Chapter 744: Lost in the Situation

On the rooftop, Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia stood at the edge, overlooking the dilapidated city below.

"Chu Tianqiu," Qi Xia called out, "I haven't recovered all my memories."

"Oh...?" Chu Tianqiu responded with a blank expression, then asked casually, "How could that be?"

"You must know something about it," Qi Xia said. "You started recovering your memories earlier than I did."

"Can we really discuss this openly here?" Chu Tianqiu glanced up at the sky. "It feels like we're inviting the gods to come and kill us—it's no different from jumping straight off this edge."

"It's fine," Qi Xia replied. "Since I brought it up first, that means I have it under control."

"Oh...?" Chu Tianqiu smirked. "So, what's your situation now? Have you got Tian Gou under your thumb?"

"I wouldn't dare claim to have Tian Gou under my thumb," Qi Xia said with a smile as he looked up at the sky. "I've only got Qing Long in hand."

"Ha..." Chu Tianqiu couldn't help but chuckle. "Qing Long?"

"Qing Long's current state is quite interesting," Qi Xia explained. "He's not on our side, nor is he on Tian Long's side, so I think he'll help us."

"You're counting on Qing Long to deal with Tian Gou...?"

"What else?" Qi Xia turned to face Chu Tianqiu. "Should I just go and kill Tian Gou right now?"

The two of them laughed uproariously on the rooftop like old friends, their laughter echoing down to the people below.

They could clearly sense that these two had gone mad.

After a long while, Qi Xia's smile faded, and he asked softly, "So... when exactly did you start recovering your memories?"

"I..." Chu Tianqiu pondered. "Do you remember that cycle? When you were desperate and came to Tian Tang Kou, I turned you away. From that day on, my 'memories' started flooding back to me like a storm."

"Oh...?"

"Why do you think that happened... Qi Xia?" Chu Tianqiu tapped his temple. "My 'memories' were supposed to be stored with Wen Qiao Yun, and she couldn't possibly activate Hui Xiang anymore. So how did they come back?"

"Is that how it was?" Qi Xia nodded. "You didn't lose your memories with each annihilation; instead, you deliberately discarded them."

"Of course." Chu Tianqiu smiled. "This place has Tian She and Tian Long lurking around, not to mention all sorts of extraordinary individuals. If I just pretended to have lost my memories, they might discover it someday, making things even more dangerous. So, the best approach was to truly forget."

Chu Tianqiu looked at Qi Xia and asked gravely, "You did the same, didn't you?"

Qi Xia thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I have to deny that. Although we're both taking huge risks, I didn't use the same method as you. Deliberately discarding your memories might be a good idea, but it's full of uncertainties, and that's not my style. I hate anything unpredictable."

"That's because you can always predict the outcomes," Chu Tianqiu said. "Has your life always been like that? Knowing all the answers in advance, with no surprises or anticipation?"

"Yes, I always try to predict everything ahead of time," Qi Xia nodded. "My life is like a narrow path that only moves forward. Above my head is a sharpened blade, behind me are man-eating ghosts, ahead is an un dispersing fog, and under my feet is cracking ice."

"I'm starting to feel sorry for you," Chu Tianqiu said.

"Any single accident could lead to my complete downfall, losing everything." Qi Xia turned to him. "You're the same, Chu Tianqiu. In this place, it doesn't matter who's better off—we're all in the same boat."

"Perhaps," Chu Tianqiu replied. "My path started out smooth, but as I walked, it became covered in thorns. When I looked back, I saw it was already stained with my own blood.

If I hadn't discarded my memories, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from looking back. I'd see those thorns laden with the flesh of me and my companions, and the blood of countless others."

"That's right, people have to move forward and not be trapped by the past," Qi Xia agreed.

"But I still got trapped," Chu Tianqiu said. "Why... did Wen Qiao Yun, who had become deranged, suddenly release her Hui Xiang? And why did those memories suddenly assault me?"

Qi Xia listened, and his grayish-white eyes flickered slightly. Connecting it to the note from Di She that he had seen before, he suddenly thought of something with a very low probability.

"Speaking of Wen Qiao Yun..." Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. "Could it be..."

"Your expression suggests you've seen her," Chu Tianqiu said. "Was it really because of you that she ate that eyeball?"

Qi Xia carefully recalled the events from a few days ago. If he had ever made someone eat an eyeball, it would only be the female clerk at the convenience store.

Chu Tianqiu continued, "I've done experiments—even if a Dian Ren eats an eyeball from a Hui Xiang Zhe, their abilities only last for a moment. For Wen Qiao Yun to release all her powers like that, there's only one possibility. The eyeball you gave her to eat... was actually her own, wasn't it?"

Qi Xia remained silent, but Chu Tianqiu had already guessed the answer.

"But this is really strange..." Chu Tianqiu pondered. "It's been decades since Wen Qiao Yun's last death. All those years, she's been living as a Yuan Zhu Min. So, where did you find an eyeball that belonged to her and hadn't decayed yet?"

"It wasn't an eyeball; it was a Dao," Qi Xia said. "But at the time, I didn't know that person was Wen Qiao Yun, and I didn't realize Dao was formed from an eyeball."

"I see... Because she was emaciated beyond recognition, you only just realized that woman was Qiao Yun." Chu Tianqiu nodded. "Though the probability is extremely low, it's possible, and it makes sense."

"No, it doesn't make sense," Qi Xia countered flatly. "The probability is just too low. Back then, Ren Long gave us four Dao to enter this land, and one of them came from Wen Qiao Yun decades ago. Then we actually encountered her and, by some twist of fate, gave her a Dao. Even if it's possible, it shouldn't be this coincidental."

"You're right; it's a bit too coincidental," Chu Tianqiu agreed. "What do you think the reason is?"

"In my view, there's only one way," Qi Xia said, narrowing his eyes. "If this was deliberately arranged by Ren Long at the time, he could only increase his success rate by one method—that the four eyeballs he gave me all came from Wen Qiao Yun. But there's still one thing that puzzles me: how did he know for sure that we would encounter her?"

"The one who's confused is the one in the game, Qi Xia," Chu Tianqiu said. "When you all stepped into this land... who suggested going to that convenience store?"