Sizzle…
A feather from the Dark Phoenix shot directly towards Xia Yi's forehead.
Xia Yi immediately activated his Battle Armor, using both the Fox Thought Technique and Absolute Zero in their most powerful forms, but he still couldn't stop the Dark Phoenix's feather.
At a critical moment, he had no choice but to take out the Phoenix Heart Jade.
As soon as the Phoenix Heart Jade appeared, Xia Yi hadn't even activated it yet when the Dark Phoenix's feather stopped right in front of her.
"Your sister's Phoenix Heart Jade, the old cow eats tender grass... Sis, you're playing quite the game," a melodious voice rang out. The Dark Phoenix's feather was also summoned back by the voice, now held in the woman's hand, as she played with it.
Seeing that the woman, Leng Yulai, wasn't planning to make another move, Xia Yi let out a sigh of relief, curiously looking at the woman who had been residing in his body all this time.
Leng Yulai wore a dark red gown, her body tall and proportionate, but any man who saw her for the first time would certainly first notice her somewhat exaggerated curves. Her waist, however, was slim, and only after the curve of her hips did her figure widen, leading to her straight, rounded, and long legs. A strong aura of temptation radiated from her.
"Last time, a Title Douluo looked at me just like that. I burned his soul in Dark Fire for a whole year!" Leng Yulai looked at Xia Yi with a smile. As her sister, her beauty resembled Leng Yaozhu, with seven or eight parts alike—both were stunningly beautiful.
And Leng Yaozhu was known for holding the title of the most beautiful woman in the Spirit Pagoda for decades.
She wasn't angry and said, "But seeing you as my sister's little lover, I'll let you off."
"We're not what you think," Xia Yi shook his head. He had never imagined he would face this demoness so soon.
Fortunately, since she was acting on Leng Yaozhu's behalf, it seemed she had no intention of making things difficult for him.
"Your sister's Phoenix Heart Jade is with you, and you still want to lie to me?" Leng Yulai snorted coldly, saying, "I should be clearer than you about what the Phoenix Heart Jade represents in our family."
"We're master and disciple, and the Phoenix Heart Jade was given to me by my teacher for protection," Xia Yi said, hardening his resolve.
He couldn't explain the relationship he had with Leng Yaozhu, so he could only cover it up with a master-disciple relationship.
"Master and disciple? Heh, you two are playing quite the game," Leng Yulai chuckled. "I never realized my sister was so messed up."
"We're really not like you think." Although he knew explaining was useless, Xia Yi still gritted his teeth and continued.
"I understand. My sister cares a lot about her reputation. You two know this in your hearts, and even I, as her sister, can't speak about it," Leng Yulai said wickedly.
"Forget it, I won't explain it anymore. This is for you. Your sister asked me to give it to you." Knowing that further explanations would be futile, Xia Yi simply took out the storage ring Leng Yaozhu had given him.
Since he couldn't explain it clearly, he would let Leng Yaozhu explain it herself.
Although Leng Yulai was smiling, Xia Yi didn't dare relax, unsure if she might suddenly attack him.
She had only restrained her killing intent after seeing Leng Yaozhu's Phoenix Heart Jade. Hopefully, this gift Leng Yaozhu prepared for her would have an even better effect.
Sure enough, when Leng Yulai saw the fiery red storage ring in Xia Yi's hand, her expression turned complicated.
"Interesting!" Seeing this change, Xia Yi finally relaxed. If just seeing the ring had this effect, then seeing what was inside would likely calm her emotions even more.
"This was given to me by Leng Yaozhu." Leng Yulai narrowed her eyes and asked coldly.
"Yes!" Xia Yi nodded.
"Good, you can leave now!" Leng Yulai waved her hand, and the ring in Xia Yi's hand flew into hers. She then slapped her palm, releasing a terrifying soul power that sent Xia Yi flying. Behind him, a spatial vortex appeared, swallowing him up.
When Xia Yi was completely swallowed, Leng Yulai finally hid her earlier expression, staring at the vortex that had swallowed him, her gaze complex. She murmured to herself, "He was just a first-ring kid back then, and now he has grown to this point. Spiritual power in the Lingyuan Realm... I thought it would take ten or twenty years, but it only took four. Sister, is he really your student? Can you really teach him?"
When Xia Yi regained his senses, he found himself in a humble, unremarkable courtyard.
In the center of the courtyard, a boy who appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen was practicing boxing in a martial arts field.
The boy had long black hair that cascaded like a flowing river, and his eyes were as clear as crystal, pure and flawless.
His movements were light and swift, like a spirit fox. With each punch, not even a trace of soul power was released, and he seemed to move as casually as a child playing.
"He's here!" The boy looked up at Xia Yi and smiled, saying, "You should know who I am now, right?"
The boy looked very much like Xia Yi, almost as if they were made from the same mold, only he appeared a bit more mature, always wearing a gentle smile.
"You are me, the past me," Xia Yi murmured.
"Wrong. The last bit of my soul power disappeared a year ago. I'm just the memory that was sealed. Once you absorb me, all your memories will return," the boy laughed. Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow, looking at Xia Yi curiously, and asked, "What are you afraid of?"
"Which eye of yours saw that I'm afraid?" Xia Yi shrugged and replied indifferently. "Besides, it's just restoring my memories. What's there to be afraid of?"
"You can lie to others, but can you lie to me?" The boy chuckled, and several water cups appeared in his hands, as if performing a magic trick.
He pointed to a cup filled with red liquid and said, "This is me."
Then, he dipped his hand into a cup with white liquid, smiling, "This is you."
Afterward, he flicked his finger, sending a droplet of water from the white cup into the red one.
He raised the cup and handed it to Xia Yi, saying, "This is what happens when you and I merge. Can you still find yourself in this?"
Xia Yi's face darkened.
He understood what the boy meant—if he merged with him, he would likely become the past version of himself completely.
Perhaps he would still remember Gu Yue, still remember Star Dou Forest, but compared to the other people and events in his memories, Gu Yue and Star Dou Forest would become insignificant.
"Merge with me, and you will regain all the memories you lost. With those memories, within a year, you will be invincible in the Douluo Continent, easily helping Gu Yue with what she wants to do, and then breaking through to return to your original world, where your mother is waiting for you, where the responsibilities you must bear are waiting for you," the boy smiled and said. "The price is losing who you are now. The choice is yours."
Mother, responsibility! Xia Yi fell silent. There was a time when his greatest wish was to regain the memories he had lost.
Now, the opportunity was right in front of him, and yet, as the boy said, he was truly afraid.
Xia Yi took a deep breath, looked up at the boy, and asked, "How do I leave this place?"
"Leave?" The boy chuckled. "Are you sure you want to give up on this chance to restore your memories?"
"I am Xia Yi, the little fox from Star Dou Forest. I'm not some big shot, nor do I want to be one," Xia Yi took a deep breath and said, "Even without you, I can break through the Douluo Continent and find my mother."
"Heh, I knew it would be like this," the boy shrugged nonchalantly. "Before, you wanted to regain your memories because you had no attachments in the Douluo Continent. Now that you have attachments, now that you've developed a fondness for this world, naturally, you wouldn't want to regain your memories!"
"I thought you would despise me?" Xia Yi said indifferently.
"Despise? Why would I despise you?" The boy smiled and said, "Although you've forgotten your past memories, your personality hasn't changed, so your choice was within my expectations."
The boy patted Xia Yi's shoulder and said, "Big shots have big responsibilities, little foxes have little responsibilities. Since you've decided to be a little fox, then do your best at it!"
"I already do my best," Xia Yi replied unreasonably.
"Don't joke. Just pick any person off the street. Even someone with only one of the Tushan secret techniques could easily sweep through the Douluo Continent. But with your multiple Tushan secret techniques, you've become like this. How can you still have the face to say that?" The boy shook his head and flicked his finger, creating a spatial vortex in front of Xia Yi.
"Wait!" Just as Xia Yi was about to leave, the boy suddenly called out to him.
"What is it? Is there something else?" Xia Yi asked.
"Nothing. I just want to remind you that although you rejected me now, sooner or later, we will merge. If you don't want to really become like the white water, then make your life more exciting. Don't be afraid to cause trouble, don't be afraid to leave a mess. These things can all be solved once we merge. Remember, your independent time isn't long. Don't leave yourself with regrets..."
(End of Chapter)