Chapter 10. Regular Array Union

Hou Gong took a step back in surprise, trying to dodge, but the bookshelf was moving too fast.

‘Damn it!’

He couldn’t avoid the collapsing bookshelf.

To minimize the impact, he crouched down.

At that moment, an astonishing scene unfolded.

The books and bookshelf that were pouring down scattered like fragments of light, passing through his body and disappearing as they hit the ground.

‘Illusion.’

Bang!

Something else poured down.

Looking up, he saw the ceiling shattering and raining down on him. This time, Hou Gong didn’t try to dodge. He just stared blankly at the pile of debris from the ceiling.

The remains of the ceiling, like the bookshelf, scattered into fragments of light and disappeared. After the ceiling debris passed through his head and body, the same phenomenon occurred on the floor.

The floor cracked and scattered like glass.

The surroundings suddenly changed.

Hou Gong was no longer in the study.

The area was covered in white snow.

Large snowflakes slowly fell, and a chill enveloped the air. His feet were already buried in the snow up to his ankles.

Hou Gong turned around and exclaimed.

“Oh, so this is winter.”

The book named "Winter" seemed to be the key to activating the array. The Illusionary Array of Winter. It drew him into this landscape.

In the illusion, which felt as real as reality, the only thing indicating that this was an illusion within the array was the ‘Winter Book’ floating in front of him.

Hou Gong moved forward.

With each step, the realistic sound of crunching snow echoed.

In the distance, mountains were visible, and the trees were covered in snow. Climbing over a small hill, Hou Gong encountered snowmen.

Three snowmen.

A child snowman in the middle, with adult snowmen on either side.

The snowmen were connected by branches, like a family where the parents held the child’s hands from both sides.

The snowmen on either side were smiling at the child.

The child must be Fan Hang, and the ones on either side must be his father and mother.

Here, the family looked happy.

“Eh...?”

Suddenly, he felt dizzy and stumbled. It happened when he was looking at the snowman that resembled Fan Hang’s mother. His vision blurred. Were the snowmen moving away, or was he stepping back endlessly? He couldn’t tell. Then, a burst of light enveloped him.

Whoosh~

The world turned white, and when he opened his eyes, he was in a different place.

A place he had been before.

The western garden of the Tianhua Library.

And this was still within the illusion.

A large plum tree was blooming with both snow and plum blossoms, defying the cold. The wind blew, and the plum blossoms scattered beautifully.

The cold wind brushing against his cheeks felt real.

There were no snowmen here, but instead, a family of three.

Fan Hang and his parents. Hou Gong approached the illusion.

The woman was sitting in a chair, and the middle-aged man beside her was holding her hand.

The woman’s face was pale and emaciated.

She was extremely thin, almost skeletal. Her hair, though sparse, was neatly combed, making her look even more pitiful. Her cheeks were gaunt, and her eyes were sunken with shadows.

Fan Hang’s mother was fading away.

“Seeing the plum blossoms with you... it’s good... Spring will come soon...”

The woman’s voice was slow and weak.

The man smiled at her.

“Madam, when spring comes, we’ll see the blossoms again.”

“Yes, we will.”

Then, she took Fan Hang’s hand.

“Son...”

Thud.

A plum petal flew in and landed on the back of the young Fan Hang’s hand.

“Son... I love you.”

The woman caressed the boy’s hand.

A moment later, her touch stopped.

Her hand grew colder. Although Hou Gong was just watching, he felt as if he were Fan Hang, sensing her body growing cold.

Fan Hang’s eyes welled up with tears.

His vision blurred as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He tried to see his mother clearly, but the tears made it difficult. He squeezed his eyes shut and let the tears fall, but they quickly welled up again, and he began to sob.

He couldn’t see his mother, who was as beautiful as a flower. The woman, who was once so beautiful, never saw spring.

Whoosh~

The scenery swirled and then unfolded again...

Still within the illusion, in a room of the Tianhua Library.

It was ten days after Fan Hang’s mother had passed away.

The first thing he saw was the back of the family head.

He was sitting in a daze, looking at an old man at the desk.

The old man was even older than the family head. His hair was completely white, his skin rough, and he had dark spots, known as the flowers of death.

‘This is Fan Hang’s father.’

What had happened?

The man who had lost his wife had aged into an old man in just ten days.

His hair had turned white overnight, his skin had lost its vitality, and the flowers of death had bloomed. The grief of losing his wife had drained his life. He aged and died, pen in hand, at the desk.

On the paper, he had drawn plum blossoms.

Like ten days ago, plum blossoms were scattered on the paper.

Below the drawing, a message was left.

- Fan Hang... I’m sorry.

“Aaaaaah...”

The old family head wailed.

The old man, who had lost his daughter-in-law and son in just ten days, was fortunate to be able to cry.

Fan Hang stood behind the old family head.

He was looking at his father’s body and his grandfather, with a slight smile on one side of his face. His eyes were empty.

At that moment, several people rushed into the study.

His uncle Fan Jiang, aunt, Yun, and Bu Meng.

Fan Hang greeted them.

The four people froze.

Fan Hang’s smile was too cheerful. The young Bu Meng, not understanding what was happening, just blinked, but the more mature Yun was trembling in fear and took a step back.

Fan Hang’s smile was not one that should be there at this moment.

Suddenly, a burst of light in his head made Hou Gong stagger.

Everything he saw shattered and scattered, and the surroundings were filled with a white glow.

As this happened, numerous scenes flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

They appeared and disappeared, and voices came and went. His heart raced, then calmed, he was surprised, then sad, then happy.

Hou Gong inwardly cheered.

‘Ah! Memory transfer...’

All of this was Fan Hang’s.

Fan Hang’s memories.

Everything Fan Hang had seen, felt, learned, and known poured into his mind in a chaotic and terrifying rush.

“Master!”

“Huh?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Hou Gong looked around.

He was back in the real study.

Song Hua was in front of him, holding the Winter Book, her face pale and her eyes teary, looking frightened.

Hou Gong immediately understood.

Having entered the secret array, Song Hua must have been afraid that his memory had returned.

Hou Gong asked casually.

“Song Hua, it’s you.”

“...”

“What’s wrong? Why are you about to cry?”

“Huh?”

Song Hua’s eyes widened at the blunt question.

“Did you yawn or something?”

“Huh? Ah... Yes, I was yawning because I was tired... Ahh~.”

Song Hua pretended to yawn, rubbing her eyes and smiling.

‘She’s trying hard.’

Hou Gong inwardly chuckled but maintained a displeased expression.

“Tsk tsk... A grown woman yawning with her mouth wide open... You’re only pretty on the outside, with no redeeming qualities.”

“I’m sorry.”

Despite her apology, Song Hua’s expression brightened, and Hou Gong clicked his tongue again.

Song Hua was relieved to see that her master’s recent manner and attitude hadn’t changed after entering the Winter Array, but she was still uneasy.

“Master, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I just went to a snowy field because the array activated.”

“So... you’re really... alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you... regain any lost memories...?”

“Regain my memories?”

“...Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Hou Gong hesitated.

As he pondered, Song Hua looked at him anxiously.

Hou Gong staggered, clutching his head and writhing.

“Ugh, my head... Ugh... Song Hua.”

“M-Master!”

Song Hua, startled and unsure what to do, watched as Hou Gong suddenly straightened up and laughed.

“Song Hua, what do you think? If my memory returned, wouldn’t it be like this?”

“Huh?”

Song Hua stared blankly, as if questioning whether he was human.

“What’s that look for?”

“Ah... I was just surprised. Today’s joke was a bit much. It really feels like my lifespan is being shortened.”

“I’m sorry.”

Laughing, Hou Gong headed to his bedroom.

One step, then another.

The method was different, but Fan Hang’s memories were being transferred.

He had thought that if he absorbed Fan Hang’s memories, he would clutch his head and groan, but that didn’t happen.

One step, then another.

His body felt weightless.

With each step, it felt like walking on water. Not just a feeling, but a ripple appeared on the ground with each step.

“Master, good night.”

“...”

He lay down on the bed. He tried to respond to Song Hua’s goodnight, but his mouth wouldn’t move.

His body felt incredibly heavy.

His eyes grew heavy.

Hou Gong simply glanced at Song Hua as a way of saying goodnight and closed his eyes.

Did the bed turn into the sea?

Or did the sea move to the bed?

His body slowly sank into the water.

Deeper.

Could he still breathe?

***

At dawn, Hou Gong woke up early.

He hadn’t slept for many hours, but he felt as if he had slept for days.

His mind was clear, and his body felt light as if it could fly.

‘It’s done.’

The memory transfer had unified Jing (essence), Qi (energy), and Shen (spirit).

The soul and body, which had been separate, were now fused.

The new body, which had felt foreign, now fit like a well-tailored suit, merging with his consciousness. His advanced consciousness and profound enlightenment had integrated into his body, opening the dantian and establishing the foundation for internal energy in the eight extraordinary meridians.

Originally, the cultivation method is based on consciousness and enlightenment, which influence the body. Therefore, with this new body now integrated with his consciousness, the starting point was different.

The only issue was the beginning, but reaching the original realm was just a matter of time. Hou Gong had already experienced and achieved this path.

Thus, the beginning was also the end.

In the future, it would take no more than five years, and at most ten years, to reach his original realm. If he received help from medicinal herbs, plants, and other resources, the time would be significantly shortened.

In this regard, the Tianhua Library was the optimal place.

Although it was in decline, the library’s resources were still intact.