Chapter 446 - 421: Bizarre Twists and Turns, Speechless

On the lake embankment, the scholars braved the wind and snow, continuing their story.

The more Song Ciwan listened, the more familiar the story seemed, and she found herself utterly captivated.

She heard Brother Zhou continue, "Ao Yun attempted her Transformation at the bay, and in the process, whether directly or indirectly, she caused the deaths of several hundred local villagers. She also failed her Transformation. And why do I say failed? Because although Princess Ao Yun regained her human form, she lost all her previous memories!"

The scholars listening to the story couldn’t help but gasp. They were all on the edge of their seats, asking in shock and amazement, "She lost her memories! Does that mean... after her second Transformation, Princess Ao Yun forgot Immortal Venerable Mo?"

One of them, who was particularly empathetic, immediately put himself in their shoes. "What a star-crossed couple. Princess Ao Yun lost her memories... If Immortal Venerable Mo knew, how devastated he would be."

Another asked, "Right now, Immortal Venerable Mo should still be at Kunshan, facing the wall as punishment, right?"

Brother Zhou nodded. "That’s right. Immortal Venerable Mo was cut off from the Mortal World, still facing the wall in punishment at Kunshan. He knows nothing of these events."

A scholar immediately said, "It’s better that he doesn’t know. At least he won’t have to suffer so much."

But Brother Zhou let out a meaningful "Heh," and said, "I wouldn’t be so sure..."

With that, he continued the story. "After her Transformation, Princess Ao Yun collapsed on the beach and was rescued by the son of a fisherman from a small, nearby village. That fisherman’s son would later become the renowned Bixiao Sword Monarch, Xiao Yan!"

One of the scholars immediately piped up, "Bixiao Sword Monarch, the prodigy of the Sword Dao from the Bi Xiao Sect! He later appeared on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List, but unfortunately, he never reached the top, always hovering around second or third place. Just like our Fu Guang today..."

He was about to mention Daoist Monarch Fu Guang, Yun Liuguang, but he stopped halfway, realizing that even if Yun Liuguang was the eternal number two, he was still a top Celestial Pride of the Human Race, far beyond the reach of ordinary scholars like them.

Making such a comparison was far too presumptuous.

After all, Yun Liuguang was a contemporary, while Bixiao Sword Monarch Xiao Yan was an ancient figure from a thousand years ago.

Talking about ancients was considered discussing history to understand the present. But talking about contemporary experts was a different matter—it was improper, inconvenient, and if one went too far, one might feel a bit guilty.

So, the scholar gave an awkward laugh and dropped the subject.

Brother Zhou just smiled faintly and continued, "At that time, Xiao Yan was not yet the Bixiao Sword Monarch, just a simple fisherman’s son. He didn’t know that Princess Ao Yun was a member of the Dragon Race who had taken human form; he just thought she was an ordinary maiden in distress and brought her home."

Listening to this, Song Ciwan felt the sense of familiarity from the story grow even stronger.

The scholars pressed, "And then what?"

Another scholar, sharply sensing a turning point in the tale, blurted out, "Xiao Yan saved Princess Ao Yun, and she lost her memories of being with Immortal Venerable Mo. Don’t tell me... she didn’t fall in love with Xiao Yan, did she?"

Brother Zhou sighed. "That is exactly what happened."

All the scholars fell silent at once.

This... this was simply...

No one could find the words. Only Brother Zhou continued, "Xiao Yan had saved Princess Ao Yun’s life, and they supported each other through hardship. As time went on, they naturally fell in love.

"During that time, they had many adventures, wandering the Mortal World to slay demons and monsters. It was only later... that they offended the son of a Great Saint from the Demon Race!"

One of the scholars immediately lamented on Immortal Venerable Mo’s behalf, "Immortal Venerable Mo is truly..." Truly what? He couldn’t describe it. It was ineffable. All he could do was give a bitter smile.

"Fate plays cruel tricks!" someone said, shaking his head.

Another scholar skipped past the topic of Immortal Venerable Mo and asked, "Brother Zhou, Princess Ao Yun is a True Dragon’s Daughter. Even if she offended the son of a Demon Race Great Saint, she should have had nothing to fear, right?"

Brother Zhou replied, "Perhaps that should have been the case. But these are events from a thousand years ago. My dear brothers, while I can recount the general story, some details are unknown to me."

That was a fair point, and the other scholars nodded quickly in agreement.

Brother Zhou then continued, "In any case, at one point, Xiao Yan suffered a very serious injury. To save his life, Princess Ao Yun gave him her Dragon Pearl."

The Dragon Pearl!

To give away one’s Dragon Pearl—what a sacrifice! And for Xiao Yan to receive it was, one could say, to receive a heaven-sent boon.

The listening scholars’ emotions were now fully ignited. They all exclaimed in astonishment, "Princess Ao Yun is so passionate and true to her feelings, to actually be willing to give away her Dragon Pearl!"

Someone else spoke up, indignant on Mo Yinghuai’s behalf, "She gave away her Dragon Pearl! Princess Ao Yun’s Cultivation must have plummeted, and her Vitality severely damaged. Now, I’m afraid she’s even less likely to remember Immortal Venerable Mo, right? What is he supposed to do?"

Another said, "Immortal Venerable Mo is still facing the wall."

Once again, the crowd was rendered speechless.

They just felt that Mo Yinghuai’s fate was tragic. Just too tragic!

Brother Zhou continued his tale smoothly. "Although Princess Ao Yun’s Vitality was greatly damaged after giving away her Dragon Pearl, her bond with Xiao Yan deepened because of it. As for Xiao Yan, with the help of the Dragon Pearl, not only did his injuries fully heal, but his Power also advanced by leaps and bounds. It was only after this that he ascended the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List and earned the title of Bixiao Sword Monarch."

The scholars: ...

After a moment of silence, one of the scholars said indignantly, "So the great Bixiao Sword Monarch’s career was built by mooching off a woman! A man like that brings shame to our generation!"

Another scholar said sourly, "So that’s how one becomes a Celestial Pride. Why can’t we find a Dragon Maiden so devoted to us..."

Before he could finish, someone immediately scoffed at him. The scholar shot back, unconvinced, "Why single me out? I don’t believe for a second that no one here wants the same thing!"

Some of those present actually did want that, while others truly did not. But there was no need to dwell on it.

In any case, a sense of indignation swept through the scholars, with more and more of them feeling it was an injustice to Immortal Venerable Mo. Brother Zhou had to put on a stern face and mediate for quite a while before he could continue the story.

Brother Zhou said, "Bixiao Sword Monarch and Princess Ao Yun got married. The Dragon Race refused to recognize the marriage, but Princess Ao Yun was adamant, going so far as to break ties with her clan over it."

The scholars: "Tsk, how can that Xiao Yan even begin to compare to Immortal Venerable Mo? And Princess Ao Yun... If she ever regains her memory, I wonder if she’ll regret this?"

Brother Zhou chuckled. "In any case, Princess Ao Yun never did regain her memory, did she? Years later, after being married to Xiao Yan for a long time without children, they even went up to Kunshan together to pray for a child."

The scholars: ...

They had nothing else to say, except to pity Immortal Venerable Mo.

One scholar even covered his face and sighed, "I simply can’t imagine... if Immortal Venerable Mo saw this, how could he possibly face it?"

His classmate answered him, "Don’t you worry, Immortal Venerable Mo is still facing the wall!"

Everyone: ...

But unexpectedly, Brother Zhou said, "Everyone, you’ve guessed wrong this time. On this occasion, Immortal Venerable Mo had finally finished facing the wall and emerged from his seclusion. And the moment he came out, he walked right in on the Three Immortals of Kunlun performing the Bloodline Transfer Technique on Ao Yun and Xiao Yan!"

Song Ciwan, eavesdropping: ...

Hearing this, and recalling the events at the bottom of Bibo Lake all those years ago, everything finally clicked into place.