Chapter 51: Return to Jinghai

On the way back, the atmosphere was unusually heavy.

After much hesitation, Murong Wan finally spoke up:

"Mr. Jiang, is the teacher considered dead?"

Jiangnan seemed to have anticipated her question and, after a moment of silence,

slowly began to explain:

"Dean Li is not dead, because he was never a living person; he is merely a puppet created by someone."

"A puppet?"

Murong Wan's face was full of shock, and she could not even be sad for a moment. She wiped the reddened, swollen eye sockets and gazed at Jiangnan.

Jiangnan nodded and explained:

"He is not the real Dean Li; he is only a puppet being controlled."

"As for the one who controls him..."

Jiangnan slightly frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes:

"It is a lineage of overseas Onmyoji."

"How could they suddenly intervene in this matter?"

Su Meiruo asked anxiously:

"Jiangnan, what did Dean Li mean when he spoke before leaving?"

Jiangnan let out a light laugh, his tone tinged with contempt:

"They're just a few Jumping Clowns, that's all."

"Not worth fearing."

At that moment, a figure stumbled and ran over.

It was Li Dong.

He cradled the unconscious Li Si Si in his arms, his face frantic, his eyes bloodshot.

"Jiangnan, please, save my sister!"

Li Dong rushed to Jiangnan's side, fell to his knees with a "thud", his voice choked.

Jiangnan looked at Li Dong, his gaze complex.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:

"I can save her, but I cannot truly save her."

Li Dong jerked his head up, his eyes filled with confusion and hope:

"What does that mean?"

Jiangnan explained:

"Your sister's soul has already been merged with the River God."

"Now, they are a single entity."

"Even if I save her, she will no longer be the sister you remember."

Li Dong was stunned.

He stared blankly at Li Si Si in his arms, his gaze hollow as if his soul had vanished.

After a long while, he finally asked in a trembling voice:

"Then… what should we do?"

Jiangnan sighed and said:

"I can erase the River God's consciousness, allowing her to regain her own awareness."

"But the price is that she will lose all memories."

"Including memories of you."

Li Dong clutched Li Si Si tightly, his body trembling even more.

He closed his eyes in pain, tears streaming down his cheeks.

On one side is the sister regained yet lost, on the other is the deeply etched familial love.

How should he choose?

Time passed second by second, the atmosphere on the riverbank growing heavy and oppressive.

Murong Wan and Su Meiruo stood silently beside them, daring not to speak.

They knew this was the hardest decision in Li Dong's life.

Finally, Li Dong slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with pain and resolve.

"Please, save her!"

His voice was hoarse, yet unwavering.

"Even if she doesn't remember me, I still want her to live."

Jiangnan nodded, saying nothing more.

He extended his hand, a faint golden light shimmering from his palm.

The golden light slowly flowed into Li Si Si's body, dispersing the River God's lingering consciousness.

The River God's once arrogant aura had long been extinguished; now only a weak spirit remained, trembling.

She knew she had been defeated.

Defeated completely.

She was unwilling, yet powerless to resist.

She could only watch helplessly as her consciousness was erased bit by bit.

Jiangnan's movements were gentle, rarely showing a hint of compassion and pity.

He knew that for Li Si Si, it might be a kind of release.

But for Li Dong, it was a cruel torment.

As time passed, the black aura around Li Si Si gradually faded, and her complexion slowly returned to a rosy hue.

She seemed to have fallen into a slumber, not waking up immediately.

Jiangnan withdrew his hand and let out a light sigh:

"All right, but her spirit needs to recover; she will probably sleep for a month or two."

Li Dong trembled as he took Li Si Si, holding her tightly as if to merge her into his own body.

He felt his sister's familiar body heat, his heart filled with sourness and bitterness.

He knew that from now on, his sister would no longer recognize him.

Jiangnan looked at Li Dong and said in a deep voice:

"The River God's spiritual awareness may have been erased, but her power remains."

"To prevent her from being controlled by evil again, I need to seal her for a period."

"Within three years, she must stay by my side and may not leave."

Li Dong lifted his head, his eyes filled with gratitude:

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang."

Jiangnan shook his head and said:

"No need to thank me."

"It's merely a trivial effort."

He turned around, looked at Murong Wan and the others, his tone calm:

"Let's go."

"We're returning to Jinghai."

Murong Wan and Su Meiruo nodded, silently following behind Jiangnan.

Lin Wan cast a deep glance at Li Dong, a flash of complex emotion passing through her eyes.

She said nothing, and silently followed.

……

Jinghai, the bustling city's clamor was blocked out by towering skyscrapers that rose into the clouds,

Inside Jiangnan's villa, there was complete tranquility.

He sat cross‑legged, regulating his breath, a faint golden aura swirling around him, like a meditating Jin Fo.

Murong Wan, following Jiangnan's instructions, declined all social engagements solely to create a quiet cultivation environment for him.

Three days later, Jiangnan slowly opened his eyes, a hint of irritation flashing within them.

In the End of Dharma Era, spiritual energy was as thin as mist; even though he possessed a peerless technique, his cultivation progressed as slowly as a snail, three days of arduous practice yielding no advancement.

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, a sense of helplessness rising in his heart.

Suddenly, he recalled the River God Pearl he had obtained from the riverbed.

The bead had originally been the River God's inner core, containing massive water‑based spiritual power; Jiangnan refined it with a secret method, converting its violent energy into gentle, pure spiritual energy, perfect for aiding cultivation.

The River God Pearl was entirely emerald, emitting a sparkling luster; holding it, a cool sensation seeped into his heart and lungs, as if immersed in a clear stream.

Jiangnan inhaled deeply, placed the River God Pearl at his dantian, activated his technique, guiding the pearl's spiritual energy to flow through all his meridians.

The spiritual energy streamed like a gentle brook, moistening his dried meridians, bringing a tingling numbness.

As time passed, the spiritual energy grew denser, Jiangnan's body seemed to become a massive vessel, greedily absorbing the pure power.

His skin took on a faint reddish glow, sweat fell like rain, soaking his clothes.

The Golden Core is the first threshold of cultivation, also the hardest hurdle to cross.

It requires condensing the scattered spiritual energy within the body into a single Golden Core, like building a skyscraper in a desert, demanding enormous effort and perseverance.

Jiangnan clenched his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain as his meridians were struck by spiritual energy, veins bulging on his forehead, large beads of sweat continuously dripping.

His consciousness gradually blurred, as if immersed in chaos, everything around him becoming illusory.