The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

The vast expanse of Taihu Lake is shrouded in mist, with thin fog clinging to the surface, transforming the distant Mantuo Villa into a hazy ink painting.

The awning boat swayed gently as it passed through patches of water plants, the sound of the oars cutting through the water's surface particularly clear amidst the tranquil scenery of the lake and mountains.

Li Xiao stood at the bow of the boat, his blue robe fluttering slightly in the wind. His gaze pierced through the thin mist on the lake and landed on the mountain villa nestled against the water ahead.

His destination was the famous Mantuo Manor on Taihu Lake.

As soon as the boat docked, two maids dressed in light blue robes stepped forward to stop it. They asked warily, "May I ask who you are? Mantuo Manor does not receive outsiders."

Li Xiao nodded slightly, his tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable composure: "Please inform Master Li Qingluo that Li Xiao of the Xiaoyao Sect has come to pay a visit."

"The Carefree Sect?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the maids' eyes. They didn't dare to delay and quickly turned around and went inside to report.

Before long, a graceful figure slowly walked out. She was wearing a pale yellow silk shirt, and her clothes and decorations looked exactly like the jade statue in the cave of Wuliang Mountain in Dali.

However, the woman was a middle-aged beauty, not yet forty years old, while the jade statue in the cave was a girl of about twenty years old.

The newcomer was none other than Li Qingluo, the owner of Mantuo Manor. Her eyes held a hint of aloofness as she sized Li Xiao up and down, asking in a deep voice, "Are you from the Free and Unfettered Sect? I have no dealings with them. What business do you have with me?"

Li Xiao stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "I am Li Xiao, greetings, Senior Sister. I am the last disciple of Wu Yazi, the current leader of the Xiaoyao Sect."

"The Carefree Sect?"

Li Qingluo frowned slightly, seemingly unfamiliar with the name of this sect.

Li Xiao bowed respectfully, his tone calm: "I have come today not to provoke trouble, but to tell you a secret about my senior sister's background."

"My background?"

Li Qingluo scoffed, a hint of impatience flashing in her eyes: "My father, Ding Chunqiu, is known in the martial arts world as the Starry Sky Immortal. Why should outsiders bother with my background?"

Back then, after Li Qiushui conspired with Ding Chunqiu to assassinate Wuyazi, she took away the young Li Qingluo and made her recognize Ding Chunqiu as her godfather.

Li Qingluo still feels a sense of gratitude and dependence towards Ding Chunqiu, after all, Ding Chunqiu not only raised her but also gave her a home.

She calls Ding Chunqiu "godfather," and behind this intimacy lies not only recognition of his nurturing grace, but also complex feelings for her mother, Li Qiushui—after all, she is somewhat aware of the relationship between Ding Chunqiu and Li Qiushui.

Li Xiao slowly shook his head: "Senior sister, you don't know this, but the reason I came here is to tell you—your biological father is Wuyazi, the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect."

"Wu Yazi?!"

Li Qingluo's expression changed, and then she said in an increasingly cold tone, "Nonsense! My mother never said who my biological father was. What evidence do you have to prove that Wuyazi is my biological father?"

"Senior sister, please calm down!"

Li Xiao's expression was calm, but his voice was more solemn: "Back then, your mother, Li Qiushui, conspired with Ding Chunqiu to knock my master, Wuyazi, off a cliff, and then took you away when you were young."

"To cover up the truth and to get revenge on my master, your mother made you recognize Ding Chunqiu as your father and erased everything about the Xiaoyao Sect and Wuyazi from your memory."

Seeing Li Qingluo's expression change drastically, Li Xiao continued, "The Xiaoyao Sect is a renowned, secluded sect in the martial arts world. Your father, Wuyazi, and your mother, Li Qiushui, are both descendants of Xiaoyaozi, the founder of the Xiaoyao Sect."

"The blood of the Free and Unfettered Sect flows in your veins, not the unorthodox lineage of the Starry Sea."

"Everything I have said today is true. If you don't believe me, you can think back to your childhood and have any vague memories of Wuliang Mountain or Langhuan Paradise. That is where you lived with your parents when you were young."

According to Li Xiao's understanding of the original work, Li Qingluo did indeed live in Langhuan Paradise for a period of time during her childhood.

That was the place where Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui once lived in seclusion, and it was also where her parents' relationship began.

Although she was later raised by Ding Chunqiu, the Langhuan Paradise, as part of her childhood, should have left some vague impressions of her.

However, this memory may not be clear; it is more of a subconscious emotional remnant.

For example, her later obsession with Mantuo Villa may have stemmed from her feeling and pursuit of the "home" that Langhuan Paradise had.

Therefore, it's unlikely that she has completely forgotten that memory; it's just that this distant memory has been diluted by time.

To be more convincing, Li Xiao pulled out his last trump card.

With a flick of his sleeve, a jade statue of a woman holding a long sword suddenly appeared before Li Qingluo.

"ah--"

Li Qingluo was startled and couldn't help but let out a gasp.

When she saw the jade statue's face clearly, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Mother..."

Just then, a bright and beautiful young woman walked gracefully over from the pavilions and towers of the manor.

She was dressed in a lotus-colored gauze dress, her hair was gently tied up with a silver ribbon, and she looked particularly elegant and refined.

Even more amazing is that the girl's eyebrows, eyes, and graceful figure are exactly the same as the jade statue in front of us!

"This...this is Liu Qianqian all grown up!"

Indeed, the girl in front of us looks almost 90% like Liu Qianqian from the world of "Siheyuan".

However, she was a few years older than Liu Qianqian. Her fair and delicate face was rosy and delicate, and even the flowers blooming in the flowerbed seemed to lose their color in comparison to her stunning beauty.

Li Xiao immediately recognized the girl's identity; she was none other than Wang Yuyan, the "fairy sister" in Duan Yu's eyes!

"Mother!"

Wang Yuyan walked up to Li Qingluo and suddenly froze. She stared in shock at the jade statue in front of her, her eyes wide open.

"This...isn't this me?"

At this moment, Li Qingluo seemed to have just recovered. She realized that the jade statue seemed to have appeared out of thin air in front of her, so she raised her head and looked at Li Xiao with a shocked expression.

"How...how did you conjure this jade statue?"

"Hehe...it's just some trickery in the martial arts world!" Li Xiao didn't reveal his secret.

"You...you really went to Langhuan Paradise?"

"Of course! Isn't this jade statue right here the best proof?"

As he said this, he raised his left hand, revealing a ring with iridescent colors on his thumb.

"Senior Sister, please look. This is the token of the leader of the Free and Unfettered Sect—the Seven Treasures Ring, which was personally given to me by your father, Wu Yazi!"

Li Qingluo's gaze was fixed on the Seven Treasures Ring in Li Xiao's hand, and she even subconsciously softened her breathing.

The iridescent light flowing on the ring, like a beam of light with extremely strong penetrating power, unexpectedly pierced through the fog deep in her memory.