Chapter 5

Chen Hai woke up again, his head throbbing as if a thousand steel needles were piercing his brain. His body also ached, but the pain was less intense compared to the agony in his head.

He opened his eyes and saw the light blue bed canopy above him, which seemed familiar, but his mind was in a mess, unable to recall where he was or the source of the familiarity. He asked, "Where am I?"

A tall figure stood by the window, his lean shoulders exuding a powerful and imposing presence. Chen Hai recognized this man as Chen Lie, the uncle in Yao Xing's memories, a general of the Wuwei Army and a powerful cultivator at the late Mingqiao stage...

Seeing Yao Xing awake, Chen Lie turned around and said, "You fell off a cliff. I happened to have some business to return to the sect, so I brought you back to the sect for treatment!"

Chen Lie looked to be around forty, in the prime of his life. His lean face and lightning-like eyes revealed a resolute and steady demeanor, as if he could tear apart any storm with his firm will.

Seeing this face, Chen Hai couldn't help but feel a sense of dependence, but he knew this feeling came from Yao Xing's memories...

Xiao'er?

Could it really be that his soul had entered someone else's body, and the original owner, Yao Xing, had actually died after falling off the cliff?

Is this Yao Xing's residence in the Taiwei Sect?

More accurately, this was Chen Lie's residence on Jianyun Cliff in the Taiwei Sect, which explained why the place felt both familiar and strange when he opened his eyes.

The sect Chen Lie mentioned was the Taiwei Sect, where he had his own residence on Qingxi Peak.

Yao Xing was exiled to the various counties west of the river, and Chen Lie had arranged for him to stay at the Taiwei Sect, serving as a servant boy on Jianyun Cliff, along with other family guards to watch over the place.

Chen Lie's daughter, Chen Qing, was exceptionally talented and, as a fourth-generation inner disciple of the Taiwei Sect, had already reached the initial stage of the Spirit Opening realm at a young age. She usually stayed on Jianyun Cliff to cultivate, but after Yao Xing came, she rarely visited because she disliked his frivolous nature.

In addition to Chen Lie and his children, the Chen clan had an elder who was a law enforcement elder in the Taiwei Sect and a venerated figure in the Wuwei Army, with deep roots and significant influence in both the Taiwei Sect and the Wuwei Army...

It was precisely because of this that, although Yao Xing was just a servant boy, others had to tolerate his promiscuity in the Taiwei Sect. However, after his cultivation was ruined, he could no longer officially enter the inner sect for cultivation, let alone become a true disciple.

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Chen Hai lay there dumbfounded, staring at the bed canopy embroidered with auspicious beasts and birds, trying to endure the intense headache. He managed to lift his hand, but the blue dragon mark on his arm had disappeared again, which was truly bizarre.

Was it the blue dragon black tripod that brought his soul into this unfamiliar world called Yanzhou, and into someone else's body?

Although these thoughts were absurd, they were the only reasonable explanation he could think of at the moment.

"Do you have any hidden injuries?" Chen Lie asked with concern, seeing Chen Hai's extreme pain. He had already used the best spiritual medicine he had, but he wasn't entirely confident that it would leave no lingering effects.

Chen Hai's mind was filled with too many questions and shocks to sort through, and he didn't know how to respond to Chen Lie's concerned inquiry.

Seeing Yao Xing lying stiffly on the bed, Chen Lie felt a mix of frustration and helplessness, and sighed, "Xiao'er, from now on, I'll have Ziling serve you in your room. Don't cause any more trouble. If something happens to you, how can I face your parents?"

"No, Ziling can't marry such a despicable person!"

As Chen Lie spoke, a girl in a light blue dress rushed in, her face stern as she tried to persuade her father to change his mind. She refused to see her sister-like friend, Su Ziling, be disgraced by Yao Xing.

Chen Lie's brows furrowed, and he said unhappily, "Ziling will eventually have to marry and have children. Even if Xiao'er can't cultivate in the future, he is still a member of the Yao family. If Ziling can bear his children, they can enter the Yao family temple, and it won't disgrace her."

"Father, you said Ziling has excellent cultivation potential. Why can't she continue to cultivate in the Taiwei Sect?" the girl argued.

"Ziling is ultimately a slave of the Chen family. No matter how talented she is, she can never become an inner disciple and cultivate on the top seven peaks of the Taiwei Sect. I've made my decision, Qing, don't interfere anymore," Chen Lie said, though he was a kind father, he wouldn't allow his daughter to meddle in this matter.

The girl's face turned red with anger, and she glared at Chen Hai before storming out.

"Qing!" Chen Lie called out several times, but his daughter didn't stop. He sighed and followed her out of the bedroom.

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After a long while, with no sign of Chen Lie and his daughter returning, and the sky already dark, Chen Hai struggled to get up from the bed. He didn't know what kind of spiritual medicine Chen Lie had given him, but his body felt fine, though his head still ached, possibly a lingering effect of the穿越.

The bedroom was simply furnished, with a bed, a desk, and a large bookshelf against the wall. A few scattered books were on the shelf, and a bronze lamp stand, shaped like a kneeling palace maid, stood between the bookshelf and the desk.

The light from the hollow bronze pillar in the maid's hand was unusually bright and soft, with a faint fragrance wafting through the air.

Chen Hai, still suffering from a splitting headache, found the fragrance somewhat soothing. He thought the fragrance from the bronze lamp must have some magical effect.

The desk showed no signs of being joined, as if it were carved from a single piece of wood. It was hard to imagine such a large piece of wood existing. The desk was dark and rough but exuded an ancient and simple aura.

Chen Hai, with years of experience in antiques, could tell that the simple-looking furniture in the room was far from ordinary.

He walked to the desk and picked up a dragon-shaped paperweight. It felt heavy, like a mix of gold and stone, with a fierce and terrifying dragon sculpture that seemed to roar to the sky, exuding an indescribable aura, clearly not an ordinary object.

Chen Hai then thought of the blue dragon black tripod, a thin-walled tripod less than a foot tall that required four strong men to move. It was likely made of the same extremely heavy and mysterious metal as the dragon paperweight.

At that moment, a graceful figure entered from the outer room, seemingly surprised to see Chen Hai already up. She stood at the door, unsure whether to enter or leave.

She was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, with a face as beautiful as jade. She was Su Ziling, who had been a slave in the Chen family since childhood and was like a sister to Chen Qing.

Su Ziling wore a light blue dress, her skin as white as snow, and her dress fluttered even in the still room. Her face was clear and beautiful, almost ethereal.

At that moment, another girl's face flashed in Chen Hai's mind...

This was a face even more beautiful and captivating, causing Chen Hai's heart to tremble uncontrollably.

Chen Hai knew this feeling came from the broken memories of the original body's owner, Yao Xing. However, the memories of this girl in his mind were completely shattered, leaving only her face.

Strangely, the memories of Yao Xing before his exile to the Taiwei Sect were also fragmented. Chen Hai could only piece together some vague impressions, knowing that Yao Xing had committed a grave sin that was intolerable to the Yao clan, but he couldn't recall what the sin was.

Interestingly, Su Ziling bore a resemblance to the girl in Yao Xing's fragmented memories, though she was slightly less mature and more innocent, lacking the unique charm of the other girl...

While Chen Hai was captivated by the girl's face in his mind, he didn't notice the cold gleam in Su Ziling's eyes as she stood at the door.

Seeing Chen Hai silent for a long time, Su Ziling stiffly retreated.

Chen Hai didn't care about Su Ziling's thoughts and picked up a damaged scroll from under the dragon paperweight. The edges were worn, but the scroll was mostly intact. Recognizing the ancient seal script "Dao Bing Tong Xuan Bu Lu" on the cover, he noticed the corner was marked with "Cui Feng Shan Dao Yuan Yin Zhi" (Printed by Cui Feng Shan Dao Yuan)...

Chen Hai was puzzled. Even if Yao Xing's cultivation was ruined, he shouldn't be interested in such basic cultivation books. Before his cultivation was ruined, Yao Xing had already reached the late Spirit Opening stage and knew countless secret techniques and spells from the Yao clan. Why would he be interested in a basic cultivation book for ordinary soldiers?

However, when Chen Hai searched through Yao Xing's fragmented memories, he found the situation was different.

Yao Xing's memories of his cultivation being ruined and his exile from the Yao clan were fragmented, and these fragments contained no information about the Yao clan's cultivation techniques, as if they had been forcibly erased, beyond just memory loss.

Could there be a power in this world that could completely erase someone's memories?

Chen Hai stood there, wondering if he had truly entered a world of gods and demons where humans could move mountains and seas with their powers.

Chen Hai put the "Dao Bing Tong Xuan Bu Lu" back on the desk. He was still unclear about the situation, but he vaguely knew that Yao Xing had become self-destructive after his cultivation was ruined. In the clearest part of Yao Xing's memories, Chen Hai knew that re-cultivating after being ruined was extremely difficult, almost impossible.

Chen Hai had no intention of cultivating. He hadn't even figured out his own situation, but even if he didn't understand everything, he could accept living as Yao Xing in the Taiwei Sect, just eating and waiting to die.

And from Chen Lie's words, it seemed he was determined to have Su Ziling marry him. There was nothing to regret about that, but the key was to keep the secret that he was no longer Yao Xing from Chen Lie and Chen Qing...

Thinking of this, and seeing Su Ziling's beautiful face that made his heart race, Chen Hai felt a surge of heat in his abdomen.

But Chen Hai was also worried. If Su Ziling was unwilling to marry him, would she try to harm him in the future?

Or should he take her into his room, enjoy some pleasure, and then divorce her?

Even if the girl in Yao Xing's fragmented memories was breathtakingly beautiful, Su Ziling, though slightly less stunning, would still be a top-tier beauty on Earth.

"Dragon Emperor, is this the guardian you chose for the temple?"

Just as Chen Hai was lost in thought, an aged voice suddenly echoed in his mind. Before he could react, a vortex-like wave appeared before his eyes, threatening to swallow his consciousness, or rather, his soul and mind...

Damn!

Is he going to be transported again?!