Chapter 11: The Rekindled Resolve

Anything he picked up was a precious item, a valuable relic. The problem was that he hadn't eaten it yet; if the young master were to eat something for his health, ginseng and other tonics would be brought forth as if they had been waiting for this moment.

"Listen outside."

"Yes, Young Master."

One of the four guards outside the door replied.

"I am about to meditate. I will not eat breakfast, and it may take a long time. No one is to enter the room until I come out, even if it's Grandfather."

"…Yes."

The response was not enthusiastic.

Dahong did not press further.

This level of caution was sufficient.

If the guard had answered enthusiastically, that would have been a problem in itself. It was only right that they should be worried and anxious.

He sat down on the floor and immediately began to practice the mind technique.

This was the first time Dahong had practiced the mind technique since the integration of his spirit and body.

At some point, Dahong's skin began to glow as if it were transparent. His face, and even his hair, slowly fluttered and shone.

The light gradually faded and disappeared.

However, it had taken on a different, brighter quality from yesterday.

The dark shadows under his eyes had cleared, and his complexion, which had been somewhat dull, now radiated a clear aura. His hair shimmered with a gentle luster, each strand flowing smoothly.

How much time had passed?

While Dahong was deeply engrossed in his mind technique, his guards had already betrayed him.

The result of the betrayal.

Almost the entire family, led by the old patriarch, had gathered to watch the successor of the Tianhua Library and the young master meditate quietly.

Fan Yun and Fan Fumeng were so bewildered that they could only swallow their saliva, and the uncle, who had come despite his discomfort, was nervously shaking his pupils. The patriarch was as stiff as a statue.

The unease was indescribable, especially after receiving a report that Dahong had entered the Winter Illusion Formation in the study the previous night and had suddenly skipped breakfast to meditate this morning. They didn't even want to imagine what would happen if he really recovered his memory.

"By the way, why does the eldest son's face look so bright?"

The old patriarch whispered.

"Father, I have the same thought. Hong's skin used to be rough and dark, but now it's clear and fair, even better than a woman's."

"How can it be a good omen, yet so sudden that it's unsettling?"

"Grandfather, your voice is too loud."

Fumeng interjected, having heard this.

"Huh? Was it?"

"Yes."

"Achoo!"

Yun, who had been silent all along, sneezed loudly.

When everyone glared at Yun as if they wanted to kill him, Yun quickly covered his nose and mouth with his hands.

Dahong finished his mind technique practice as noon approached.

When he opened his eyes, a purple hue surrounded the edges of his irises. The purple light swirling in his eyes gathered at the center and disappeared, forming a dot.

It happened so quickly that no one, including the patriarch who had been watching all along, saw it.

Dahong stood up and bowed.

He had already sensed their presence while practicing the mind technique.

"Grandfather, you have come. I also greet Uncle."

"Child… are you alright?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thank goodness. Your meditation was quite long. We were worried… hehe…"

The patriarch smiled awkwardly, unable to ask the question he really wanted to.

How could Dahong not know the concerns in his heart?

Having absorbed Fan Hong's memories, he understood the family's worries even more clearly.

'There's no time to waste.'

This was not something to gloss over, nor did it need persuasion.

Dahong took immediate action, shouting firmly.

"Ha!"

He immediately assumed a horse-riding stance.

Seeing is better than hearing a hundred times.

"Grandfather, look. I have definitely changed. I have recovered my memory. All of it."

"Hehe, is that so? You've recovered your… huh?"

The patriarch, who had been laughing heartily, was stunned, and the same went for Yun and Fumeng. Everyone was momentarily stunned, but it didn't take long for them to understand the meaning.

The fact that the young master of the Tianhua Library, who had recovered his memory, was still in a horse-riding stance and shouting "ha" was clear.

Slowly…

Everyone's faces lit up.

There was no difference from yesterday.

There was no change from yesterday.

The playful tone and relaxed expression he had shown recently. If he had recovered his memory, he would never have acted like this.

Who could miss this meaning?

The patriarch's eyes welled up with tears.

"Child… you…"

"Yes, Grandfather."

"…Have you transcended?"

He was asking if Dahong had recovered his memory and overcome the darkness.

There was a desperate hope in his voice.

There would be no more need to worry about the recovery of his memory.

Perhaps the clarity in his skin was a result of transcending, the patriarch thought. The mind's strength could affect the body. When the mind is sick, the body is sick, and when the mind is full of vitality, the body radiates.

The eldest son had burned out his vitality and died as an old man in a single day. If this was the son of that father, the radiant face of the grandson might be the result of enlightenment.

If he had transcended the darkness, it was entirely possible.

Dahong nodded.

"I have transcended."

The calm answer from his grandson made the patriarch weep.

For him, this was the moment when the darkness that had enveloped the Tianhua Library since the death of his eldest daughter-in-law was lifted.

"Ah! It's done. It's done. Even if this old man were to die today, I would have no regrets."

The patriarch, wiping his tears with his sleeve, made Fan Jiang, Yun, and Fumeng cry as well. They hugged each other, not knowing what to do.

Dahong watched the scene,

awkwardly.

He swallowed hard.

'This is a moment to cry together… what should I do?'

***

The Tianhua Library was noisy all day.

The young master had been resurrected.

The patriarch, along with the uncle, the doctor, and the servants and scholars of the Tianhua Library, alternated between crying and laughing, expressing their joy and sharing their words. Dahong finally had a quiet moment late at night.

'My mind is a mess. What's all this about?'

Dahong shook his head.

Although he had absorbed Fan Hong's memories, for him, who was not Fan Hong, the intense emotions and tears of the Tianhua Library were overwhelming.

He understood the situation of the Tianhua Library, but as someone who had been the leader of the martial arts alliance until recently, it was difficult for him to feel the same emotions.

He also had no intention of pretending to be Fan Hong and living as the successor of the Tianhua Library. He hadn't been reborn; he had simply swapped bodies with Fan Hong in the same era. While the connection to the Tianhua Library was significant, he was, above all, not Fan Hong but Dahong.

Of course, he wasn't planning to leave the Tianhua Library immediately.

There was no need to go to the martial arts alliance, and it would be unwise to do so.

For the time being, he needed to stay in a safe place, and the Tianhua Library was the best location for that.

The Tianhua Library was known as a fortress and a stronghold in the martial world.

With its vast area covering an entire mountain and surrounded by various mystical formations and mechanisms, it was almost impossible to infiltrate from the outside.

Even if one managed to get inside, achieving their goal would be difficult.

Each pavilion, garden, and path, even the walls, were under the influence of formations. Any change would trap one in illusions or trigger the mechanisms' attacks.

This was not the only advantage.

As a family with a long and prestigious history, the Tianhua Library possessed considerable wealth and was filled with valuable ancient texts and relics.

But was the current Tianhua Library truly intact?

It was not.

How many places had decayed and crumbled under the shadow of Fan Hong?

Therefore, before dedicating himself to martial arts, he needed to restore the Tianhua Library as soon as possible.

In this regard, absorbing Fan Hong's memories was fortunate.

In fact, in terms of memory alone, Dahong had gained a lot, even to the point of being amazed.

He had thought that the mental state of the person who had brought the Tianhua Library to its knees and plunged it into a quagmire would be extraordinary, but the genius of Fan Hong, as revealed through his memories, surpassed imagination.

He had been outstanding from a young age.

While other children his age played with clay figures, Fan Hong was inventing formations, deciphering documents, and solving complex equations and arithmetic problems for fun.

He was not only excellent at deciphering codes but also at creating them. He had vast knowledge of formations and mechanisms, and was skilled in inventing, breaking, and modifying them. While studying and researching ancient texts, he even created bizarre cultivation techniques, making him an extraordinary individual.

At around nine years old, he had already made a name for himself in the scholarly world.

The great scholar Zhu Baiyan had published a document encrypted in a way that no one could decipher, but Fan Hong solved it in half a day while passing by.

Not only that, he was proficient in the arts of music, poetry, calligraphy, and painting, composing songs, playing instruments, and having a deep understanding of painting.

Until his mother's illness worsened, Fan Hong was a shining genius in every aspect.

In any case, Dahong had absorbed the memories and could now utilize all of them.

The soul exchange also became clear.

There was no mention of soul exchange anywhere in Fan Hong's memories or in his heart. He had simply been a victim of soul exchange.

The letter from 'Zhu Yang' found in the winter book was not about soul exchange. The letter, encrypted and exchanged with Zhu Yang, who had studied with Fan Hong at the Tianhua Library, contained a critical secret, but it was not about soul exchange.

Was the soul exchange the work of an external hostile force?

No.

Dahong concluded that it was not.

The soul exchange target did not make sense.

There was no reason to soul exchange the leader of the martial arts alliance and the young master of the Tianhua Library.

What kind of insane person would perform such a soul exchange without any benefit? Moreover, it was impossible to perform a soul exchange between different regions.

Even if one were to concede that it was possible, the lack of any follow-up actions, such as an attack or infiltration of the Tianhua Library, suggested that it was not an external force.

At this point, the soul exchange seemed to be a natural phenomenon.

***

Three days later, in the morning.

Dahong, who had been deeply engrossed in mind technique practice under the guise of meditation, took a moment to relax.

As he stepped outside and walked slowly, Songhua immediately followed.

Dahong, without looking at him, admired the surroundings, inwardly marveling.

'It's no wonder the Tianhua Library is called one of the three great libraries.'

After the memory transfer, the Tianhua Library appeared different from before. The numerous formations installed everywhere now seemed visible in his mind.

The massive defensive formation that enveloped the entire Tianhua Library.

Even the gardens and small paths were covered.

The knowledge of where each formation was applied, their purposes, and how to use them all came to mind, making the Tianhua Library feel even more mysterious.

This knowledge and his sharp mind would be useful someday. For now, there was something else he needed.

'It's time to obtain the spirit medicine, using the power of the Tianhua Library.'