Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 534 Do you know I'm waiting for you?
The two brothers tried to comfort him, and Yang Zhongcai stopped grieving and looked up to ask Ren Yuan, "What's wrong with your second sister-in-law?"

Ren Yuan pondered, "It must be similar to a dreamland, where the soul is trapped deep within the dream, resulting in a sleepwalking state."

"Can you help her return to normal?" Yang Zhong asked again.

"It might not actually be a good thing." Ren Yuan looked at the couple, who were significantly different in age.

“It’s nothing, I just wanted her to know…” He buried his face in his wife’s sparse white hair, his voice trembling with embarrassment: “I’m back.”

"I'll give it a try." Ren Yuan nodded, using his supernatural powers to try and help Lü Kutao restore her extinguished emotions.

When a hazy blue light appeared at his fingertips, the sound of flowing water suddenly filled the room, and the withered sycamore trees outside the window quietly sprouted new buds.

He flicked his finger, and the clear light transformed into tiny fireflies, disappearing into Lü Kutao's brow. Gradually, her entire body was enveloped in the clear light, as if Xiao Yuhuan were healing her.

Ren Yuan is currently using the 'Azure Sun Rejuvenation Technique' taught to him by Xiao Yuhuan, which can revitalize living beings. His chaotic energy contains both rebirth and destruction, which is why he can utilize this method. Although the effect is not as dramatic as Xiao Yuhuan's, it is still sufficient to heal beings below the demigod level.

Under Yang Zhong's deeply distressed gaze, Lü Kutao's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes, which had long since dried from crying, began to moisten again. Even more miraculously, Yang Zhong watched as the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out at a visible speed, and her gray hair turned black again. Her once cloudy eyes also shone with a clear luster... as if all the suffering of the past years had been erased.

But Yang Zhong was more concerned about Lü Kutao's mental state. He looked at his wife with longing and asked in a trembling voice, "Kutao, did you recognize me?"

“Xiao Zhongzhong…” Lü Kutao managed to utter those three words. With a crack, the ice layer covering her heart began to crumble, the cracks spreading rapidly until it finally shattered completely!
"Ah Zhong!" She looked at her husband in disbelief and uttered that line again: "Are you a human or a ghost...?"

This time, Yang Zhong burst into tears, hugging her tightly and saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Chen Baxian was about to say, "Well, another dose of dog food for single people," when he saw Ren Yuan frown slightly and say, "Someone's coming."

"Who goes there?" Chen Baxian asked, scanning the area with his divine sense. He saw a general leading over a hundred unruly soldiers, searching house to house. The neighbors were naturally very cooperative, remaining calm no matter what they were doing.

"They seem to be looking for the ones we killed," Ren Yuan said softly.

"Hehe, then they've got a good search." Chen Baxian laughed. Anyone who frequently commits murder knows that killing is easy, but erasing the evidence is difficult. But this is no problem for a professional from the Gou Chen Division.

After killing those soldiers, Chen Baxian burned the bodies to destroy the evidence, and Ren Yuan erased the memories of the bystanders. The whole process was smooth and seamless, leaving no trace.

“Let’s help them,” he suggested again. “Let them reunite.”

"Don't act rashly." Ren Yuan shook his head and said, "The disappearance of more than a hundred rebel soldiers will attract tens of thousands more."

“That’s true,” Chen Baxian agreed wholeheartedly. “We can just leave, but the neighbors can’t.”

"Let them get away with it for now." Ren Yuan said as he activated 'Forgetful River Reflection'. After he became a god, this divine ability also evolved into a divine art, which could simultaneously alter the memories of many people.

At midday, under the blazing sun, dark clouds suddenly surged in the sky, and large raindrops began to fall without warning.

The cool rain seeped into the collars of the soldiers, but the moment it touched their skin, it turned into tiny silver snakes that burrowed into their bodies along their necks.

The soldiers in disarray couldn't help but shudder, completely stunned on the spot...

The sudden rain stopped abruptly, and the sun shone again. The soldiers shook the water droplets off their helmets and stared at each other, bewildered, at the unfamiliar street. Everything that had happened before had been washed away cleanly by this unexpected rain, leaving no trace. "What are we doing?" the soldiers wondered, when suddenly one of them remembered and asked:
"By the way, weren't we supposed to be going to Stone City for a garrison change? Why are we here?"

"Yes, yes, we're going to Stone City." More and more people remembered the memories that Ren Yuan had implanted in them.

"Back to base! Stop thinking about having fun!" the officer shouted. "Business is important!"

"Oh." The soldiers reluctantly withdrew and followed him out of Ping An Lane.

~~
Seeing the soldiers leave, Ren Yuan turned to Yang Zhong and his wife and said, "Second brother and sister-in-law, this is not a place to stay for long. We need to find another place."

"Yes." Yang Zhong nodded and picked up Lü Kutao in his arms.

"Put me down quickly." Lu Kutao blushed with embarrassment and struggled to get down.

"No, let me take good care of you." Yang Zhong resolutely refused to let go.

Lu Kutao let out a soft moan and buried her head in his chest, ignoring him completely.

"Little Zhongzhong, disgusting." Chen Baxian pretended to vomit.

"Close your eyes if you don't like it." Yang Zhong snorted, and Chen Baxian immediately lost his temper. The hearts of single people are very fragile...

~~
Ren Yuan then led the three away from Ping An Li, but they didn't go far. They turned around and arrived at Guang Zhai Temple.

Perhaps due to frequent renovations, this royal temple, which once suppressed Xiao Yuyao and Xiao Hong, looks largely unchanged.

In fact, the monks inside the temple, just like those outside, had become indifferent to joy or sorrow, worry or fear. However, this was their natural disposition, so the sense of incongruity they presented was much less pronounced compared to the outside world.

The gatekeeper monk was completely absorbed in his own world, staring blankly at the sky and muttering to himself, paying no attention to the visitors.

Ren Yuan and the others had no choice but to push open the half-closed vermilion temple door themselves, and found that the temple was clean and tidy. A sweeping monk held a bamboo broom and carefully swept the fallen leaves into a pile, but a gust of wind blew them away and scattered them everywhere.

The sweeping monk remained unperturbed and continued sweeping calmly. He seemed unconcerned about thoroughly cleaning the area, simply following some established rules to complete the task of sweeping itself.

The other monks in the temple were the same, which made Ren Yuanzhi shake his head. The Southern Dynasty had been completely ruined by Wu Yang...

The monks ignored these uninvited guests, so Ren Yuan went straight to the abbot's room. He lifted the curtain and saw Tao Hongjing, who looked much older, wearing a monk's robe, with disheveled hair and bare feet, holding a brush and writing on the wall with great skill.

Hundreds of worn-out pen tubes lay scattered on the ground, and the walls were covered in black, glossy writing, leaving not a trace of white.

Tao Hongjing, however, continued to wield his brush and ink relentlessly...

"Are you painting the walls here?" Ren Yuan said from behind him.

"..." Tao Hongjing's movements visibly stiffened, and after a long while, he said in a tearful voice, "No, I'm waiting for someone."

(End of this chapter)