used the highest honorific she could think of.

Ying: "……?"

She tilted her head slightly, and clear doubt rose in her eyes.

"Great Immortal?" she repeated, looking toward Hua.

Hua let out a soft sigh and explained to Ying in the simplest terms: "Li Su Shang, from…… an era different from ours. She arrived here by circumstance. She has her own system of understanding the current environment."

She omitted the complicated relationships like 'disciple-granddisciple' and 'original form', after all, explaining these clearly to Ying would take more time.

Ying understood immediately.

She wasn't unable to understand cultural differences; it's just that the title 'Great Immortal' is really too…… antiquated.

She looked at Li Su Shang, who still held the salute pose with bright, sparkling eyes, pondered briefly, and responded in her usual concise style:

"Ying. Just call me by my name."

Li Su Shang readily complied, immediately changing her address: "Yes! Senior Ying!"

In her view, this Senior Ying, though sparing with words, had a pure and aloof demeanor, truly bearing the bearing of a Great Immortal!

Hua watched the two who seemed to have gotten along (?) smoothly, then glanced again at the still extraordinarily lively hall, feeling that the urgent matter might not be formal introductions but how to let Li Su Shang safely adapt to this overly 'lively' 'immortal's abode'.

Meanwhile, in the center of the dance floor, Ailixiya seemed to finally notice the commotion at the doorway; she made a beautiful spin, stopped dancing, took off her sunglasses, her pink eyes curving into crescents, and waved vigorously toward Hua and Li Su Shang:

"Yay~! Hua, did you bring a new friend? Come play together!"

Hua: "......"

Li Su Shang: "!!!"