“This humble scholar offers his greetings”?

Baili Weisheng bowed with both hands clasped, his expression humble, a faint unease stirring beneath the surface even as he remained perfectly courteous.

Meng Duo’er had told him that this group were all his friends, and that his mother was among them too.

That was why she’d brought him here—hoping he might remember something.

And yet, facing these faces before him, he truly had no recollection of any of them at all.

Baili Weisheng held his bow, and seeing no reaction at all from the crowd, hesitated, then bowed again. “Everyone, this humble scholar offers his greetings.”

To his surprise, at those words, Xiong Xiaobao—who had just been screaming—suddenly burst out laughing, laughing so hard he rolled around on the ground.

“Mommy! Mommy! Listen! Listen to what Uncle Scholar just said, hahaha!”

“‘This humble scholar offers his greetings’? Mommy, did you hear what Uncle Scholar said? I’m going to die laughing!”

“How could Uncle Scholar possibly say something like that!”

…

Seeing this, Baili Weisheng slowly furrowed his brow, clearly displeased with Xiong Xiaobao’s attitude.

Only Xiong Xiaobao was laughing; everyone else still showed no reaction at all.

Baili Weisheng glanced around at everyone, and seeing Xiong Xiaobao’s laughter show no sign of stopping, launched into a proper lecture. “The ancients said, ‘one who does not study propriety has no standing to speak of.’ Young friend, if I’ve said something wrong, you’re welcome to point it out—but mocking me like this is exceedingly rude! To be so disrespectful at such a young age—how will you ever hold your ground, how will you ever command respect, when you grow up?”

If Baili Weisheng had said nothing, it might have been fine, but this only made Xiong Xiaobao laugh even harder, as though someone had struck his funny bone—he simply couldn’t stop.

Seeing this, Baili Weisheng grew anxious and was about to continue reasoning with him, when suddenly Xiong Xiaobao lifted his head and looked straight at him, his clear eyes brimming with unshed tears before anyone had even noticed.

“Mommy, Uncle Scholar really doesn’t remember us at all.”

It was hard to tell whether Xiong Xiaobao was laughing or crying—either way, his expression looked worse than crying outright.

Something inside Baili Weisheng seemed to be struck, and inexplicably, he felt a pang of distress.

Just then, Madam Jinjiao’s voice broke, choked with tears. “Son… you… you’ve forgotten even your own mother?”

“You… are my mother?” Baili Weisheng asked back, puzzled.

That question struck Madam Jinjiao to the core, leaving her utterly unable to answer. She could only cover her mouth with her hand, brow furrowed tight.

“You wretched scholar, you…”

Ziqing had never imagined something like this could happen. Looking at Baili Weisheng’s bewildered face, she had no idea what to do either!

Fortunately, someone still had a level head.

Jun Beiyue looked Baili Weisheng over, equally helpless. “Let’s go inside first and talk. Meng Duo’er should know what happened.”

Baili Weisheng glanced at Jun Beiyue, then at Ziqing, and was just about to walk when he suddenly froze.

In that instant, something seemed to have surfaced in his mind—something that felt terribly important.

But…

Baili Weisheng struggled to remember, but the moment he tried, his head began to throb, throbbing so badly he couldn’t help but clutch his head in both hands!

“Son, what’s wrong!” Madam Jinjiao rushed forward at once, but the instant she touched him, Baili Weisheng instinctively recoiled—he clearly didn’t like being touched by anyone!

That instinctive reaction broke Madam Jinjiao’s heart. “I’m your mother! What’s happened to you? Is your head injured?”

Baili Weisheng didn’t answer, only retreated further. “Where’s Miss Meng?”

At this point, Meng Duo’er, who had been watching quietly to the side, finally spoke up. “She really is your mother… Let’s go inside and talk first!”

Once back inside, everyone gathered together, sitting in a circle. Baili Weisheng found himself unconsciously glancing at Ziqing several times, but that fleeting feeling from before was nowhere to be found again, and he had to let it go.

He sat obediently in the middle of the group, listening as Meng Duo’er recounted what had happened to everyone.

“You’re saying… Xuanyuan Lige has a body of the Five Elements, and Meng Wanyue drew on that elemental power from him to perfect an instant sealing technique—one that even surpassed your own abilities?” Ziqing asked seriously.

The moment she finished, Jun Beiyue immediately asked, “And then? Where are they now? And how did Baili Weisheng end up losing his memory?”

That was the crux of the matter!

Jun Beiyue’s question left Ziqing uneasy as well.

If Meng Duo’er hadn’t been able to hold Meng Wanyue back, then in such a situation, both she and Baili Weisheng would have been in tremendous danger—how had they managed to escape at all?

She and Beiyue had spent so long in Nanzhao—why had Meng Wanyue never once come looking for trouble?

Meng Duo’er glanced pitifully at Baili Weisheng. Of course she knew what came next was the crux of it all, but she couldn’t even imagine what would happen once Ziqing learned the truth.

“I… I…” Meng Duo’er stammered, wishing desperately that Baili Weisheng could be the one to tell this part!

“Speak up!” Ziqing snapped, unable to hold back any longer, slamming her hand on the table and rising to her feet.

She felt both anxious and irritable, her whole being thrown off balance.

If she hadn’t still retained a shred of composure, she might well have lunged at Meng Duo’er and strangled the poor girl for being unable to hold up under pressure.

Being snapped at by Ziqing for the first time, Meng Duo’er gave a startled jolt and immediately blurted everything out at once. “I don’t know why Xuanyuan Lige saved us. When Meng Wanyue was about to kill the scholar, Xuanyuan Lige was inside her protective barrier—it was Xuanyuan Lige who killed Meng Wanyue, at the cost of his own life…”

At that, Ziqing instinctively stumbled backward, colliding hard with a chair, and then collapsed into it.

Her face drained of color; one hand flew up to cover her mouth, and her clear, bright eyes went wide, staring at Meng Duo’er in disbelief—that gaze plainly capable of murder.

She said nothing at all, and yet everyone present fell silent all the same.

Xuanyuan Lige… he… he was dead?

Meng Duo’er was frightened stiff by Ziqing’s stare, and not daring to pause even for a moment, rushed the rest out in a single breath. “Meng Wanyue wanted to draw out every last bit of the Five Elements’ power—that process is extremely dangerous, and if interrupted, both sides are certain to suffer mutual destruction, and neither could possibly survive it! Xuanyuan Lige and Meng Wanyue both turned into pools of blood on the spot, not even bones remaining. Baili Weisheng was too close to them, and was struck by the backlash of the Five Elements’ power—I don’t know exactly where he was hurt, only that he’s lost his memory.”

At those words, Ziqing’s entire body went rigid.

She couldn’t control herself, no matter how hard she tried!

She hated Xuanyuan Lige—hated him down to the bone, hated him for being so utterly without principle, so utterly without limits, for hurting Qianqian just to force her hand!

She hated him for becoming what he’d become!

But what she hated even more was herself—hated that deep down, she’d never truly been able to give up on that man entirely.

Rationally, she wanted him dead, and knowing he was dead should have been cause only for celebration—a final measure of justice for Qianqian!

But now that he really was dead, somewhere deep in her heart, it hurt—hurt so much she hadn’t even known she was capable of hurting that badly.

Her heart felt as though something had bitten into it viciously, aching so much it made even breathing painful!

How could this be!

They’d met and become kindred spirits, become friends—how could they end up as enemies, and then part ways forever without so much as a word?