Chapter 32: The Mysterious Palace

“Right here,” Zhao Ning looked at her curiously. “Did you forget? That day we rested here, after eating, you went by the river to relax and accidentally fell in. Luo Ming and I searched for you in the water for an entire afternoon but couldn’t find you. We were worried you had an accident, but you suddenly emerged from the water later that evening, looking particularly happy. We thought you must have had some wonderful experience underwater, so we decided it was your good fortune and didn’t ask too many questions.”

“The next morning, you told me that you thought there was a chance for you and your crush to be together. You found a way to make him like you. You looked so pleased that I didn’t question you further.”

Zhao Ning still remembered when she first met Su Jiu; she seemed heartbroken and desperate, throwing herself into fighting monsters recklessly, getting hurt without feeling it, as if she had been deeply wounded by someone.

But later, upon entering the secret realm, she suddenly became cheerful.

Su Jiu furrowed her brows in contemplation.

After awakening the memories of her past life, the memories of the past eighteen years in this world gradually became chaotic. She struggled to recall the events leading up to her monster-slaying.

It seemed she had quarreled with Shen Wangchen.

A one-sided argument.

She had asked Shen Wangchen what her position was in his life, and he had unhesitatingly replied that she was naturally a disciple.

Hearing that response, she felt upset for a long time, hiding in her room for several days until Mo Lin was about to leave the mountain, when she finally came to see him off.

At that time, Mo Lin had even asked her why she was unhappy, but Su Jiu forced a smile to deceive him. Unable to get an answer, Mo Lin said he would bring her a gift the next time he returned and left in a hurry.

Mo Lin left just a few days ago, and Su Jiu went to the sect to take on a task of exterminating demons, which lasted for more than a month.

When she encountered Luo Ming and Zhao Ning, she must have still felt wronged and angry, thinking that she might as well die fighting demons outside, making Shen Wangchen regret it to death.

Recalling these events, the bitterness and grievance from that time seemed to linger in her chest, making Su Jiu feel suffocated and uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong?” Zhao Ning grasped her arm, worried. “Did something come to mind?”

Su Jiu pressed her lips together and shook her head. “It’s nothing, just…” She paused and softly said, “I just remembered that it’s really impossible between me and the person I used to like.”

Seeing her like this, Zhao Ning sighed and patted her head as a form of comfort.

“Alright, you’re still young. There are many days ahead; you will eventually meet someone you both like. As for the things and people you can’t have, just let them go. By the way, you just mentioned this river—does the poison you were affected by have anything to do with what happened at the bottom of the river?”

Zhao Ning said, “Think carefully about what you encountered at the bottom of the river. After all, wherever we went afterward, we were together. It doesn’t make sense that you were poisoned, and Luo Ming and I were fine.”

Su Jiu thought the same.

However, what exactly did she encounter at the bottom of the river? Those memories eluded her; no matter how hard she tried, it was just a dark blur, as if something was blocking her recollection.

Furrowing her brows in thought, the more she pondered, the more her temples throbbed, and her complexion couldn’t help but turn pale.

Zhao Ning had no choice but to advise her, “Take your time to think; there’s no rush. The secret realm will close in three days, and we still have some time. If worse comes to worst, we can come back next month.”

Su Jiu rested her chin on her knees and sighed.

Since she felt there was something wrong with this river, they decided to stay here.

“This is the same time and place as last time.” Zhao Ning pulled Su Jiu to the spot where she had disappeared and began to recall what Su Jiu was doing at that time.

“You were washing your hands here, just like this…”

Zhao Ning turned and squatted by the river, lowering her head to reach into the water. Before she could finish her sentence, she felt a pulling force beneath her hands that suddenly sucked her body in.

“Be careful!” Su Jiu’s voice rang out beside her.

Su Jiu grabbed her shoulder, and together they were pulled underwater. By the time Luo Ming heard the commotion and rushed over, the water’s surface had returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

His expression darkened, and he tried several times to replicate the actions they had just taken, but the earlier pulling force did not reappear.

Underwater,

Zhao Ning firmly grasped Su Jiu’s hand and cast a water-avoidance spell.

An invisible barrier enveloped them, and everything around them turned pitch black.

Suddenly, Su Jiu felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity mixed with unease. Her other hand rested on the storage bag at her waist, hesitating whether to send a distress signal to Cang Qianxue.

If she sent it, Cang Qianxue would definitely come, but the Half-Moon Secret Realm would dissipate.

Then she would truly have no clues about the Three-Day Youthful Vitality.

As she hesitated, light suddenly reappeared before her.

They were propelled out of a cave by the force of the water, and their bodies slammed hard against the stone wall.

Zhao Ning was fine, but Su Jiu’s body was delicate; upon impact, she immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.

“Su Jiu.”

Zhao Ning hurriedly helped her up and fed her a pill before raising her eyes to look around.

“Wow…” She gasped, “What a huge palace!”

Suppressing the metallic taste of blood in her throat, Su Jiu also looked around. Everything felt both strange and familiar, so familiar that she instinctively grabbed Zhao Ning’s hand and walked in a certain direction.

“This way, follow me.”

“Hey—” Zhao Ning wanted to say something but was already pulled along by Su Jiu without the chance to refuse.

The two walked through the vast palace and arrived at a door.

This door was exceptionally tall and heavy, painted in a deep red, adorned with numerous intricate black patterns. Within them, a faint light shimmered. After just a few glances, Zhao Ning felt a splitting headache, and her spiritual energy began to feel stagnant.

However, Su Jiu beside her seemed completely oblivious, her gaze fixated intently on those patterns as she reached out to grab the two sturdy iron rings on the door.

For some reason, Zhao Ning felt an eerie sense of anxiety in her heart.

It was as if opening this door would lead to some terrible event.

“Su Jiu.” She couldn’t help but grip Su Jiu’s wrist, trying to stop her. However, the person she had grasped suddenly looked at her, her eyes dark and deep, devoid of any luster.

Zhao Ning was startled and instinctively loosened her grip, watching helplessly as Su Jiu pushed the door open a crack, her figure slipping inside as light as a feather.

Zhao Ning came back to her senses, instinctively wanting to take a step forward. However, the inside of the door was pitch black. A strange chill surged within her, making her feel as if her feet were glued in place, unable to move forward.

She could only watch as the door closed before her.