On the rooftop, Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia stood at the edge, gazing down at the ruined city before them.
“Chu Tianqiu,” Qi Xia called out, “I haven’t recovered all my memories.”
“Oh…?” Chu Tianqiu responded expressionlessly, his tone indifferent. “How did that happen?”
“You must know something,” Qi Xia pressed. “You started recovering your memories much earlier than I did.”
“Can we really talk about this openly here?” Chu Tianqiu glanced up at the sky. “It feels like we’re summoning a god to assassinate us. There’s no difference between this and jumping off right now.”
“It’s fine,” Qi Xia said. “Since I brought it up, it means I have a plan.”
“Oh…?” Chu Tianqiu smirked. “So, what’s your current status? Have you even managed to control the *Heavenly Hound*?”
“Control the *Heavenly Hound*? I wouldn’t dare.” Qi Xia also smiled, looking up at the sky. “I’ve only managed to control the *Azure Dragon*.”
“Hah…” Chu Tianqiu couldn’t help but laugh. “*Azure Dragon*?”
“The *Azure Dragon* is in an interesting state right now,” Qi Xia replied. “He’s not on our side, nor is he on *Celestial Dragon*’s. So, I believe he’ll help us.”
“You’re counting on the *Azure Dragon* to deal with the *Heavenly Hound*…?”
“Or what?” Qi Xia turned to Chu Tianqiu. “Should I go kill the *Heavenly Hound* right now?”
The two burst into laughter as if they were old friends, their voices echoing down to the people below.
Those listening could clearly sense that these two had lost their minds.
After a long while, Qi Xia composed himself and asked softly, “So… when exactly did you start recovering your memories?”
“I…” Chu Tianqiu pondered. “Do you remember that cycle…? When you were cornered and came to *Paradise Gate*, but I turned you away. From that day on, my ‘memories’ started flooding back uncontrollably.”
“Oh…?”
“Why do you think that is, Qi Xia?” Chu Tianqiu tapped his temple. “My ‘memories’ were supposed to be stored with Wen Qiaoyun, and Wen Qiaoyun can no longer activate her *Echo*. So how did these ‘memories’ return?”
“So that’s it?” Qi Xia nodded. “You didn’t lose your memories with each annihilation—instead, you actively discarded them yourself.”
“Of course.” Chu Tianqiu smiled faintly. “This place has the *Celestial Serpent* and the *Celestial Dragon*, not to mention all sorts of other formidable figures. If I merely pretended to have ‘amnesia,’ there’d always be a risk of being discovered. The consequences would be far worse. So, the best method was to genuinely lose my memories.”
After speaking, Chu Tianqiu looked at Qi Xia and asked solemnly, “You did the same, didn’t you?”
Qi Xia thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I have to deny that. Though we both took great risks, I didn’t use the same method as you. Actively discarding my memories might have been beneficial, but it was also too unpredictable. That’s not my style. I despise anything beyond my expectations.”
“That’s because you can always foresee the outcome,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Has your entire life been like this? Knowing all the answers in advance, leaving no room for anticipation?”
“Yes. I always try to predict everything beforehand,” Qi Xia nodded. “My life is a narrow path that only moves forward. Above me hangs a sharpened blade, behind me lurks a devouring ghost, before me stretches an impenetrable fog, and beneath me cracks thin ice.”
“I’m starting to pity you,” Chu Tianqiu remarked.
“Any single mishap could plunge me into irreversible ruin, losing everything,” Qi Xia turned to him. “You’re no different, Chu Tianqiu. In this place, none of us has it better than the other. We’re all in the same predicament.”
“Perhaps. The path beneath me was smooth at first, but as I walked, it became littered with thorns. When I looked back, I saw it was already soaked in my own blood.” Chu Tianqiu pointed at his head again. “If I didn’t discard my memories, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from looking back. I’d see those thorns impaled with the flesh of my companions, drenched in countless people’s blood.”
“True. One must move forward, not be shackled by the past,” Qi Xia agreed.
“But I’m still trapped,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Why… why did Wen Qiaoyun, who had already turned into a *Mad One*, suddenly release her *Echo*? And why did those memories surge back to me all at once?”
Hearing this, Qi Xia’s grayish-white eyes flickered slightly. Recalling the note *Celestial Serpent* had shown him, a rare possibility crossed his mind.
“Speaking of Wen Qiaoyun…” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes in thought. “Could it be…?”
“You look like you’ve seen her,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Was that eye she swallowed really because of you?”
Qi Xia carefully reviewed recent events. If there was anyone he had made swallow an eye, it was only the female clerk at the convenience store.
Chu Tianqiu continued, “I’ve done experiments. Even if a *Mad One* consumes an *Echoer*’s eye, their ability only manifests for an instant. For Wen Qiaoyun to unleash her full power like this, there’s only one explanation. The eye you gave her… was it her own?”
Qi Xia remained silent, but Chu Tianqiu had already guessed the answer.
“But that’s truly bizarre…” Chu Tianqiu mused. “Wen Qiaoyun’s last death was decades ago. All these years, she’s been living as a *Native*. So where did you find an eye that belonged to her, one that hadn’t rotted away?”
“It wasn’t an eye—it was a *Tao*,” Qi Xia said. “But at the time, I didn’t know that woman was Wen Qiaoyun, nor did I know *Tao* were formed from eyes.”
“I see… She was so emaciated you didn’t recognize her until just now.” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “Though the probability is incredibly low, it’s still plausible. Reasonable.”
“No, it’s not reasonable,” Qi Xia refuted flatly. “The odds are far too slim. Back then, *Human Dragon* gave us four *Tao* to enter this land—one of which came from Wen Qiaoyun decades ago. Then, by sheer coincidence, we actually encountered Wen Qiaoyun and gave her one of those *Tao*. Even if it’s possible, it shouldn’t have aligned so perfectly.”
“It does seem too coincidental,” Chu Tianqiu conceded. “What do you think caused it?”
“There’s only one explanation I can think of,” Qi Xia said, narrowing his eyes. “If this was truly *Human Dragon*’s doing, then there’s only one way he could’ve increased his chances of success—all four eyes he gave me belonged to Wen Qiaoyun. But there’s still one puzzling question: How did he know we’d definitely meet Wen Qiaoyun?”
“You’re too close to see it clearly, Qi Xia.” Chu Tianqiu smiled. “When you first entered this land… who suggested going to that convenience store?”
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