Afterward, on the day Shuang Qingqing returned, Shuang Fengyan once again observed Bai Yihe's actions. He, too, was an old monster who had lived for several thousand years.
Carefully recalling the clan's records of that incident, if one were to say Bai Fengtian was enraged due to being wronged, very few from the Bai lineage had actually died in that event. His infatuation was merely one-sided; he certainly knew that Shen Yuhuan had never reciprocated any of Bai Fengtian's feelings. On the contrary, it was more likely, as Shuang Qingqing claimed, that Bai Fengtian had been the one to wipe out Shen Yuhuan's branch. The reason being that Bai Fengtian, fearing the escape of Shuang Tongye and Shuang Tongguan, had specifically targeted and annihilated those two lineages. As for the other clansmen who were killed later, although many had died, not a single branch had been completely wiped out. It truly seemed like an act by Bai Fengtian to divert attention.
Crucially, Shuang Qingqing's description of the entire event was extremely complete and matched the investigation results of the Great Elder from that era quite well. This had already made Shuang Fengyan believe her to some extent.
As for the little girl Bai Rou in the current matter, she was just an insignificant ant! She had been held by Bai Yihe for so long; as Shuang Qingqing said, if she had been investigated by a Nascent Soul cultivator, any problems would have long been exposed. Bai Rou was the truly innocent one in this affair.
Thus, on that day when Meng Shangmo appeared with Bai Rou, Shuang Fengyan was not angry. Instead, he proposed a solution.
Given Shuang Qingqing's memory loss, even if she were now willing to open her Sea of Consciousness for others to perform a Soul-Search, the results might be unsatisfactory. The "memories" Shuang Qingqing believed she had found were a recombination of various jumbled memories, not the actual truth.
Therefore, Shuang Fengyan proposed a method: if Shuang Qingqing was willing, he would take her to find a node to ascend to the Immortal Spirit Realm. Then, the two of them would ascend to the Upper Realm together. Once there, after finding the ancestors of that era, there might be a technique to fully restore Shuang Qingqing's memory. At that time, the clear would be clear, and the muddy would be muddy. If her memory could not be restored, the final outcome would be decided by the ancestors.
After a brief hesitation, Shuang Qingqing agreed. While retaining her magical power, she allowed Meng Shangmo to place a tracking restriction on her. This was also because Shuang Fengyan had considered that if he sealed Shuang Qingqing's magical power, firstly, she might not be willing; secondly, since he was going to ascend to the Immortal Spirit Realm, he naturally had to prepare some things and couldn't keep Shuang Qingqing by his side at all times, after all, there was a distinction between men and women. If Shuang Qingqing's magical power was sealed, Bai Yihe might really be able to make a move in secret.
'Since you, Meng Shangmo, insist on getting involved, then you shall be the one to leave the marking restriction. This way, if Shuang Qingqing truly has a clear conscience, there will be no questions.'
Although Bai Yihe was unwilling, he dared not defy Shuang Fengyan's decision, especially with three other Nascent Soul cultivators present. He couldn't be sure if those three would intervene. At the same time, he also felt that while this outcome was not ideal, at most it meant he couldn't fulfill ancestor Bai Fengtian's wish. He had already done his best.
A major battle that was about to erupt like fire and water was concluded in such a bizarre fashion.
Worldly affairs are indeed unpredictable. All paths, in their own inadvertent ways, always lead in another direction.
After roughly understanding the situation, Li Yan let out a long sigh.
"Senior Shuang, you called us over because you want us to take Senior Sister Bai away, right?"
A look of admiration appeared in Shuang Qingqing's eyes. Talking to intelligent people was the most efficient.
"Yes. Because of me, it is no longer suitable for Bai Rou to stay here. She might be safe while I'm still here, but once I leave, with her personality, the chances of her losing her life are over fifty percent! You should take her with you. It's truly a pity about her talent. After several years of hardship, she had only just been inducted into the clan. She hasn't truly learned many things yet. This opportunity will just have to be wasted."
Shuang Qingqing looked at Bai Rou with some helplessness. In her current situation, she couldn't ask the clan to give Bai Rou anything to take with her.
Bai Rou, on the other hand, kept her head down and didn't speak. In her view, everyone here was an elder; she just needed to follow their arrangements. She was only somewhat gentle by nature, but she wasn't foolish. If she were to stay here, she herself felt that problems would surely arise, especially with the cultivators from the Bai clan, who would definitely see her as a villain.
However, the thought of leaving Shuang Qingqing made her truly reluctant. Before Li Yan arrived, Shuang Qingqing had been telling her many things she had never heard before. It made her feel that everything was so absurd and bizarre. Her Ancestor's life story was truly full of twists and turns, and so pitiful.
At first, she had wanted to go to the Immortal Spirit Realm with Shuang Qingqing, but Shuang Qingqing could only laugh and call her silly. Neither she nor Shuang Fengyan had any confidence in ascending to the Immortal Spirit Realm, let alone taking her along. A Spirit-Storing Pouch was not omnipotent. The rules of the Chaotic Flow Space could reject other spatial forces at any time. The overall power of a Spirit-Storing Pouch was very weak; it was not impossible for it to be instantly shredded. In that situation, Shuang Qingqing would be powerless to save her.
Moreover, the most difficult part of ascending to the Immortal Spirit Realm was not this. It was the final moment just before entering the Immortal Spirit Realm. It was no longer the crushing force between the Mortal Realm and the Immortal Spirit Realm's space, but a supreme pressure that descended from all directions. Many Nascent Soul cultivators had gone through untold hardships to find a suitable ascension node and fought their way through the Chaotic Flow Space, only to have their Daos dissipate and their bodies perish under the pressure of the Immortal Spirit Realm.
Her own chances of survival were slim at that point, let alone bringing Bai Rou along. The thought of Bai Fengtian disappearing during his ascension was enough to know how difficult it was. How could one come and go between the upper and lower realms so easily? If it were truly easy, the Mortal Realm would have long been directly governed by the Immortal Spirit Realm. An individual like Gu Jiuqi had gone through great trouble just to send a clone to the Lower Realm, and even then, he had lost contact with his original body in the Upper Realm.
Shuang Qingqing's gaze swept over Li Yan's and Zhao Min's faces one by one.
"Thank you both so much this time. I was originally thinking of trying to take you back to the Desolate Moon Continent, but that's not possible now. However, with your aptitude, you have a very good chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm within a hundred years. At that time, take Bai Rou back with you."
"Senior is too kind. But I believe our return is only a matter of time. It is good that Senior can fulfill your wish this time. In the future, Senior will surely achieve Spirit Transformation one day!" Li Yan said with a smile. He knew that after Shuang Qingqing returned to the Verdant Continent and recovered some of her memories, her state of mind had changed a lot. If she couldn't resolve the regret in her heart this time, then even if she left the Tianli Clan, her cultivation would find it difficult to advance another inch in the future. an Inner Demon would have been born! For a cultivator, the birth of an Inner Demon was more painful than death.
"Junior Sister Bai will be fine with us. There won't be any problems!" Zhao Min also said softly to Shuang Qingqing at this time. Ever since she learned of Shuang Qingqing's past, she held great respect for this senior. Zhao Min, at her core, was an extremely traditional person, especially when it came to matters of emotion. This was something Li Yan had long seen through and considered to be Zhao Min's greatest weakness. Therefore, she greatly admired Shuang Qingqing's willingness to be placed under a restriction for the sake of her master's unjust death.
Bai Rou, who had been silent with her head down, trembled slightly upon hearing the words "Junior Sister Bai," and continued to remain silent.
"That's settled then. Little fellow, you've done me a great favor this time. I can't leave without giving you something. Here, these are the insights my master recorded when she was at the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm. The latter part also contains my own insights during my Nascent Soul Formation, quite a bit was recorded. I'm giving this to you. You can study it with Zhao Min. I hope this little bit of help can enable you to successfully form your Nascent Souls sooner. Consider it a small repayment from me."
"In the future, if possible, you can of course give this to Bai Rou. After all, this is one of the few relics my master left me. Back then, even when I was being hunted to the brink of death by the Demonic General, I protected it within the body of the 'Purple-Winged Ice Phoenix.' I still hope my own disciple can inherit it. You can decide what to do then."
As Shuang Qingqing spoke, a thin booklet had appeared in her hand. Shuang Qingqing stared at the booklet, a look of reluctance in her eyes. She had originally intended to pass this down to Bai Rou in the future. In just an instant, Shuang Qingqing's eyes returned to normal. She stretched out her hand and handed the booklet to Li Yan. She never went back on a decision she had made.
Li Yan and Zhao Min's eyes lit up upon hearing this. This was a record of the Nascent Soul Formation insights of two Nascent Soul cultivators. This was something that couldn't be bought with Spirit Stones. It was a rare treasure that only the most trusted direct disciples could possibly obtain.
Although another's successful insights might not be suitable for others, and couldn't guarantee a successful breakthrough in one step, it would definitely put one on a shortcut. To see things from different perspectives, and from there, to gain one's own comprehension—that was the most valuable thing. After all, this was obtained by standing on the shoulders of others. Most cultivators wouldn't record these things; they would rather spend their time cultivating and comprehending to constantly improve their own cultivation. Only a very few cultivators would do so.
"My master enjoyed writing things down, so she recorded many matters in booklets for easy viewing, and rarely used jade slips! She said that writing allowed her mind to become more peaceful…" Shuang Qingqing murmured, as if speaking to the three of them, and as if speaking to herself. Her gaze finally, slowly, moved away from the booklet.
Li Yan reached out and took the booklet. It was made from the hide of some unknown demonic beast, and an ancient, weathered aura washed over him.
Li Yan suppressed the tingling itch of curiosity in his heart. After a quick glance, he intended to put the booklet away first. Now was not a good time to inspect it.
"Alright, with Meng Shangmo here, your safe departure is completely guaranteed. That Shuiyue and Chongfeng have already left, so you don't need to go and say goodbye. I'll have a few more words with Bai Rou, then you can go directly to Meng Shangmo and leave together!"
Shuang Qingqing was also very decisive. That was her personality; she never dragged things out.
And then, she noticed that something was wrong with Li Yan's expression. He was staring blankly at the booklet in his hand, a look of astonishment on his face.
"What's wrong, little fellow? That's the hide of a Four-Eyed Fire-Shadow Fox. That demonic beast is already extinct…"
Li Yan, however, was staring blankly at a spot in the upper left corner of the booklet. There was a pattern there, like a maple leaf, dark green in color. A flash of lightning went through his mind. He couldn't be mistaken. He had seen this pattern before.
'Shuang Chongshan, Shuang Wuyan… Puppet Art? Shuang Tongguan… Son of Shen Yuhuan, whereabouts unknown after escaping the Tianli Clan…'
Streams of information intertwined like a net in his mind, constantly appearing and then recrossing…
Shuang Qingqing's words interrupted Li Yan's thoughts. He looked up again, took a deep breath, and under Shuang Qingqing's somewhat surprised gaze, Li Yan slowly spoke.
"Senior, does this pattern have any meaning?"
Following Li Yan's finger, Shuang Qingqing's gaze fixed on the upper left corner of the booklet. Her body shook violently. She was an incredibly intelligent person. Li Yan's expression and the question he asked made her think of a possibility. She, who had been sitting quietly in the courtyard, suddenly shot to her feet, her aura faintly churning. Fortunately, she hadn't lost her senses and was trying her best to control it.
"You… you've seen this pattern?"
Although Shuang Qingqing tried her best to remain calm, her voice had already changed.
Seeing this, Li Yan already understood. There was no need for him to ask about the meaning of the pattern anymore!