Li Xin motioned for Chi Yu to follow him, “Come inside, I’ll explain everything slowly.”

Chi Yu nodded and followed Li Xin inside.

The villa was also decorated in a traditional Chinese style, looking both antique and solemn, which matched his identity as a Feng Shui master perfectly.

Li Xin pointed to the main hall and softly said to Chi Yu, “This is usually where I meet guests. The upper floor and basement are restricted areas. Apart from me and my brothers, no one is allowed to enter.”

“Then I…” Chi Yu stopped and looked at Li Xin.

Before he could finish, Li Xin directly said, “This is also your home. You can go wherever you like.”

With those words, even Chi Yu, who wasn’t the sharpest, could sense the ambiguous undertone.

Li Xin pointed to the upstairs, “The second floor is where my brothers live, and there’s also an alchemy room. The third floor is where we live; it’s a replica of the place where we practiced in the Fude Temple.”

“We live there?” Chi Yu looked up at the third floor.

“Yes, back then we lived in the same room. Would you like to go up and see?” Li Xin asked.

Chi Yu nodded and followed Li Xin upstairs. Chang Wu and Chang You also wanted to follow, but Li Xin stopped them with a glance.

“Go prepare tea for your master.”

Chang Wu and Chang You immediately stopped and answered, “Yes, Lord Li.”

Li Xin turned around and immediately resumed his gentle and obedient demeanor, “Shixiong, please come with me.”

When they reached the third floor and Li Xin opened the door, Chi Yu froze.

The room, including the windows and door, was made of wood, adorned with ancient patterns. There were two identical beds with curtains on either side, and the bedding on both was the same. In the center of the room were two low tables and two meditation cushions. Under the window was a small table with tea utensils. On the opposite wall was a long shelf filled with bamboo scrolls and books, along with a portrait.

“This place… it feels somewhat familiar.”

A half-grown child appeared in his mind, joyfully circling around him.

“Shixiong, do you remember something?” Li Xin immediately asked.

“No, it just feels familiar,” Chi Yu replied as he walked over to the portrait for a closer look.

The person in the painting wore a bright red robe adorned with auspicious clouds, a double-deer jade crown, holding a swan sword in one hand and a sword finger in the other, exuding an extraordinary presence. There was a small inscription beside the portrait: “Chi Yu Zi, Immortal Jing Wu Ran.”

“Is this how I looked in my past life?” Chi Yu asked.

Li Xin nodded, “Yes, this is the portrait I painted for you the day your master named you as the next head of the sect.”

Indeed, the inscription at the bottom read: “Painted respectfully by Xuan Jue Zi Li Bu Yi.”

“Is that your Taoist name?” Chi Yu asked, looking at Li Xin.

Li Xin nodded, “Yes, my master also gave me my Taoist name that day.”

Chi Yu took a moment to digest this, then suddenly remembered something Chang You had said earlier and asked Li Xin, “I heard Chang You say that I died in a heavenly sacrifice. Why did I have to offer a sacrifice to the heavens?”

Li Xin muttered under his breath, “That blabbermouth…”

Chi Yu had sacrificed his life for him back then, and the scene was so tragic that it was the one memory Li Xin could never bear to recall. A wave of guilt suddenly surged in his heart.

“Indeed,” Li Xin began, but stopped himself. After a pause, he let out a long sigh.

“Shixiong, please sit. I’ll tell you everything slowly.”

Chi Yu felt a vague sense that his death was not as simple as it seemed, so he followed Li Xin’s suggestion and sat down on one of the meditation cushions in front of a low table.

“This was your position when you were alive. That bed behind you is where you slept,” Li Xin pointed out, referring to the bed behind Chi Yu.

Then, he walked behind the low table, just like they used to do, and they sat facing each other.

Chi Yu glanced behind him before turning back to Li Xin, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Li Xin nodded and began recounting events from a thousand years ago.

“Your secular name was Jing Wu Ran. You were the eldest grandson of the Grand Tutor of the Eastern Rong Kingdom. When you were ten, the national teacher, Guang Qing Zi, took notice of you and took you in as an apprentice. In just five years, you passed the Three Clear Sect examination and were praised as a once-in-a-century genius. Your master was overjoyed and gave you the Taoist name Chi Yu Zi. However, this also brought envy from your peers. During your journey for training, no one would travel with you. You set out alone and found me at the foot of the mountain.”

“You found me?” Chi Yu asked, surprised.

“Yes, you brought me to the mountain and had your master take me in as a disciple. At that time, I only knew my surname was Li and had no name, so your master gave me the name Li Bu Yi based on your name and a verse from a scripture,” Li Xin glanced at Chi Yu, seeing that he was listening attentively, and continued.

“Three years later, when you returned from your journey, you actually asked your master if you could enter the world. You said that the common people were suffering and that cultivators should protect them, not just focus on cultivating for personal ascension. Your master was furious and forbade you from descending the mountain again. After that, he entrusted the responsibility of teaching me the Taoist arts to you.”

“I taught you?” Chi Yu was stunned. “Why didn’t your master teach you himself?”

“His old self was in the final stages of his ascension and had to enter seclusion,” Li Xin explained. “Moreover, he believed that although I was exceptionally talented, I was hard to manage, which gave him quite a headache. But since I was the one you found, he thought I would listen to you. In this way, not only could you teach me to succeed, but it would also help temper your desire to enter the world.”

Chi Yu chuckled lightly, “So, I must have been quite tired teaching you back then?”

“Of course not.” Li Xin smiled awkwardly. “I’m very obedient in front of you. I learn quickly no matter what you teach me.”

Chi Yu chuckled softly. “Obedient in front of me? Am I really that strict?”

“Well, not exactly.” Li Xin lowered his head slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. “At first, I was grateful for you saving me, and later…”

He paused, not continuing his sentence.

He was afraid of startling Chi Yu, after all, Chi Yu had no memory of the past now.

“Later what?” Chi Yu waited for the rest of the sentence.

“Nothing.” Li Xin returned to the previous topic and continued, “At first, you didn’t give up and even went to your grandfather to speak about the situation in the mortal world. Although he already knew, he was helpless.”

“Why?”

“The Eastern Rong Emperor ascended the throne at a young age and was considered a wise ruler. But as he grew older, he became obsessed with seeking immortality, neglecting the government. Eventually, he handed over the affairs of the court to the crown prince. However, the crown prince was cruel and influenced by his mother’s family, causing chaos in the kingdom. Your grandfather frequently advised him, but it only earned the crown prince’s hatred. Eventually, the entire Taifu residence was slaughtered.”

Chi Yu froze for a moment. “What about me?”

“You were imprisoned in the Eastern Palace. Your master missed the opportunity for ascension in order to save you and was eventually forced to sacrifice himself to the heavens.”

Chi Yu felt dazed, never imagining that his life had been filled with such events. What shocked him even more was what Li Xin said next.

“In truth, the crown prince didn’t intend to make your master sacrifice himself to the heavens. He only wanted to intimidate your master, since the emperor was still alive and highly valued him.” Li Xin continued, “His real target was me. He knew I wouldn’t ignore your master’s safety or yours and would come out to be the sacrifice.”

“As the crown prince, his thoughts are so malicious.” Chi Yu’s expression darkened, and he asked, “Then why did it end up with me being sacrificed?”

Li Xin softened his tone and said to Chi Yu, “Back then, after you learned of this, you escaped from the Eastern Palace during a moment of negligence from the guards. You knocked me out and took me out, hiding me in the cave where you often took me when we were young, and placed me on the sacrificial altar.”

Chi Yu remained silent for a moment. “What kind of ritual was that?”

Normally, human sacrifices to the heavens were already serious, but Chi Yu couldn’t understand why a cultivator would be used for such a ritual.

“To extend the fate of Eastern Rong,” Li Xin raised his eyes to look at Chi Yu, “The crown prince’s tyranny led to unrest among the lords, and the national fortune of Eastern Rong was coming to an end. So the crown prince wanted your master to perform a ritual to change the fate of the country.”

“Instead of restraining his tyranny, he conducted such a bloody ritual. This is truly against the will of heaven.” Chi Yu was slightly angered.

“Which is why, back then, you altered the spell on the altar. You changed the ritual to extend life into a ritual to end it, and you died, your soul shattered, becoming a broken remnant soul,” Li Xin said, his voice choking.

“I see now.” Chi Yu took a deep breath. “So after that, did Eastern Rong really fall?”

“Yes,” Li Xin’s expression turned serious, but there was also a hint of wicked delight in his eyes. “Half a year later, the capital was breached, and the entire royal family was slaughtered by the rebels. Afterward, they elected the most respected among them, established a new dynasty, and implemented benevolent policies, bringing peace and prosperity back to the world.”

Chi Yu nodded. “And after that, you kept searching for my soul?”

Li Xin nodded. “When I awoke, your earth soul, guided by your memories, floated to the cave. I saw your broken earth soul and knew everything was too late.”

Li Xin’s throat tightened, and he couldn’t continue.

“Where is my earth soul now?” Chi Yu’s face turned serious as he looked at the grief-stricken Li Xin.

Li Xin sighed, standing up. “In the secret chamber, I’ll take you there.”

Chi Yu nodded and stood up, following Li Xin. “You don’t have to be so sorrowful. This happened over a thousand years ago. It’s already turned to dust. Who is right or wrong no longer matters.”

Hearing Chi Yu speak so indifferently, Li Xin stopped in his tracks, feeling a pang of sorrow in his heart. “Master, you’re still so open-minded.”

Li Xin didn’t want to tell him what happened after his sacrifice to the heavens. He hoped Chi Yu would never know.

As he said, it had been a thousand years, and it had long turned to dust.

Li Xin smiled faintly, wiping the moisture from the corner of his eye. “Master, come with me.”