Then it's settled.

[May the Sect Master recover quickly!]

San Dong wore an expression of devout sincerity, its small hand tracing each stroke with care as it wrote the words over and over again.

It wasn't very literate, and its studies were sporadic at best—fishing for three days and drying nets for two. It was the sort to only seek out a tutor when it was in a particularly good mood or bored out of its mind.

Yet, for these specific characters, San Dong had studied them with great earnestness and was now writing them with equal dedication, time and time again.

San Dong didn't know many people, so it cherished every single one of them.

It treasured the kindness others showed it, just as it treasured its own affection for them.

The Sect Master had always been a good person; San Dong could feel it.

So, if the Sect Master couldn't hear San Dong's well-wishes, then San Dong would use a method he could see to send its blessings.

Qinghe rested her chin in her hand, watching San Dong sitting on the table with that look of piety. She couldn't help but remark:

"That black-hearted brat is just caught in an illusion technique; it'll probably break in a few days. Rather than blessing him now, you'd be better off taking this opportunity to voice all your grievances against him..."

Before Qinghe could finish her sentence, Xie Lingyu's hand gently grasped her horn.

In an instant, Qinghe sobered up, having momentarily forgotten that Lingyu was currently acting as that brat's substitute ears.

With her mind suddenly clear, Qinghe was about to offer a sophistical defense when San Dong beat her to it.

San Dong shook its head repeatedly, its tone earnest.

"The Sect Master treats me very well. I have no complaints about him. These well-wishes are my true feelings. As the sect's mascot, I don't do enough; every day I just eat and drink. If I didn't even show my sincere support at a time like this, then the Sect Master's kindness to me would have been in vain."

As Qinghe listened to San Dong, her expression soured further. Simultaneously, the hand gripping the horn on her head tightened its hold slightly!

Xie Lingyu's action seemed to imply—Look at him, then look at yourself!

Good heavens!

She had indeed underestimated San Dong, this little flower spirit!

On the surface, it looked honest and simple, like a pushover who got bullied, but it actually pulled a major move at a time like this!

Truly detestable!

Qinghe flashed a harmless, innocent smile at Xie Lingyu:

"I... I was just trying to lighten the mood."

Xie Lingyu's tone was calm. "Was it funny?"

"Just so-so?"

"Hmm?"

"...Not funny." Qinghe's expression wilted. "Alright, alright, I know your heart aches for him. You don't care about Qinghe anymore."

Xie Lingyu looked at Qinghe's expression, hesitated for a moment, and finally released her hand.

"It's not about heartache. If you were the one injured, I wouldn't want anyone speaking ill of you, either."

Qinghe's eyes lit up. She looked sideways at Xie Lingyu and pouted, asking:

"Really?"

Xie Lingyu nodded gently.

"I have never liked telling lies."

A smile appeared on Qinghe's face—Hehe, got away with it.

Cui Hao's teachings were actually somewhat useful; she'd have to treat him to a meal next time.

Xie Lingyu turned her gaze toward Chu Xingchen, only to find his eyes somewhat vacant. He seemed indifferent to what was happening around him, which wasn't like his usual character at all. She hurriedly reached out and waved her hand in front of his face.

Sect Master Lu Xuan was still researching this illusion technique and hadn't yet determined the cause. Hopefully, there weren't any lingering aftereffects.

Chu Xingchen snapped back to reality, following the direction of the hand to look at Xie Lingyu.

"I'm fine. And thank you, San Dong."

San Dong smiled brilliantly. "You're welcome! It's what a sect mascot should do!"

Chu Xingchen nodded gently.

In recent days, memories had been surfacing. Like recalling childhood, small, forgotten events would suddenly emerge from some obscure corner of his mind.

These small matters led him back to those forgotten stories.

At the very least, he now remembered Cui Hao, and he could recall Lin Luoyu as well.

Perhaps the illusion cast by Xu Linglong was unraveling.

Aside from manipulating the supreme treasure orb of the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect, Chu Xingchen was also struggling to control his divine consciousness to resist. After all, Xu Linglong's illusion possessed the power of assimilation.

Once one succumbed, their divine consciousness would no longer find the illusion strange.

Only by constantly maintaining resistance could one avoid being assimilated.

Perhaps because of his persistent resistance, the illusion lacked the energy to sustain itself and was gradually failing.

Regaining his memories was a good thing, though the timeline remained uncertain.

The illusion might dissipate completely in two days, or it might take two years.

Chu Xingchen had also rejected the meeting invitation from Xu Jin last time.

Xie Lingyu had indeed been by Chu Xingchen's side during this time, chatting about Yuzhou City and past events.

However, these stories were told solely from Xie Lingyu's perspective, and the logic behind the motives often didn't quite add up.

Among the motives Xie Lingyu described, there were always parts where the past version of himself had hoodwinked her. He just didn't know if it had been due to a slip of the tongue or if there was a genuine reason to keep her in the dark.

Xie Lingyu might not know these underlying motives, but who could guarantee that Xu Jin didn't?

If the truth came out then...

Although, given Lingyu's temperament, she might not necessarily get angry, the things he didn't want her to know were almost certainly not good things.

Furthermore, making decisions based solely on immediate judgment without fully understanding the causes and consequences was something Chu Xingchen considered foolish.

It was better to let Xu Jin handle things on his own for the time being.

After all, they were all core disciples of the current generation; how stupid could they really be?

Chu Xingchen gently shook his head, narrowing his eyes. It was as if he could see through the illusion, faintly glimpsing Xie Lingyu's true face rather than the false, illusory Xie Lingyu who wore a practiced, gentle smile.

This illusion was indeed complex, always presenting the most ideal scenarios to tempt him.

Even the "drafty cotton jacket" Little Yingling was behaving almost as obediently as Little Bai Qing.

However, Chu Xingchen still preferred Little Yingling to be a bit "drafty."

Chu Xingchen rested his chin in his hand, his gaze drifting leisurely toward a flowering branch nearby.

San Dong had planted it, having moved the tree Luo Yue gave it to this spot.

San Dong took promises very seriously. Since it had given its word to Luo Yue, it naturally cared deeply for this small branch.

The aura radiating from this branch was different from that of ordinary plants.

Under normal circumstances, perhaps this branch would also give birth to a new spirit.

During this time of deafness, unable to hear useful sounds, his heart had become much quieter.

[What are you thinking about?]

Xie Lingyu reached out and wrote lightly on his palm.

Chu Xingchen did not answer. Instead, he reached out and held Xie Lingyu's hand.

Although there was no tactile sensation of touching a real object, his heart had already provided the feedback.

Qinghe's eyes widened as she watched Xie Lingyu's face quickly turn red. She seemed to want to pull away, yet remained motionless for a long time.

This side of Xie Lingyu was so novel, so cute.

"I was thinking..." Chu Xingchen drew out his tone slightly, "that once I recover, perhaps we should hold a sect-wide assembly to celebrate properly?"

Feeling the slight warmth of Chu Xingchen's hand, Xie Lingyu decisively moved their hands under the table. Although Chu Xingchen didn't let go, she didn't pull away either.

"Okay."

Xie Lingyu didn't use her other hand to write the answer but instead spoke softly.

Because she knew that even if Chu Xingchen couldn't hear her voice, he would understand her answer.

"Then it's a promise."

Just as Xie Lingyu expected.

Chu Xingchen's reply was filled with certainty.