[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-137":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292100,4481,"Chapter 137: Amnesia","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-137",137,"\u003Cp>The main issue was that the journey was too rushed; otherwise, Lu Fang could have gathered plenty of information before coming to the trial grounds, and he wouldn’t be so torn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhao Qingzhu…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang murmured to himself, pulling out the bloodline white jade and carefully sensing it, but felt nothing unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That shouldn’t be right!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this wasn’t a dream, and he had truly encountered Zhao Qingzhu herself, this bloodline white jade made from Lu Ling’s blood should have reacted somehow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because they were still too far apart?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the ascetic monk had said that entering that place was shrouded in thick fog, with no birds or insects singing—completely unlike the current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how hard Lu Fang thought, he couldn’t figure it out; he walked around holding the bloodline white jade, and only when he realized it was dark did he notice fog had risen all around—thick fog that obscured anything beyond three feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chirping of birds had also suddenly vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with this eerie scene, Lu Fang wasn’t alarmed—he was delighted. The reason the bloodline white jade hadn’t reacted earlier was indeed because of distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering this strange place, the bloodline white jade in his hand faintly glowed with a soft luminescence; now he was certain the events earlier hadn’t been a dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After circling around for a while, Lu Fang sensed nothing unusual; even by daybreak, the thick fog hadn’t lifted, and he still hadn’t found the entrance to the underground palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe I’ll see it while in a cultivation state.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang hesitated. With no better option, he sat cross-legged and resumed cultivation. This time, he waited a long while but never re-entered that state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From day to night, Lu Fang fell asleep again during cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, he once more saw the ancient castle with only a silhouette; as space twisted, Zhao Qingzhu appeared again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang, excited, said: “I’ve finally seen you again! I’ve searched for a long time but still haven’t found the entrance to the underground palace. I hope you can tell me—believe me, I’ll definitely save you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu, surprised, asked: “You know me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang hesitated: “Didn’t we talk yesterday? You told me your name is Zhao Qingzhu, and I’m Lu Ling’s…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He repeated everything he’d said the day before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu listened, tears streaming down her face: “How is Ling’er? What does she look like? Is she fat or thin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang tried to pull out Lu Ling’s portrait from his storage pouch, fumbling for a long while before realizing—he was in a strange state and couldn’t retrieve anything from his pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured awkwardly: “Ling’er looks almost exactly like you. She misses you terribly. Tell me where the entrance to the underground palace is—I’ll get you out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This strange state didn’t last long; he didn’t ask why Zhao Qingzhu had forgotten yesterday’s conversation, but immediately pressed for the location of the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu shook her head, just as she had yesterday: “Don’t enter here—it’s too dangerous. Just go take care of Ling’er for me. I didn’t mean to…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her stance was firm; no matter how Lu Fang pressed, she refused to reveal the entrance to the underground palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Space twisted again, and Lu Fang opened his eyes to find nothing but thick fog all around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is this happening?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d seen Zhao Qingzhu twice, yet she forgot both times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it because she’s in some special place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What frustrated Lu Fang was that both times, Zhao Qingzhu’s resolve was unshakable—once she heard he was connected to Lu Ling, she refused to reveal the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed he shouldn’t mention his connection to Lu Ling next time; maybe then she’d tell him the entrance’s location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhao Qingzhu hadn’t lost her memory or been afraid, he could’ve talked to her more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To find out whether Zhao Qingzhu could enter that strange state at will, Lu Fang didn’t search for the entrance this time—he sat cross-legged and cultivated continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to see how long it would take to re-enter that strange place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until nightfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang entered the strange place again; upon seeing Zhao Qingzhu, he didn’t mention Lu Ling at all—he simply observed in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Zhao Qingzhu had forgotten everything that had happened before. She looked at Lu Fang without speaking, her expression calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Lu Fang ventured, \"Is this a dream?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu smiled and nodded, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled: “Do you have something you want to tell me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu shook her head, silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Lu Fang had spoken to her before, he might’ve thought she was mute—it left him utterly baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang prompted: “Is there anything you need me to help you with?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu smiled faintly: “Why ask that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang feigned ignorance: “Because I’ve seen you—if you didn’t need my help, it wouldn’t make sense. Don’t worry, say it freely—I’ll do whatever I can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu shook her head with a smile: “I don’t need your help. This is just a dream.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang froze. This wasn’t what he expected—even without mentioning Lu Ling, Zhao Qingzhu still wouldn’t reveal the entrance to the underground palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This doesn’t make sense!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d told the ascetic monk before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, hiding anything was pointless; Lu Fang bluntly voiced his question:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have an elder brother—a wandering ascetic monk. He met you before. You told him about an entrance to an underground palace. Can you tell me? Maybe I can save you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu wiped her tears, her expression turning reflective: “Yes, over ten years ago, I met a wandering ascetic monk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused, then changed the subject: “How is Ling’er? What does she look like? Does she resemble me or her father? How tall is she?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every topic revolved around Lu Ling; she completely ignored Lu Fang’s questions about the underground palace entrance and the ascetic monk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Lu Fang still didn’t get what he wanted from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lu Fang opened his eyes again from the strange state, he rubbed his head in frustration. From these three conversations with Zhao Qingzhu, he could now sense the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qingzhu had once told the ascetic monk the location of the underground palace entrance—perhaps back then, she didn’t yet know how dangerous it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that she knew the danger, she wouldn’t reveal the entrance—not because of his connection to Lu Ling, but to anyone. She refused to tell anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she believed it was too dangerous and didn’t want anyone to go there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for why Zhao Qingzhu remembered the ascetic monk, it must be because of that special place—ten years ago, she didn’t suffer from amnesia. This memory loss may have only recently begun.\u003C\u002Fp>",1127,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b0ae81fc6886785622c4f141a8d8f18aa79bb39d997889f5dc4e28dc64deb42a","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-138","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-136",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]