The Zhou Family estate was unusually lively.
Although it wasn't one of the family's grand celebrations, the newly appointed Zhou Family Patriarch had organised a modest banquet to strengthen relations with the various elders and affiliated forces after the turbulent events surrounding the secret realm.
Lanterns illuminated the spacious courtyard.
Rows of jade tables were filled with spirit fruits, rare delicacies and fragrant spirit wine. Gentle music drifted through the estate while servants moved quietly among the guests.
Yet despite the festive atmosphere...
Many of the younger cultivators found it difficult to concentrate on the banquet itself.
Their gazes continuously drifted toward the honoured seat.
A young woman dressed in flowing pale-green robes sat there quietly.
Her skin was as fair as jade, while her graceful features possessed an almost ethereal beauty. Even seated calmly, she naturally drew everyone's attention.
It was Gu Qing.
Ever since returning from the secret realm, her reputation within Jade Haven City had only grown.
Not only was she acknowledged as one of the city's most talented younger cultivators...
She was also widely recognised as its greatest beauty.
Many young disciples secretly admired her.
Some even stole occasional glances, though none dared stare for long.
"Fairy Gu truly deserves her reputation..."
One young cultivator whispered softly.
"She's even more beautiful than the rumours."
Another quietly sighed.
"If only I could exchange a few words with her."
An elder beside them immediately frowned.
"Watch your mouths."
"Someone of Fairy Gu's status isn't someone you youngsters should casually discuss."
The group immediately lowered their heads.
Meanwhile...
The Zhou Family Patriarch maintained a respectful smile.
Although Gu Qing belonged to no great sect, her talent alone made her someone worth befriending.
More importantly...
Ever since returning from the secret realm, there seemed to be an indescribable pressure surrounding her.
Even he occasionally found it difficult to meet her eyes.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he finally asked carefully,
"Fairy Gu..."
"I wonder what brings you to my Zhou Family this time?"
The bustling courtyard gradually quietened.
Even the surrounding elders became attentive.
Gu Qing gently placed down her teacup.
Her expression remained calm.
"I came to ask about the Qian Family."
The Zhou Family Patriarch blinked slightly before smiling.
"The Qian Family?"
"If Fairy Gu wishes to know, this Zhou naturally won't conceal anything."
He organised his thoughts before answering honestly.
"The former Qian Family Head stepped down some time ago."
"The position has now been inherited by Qian Feng."
"The transition proceeded rather smoothly."
"Qian Feng has managed the family quite well despite their losses during the secret realm incident."
Gu Qing's eyes remained fixed upon him.
"And?"
"The younger generation continues cultivating as before."
"Qian Xiaolu rarely leaves the family."
"As for the others..."
"There haven't been any unusual movements."
She remained silent for several moments before asking another question.
"Has anyone..."
"...returned to the Qian Family recently?"
The Patriarch looked momentarily puzzled.
"Returned?"
"I'm afraid not."
"To my knowledge, no one has."
"The Qian Family has become considerably more low-profile over the past year."
"They've focused almost entirely on rebuilding their strength and rarely interfere with outside affairs."
Gu Qing slowly lowered her gaze.
Every answer matched the information she had gathered previously.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing suspicious.
It was almost...
Too ordinary.
The fragmented memories lingering within her soul told her that something connected to the Qian Family still remained undiscovered.
Yet no matter how she investigated...
Everything appeared completely normal.
The Zhou Family Patriarch cautiously observed her expression.
Seeing that she hadn't spoken again, he continued,
"If Fairy Gu requires anything related to the Qian Family, this Zhou Family will naturally assist where possible."
Gu Qing nodded faintly.
"I appreciate Patriarch Zhou's honesty."
The banquet gradually resumed its previous atmosphere.
Music once again echoed through the courtyard.
Conversations slowly returned.
Yet throughout the remainder of the banquet, Gu Qing scarcely spoke another word.
Her beautiful eyes remained distant...
As though quietly piecing together fragments of memories that even she herself still couldn't fully understand.
Far outside the Zhou Family estate...
An ordinary grey sparrow quietly perched upon the branch of an ancient spirit oak.
It lowered its tiny head before lightly pecking at the bark, appearing no different from the countless birds that lived throughout Jade Haven City.
No one paid it any attention.
No cultivator would waste precious divine sense observing such an insignificant creature.
Yet...
Deep within the bird's eyes, a faint silver light occasionally flickered.
Hundreds of thousands of li away...
Within a secluded inn, Lin Sheng slowly sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
His breathing remained calm.
Yet his consciousness wasn't within his own body.
Instead...
It flowed through the tiny sparrow perched outside the Zhou Family.
Ever since breaking through to the Spirit Platform Realm, he had gradually discovered that his vastly strengthened soul possessed far more abilities than merely increasing Mental Perception.
One such ability was temporarily establishing a spiritual connection with weaker creatures.
The smaller and less intelligent the creature, the easier the connection became.
It wasn't possession.
Nor was it soul replacement.
Instead, it resembled extending a strand of his consciousness outward, allowing him to simultaneously perceive through another pair of eyes.
Of course distance still affected the connection. Thankfully, he was close enough.
With his current spiritual cultivation, maintaining the link with a single sparrow posed almost no burden.
Crystal quietly displayed its analysis.
•[Spirit Link stable.
Current mental energy consumption: 0.17% per hour.
Maximum sustainable duration: 96 hours]•
Within the bird's vision...
Lin Sheng calmly observed everything occurring inside the Zhou Family banquet.
Yet Lin Sheng's gaze remained completely indifferent.
Beauty had long since become meaningless before someone capable of wearing countless faces.
He silently watched as Gu Qing questioned the Zhou Family Patriarch.
Every answer...
Every subtle change in expression. Every slight movement of her eyes. Nothing escaped his observation.
As the conversation progressed, Lin Sheng gradually reached a conclusion.
She didn't know.
At least...
She didn't remember the greatest secret of the Qian Family.
Otherwise, she would've never wasted time asking the Zhou Family Patriarch such ordinary questions.
Instead, she would've gone directly to the ancestral grounds.
Crystal quickly reached the same conclusion.
•[Behavioural analysis complete.
Probability target lacks complete memory inheritance: 91.6%
Probability target currently collecting fragmented information: 96.8%]•
Lin Sheng's expression relaxed slightly.
That was fortunate.
It meant he had arrived before everything spiralled beyond control.
His eyes quietly narrowed.
"Recovering memories little by little..."
"What exactly happened to you inside the secret realm..."
He had searched her master's memories.
There had been no answer.
Only confusion.
Even Gu Qing's own master had noticed the gradual changes in her personality over the past year but could never determine their source.
Which meant...
Whatever opportunity Gu Qing obtained remained known only to herself.
The banquet eventually came to an end.
Guests gradually dispersed from the Zhou Family estate.
Gu Qing also stood, thanked the Patriarch with a polite nod and slowly walked toward the estate's exit.
The little sparrow fluttered its wings.
Without attracting the slightest attention, it quietly leapt from one rooftop to another, maintaining a considerable distance while continuously observing her movements.
Far away...
Lin Sheng finally opened his own eyes.
A calm smile appeared on his face.
"So..."
"You've finally decided to move."
Outside the inn, another seemingly ordinary bird silently took flight.
Moments later...
A third.
Then a fourth.
Within a short time, several insignificant birds had scattered throughout Jade Haven City.
...
Night had completely settled over Jade Haven City.
The moon hung high above the clouds, its pale light spilling across the ancestral grounds of the Qian Family. Everything was silent apart from the occasional rustling of leaves as a cool breeze drifted through the ancient trees.
Gu Qing stood before the entrance to the forbidden burial grounds, her beautiful eyes quietly sweeping over the seemingly ordinary stone pathway.
To outsiders...
It was nothing more than an abandoned section of the ancestral estate.
But to anyone possessing sufficient Formation knowledge, the entire area shimmered with countless hidden restrictions layered upon one another.
She slowly extended her right hand.
Her divine sense spread outward like invisible threads, carefully brushing against the surrounding formations without disturbing them.
For several breaths, she remained perfectly still.
Then her fingers began moving.
Spiritual Qi flowed delicately from her fingertips as one formation rune after another materialised within the air. They weren't complete formations but rather simplified runic imprints, each one striking precisely at the weakest point of the hidden restriction.
A faint ripple spread across the entrance.
Moments later...
The invisible barrier quietly opened.
Gu Qing stepped inside without the slightest hesitation.
Several hundred metres behind her, Lin Sheng remained concealed within the shadows of an old cypress tree, his aura suppressed to the absolute limit.
Crystal continuously analysed the surrounding formations while comparing the route Gu Qing had chosen.
•[Restriction temporarily destabilised.
Safe entry window: 4.8 seconds.
Recommended route calculated]•
Without making the slightest sound, Lin Sheng slipped through the opening just before the formation naturally restored itself.
His movements were as light as drifting smoke.
Although Gu Qing possessed divine sense approaching the Purple Palace Realm, her attention remained focused entirely upon dismantling the restrictions ahead. She never once considered that another person could be silently following behind her.
The deeper they travelled, the more complicated the formations became.
Some distorted one's sense of direction.
Others concealed narrow passageways that appeared to be solid stone walls.
Several carried warning functions that would instantly notify the Qian Family should anyone forcefully break through them.
Gu Qing dismantled each one patiently.
Occasionally she frowned before altering her route, seemingly abandoning one passage in favour of another.
It wasn't because the first route was dangerous.
Rather...
An inexplicable feeling told her she was heading the wrong way.
Lin Sheng quietly observed everything.
The more he watched, the more certain he became of one conclusion.
She wasn't relying solely upon Formation knowledge.
She was following instinct.
Almost as though fragments of forgotten memories were unconsciously guiding her through the ancestral grounds.
Crystal soon reached the same conclusion.
•[Target's movement pattern inconsistent with logical formation dismantling.
Probability of subconscious memory guidance: 93.7%]•
Lin Sheng's expression remained calm.
Whatever Gu Qing had experienced after leaving the secret realm had clearly changed her in ways even she didn't fully understand.
After passing through seven hidden restrictions and three illusion formations, the surrounding scenery gradually became older.
The stone beneath their feet carried countless cracks.
Ancient murals lined the walls, many of which had long since faded with time.
Eventually...
Gu Qing arrived before a massive stone door engraved with the emblem of the Qian Family.
Unlike the previous restrictions, there were no visible runes surrounding it.
She slowly placed her palm upon its cold surface.
For a brief moment...
She hesitated.
A strange sense of familiarity surged through her heart.
Her breathing unconsciously became slower.
"...Why..."
She whispered softly.
"...does this place feel so familiar?"
She had never entered the ancestral burial grounds.
At least...
Not in this lifetime.
Yet every instinct within her urged her forward.
Suppressing the strange feeling, she gently pushed open the stone door.
A low rumble echoed through the passage as dust drifted down from above.
The burial chamber gradually revealed itself.
Rows upon rows of ancestral tablets rested upon ancient stone shelves, while countless incense burners stood before them in solemn silence. Time itself seemed frozen within the chamber.
The instant Gu Qing stepped across the threshold...
Her entire body stiffened.
An indescribable pain exploded inside her head.
Broken images suddenly flashed before her eyes.
A weathered old man.
Endless islands floating beneath crimson skies.
Ancient runes carved into towering stone pillars.
A young girl kneeling before someone she couldn't clearly see.
Each image appeared for only an instant before shattering apart.
Gu Qing instinctively staggered backwards.
"...Ah..."
She clutched her head with both hands as her breathing rapidly became chaotic.
The pain only intensified.
It felt as though something buried deep within her soul was desperately trying to awaken.
Fragments of memories continuously collided with one another, refusing to form a complete picture.
"No..."
"...what is happening..."
She slowly fell to one knee.
Cold sweat dripped from her forehead onto the ancient stone floor.
Then...
A faint Yin aura quietly emerged from within her body.
Unlike ordinary spiritual Qi, this aura carried an ancient and profound feeling, as though it had existed for countless ages.
The surrounding temperature dropped noticeably.
Even the incense flames within the burial chamber flickered violently before nearly extinguishing.
The Yin aura spread several metres around Gu Qing before suddenly retracting back into her body.
It wasn't escaping.
It was gathering.
Compressing.
Again and again, it slammed against an invisible barrier hidden deep within her soul.
Each collision released another torrent of fragmented memories before everything descended back into chaos.
Lin Sheng remained hidden behind one of the massive stone pillars several dozen metres away.
His Mental Perception quietly observed the entire process.
He could clearly sense the abnormal fluctuation surrounding Gu Qing's soul, yet he couldn't determine its source.
Crystal immediately began analysing the phenomenon.
•[Unknown Yin-attributed energy detected.
Unable to determine origin ]•
The strange eruption lasted only a few breaths.
As abruptly as it had appeared...
The Yin aura completely withdrew into Gu Qing's soul.
The oppressive pressure vanished.
The burial chamber once again returned to complete silence.
Gu Qing remained kneeling upon the ground, breathing heavily as though she had just survived a fierce battle. Although the pain had subsided, her beautiful eyes had become noticeably clearer than before, as if another fragment of a long-forgotten puzzle had finally fallen into place.
Hidden within the shadows, Lin Sheng silently watched every change in her expression, carefully committing each detail to memory while waiting for her next move.