"You're awake!"
In a tranquil and elegantly decorated room, a white-haired young man slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was filled with confusion, and a soft, clear voice filled with joy echoed in his ears.
Suddenly, the young man's brows furrowed tightly, and he let out a muffled groan of pain.
"Damn it, Xiao Bai, what's wrong?"
A delicate and ethereal face appeared in his vision, her expression tinged with urgency.
"Who… are you?"
Looking at the woman before him, dressed in a pale white gown, the young man swallowed a few times before finally managing to speak in a hoarse, broken voice.
"Xiao Bai… now is not the time for jokes!"
The woman in white clenched her teeth and scolded him, her tone both anxious and frustrated.
His face was deathly pale, cold sweat continuously beading on his forehead, and his features were twisted in agony—he was clearly enduring immense pain.
"Xiao Bai… who is that?"
The young man frowned in confusion. His eyes were unfocused, his gaze empty.
"What's wrong with you? Don't scare me!"
The woman in white finally realized something was wrong.
He wasn't joking—he really seemed to have lost his memory!
When Garen had brought him here, she had been filled with joy. She had thought she might never see him again, yet here he was. But clearly, he had run into serious trouble.
Without hesitation, she had taken him in.
Afterward, she had examined his condition but was at a loss. Though she was a healer, she was only skilled in treating the internal and external injuries commonly seen among mercenaries.
She had no idea how to deal with Xiao Bai's condition, so all she could do was wait for him to wake up.
And now, although he had woken up, he didn't seem to remember anything.
What was she supposed to do?
His expression clearly showed that he was enduring great pain, but she had no way to help him.
"You are Xiao Bai! I am Xiao Yi Xian. We went to that cave at the bottom of the cliff together—don't you remember?"
Seeing his state, Xiao Yi Xian became anxious and instinctively began recounting their past experiences, hoping he would recall something.
But Xiao Bai's confused and pained expression left her disappointed.
He… really didn't remember.
At that moment, Xiao Bai closed his eyes. Following the pain, he instinctively examined his body from within.
His lungs were in complete turmoil. Golden lightning and crimson lightning clashed fiercely, constantly battling for dominance.
Meanwhile, a streak of green lightning was simultaneously reinforcing the crimson lightning and healing the damage caused by the conflict.
A dull yellow lightning remained motionless most of the time, only providing support to the azure lightning when it was overwhelmed. Otherwise, it stayed firmly around his other internal organs, shielding them without participating in the fight.
Though Xiao Bai could not recall anything, the cultivation techniques ingrained in his mind remained.
Sensing the pain in his body, he instinctively began circulating his technique.
As it activated, tiny traces of golden lightning essence were gradually refined, shifting the previously balanced battle in one direction.
However, his pain intensified. The agony, which had been confined to his lungs, now spread throughout his entire body, as the sharp killing intent of the golden lightning wreaked havoc on his meridians.
Seeing his body suddenly radiate a surge of energy after he closed his eyes, Xiao Yi Xian felt a surge of relief—at least he still knew how to circulate his technique.
If he had truly lost all his knowledge, she wouldn't have known how to save him.
But when she saw his pain worsen, her heart clenched with worry.
For the first time, she felt deeply frustrated—why wasn't she an Alchemist? If she were, perhaps she could help him, even if only a little.
Feeling lost and helpless, she could only sit beside him, her eyes filled with sorrow, silently accompanying him.
At this moment, the only thing she could do was stay by his side and not disturb him.
Whether he could recover… was entirely up to him.
—
Two days later.
"Time to take your medicine!"
Xiao Yi Xian walked over with a bright smile, carrying a bowl of dark, murky medicinal soup. She softly called out to Xiao Bai, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed.
"I'm not drinking that."
Xiao Bai opened his eyes, glanced at her indifferently, then closed them again.
"Come on, be good. You've been coughing up blood for the past few days! I specially prepared this for you—drink it, and you won't cough up blood anymore!"
Xiao Yi Xian walked up to his bedside, her voice gentle, as if coaxing a child.
"I'm not sick."
Xiao Bai looked at the woman before him, feeling a little helpless. He had lost his memory, but his mind wasn't broken—he knew the reason for his condition. The golden lightning inside his body was the cause, and unless it was refined to a certain extent, coughing up blood was normal.
The medicine she prepared was useless for this.
"Get up and drink it!"
Seeing that he remained unmoved, Xiao Yi Xian's gentle expression disappeared, and her tone became commanding.
Although she was usually kind, dealing with mercenaries had taught her that some people only listened when spoken to firmly.
Since Xiao Bai refused to cooperate, she instinctively used the same tone she used on them.
But Xiao Bai simply shut his eyes again and stopped responding.
"Xiao Bai… are you trying to make me mad?"
Xiao Yi Xian was even more frustrated when he outright ignored her.
Before he lost his memory, he already loved to provoke her. Now, even after losing his memory, he was still the same. Was he sent by the heavens just to torment her?
"Fine, fine! You don't want to drink it, huh? Then no dinner for you tonight!"
She turned to leave in a huff, but her steps were slow and hesitant, glancing back at him every few steps.
Xiao Bai sighed.
This girl talked tough, but from what he had observed over the past few days, she was inherently kind and gentle.
In fact, she seemed genuinely happy whenever she could help him.
Ever since he started refining the golden lightning and coughing up blood, she had been tirelessly searching through books, staying up late to concoct prescriptions, and seeking out the best medicinal ingredients.
After a moment of thought, Xiao Bai got up, walked over, and picked up the bowl. Without hesitation, he drank the entire contents in one gulp.
Xiao Yi Xian's eyes lit up with delight as she watched him, a soft smile appearing on her lips.
"Good boy, Xiao Bai! I'll go make you some food!"
Taking the empty bowl from his hands, she beamed at him before happily skipping out.
Xiao Bai rolled his eyes in secret before returning to his bed to continue refining the golden lightning in his body.
This golden lightning was particularly slow to refine—based on his progress over the past two days, it would take at least half a year to fully absorb it.
But he wasn't in a hurry. He would refine it bit by bit.
For now, he had nowhere else to go, so he might as well stay here for a while.
---
That evening, the two of them sat across from each other at a small table, which was laid out with a few delicate dishes.
"Xiao Bai, try it! Tell me what you think of today's food!"
Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful eyes were filled with anticipation as she looked at him.
Ever since leaving the small mountain village and coming to Greenhill Town, these past two days had been the happiest for her outside of treating patients.
It wasn't very polite of her, but she couldn't help but think—this amnesiac Xiao Bai was so much better than the old one.
The Xiao Bai from before only knew how to tease her.
This one, though he could be frustrating at times, was no longer the person who lived in a world so different from hers.
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