“People say that before I lost my memory, Senior Sister Xiao and I had such perfect teamwork that we won the Doubles Match championship three years in a row.”
At these words, Xiao Qingxuan’s eyes immediately lit up, regaining her usual spark.
“Of course. That year, the two of us, both at the Golden Core Realm, defeated two Senior Brothers at the Nascent Soul Peak—our feat even spread across the Five Great Immortal Sects.”
The distinctions between the four lower realms are somewhat blurred, and cross-realm battles aren’t impossible.
But to directly fight across major realms and still win?
That was practically unheard of.
“The following year, we both broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm; within the Xuanxiao Supreme Sect, we were simply unmatched.”
In their first year, they even forced the Nascent Soul Peak cultivator Xu Cheng’an into seclusion, and the second year, they advanced to an even higher realm.
Who would dare challenge them then?
Xiao Qingxuan spoke fluently and enthusiastically, far from the aloof demeanor of an immortal maiden.
She was quite pleased to mention the past to Ye Luqing, which showed that Ye Luqing had developed curiosity about her life before losing her memory.
If Ah Qing agreed willingly, this Dreamforging Lotus would have been well worth it.
As she listened, Ye Luqing suddenly thought about seizing the chance to increase her Blackening Value through a System Mission, and thus shifted the conversation:
“Junior Sister Sakura… she said she really admires how well we performed in the Doubles Match.”
“She also wants to be like me, silently supporting others from behind. Now that I’m participating, I don’t want to disappoint her kindness.”
At these words, Xiao Qingxuan’s heart stirred slightly, and her impression of Ying Qianqian improved a little.
She wants to be like Ah Qing…
[Detected: Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value increased to 101%]
Even so, she still didn’t want to hear others’ names when alone with Ah Qing.
After hesitating briefly, Xiao Qingxuan took out the Dreamforging Lotus.
Its faint purple glow shimmered softly in the night, and the strange floral fragrance quickly induced drowsiness.
“Ah Qing, this is the Dreamforging Lotus I obtained from the Illusory God Sect. It can help you recover your memories.”
“Dreamforging Lotus?”
Ye Luqing tilted her head slightly, looking at the small, spirit-infused flower with curiosity on her face but alarm bells ringing inside her mind as she quickly queried the System.
What exactly is the Dreamforging Lotus?
What effect does it have? Will it erase her memories?
[Dreamforging Lotus: a Heavenly Grade Immortal Plant derivative from the Illusory God Sect. It can plunge a person into dreams, implant memories within the dreamscape, thereby affecting their real-world personality.]
Upon hearing the System’s explanation, Ye Luqing breathed a sigh of relief.
The next moment, Xiao Qingxuan’s voice echoed softly in her ear.
“Using this lotus, you can reshape your memories and recall the moments we shared.”
Ye Luqing nodded, combining the System’s description with Xiao Qingxuan’s words to gain a basic understanding of the Dreamforging Lotus.
“I want to restore your memories as soon as possible, so…”
Xiao Qingxuan’s heart fluttered nervously; her possessiveness over Ah Qing drove her desperate wish to restore Ye Luqing’s memories, yet she didn’t want Ye Luqing to feel like she was just an accessory.
Hearing this, Ye Luqing remained silent.
She could accept implanted false memories—after all, having read the original novel, she had some familiarity with the plot.
But according to the System Mission’s requirements, she had to refuse Xiao Qingxuan’s request.
“Sorry… Senior Sister Xiao.”
“I’m fully focused on preparing for the Sect-wide Tournament now. Can the memory implantation wait until after the competition?”
Completely refusing would be too blunt, so she thought of a compromise.
Xiao Qingxuan’s heart skipped a beat; she parted her lips, instinctively wanting to agree to Ye Luqing’s request, yet no words came out.
It was strange—the Sect-wide Tournament would end in at most ten days; waiting just ten more days was hardly a big deal.
But why, every second of every minute, did she not want to wait even a moment longer?
Ah…
It was because her possessiveness over Ye Luqing had already surpassed her own expectations.
[Detected: Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value increased to 103%]
“No…”
She turned her head away, softly rejecting Ye Luqing.
Having accepted Ye Luqing in her heart, she had never refused Ah Qing’s requests before.
Moreover, Ah Qing was so obedient and never put her in a difficult position.
But this time was different.
However, the next moment, Xiao Qingxuan felt her sleeve tugged lightly, as if a stubborn little beast was pulling on it.
She instinctively glanced to the side.
There was Ye Luqing, her dark hair swaying in the wind, amber eyes shimmering like rippling water, wearing an utterly pitiful expression.
The hand grasping her sleeve trembled slightly, like a drowning person clutching the only piece of driftwood, and in a soft, almost crying voice she said:
“Sister, please…”
Talent Activated: [World-Felling Kneel]
Effect: Greatly increases the probability of the other party agreeing when making a request.
Despite the name, World-Felling Kneel does not require physically kneeling; simply consciously activating this talent when making a request suffices.
Xiao Qingxuan’s mind went completely blank.
It was as if she was looking at the most adorable little creature in the world, pitifully rubbing against her as if she were the only person she could rely on.
Who could resist that?
Guilt, cuteness, desire… her thoughts suddenly became a chaotic jumble, and then an uncontrollable warmth ran from her nostrils.
“Sister, what’s wrong?”
As if she had anticipated it, Ye Luqing pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped Xiao Qingxuan’s nose.
While wiping, she casually and clumsily brushed Xiao Qingxuan’s face with her soft fingers, as if flustered.
Seeing Xiao Qingxuan’s flushed face, frozen and unable to move, Ye Luqing secretly curled her lips in a triumphant smile.
A mere Xiao fan girl, easily manipulated.
After a while, Xiao Qingxuan coughed twice lightly, her face still flushed, looking at Ye Luqing somewhat helplessly.
“Reshaping your memories after the competition… isn’t impossible.”
Ye Luqing had been cute before, but never as spoiled as she was now after losing her memory.
She hadn’t expected that desire would ultimately defeat possessiveness.
At these words, Ye Luqing tilted her head slightly and smiled softly, as if a gentle spring breeze had blown into her heart.
“Sister, thank you.”
Seeing Ye Luqing’s happy expression, Xiao Qingxuan felt everything was worth it.
Delaying for a few days was fine; it wasn’t like waiting would cause any harm.
She comforted herself like that.
Seeing Xiao Qingxuan so easy to reason with, Ye Luqing fell silent for a moment, as if making a decision.
After a long pause, she decided to take advantage of the still active [World-Felling Kneel] talent and asked a question she had long wanted to ask.
Even though she already knew the answer, she still wanted to hear it from Xiao Qingxuan’s own lips.
“Senior Sister Xiao… if recovering my past memories means that the ‘current me’ will disappear…”
“Would you kill the current me without hesitation?”
When she first came to this world, she treated it merely as a game, with making Xiao Qingxuan blackened as just a task.
But in these short two days, she realized this wasn’t a novel or a game world.
Interacting with these people made her question everything.
If they were all living, breathing people, then would what she was about to do to Xiao Qingxuan really be right?
Like everyone else, Xiao Qingxuan was not just a string of data or an NPC named “Destined Female Protagonist.”
Holding these thoughts, her heart grew increasingly unsettled, unsure if making Xiao Qingxuan blackened was right or wrong.
Since she didn’t know the answer, she would let someone else tell her.
She looked at Xiao Qingxuan seriously, and upon hearing her question, Xiao Qingxuan’s expression also grew incredibly earnest.
Xiao Qingxuan reached out, smoothing back the hair at her temple gently, her voice soft.
“Ah Qing, there’s no ‘past you’ or ‘current you’; I just want you to recover your original memories so we can return to the days we had before.”
“Even if you recover your original memories, the current you will not disappear.”
Ye Luqing lowered her head slightly, speaking softly:
“But… what if the price of recovering those memories is that the current me disappears?”
At these words, Xiao Qingxuan’s face instantly darkened.
“Ah Qing, did someone say something to you? Or did you hear something bad?”
[Detected: Destined Female Lead Xiao Qingxuan’s Blackening Value increased to 106%]
She tried to keep her voice calm, but the cold edge beneath was unmistakable.
If she ever found out someone dared say such things to Ye Luqing, she would never let them off.
“No, it’s just my own doubt.”
Risking the rise in Blackening Value, Ye Luqing still wanted to know the answer to this question.
Sensing Ye Luqing’s determination, Xiao Qingxuan sighed, a trace of pity flashing in her eyes, yet she resolutely replied:
“No matter the cost…”
“I… will find a way to recover Ah Qing’s memories!”