Bai Fanlu’s mind kept replaying the same thought over and over.

It’s strange, he thought. Didn’t he dislike Yun Zhan? So why did he feel so empty when he heard that Yun Zhan had forgotten about the past?

Bai Fanlu clearly remembered that he was someone who had transmigrated into a book, and Yun Zhan was the villain who had caused the original owner’s death. That’s why he avoided him as much as possible, parting ways as soon as he left the mountain.

And after that… after that…

Bai Fanlu shook his head, feeling an unusual chaos in his mind. He felt unsteady and had to be supported by Ling Qingzi.

Ling Qingzi seemed to be saying something, but Bai Fanlu only saw his lips move and couldn’t hear anything. He was desperate to recall what had happened after he separated from Yun Zhan.

First, he encountered and killed a flower thief. Then, he passed through Jingyang Town, where he met Xiang Wanyi and Shen Lanshan. After that, he went to Yingzhou to break the Ninety-Nine Corpse Array but let He Sang escape. In Er Cang Mountain, he defeated a demon bear and obtained the Snow Lingzhi. Lastly, he went to Lingcheng.

In Lingcheng, he even visited the Ghost Realm…

Why did he go to the Ghost Realm? Oh, right, it was to retrieve the Nether Ghost Fire for Xun Huang, who then awakened and disappeared…

These were all things he had done and experienced on his own.

Everything seemed to make sense, all the events logically connected. But one crucial person was missing.

Bai Fanlu couldn’t remember anyone else. In his current memory, there was no second person—he had always been alone. Even Yin Yin said last night that the chicken coop was built by him, and they only knew him from beginning to end.

After they parted ways upon leaving the mountain, he hadn’t seen Yun Zhan again. No matter how hard he racked his brain, Bai Fanlu couldn’t come up with a reason.

Yes, it was true! But what was that blank space in his mind? He desperately wanted to figure it out, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach it.

The harder he tried, the closer he seemed to be to discovering something, only to be pushed further away by an invisible force at the last moment.

Bai Fanlu squatted down and silently held his head.

Ling Qingzi watched him for a moment, then leaned down, initially holding him gently, but then applying more force.

“Mo’er, this might be for the best…”

Bai Fanlu felt the hand on his shoulder.

Master said, “It might be for the best?”

Yes, it might be for the best… Yun Zhan lost his memory. Perhaps he also experienced a lot during the time they were apart.

This is actually perfect. He won’t remember the grievances with the original owner and won’t target him anymore. And he could continue to keep his distance, which is even better than expected.

But why does he feel so unwilling?

It’s like losing something important, something that was taken away by others without his permission—a deep sense of unwillingness.

“Master…”

“I know.”

Bai Fanlu felt the strength of the hand holding him increase slightly, as Ling Qingzi placed a hand on the back of his head and pressed him tightly against his chest.

The cold fabric of the immortal’s robe contrasted with the warmth of the touch, and the subtle fragrance lingered between the two.

“He forgot about you, so you should forget about him too. That would be for the best.”

“Mo’er, forget about him and start over.”

Bai Fanlu froze, slowly releasing the hands that were holding his head.

He knelt on the ground, and Ling Qingzi also half-knelt. He looked up at Ling Qingzi, who looked down at him.

In those eyes, usually calm and composed, it seemed as though all the starlight in the galaxy was now flowing within them.

“If you can’t forget, I’ll help you…”

“Mo’er, let’s start over.”

Bai Fanlu sat at the edge of Qionglin Cliff, still pondering Ling Qingzi’s last words. He suddenly realized that at some point, Ling Qingzi’s way of addressing him had changed from “your master” to “I.”

And in his gaze, there was a hidden restraint and suppression. When he leaned down slightly, it almost made Bai Fanlu think…

But before he could instinctively retreat, there was a sudden knock at the door, and Yun Zhan arrived.

When he saw Yun Zhan emerge from Sanmu Residence, Yun Zhan just nodded slightly as he passed by and inexplicably said, “Senior brother, your hair is getting longer.”

At the time, Bai Fanlu was too conflicted to pay attention to it. He did notice the length of his hair but didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until later, sitting by the cliff, that he remembered Yun Zhan’s words. He casually waved his hand, summoning a water mirror.

Finally seeing himself reflected in the mirror, even Bai Fanlu was taken aback.

He had heard people say he had changed several times, but he hadn’t expected it to be true.

This change wasn’t just on the surface; even though his features remained the same, there was an indescribable unfamiliarity in his expression.

Especially those eyes. The more Bai Fanlu looked at them, the more they seemed like a familiar character—one that, after repeated inspection, became completely unrecognizable.

Those eyes, capable of captivating the world, could only be described with one term: “peach blossom eyes.”

Who is this? Is it really him?

His long hair spread out on the ground behind him. Bai Fanlu grabbed a lock of it, confirming it wasn’t an illusion.

“Who’s up there? Sitting there for so long and not coming down to keep this old man company?”

Looking down, it was the old immortal by the forging furnace.

Bai Fanlu leaped down and bowed. “Greetings, senior.”

“Hmm,” the old immortal replied while seated, raising an eyebrow and opening one eye to glance at Bai Fanlu. “Got any wine?”

“Apologies, senior. I didn’t bring any.” Tian Shu Sect prohibits alcohol, so how could he have any?

The old immortal lost interest, blew his beard, and closed his eyes without another word.

Bai Fanlu didn’t know if the original owner had interacted with this old immortal before, but this was the first time he’d officially met him. Now that he saw him, he noted that although the old immortal’s behavior was carefree, his appearance was kind and straightforward, quite different from the solemn and serious Shen Xianzun.

No wonder he felt a strange sense of familiarity upon first meeting.

But since the old immortal wasn’t paying him any mind, Bai Fanlu didn’t disturb him either. He found a place to sit nearby and looked at the forging furnace.

Observing the furnace up close, its large bronze body looked different from above. The sides didn’t reveal the red-hot interior, and the intricate patterns of dragons and tigers were more distinct. It appeared to be just an enormous cauldron.

After a while, something was suddenly thrown into the furnace from above. Bai Fanlu looked up but couldn’t tell who had thrown it. However, in the next moment, the forging furnace erupted with a brilliant divine light, turning the entire furnace red.

“Wow, that kid did it again.”

Bai Fanlu had just heard the old immortal say this when a colorful beam shot out from the furnace, illuminating the entire Qionglin Cliff like a dance of fairies, leaving the forest bathed in a mystical glow.

“That’s amazing. That kid actually managed to forge a divine weapon!”

The old immortal watched the scene, stroking his beard and nodding in approval.

Bai Fanlu suddenly realized—could it be that Bilu has transformed?

So the “kid” the old immortal mentioned was referring to Yun Zhan? Is he up there?

Yun Zhan had failed to break through the Lingquan Formation before they parted ways. It seems that this time, he succeeded.

Bai Fanlu remained silent. It had nothing to do with him. If it did, it would be that the stronger Yun Zhan became, the faster Bai Junming would die.

Bai Junming… What did he do to make Bai Fanlu hate him so much?

Bai Fanlu carefully recalled, “In Yufang City, Bai Junming pretended to be Yun Zhan to flirt with him, but he saw through it immediately. But Bai Junming must have done something to make his demonic energy awaken.”

What did he do? He vaguely remembered losing consciousness at that time. When he woke up, Bai Junming had already escaped.

Bai Fanlu’s head started to hurt again. He still felt like there were many gaps in these events that couldn’t be connected. When Wang Chongyu returned, he had to ask him carefully about what happened that day.

And he had to ask about…

As Bai Fanlu was deep in thought, the old immortal suddenly pointed upwards and said, “Hey, is that kid looking at you?”

Bai Fanlu followed his gaze, looking up. The divine light around the forging furnace had faded a bit, but there were still some colorful ribbons of light floating in the air. Yun Zhan, holding Bilu in his hand, was looking down in their direction.

Bai Fanlu averted his gaze and said indifferently, “I don’t know him.”

“Huh? Weren’t you two close? He even pestered this old man to help forge a sword for you…” The old immortal suddenly widened his eyes and covered his mouth.

Oops, he let it slip.

But then again, he did it on purpose.

The old immortal’s mischievous eyes made it clear, as if he was afraid the viewer wouldn’t notice.

Bai Fanlu was taken aback. “Him? He forged a sword for me?”

“No, no, no, don’t ask.” The old immortal shook his head quickly, his small gourd hair accessory almost falling off.

Bai Fanlu unsheathed his sword. “This one?”

“I told you not to…”

Alright, Bai Fanlu didn’t ask, but his tone was affirmative. The old rascal shrugged and didn’t deny it, wearing an expression that said, “You guessed it.”

Bai Fanlu was now certain. His sword was forged by Yun Zhan. He might have added something to it when Wang Chongyu had it forged, which is why it became a spiritual weapon, transcending ordinary swords.

Yun Zhan lingered in the air for a moment before flying away. It didn’t seem like he had been looking at Bai Fanlu, as the old immortal suggested.

Bai Fanlu lowered his head, suddenly noticing a flash of light, and saw that the old immortal was now holding an intricately designed round mirror.

The mirror reflected sunlight as the old immortal played with it.

Before Bai Fanlu could ask, the old immortal proudly said, “This is a treasure, you know. Have you heard of ‘Not Dust’?”

“Not Dust?” Bai Fanlu recalled the novel mentioning it.

“But even though it’s a good item, it’s not easy to use. Either it doesn’t change back, or it changes back but…”

The old immortal deliberately left the sentence hanging, building suspense.

Bai Fanlu remembered that the novel mentioned the risks of ‘Not Dust,’ but the second risk was never clarified. Judging by the old immortal’s tone, he seemed to know.

“Please, enlighten me, senior.”

“Haha!” The old immortal laughed heartily. “The backlash of this mirror image is usually irreversible. But if it can be restored, do you know what the consequence would be…”

He stroked his beard and looked at Bai Fanlu with a hint of meaning. “In this world, there are no two identical leaves. If the mirror image disappears, everything about that person will be erased from everyone’s memory.”

“It will be as if they never existed.”

Bai Fanlu bid farewell and left.

Not long after he left, someone else appeared beside the forging furnace. The old immortal was about to put away the mirror, but upon seeing the newcomer, he burst into laughter.

“This old man’s place hasn’t been this lively in hundreds of years! Are you also here to borrow this mirror?”

The person didn’t reply but walked past the forging furnace. Clad in green with silver hair cascading down, they looked like a ghostly figure under the furnace’s dying red light…

After leaving, Bai Fanlu couldn’t stop thinking about what the old immortal said about the second risk of ‘Not Dust,’ confirming that it had something to do with “memory.”

Could the erased mirror image be the blank spot in his memory? Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember anything.

In the days that followed, Bai Fanlu didn’t see Yun Zhan again. It was said that after Bilu transformed into a divine weapon, Yun Zhan volunteered to go to the western border, the area closest to the demon tribe’s lair, along with a few other disciples.

Bai Fanlu had initially planned to go there himself, intending to lure Bai Junming out and see if he could find the ‘Diao Hua Pavilion,’ the entrance to the demon realm.

But Yun Zhan beat him to it. Since the original novel had Yun Zhan discovering ‘Diao Hua Pavilion,’ Bai Fanlu decided not to compete for credit.

Bai Fanlu didn’t want to stay at Tian Shu Sect, and after that day, Ling Qingzi went up to Lingjue Peak. Bai Fanlu seriously considered what Ling Qingzi had said and felt an immense weight on his shoulders. What the original owner had failed to do, he seemed destined to continue failing at.

He didn’t want to remain idle or leave the mountain with nothing to do, so he decided to find Wang Chongyu.

Wang Chongyu was now the leader of the demon-slaying organization in the human world, and Bai Fanlu wanted to ask him about the latest developments on the demonic energy rift and offer his assistance.

When Bai Fanlu found Wang Chongyu, the timing was perfect. Wang Chongyu had just been injured while slaying demons, but according to him, good news had been pouring in from various sects. After sealing the demonic energy rifts, the frequency of new demonic incidents had significantly decreased. Only a few high-level demons were still resisting stubbornly.

After another half-month, they finally managed to eliminate this last group of demons and were able to return to Tian Shu Sect for some rest.

Although most of the disciples returned safely, sacrifices were inevitable. The Chengying Sect had been rebuilt, and a new sect leader had been chosen. The disciples who had taken refuge in Tian Shu Sect had left, making the sect feel a bit empty.

One day, as Bai Fanlu walked through the corridors, he stopped in front of a closed door, lost in thought.

“Senior brother, are you thinking about Yun Zhan?” Bai Fanlu turned around and saw Wang Chongyu.

“Is there any news from the western border?”

“None.” Wang Chongyu shook his head. There had been no communication for several days.

Bai Fanlu thought for a moment. “Chongyu, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“What is it, senior brother? Feel free to ask.”

“At Baihua Pavilion, you said it was Bai Junming who pretended to be Yun Zhan. I only remember passing out and waking up back at Tian Shu Sect… But why did I pass out? What did Bai Junming do after that? And why have I felt dizzy so often since then?”

Bai Fanlu frowned. “I keep feeling like there should be another person involved, but I just can’t remember.”

Wang Chongyu looked surprised. “Another person?”

“Hmm… It’s a strange feeling. The forging furnace senior told me about ‘Not Dust,’ and I suspect it might involve a mirror image that once existed, but I have no clue.”

Seeing Bai Fanlu so deep in thought, trying to figure out the right words, Wang Chongyu could see how eager he was to solve this mystery.

But he could only shake his head. “No, at that time, it was just you, me, and Bai Junming. Bai Junming used dark magic to make you faint, and perhaps your spiritual energy awakened as you struggled to break free from his restraints.”

“As for the dizziness, you never mentioned it before. How is it now? Maybe we should ask Master to take a look.”

Hearing him mention Ling Qingzi, Bai Fanlu quickly said, “No need, it’s much better now. Let’s not bother him.”

Unfortunately, even Wang Chongyu was certain there wasn’t a third person. After being attacked by Bai Junming and having his demonic energy awakened, Bai Fanlu had returned to Tian Shu Sect, then went on various demon-slaying missions, leading up to now. Could it really be the effect of the mirror image? Or was he just confused?

In the following days, peace returned to Tian Shu Sect, but Ling Qingzi rarely appeared. The only times Bai Fanlu saw him were during morning practice with the other disciples, when they were practicing swordsmanship. Ling Qingzi would pass by and stop to watch for a while.

Bai Fanlu pretended not to notice, but it was likely that, in the past, whenever Ling Qingzi appeared during practice, Bai Fanlu would go over and greet him, which was why he never noticed him before.

This time, he deliberately didn’t acknowledge Ling Qingzi but accidentally noticed Wang Chongyu beside him and where his gaze was directed.

Another time, Wang Chongyu came to him, saying he brought a small item from the mortal world. When Bai Fanlu saw it, it turned out to be a finely crafted, painted wicker horse, obviously made by a skilled craftsman and not something an amateur could have casually woven together.

Wang Chongyu didn’t say much, but Bai Fanlu could guess who had given it to him. That night, unable to sleep, Bai Fanlu went to Lingquan Mountain to admire the moon, staring at the two grass-woven rabbits he had found.

When he came to his senses, he noticed Ling Qingzi not far away. That was the only time he had taken out the two rabbits to look at them, so aside from his master, no one else would have thought to give him such a small gift.

“Senior brother, if you can’t stop thinking about Yun Zhan, why not choose someone else?” Wang Chongyu asked as he handed him the little horse.

Bai Fanlu roughly understood his meaning but only said, “You used to say that Yun Zhan and I were dao companions, but you were all mistaken. Yun Zhan and I are not dao companions, and I’ve never intended to find one. I never will.”

After all, he didn’t belong to this world. If he were to find a dao companion, would it be for cultivation? As for love, he didn’t expect it to last long.

But it was only at this moment that Bai Fanlu finally began to understand why Wang Chongyu had always been so concerned about his and Yun Zhan’s relationship, and why he had never felt that Wang Chongyu harbored any feelings for him beyond brotherly affection.

It was all because…

Bai Fanlu truly didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t the original owner, so how could he bear such deep feelings for him? But Ling Qingzi had never made it clear, and now it seemed he was deliberately distancing himself. Bai Fanlu could only hope that… perhaps he was just overthinking it.

Or perhaps, the Way of No Emotions (Wuqing Dao) truly could help one forget such feelings.

There was still no news of Yun Zhan, and Tian Shu Sect began to send more people to the western border. Wang Chongyu also left, and it seemed the situation was not looking good. Bai Fanlu overheard someone mentioning that the demon tribe’s lair had been discovered, but later, it was said to be a false alarm.

This was not unusual, as there were many false appearances surrounding the Diao Hua Pavilion.

But one day, Bai Fanlu noticed that several of the most skilled disciples were urgently summoned to the Great Hall.

Sensing that something was wrong, he waited for those disciples to leave before he rushed in.

After many days of not seeing each other, Ling Qingzi looked at Bai Fanlu, who was clearly anxious but trying to hold back his emotions. In the end, Ling Qingzi sighed.

“Yun Zhan has fallen into the Abyss of Endless Realms.”