Chapter 81: A Conspiracy? Or an Accident? - I Forged Them in Darkness, and They Buried Me in It

Chapter 81: A Conspiracy? Or an Accident? "Miss Su, what's wrong?" Seeing the young woman standing motionless, Xiao Fan took the initiative to ask. His concern was evident in his voice. Su Chichi snapped out of her reverie and managed an awkward yet polite smile. "It's nothing, just that this place somehow feels familiar." Xiao Fan was puzzled but smiled nonetheless, "These outposts are quite similar; perhaps you’ve seen one like this somewhere else." Su Chichi shook her head and said no more. Her mood was clearly low as she silently walked amidst the ruins, pausing occasionally to look around. That evening, the group returned to the city and rested at a pre-arranged residence. At midnight, Su Chichi left the residence alone and returned to the outpost. The sky was sparse with stars, and the mountain wind brought a wailing sound reminiscent of ghosts crying, adding an eerie layer to an already unsettling atmosphere. She didn’t have to wait long before a shadow swiftly approached. Stopping in front of the girl, the figure remained shrouded in black, exuding an air of mystery. Looking at the unknown entity, whose gender and nature were indistinguishable, Su Chichi coldly said, "If you can't produce the so-called evidence, don't blame me for being ruthless and taking your life." "The Memory Stone doesn't lie!" The figure retorted sharply. Its voice was hissing, like an animal mimicking human speech. "Years ago, I accidentally left the Memory Stone in the Su family village, not knowing it would record such a horrifying scene." Su Chichi fell silent upon hearing this. The Memory Stone couldn’t be falsified; it was akin to a treasure imbued with the laws of nature, unchangeable by any practitioner. Her master had once said that the Memory Stone, like a cultivator's need to construct a spirit platform for practice, was a natural formation and beyond fabrication. "If you didn’t believe it, why would you come here tonight?" "You do believe it, but you don't want to believe it. How long will you deceive yourself?" The voice suddenly became urgent. With her head lowered, Su Chichi abruptly said, "Give me the Memory Stone. I need to confirm it once more." "Wake up! You’ve had the Memory Stone for three years already. How many more times do you need to confirm it?" With these final rushed words, the figure vanished from the ruins. Only a face, illuminated in the waxing and waning moonlight, was left behind. In her hand, hanging by her side, she gripped a palm-sized stone tightly. The stone emitted a faint, feeble glow. It was a sign of the Memory Stone being activated. ... Through Chu Qingli’s narration, Chen An gradually pieced together the story of her and the fox demon. Back in Luoyang, the fox demon hadn’t harmed Chu Qingli, merely using some 'inconsequential' tricks as a form of punishment. Ultimately, it did not really harm her. This experience somewhat altered Chu Qingli’s ingrained perceptions of demons. She began to inquire locally, receiving mostly positive feedback. This sparked a sense of guilt within her towards the fox demon. This guilt eventually transformed into impulsiveness when one day, Chu Qingli learned of the fox demon’s capture by Kunlun disciples. In a moment of impulse, she traveled a great distance to rescue it. But Kunlun, as a prestigious sect, did not have disciples that were easily dealt with. Although Chu Qingli’s cultivation among her peers was remarkable, her opponents were no pushovers. Especially when outnumbered, Chu Qingli held her ground, relying on her extensive combat experience and the resilience built from repeated battles with Chen An, to rescue the fox demon and flee across great distances, seeking Chen An to prolong its life. Hearing this, Chen An couldn’t help but be struck by it. Switch Chu Qingli’s gender in this tale, and it reads just like a fantasy novel protagonist's storyline. There might as well be an epic tale of love between a human and a demon unfolding. "So, when you set out initially, did you not consider that you might never return?" Faced with Chen An's straightforward question, Chu Qingli hesitated. She hemmed and hawed before finally admitting, "I suppose, I considered it..." Her eyes flickered with anticipation as she gazed at Chen An, hoping he might probe further. But Chen An merely nodded, not pressing further, as though devoid of the usual curiosity expected of others. Chu Qingli bit her lip in frustration. The words "if I return alive, I’ll marry you" remained unspoken. Before long, Chen An returned to the room. Originally, the room had been used by Su Chichi; now that she was gone, he arranged for both the human and the demon to occupy it temporarily for rest. He addressed the woman lying in bed, "Come on, let me help you sort through your spiritual energy, otherwise, before long, you’ll end up with your cultivation wasted." At his words, Chu Qingli’s face unexpectedly flushed. This was indeed a rare occurrence. The last time Chen An had seen such a flush, was during bouts when he struck her so hard that her blood surged uncontrollably. Put simply, it happened when she was beaten nearly to spitting blood. Thus, Chen An furrowed his brows and quickly moved to the bedside. "What's happened?" He placed his hand on her chest, allowing pure spiritual energy to flow. In a moment, Chen An relaxed his furrowed brows. He then gave Chu Qingli a puzzled look, "You haven’t worsened." Without a word, she blushed and brushed aside his hand. Softly, she murmured, "Let me handle it myself." Chen An was left baffled by her response. "Handle what?" Chu Qingli answered him with action. She gently placed the white fox on the bed’s inner side; the fox demon was gravely injured and remained in deep slumber. This was a self-protective mechanism of the demon race, a state Chen An could forcibly rouse it from, but he saw no necessity. Since they were already in his care, it might as well take a good rest. Then, Chu Qingli sat up, reaching out with slightly trembling hands to gently untie her waistband. The sky blue fabric suddenly appeared brightly dazzling. ... ... The small town at the mountain's base was called Yunjizhen. Having spent three years tempering herself through the mundane world, Su Chichi finally decided to confront her heart and embarked on the journey home. She traveled day and night to climb the familiar mountain once more. The path back to the valley was no mystery. Every tree and flower along the way remained vivid in her memory. Everything seemed unchanged, yet somehow, subtly different. Though initially swift in her pace, as Su Chichi neared the valley, unease crept into her heart. She descended, finding reassurance only in feeling the solid earth beneath her feet. She passed through the woods where she often angered the tiger spirit during childhood. She walked past the lake she herself had named the ‘Great Lake’. Regardless of how much she slowed her steps, she finally reached her destination. Su Chichi steeled herself. It was time to find her master and demand some answers. After all these years of nurturing and companionship, could it really have all been just an accident? Or perhaps, could a conspiracy be a more apt description? (Chapter End)