Chapter 1602: The Sentimental Fairy Tune

In the small garden of Tianxuan Men, sobs and choked cries filled the air, creating a heart-wrenching scene.

Hongchen Xue and Chu Lingyu stood by the altar, gently brushing strands of Hongchen Lingluo's hair from his face, tears streaming down theirs.

His face was weathered and desolate, etched with the scars of time, as if carved by countless blades into a map of wounds.

Hongchen sat motionless, silent and unresponsive, like a statue, as though the world's affairs no longer concerned him.

As for Ye Chen, he sat obediently on a small stool.

He looked quite pitiful—his hair disheveled, his forehead bruised, his face swollen with black eyes, and blood from his nose that wouldn't stop flowing no matter how he wiped it.

He had been beaten, pinned down by two women with a penchant for violence and given a thorough thrashing, nearly to death.

Outside the garden, Donghuang Taiyi, Jian Shen, and the Nine Emperors arrived.

At the sight of Ye Chen, everyone couldn't help but twitch their mouths in disbelief.

The beating was ruthless—he was still just a kid, and he was the emperor of Da Chu. Was this an attempt to cripple or kill him?

It was probably because he had run his mouth off again. Donghuang Taiyi looked on with a meaningful expression, actually feeling a bit satisfied watching Ye Chen get pummeled.

She still remembered the scene from years ago when Ye Chen had challenged her to a childish contest—there was no one more shameless under the heavens.

Someone like him deserved a good beating every now and then to remind him why the flowers were so red.

Ye Chen wiped away some blood from his nose and then some bitter tears, his little face smeared with grime, looking utterly comical.

It had only been a joke, but who knew those two madwomen would actually go through with it? Didn't they know he was still a child? Where was their motherly instinct? Had it all been eaten by dogs?

"Let's begin!" Chu Huang cleared his throat and said, looking at Chu Lingyu and Hongchen Xue. "Play the Xianqu to awaken him."

Upon hearing this, Chu Lingyu and Hongchen Xue quickly wiped away their tears, stepped back a few paces, and sat cross-legged, summoning their qin.

"Play with true emotion for it to work," Yue Huang advised.

The two women nodded, took a deep breath, and began plucking the qin strings.

Soon, melodious qin notes echoed through the small garden, serene and flowing like a mountain stream.

As they played, tears fell from their eyes, their gazes growing misty.

The melody was profoundly moving and pure, laden with ancient longing and the sorrow of accumulated years, evoking a trance-like state in all who heard it.

Everyone stared intently at Hongchen Liudao, and even Ye Chen stood up.

Liudao remained unmoved, but Hongchen reacted, lifting his head as a glimmer flashed in his murky eyes.

Then, his wooden expression shifted to one of human emotion, and the confusion in his eyes gradually dissipated with the music.

"This might work," everyone said, their eyes lighting up as they held their breath.

"Husband, I'm Xue'er!" Chu Lingyu played the qin and choked out, using the name she had in her mortal days.

"Master, I'm Xiao'er!" Hongchen Xue wept, her voice breaking as tears blurred her vision.

"Xue'er? Xiao'er?" Hongchen spoke for the first time, his lips trembling, his voice hoarse as he stared blankly at the two women.

"Do you still remember us?" the women asked, not daring to stop the music.

"I remember." Hongchen closed his eyes and took a slight breath.

When he opened them again, his gaze was clear, brimming with hot tears, as if he had recalled past events.

He tried to rise but couldn't move, his magical power surging yet unable to break the seal or the suppression of the imperial artifacts.

"Where is this?" Hongchen scanned the crowd, his eyes locking onto Da Chu's Nine Emperors, narrowing slightly. "Nine Emperors?"

"It seems you recognize us," Yan Huang said with a faint smile.

"As the sacred lord of the Yan Huang generation, I naturally do," Hongchen replied. As the 98th-generation sacred lord of Yan Huang, he had entered the forbidden grounds and seen the statues of Yan Huang.

He also recognized the other eight emperors, for their stone statues stood in many places across Da Chu.

But he was puzzled—the Nine Emperors had long been dead, yet here they were, alive and well, leaving him dizzy with confusion.

And Chu Lingyu—he clearly remembered her as a mortal.

Finding himself here in a haze, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, even his steadfast mind was shrouded in fog.

It felt like a dream, blurring the line between reality and illusion.

No one spoke, their eyes narrowed as they focused solely on Hongchen.

They noticed his cultivation had dropped from Quasi-Emperor realm to Quasi-Heaven realm, with no trace of his former overwhelming pressure.

"Why did you kill Ruoxi?" Ye Chen was the first to ask.

"Ruoxi? Who is Ruoxi?" Hongchen looked utterly confused.

At these words, Ye Chen frowned, and so did everyone else.

"Stop the music," Donghuang Taiyi said calmly.

Hongchen Xue and Chu Lingyu immediately withdrew their hands, ceasing to pluck the strings, and the ethereal Jiuyou Xianqu faded away.

As the music stopped, Hongchen lowered his head, his expression turning wooden once more, his eyes sinking back into vacancy.

Strangely, his Quasi-Heaven cultivation surged back to Quasi-Emperor level, the powerful pressure returning in an instant.

Everything reverted to the starting point—Hongchen became muddled again, like a lifeless husk, devoid of all emotion.

"Senior, what about this..." Hongchen Xue and Chu Lingyu looked to Donghuang Taiyi, their tear-filled eyes full of worry.

"What do you all think?" Donghuang Taiyi asked softly.

"He's conscious, but he's forgotten everything after becoming muddled," Ye Chen said flatly. "Including Xiao Ruoxi."

"Or perhaps, the him before consciousness and the him after are completely different people," Tianzang Huang pondered.

"Before, he was muddled with Quasi-Emperor cultivation; after, he only remembers what happened before the muddle, and his cultivation has fallen to Quasi-Heaven."

"So, even if he regains consciousness, he can't tell us who Ruoxi is or why he wants to kill her."

"Does the Jiuyou Xianqu, which overturns the laws of time and reincarnation, still fail to restore his ancient memories?" Yan Huang frowned.

"Or is it that these two young women's cultivation and insight are too shallow?" Tianlao and Dilao stroked their beards and remarked.

"It's not about cultivation," Ye Chen touched his chin. "His memories are erased by some hidden law the moment he regains consciousness. It's hard to reverse."

"So, we've accomplished nothing?" Fuya sighed.

"Could you seniors lift his seal?" Hongchen Xue and Chu Lingyu looked hopefully at the Quasi-Emperors.

"No." The Quasi-Emperors replied in unison.

Hongchen was involved in too much; his mission was to kill Ruoxi.

But clearly, Ruoxi and the Zhuxian Sword were not on the same path—at least, she wasn't an enemy.

Hongchen was too powerful; releasing him could lead to unpredictable consequences.

For safety, Tianxuan Men would not remove his seal, at least not until the secrets were uncovered.

"Master." Hongchen Xue and Chu Lingyu turned their hopeful gazes to Danzun Qiye and Zhutian Jian Shen, hoping their masters would speak on Hongchen's behalf.

"There are too many things you two don't know. Don't put your masters in a difficult position," Jian Shen and Danzun said, refusing once more.

"Then, can we stay here with him?" the women asked almost pleadingly. "We just want to talk to him."

Everyone sighed and turned to leave, silently granting permission.

As Jian Shen departed, he waved his hand and took the sealed Liudao away, relocating him elsewhere to give the lovers some space.

The two women were filled with gratitude, with so much they wanted to say to Hongchen.

Three hundred years was too long, and reincarnation had blurred their past and present. That ancient affection was too distant, too full of hardship.

Hongchen Xue raised her hand to play the qin strings again, hoping to awaken him.

Chu Lingyu moved closer, sitting by his side.

The two seemed in sync—one played the qin while the other spoke, and they would switch places later, just wanting to be nearer to him.

"Hey." A voice called out, and at the garden entrance, a small head peeked in—it was Ye Chen, who had doubled back.

The women turned, looking at him curiously, wondering what he wanted.

"You two... want some... spring medicine?" Ye Chen grinned.

"Get lost." Chu Lingyu hurled a small stool at him.

"Missed." Ye Chen twisted his little body to dodge it, then scampered away like smoke, vanishing from sight.

Fortunately, the women were more focused on Hongchen and had no time for him. If they had been idle, they surely would have pinned him down for another beating.