Chapter 296: Love Turned Sour (Luo Cong’an’s Timeline Returns)
It was the fourth day after Guanping’s return, also Chen An’s seventh day. Luo Cong’an, dressed in red, appeared at the grave. Her snow-white long hair formed a stark contrast with her red attire. Not many people were there to pay their respects; they stood aside, their gazes filled with surprise as they looked at Luo Cong’an. No one knew what this silent girl was thinking.
The next day, Luo Cong’an, as the Heavenly Evolution Sect Master had predicted, returned to the sect. From then on, she abandoned her usual lively demeanor and devoted herself to cultivation, detached from worldly affairs. The Sect Master, believing she had severed her mortal ties, was greatly relieved and applauded.
With the vast resources of the Heavenly Evolution Sect and her own unparalleled talent, Luo Cong’an condensed the Golden Core and broke through to the Nascent Soul stage in just thirty years. It should be noted that the Heavenly Evolution Sect Master at this time was only at the late Nascent Soul stage. Everyone awaited the day Luo Cong’an would reveal her power. Without a doubt, she was the Heavenly Evolution Sect’s ultimate gamble. She was a once-in-a-millennium prodigy in the cultivation world!
Luo Cong’an’s fame was no longer confined to the Heavenly Evolution Sect. She was renowned as the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in a millennium. However, no one expected that this prodigy, with white hair, red eyes, and exceptional looks and talent, would strike her first blow against the very Heavenly Evolution Sect that had nurtured her for thirty years. She secretly colluded with the righteous path’s mortal enemy, the Demonic Sect, working from within and without. Her white robes were stained crimson.
On that day, a grim bloody mist hung over the Heavenly Evolution Sect, lingering for a hundred miles. All thirteen hundred and forty-nine cultivators of the sect perished without exception, their bodies strewn across the ground, their blood flowing for over ten miles. This incident shocked the entire cultivation world and officially initiated the endless hunt for Luo Cong’an. She was reviled and cursed by the world, labeled ungrateful and heartless. The prophecy of misfortune was irrevocably etched upon her.
…
…
The affairs of the world are but a dream, and life is like a few autumn chills. In the Cave Mansion of the Fourth Peak Master of Mount Qingcheng, Chen An’s eyes gradually regained clarity. Although his memories felt like a complete life lived, in reality, it had only been the flick of a finger. The first thing he sensed was a faint fragrance. Then, a vast, unimaginable softness.
Chen An took a deep breath and looked up to meet the gaze of the woman holding him in her embrace. In those red eyes was an endless longing and love that time and space could not diminish. The woman softly called out, “Have you remembered? Mister…”
Chen An was silent for a moment before saying, “Perhaps, you could untie me first.” He never expected that his casual remark would stun the woman before him. She stared at Chen An, her hair disheveled, her expression a mixture of indescribable distortion. She leaned close to Chen An’s ear and whispered, “Mister, are you going to leave Cong’an again…?” At the last word, “again,” Luo Cong’an emphasized her tone.
Chen An felt a sense of helplessness. Perhaps he had felt affection for Luo Cong’an, but it was always platonic and respectful, akin to family affection, never reaching the exaggerated, even pathological, level she displayed. Seeing Chen An remain silent, the woman grew anxious. She pulled Chen An back into her embrace, holding him tightly as if afraid he would suddenly disappear.
The woman murmured, “No, no, Mister, this time I won’t let you go. I’m going to lock you up, forever, forever…” Suddenly caught in a surging tide, Chen An felt his spirit tremble. He steadied himself and said sternly, “Luo Cong’an, since you know I am your Mister, how dare you commit such treasonous acts?”
However, the woman clearly didn’t hear his words completely. She merely reached out and traced his cheek. She suddenly smiled, “See, you finally admit it, Mister…” Luo Cong’an inexplicably licked her lips, her eyes shining with a peculiar light. “What would young Mister… taste like?”
Chen An felt a prickling sensation on his scalp and couldn’t help but shout, “You address me as Mister, do you even know what you’re doing?!” “Your affection has truly turned sour…” Chen An’s words stopped abruptly. Because the woman, now exuding an alluring charm, suddenly slumped towards him. Unavoidably, they collided with a dull thud.
A few brief seconds later, Luo Cong’an’s eyes opened again. Her pupils changed, no longer the eerie red but a normal black. The madness and pathology in her eyes gradually disappeared. Her expression was no longer distorted but serene and gentle, exuding a sacred aura. In just a few seconds, she seemed to have transformed into a completely different person. Chen An gazed at this new “Luo Cong’an” with bewilderment.
The woman frowned deeply, looking around with a worried expression. After a long while, she finally broke the silence. “I am Lin Jingq’s Master…” Chen An watched her silently, without speaking. Luo Cong’an sighed, “As you can see, she and I share a body, but we are two entirely different consciousnesses.”
Chen An’s eyes flickered, and he asked with confusion, “What do you mean? Possession?” Luo Cong’an shook her head. She stood up, increasing the distance between herself and Chen An. “It’s not possession. Strictly speaking, I am her, and she is me. According to her, after shattering the void and traversing time and space, she scattered herself into countless forms to find you, wandering through various worlds and corners. I am merely one of her avatars in this world. Logically speaking, after finding you, I should have already merged with her, but I don’t know where along the way something went wrong, leading to the current outcome.”
Chen An fell silent. He had to admit he was shocked by Luo Cong’an’s persistence. His encounter with her was only seven years. For ordinary people, seven years might be a long time, long enough to be unforgettable. But she was a cultivator, an extraordinarily talented one. Her lifespan was far more than a hundred seven-year periods.
After a while, Chen An’s sigh echoed in the cave mansion. “Why must it be like this…” “So, what exactly happened after you destroyed the Heavenly Evolution Sect?” Facing this question, the woman could not answer. “I don’t have her memories. You can only get the answer by asking her directly.”
“Then where is she now?” Luo Cong’an’s hands, hanging by her sides, clenched slightly before relaxing. She replied, “To awaken your memories, she expended too much spiritual energy and had to choose to enter a deep sleep. As for when she will wake up, I don’t know.” “However, you can distinguish them by the color of their pupils. The one with red pupils is that obsessive, mad Luo Cong’an.”
Chen An paused, then thought of something. “What about the white hair?” Luo Cong’an looked at him. For some reason, she suddenly felt inexplicably irritated. “I don’t know!” The cave mansion fell silent again. After a long while, Chen An spoke. “So, can you untie me now?”
(End of this chapter)
