The improved female villains regained their memories.

Without uttering a word, she controlled Xu Anyin's soul, sensing and chasing forward.

-

A sunny day, just like always.

On this beautiful day, the system awoke.

"Good news, I'm awake. Bad news, I didn't accumulate much energy, just enough to jump between worlds. And you... what the hell, what happened to you?!"

No wonder the system was surprised.

Yang Pingsheng, now disheveled and ragged, lay in the cave, leaning weakly against the wall, his face pale and listless.

"You...wait a minute."

It quickly cast a cleansing spell, then replenished Yang Pingsheng's nutrients, watching as his complexion slowly changed from pale to rosy.

"So, what exactly happened?"

In this unified exchange, a day and a night passed.

The wind outside the cave rustled the leaves, and the waterfall beside it rushed down, leaving a beautiful silver trail. The forest below rustled in unison, and occasionally a few animals darted by.

"Chirp chirp!!"

The little bird flew happily around the waterfall, where the rainbow light shining from it caught the eye, a truly beautiful sight.

Yang Pingsheng walked out of the cave and watched Xiao Jiu flying around, which made him feel much better.

"System," he whispered.

"I'm here."

A voice echoed in his mind, unchanging.

"Are you sure that Xu Anyin wanted to turn me into a human puppet, and that my escape was also part of Heaven's plan?"

"Of course!"

The system's voice hesitated for a moment, then quickly became firm:

"You just said one sentence, and it triggered such a change. Doesn't that prove that the Heavenly Dao's plan was brilliant?! And the Heavenly Dao wasn't wrong to say it wouldn't give you strength, was it? That sparrow burst out with spiritual energy to save you, which clearly means it was a spirit beast that had been enlightened by someone. This proves that the Heavenly Dao had planned ahead and was right not to give you strength!"

There are two kinds of beasts: demonic beasts and spirit beasts.

Demon beast cultivators use demonic energy as the foundation of their cultivation, just like human cultivators, advancing step by step. Those who achieve mastery can even transform into humans.

Spirit beasts, on the other hand, possess spiritual energy within their bodies and retain the mindset of beasts. They do not cultivate; the spiritual energy within them is usually imparted by immortals. However, this results in them being rejected by heaven and earth. For example, in Luo Benmo's previous life, his mother was rejected by heaven and earth because a passing snow spirit was rejected by them. Helpless, she entered his body and gave birth to Luo Benmo, a born immortal.

This sparrow can breathe spiritual energy, which means it is also a spirit beast.

The system's explanation was correct, but Yang Pingsheng still felt something was off. He watched Xiao Jiu fly around and asked, "So, as long as I complete the last step of the plan, everything will be fine?"

"Of course, you've felt it too, haven't you? The world is rejecting you."

He definitely felt it.

As winter approached, the world's rejection of him intensified. Now, he could barely stand and walk, which was a feat he had to exert all his strength.

I reckon he'll be completely immobile once winter arrives.

"The female villain should be coming soon, so get ready to receive her."

The system yawned and said:

"Let's end this world quickly and move on to the next one."

People always have to learn to grow.

But in the process of growing up, there are some things that you can never let go of.

In the space of consciousness, Xu Anlu tormented Xu Anyin's soul, repeatedly confirming the truth, and finally discovered the clue.

Before the Great Dao's trace could crush her consciousness, she had already unleashed a deadly immortal technique, separating a small portion of her soul. The sparrow that suddenly attacked was probably the result of Xu Anyin's separated soul controlling it.

Having lived two lives and suffered so many losses, Xu Anyin was more cautious. She used her immortal killing move from the very beginning, and it would be activated as soon as her soul was damaged.

Xu Anlu could see the date of Yang Pingsheng's death, which made her even more anxious.

In Xu Anyin's memory, Yang Pingsheng spoke of humanitarian matters, admitting that he had transmigrated to help her. But this help was not eternal; now, especially this year, was the day Yang Pingsheng would leave.

Xu Anlu has already understood the meaning of liking someone, so she will not let Yang Pingsheng leave.

But where is Yang Pingsheng?

The lingering soul within the sparrow seems to be Xu Anyin's instinct; unless it is Xu Anyin himself, no one knows what the last order he gave was.

She had to find it herself.

She followed the trail until it disappeared. Then, she searched every corner of the forest.

As she searched, she came to a cave and then to a tombstone.

A ghostly blue remnant soul slowly emerged.

"You've finally arrived."

Looking at Xu Anlu's wary face, the remnant soul smiled slightly.

"It's time to return your memories to you."

Chapter Ninety-Five: The Pursuit

In June, the heat of Yong'an City was intense, and it did not cool down even as the sun set. The scorching air stimulated people's sweat, making them feel sticky and making them wish they could rush into the icy river for a refreshing wash.

The palace was cool, with neatly cut blocks of ice in each palace. The emperor had specially ordered people to retrieve them from the cellar. The ice was served with mung bean soup, which was especially refreshing.

At this time, few people came to the back garden anymore, so only Xu Anlu and Ling Shui'er were there. After Xu Anlu finished speaking, Ling Shui'er's first reaction was to be alert to her surroundings, but fortunately, there was no one there.

"Xiao Lu".

Her expression was solemn. She squatted down and looked at Xu Anlu, saying, "Don't say these things again, and don't tell anyone else, including your mother."

Xu Anlu looked at her, blinked, pondered, and finally nodded slowly.

"I understand."

"This is a matter of life and death, Xiao Lu, remember this well, understand?"

"Ah."

Ling Shui'er left, leaving with a heart full of worries.

Xu Anlu was incredibly intelligent; she naturally saw Ling Shui'er's worries and therefore didn't argue, trying her best to comply. But unfortunately, once words are spoken, they often take root and sprout in a person's heart like seeds.

Her heart was filled with worry, worry that her daughter could be such a person.

If it were a life in the martial arts world, such a mindset wouldn't be a problem. However, Xu Anlu has already recognized Ling Yan'er as her mother and is living in an imperial family, so such a mindset is a big problem.

Regardless of any talk of benevolence, righteousness, or morality, to put it bluntly, the royal family wants to protect its own interests, and benevolence and etiquette are merely means to an end.

Even a powerful nation seeking hegemony must act in accordance with the interests of the royal family; otherwise, it would be considered treason.

"Never mind," Ling Shui'er thought as she left, "I'll observe her more when I have the chance in the future."

After all, she was her daughter, and she didn't want her to fall into an abyss of no return because of her own thoughts.

After seeing Ling Shui'er off, Xu Anlu did not go back immediately, but wandered alone in the courtyard.

With her hands behind her back, she looked at the blood-red setting sun, sighed, and muttered to herself, "Is there really no way to resolve my doubts in this world?"

"Of course there is a way!"

Xu Anlu was startled and turned around abruptly, only to find a mysterious person standing behind her.

He was dressed entirely in a black hooded suit, the shadows obscuring his face and making it impossible to see what he looked like. His voice was androgynous and sounded particularly eerie.

Faced with this strangely dressed stranger who had somehow managed to sneak in, Xu Anlu quickly regained her composure and asked, "Who are you?"

"Who I am is not important; what is important is that I can help you answer your questions."

As the mysterious man spoke, he raised his finger and touched Xu Anlu's forehead.

Xu Anlu was slightly taken aback: "Huh?"

The mysterious man reassured him, "Don't be nervous, just receive it."

In an instant, a flood of information rushed into Xu Anlu's mind.

The intense stimulation brought pain, and she clutched her head, struggling to digest it. It took her a full five minutes to finish digesting before she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, she looked up at the mysterious man with a complicated expression.

"So, Ling Yan'er really isn't my biological mother."

"Oh?" The mysterious man was surprised. "You actually guessed it all along?"

"It was just a premonition. With such methods, are you some kind of immortal?"

“Who I am is not important,” the mysterious man said. “What matters is how you choose.”

A born king.

A true king possesses a benevolent heart and an immense sense of responsibility towards the world. This sense of responsibility will lead him to make the choices the mysterious man desires.

Xu Anlu frowned: "How would I know if you're lying to me?"

"That's why I said, the important thing is how you choose," the mysterious man laughed. "If you want to understand the ways of the tyrant and the way of the king, this is the only way."

"If I were to die for my sister, would I be able to comprehend the ways of the tyrant and the king?"

"good."

"I don't know."

"You don't need to understand."

The mysterious man smiled and opened his arms.

"Xu Anlu, comprehending even one Dao is a hundred times more difficult than comprehending two. In your era, no one will teach you. Your country and your people will have to take many detours before they understand the value of combining the ways of kings and tyrants. Only when you understand this can you resolve your doubts."

"But if we follow the information you've given me, and I'm supposed to die for my sister, how can I comprehend the ways of the king and the way of the tyrant if I'm already dead?"

"Don't worry, according to the plot... sorry, I misspoke, cough, according to the future calculations, your sister is destined to become a true immortal and be besieged by thousands of people. As for me, since I can't stay in this world for long, I will appear as a remnant soul to teach your sister immortal killing moves. When that time comes, your sister will definitely use the immortal killing moves I taught her if she wants revenge. So, everything starts over, and you will naturally be resurrected."

“Yes, I saw the deduction in your message.” Xu Anlu nodded, but still frowned. “But this makes me even more confused. Given my sister’s personality, she will definitely interfere with my growth and has a strong desire for revenge. I don’t have my current memories, let alone comprehend the way of the king and the way of the tyrant. At that time, it will be a problem who can stop her.”