Chapter 203: Memory Fragments
The images were fleeting—only two—but Chen Dong was certain the person in his memories was undoubtedly Li Wang.
In one image, Chen Dong sat upon a majestic dragon throne, while an adult Li Wang, clad in red, stood to his right.
In the other, Chen Dong stood atop the city walls, watching a battle-armored Li Wang lead a great army into the distance.
This made Chen Dong realize that Li Wang finding him was no coincidence—it was fated. His past life and Li Wang shared a deep karmic connection.
The two of them went out into the courtyard, where Chen Dong asked solemnly, "Li Wang, do you remember me?"
"Of course! You're Daddy!" Li Wang replied, tilting her head and looking at Chen Dong with innocent eyes.
Chen Dong shook his head. "No, no. I might be the Emperor!"
Li Wang looked Chen Dong up and down with disdain. "The Emperor isn't bald!"
"That's not what I mean. I'm saying I might have been the Emperor in the past, and you were a General, or maybe my Consort. Do you remember any of that?"
"I'm your daughter, how could I be your Consort? Honestly, Daddy... if you want to role-play, go find Li Huiran!"
Li Wang was friendly to everyone in the Li Family except for Li Huiran. Her attitude toward Li Huiran had always been cold, and she always addressed her by her full name.
Chen Dong froze, then frowned. "You even know about role-playing!"
"I learned it from the phone. There's also..."
"Wait, stop talking!" A headache washed over Chen Dong. 'I should just smash her phone! The kid is being led astray!' Besides, he could tell from Li Wang's earnest expression that she truly had no memories of the past.
'But when I killed that evil dragon, the adult Li Wang appeared. What is going on?'
If it weren't for these memory fragments, Chen Dong wouldn't have wanted to dig into Li Wang's past at all. After all, she was a being akin to an Immortal. Knowing too much meant endless trouble. He had been treating her to the best food and drink simply out of fear that she might one day decide to deal with him. But things were different now. He was already in deep trouble himself, with no way to escape.
Taking Li Wang's small hand, Chen Dong used his True Qi to probe her Realm for the first time. Just by looking at her, he couldn't see through her at all.
The moment his True Qi flowed into Li Wang's body, Chen Dong's eyes flew wide open. 'What the hell?'
Little Li Wang actually had the cultivation of the Tiangang Realm. Moreover, Chen Dong could clearly perceive her current state: she truly had none of her former memories. She was in a state of self-sealing, her memories and cultivation base both locked away to hide from the Celestial Dao. It seemed that ever since her revival, her sea of consciousness was still in chaos, with most of her memories yet to be restored.
This information gave Chen Dong another headache. Li Wang's memories were sealed, so she couldn't remember. He couldn't remember his past-life memories either, leaving him completely clueless.
Helpless, Chen Dong had no choice but to give up. He returned to his original plan: do his best to serve Li Wang well and avoid getting dealt with later. He couldn't afford to provoke a big shot who was at the Tiangang Realm even while sealed.
He then informed the Li Family that he was going out to buy a new phone, as his old one had been burned to a crisp.
After getting a 20,000-yuan advance on his salary from Li Huiran, Chen Dong left by himself.
At the same time, the Li Family announced that the bounty for finding Chen Dong was now over.
Fortunately, with his currently shaved head and a face mask, the people looking for him wouldn't be able to recognize him from a photo.
After buying a new phone and getting a replacement SIM card, the first person Chen Dong called was Murong Qing.
As soon as the call connected, Murong Qing's voice, a mixture of joy and fury, came through the phone. "Weren't you missing? I was heartbroken over you for ages, and I'm still looking for you! Where are you now?"
Chen Dong didn't say much, only replying coolly, "Come to the hotel."
"Fine! You just wait!"
As evening fell, the city's lights began to glitter, a dazzling, brilliant display.
Atop a high mountain in Jiangzhou, a man named You stood in the shadows, gazing out at the myriad city lights.
"The mortal realm really is changing with each passing day!"
Beside him, Corpse Dove, who had already started to grow a few Black Feathers, said, "They've only grown weaker. Lord You could easily slaughter everyone in Kyushu now!"
You mused, "A massacre can happen anytime. There is no rush. Although this world has lost the former glory of cultivation, it still has some lingering strength. I have only been reborn for a few months, and my power has not fully recovered. We will wait. The most important thing now is to find Ming's reincarnation! She and I came to this world together. I do not wish to return alone."
"Lord You, how can you be certain Lord Ming has been reincarnated? What if she..."
"Silence!"
The commanding voice made Corpse Dove's newly grown Black Feathers stand on end.
"This one was wrong. But in this vast sea of people, how will Lord You find her?"
"There will be a way. A new Spirit Tide is coming. Ming will distinguish herself amidst the tide, and finding her will be much easier then," You said faintly.
"Lord You is truly brilliant, to use the Fuxi Technique to sleep for tens of thousands of years, waiting for a new Spirit Tide!"
The man named You sighed faintly. "The price was not small. This Fuxi Technique is also what turned us into these things that are neither human, nor ghost, nor corpse."
Corpse Dove said fawningly, "What's so bad about it? Didn't all those who sought eternal life die out when the Spiritual Qi faded? Only we survived. Now, we have jumped outside the Six Dao, beyond the Celestial Dao's control. We can kill as we please without fear of sin. What a thrill!"
Through the shadows, You shot Corpse Dove a cold glance and said no more.