Chapter 874: Memory Regression

Chapter 874: Chapter 874: Memory Regression

The woman did not speak, nor did she turn around; she simply walked slowly forward.

Yang Cheng instinctively followed her, but strangely, no matter how he ran, he couldn’t close the gap between him and the woman. She maintained the same distance, as if deliberately keeping away from him.

Just then, a gust of wind blew, and the hairband in the woman’s hair was swept away, drifting gently and landing in front of Yang Cheng.

He instinctively reached out and caught the hairband.

The hairband was soft in his hand, carrying a faint warmth and an elusive floral fragrance.

The woman seemed to notice something, hesitated in her step, but didn’t turn around and continued to walk forward.

Yang Cheng held the hairband and chased after her again, but didn’t get too close, just followed unhurriedly behind her.

"Who are you? Where is this?"

Yang Cheng spoke again, louder than before.

The woman still didn’t answer, just raised her hand lightly to brush against the nearby flowers, petals flying, swirling in the air as they fell.

Yang Cheng was full of questions, wondering how he suddenly entered an Illusion Realm, and who exactly was this woman?

He quickened his pace and walked towards her.

The flower field was vast, yet the path underfoot was not hard to walk. The flowers seemed to possess a life of their own, parting automatically as he approached, revealing a winding path.

Yang Cheng walked faster and faster, almost jogging forward, but the woman always kept a distance not too far or too close, as if there was a barrier he couldn’t overcome.

"Wait!"

Yang Cheng shouted, but the woman seemed not to hear, continuing to walk forward, steps light, her skirt swirling in the wind like an elusive cloud.

He bit his lip and tried to speed up with True Qi, only to find that his True Qi was suppressed by something, unable to circulate.

It seemed that in this Illusion Realm, he couldn’t use True Qi.

The flower field stretched endlessly in front of him, the sky a deep blue like a wash, sunlight warm and gentle, everything was so beautiful it felt unreal, like a carefully painted picture.

In the distance, the woman continued to walk, her speed leisurely, graceful and poised, as if this flower field was her own garden and she was merely strolling.

"Who are you, really?"

Yang Cheng spoke for the third time, his tone tinged with a bit of helplessness.

The woman was silent for a moment, then finally spoke.

"You come looking for me, yet you don’t know who I am?"

Her voice was light, like the rustle of wind through petals, carrying an ethereal and enchanting beauty.

Yang Cheng replied honestly, "I actually don’t know why I’m in the Illusion Realm. I just wanted to save someone, and somehow I ended up here."

The woman was silent for a while, then softly asked, "Save someone? Who?"

"Jiang Yu."

When Yang Cheng uttered this name, the woman’s body visibly stiffened.

"Yu..."

She murmured, repeating the name, her voice carrying complex emotions.

Yang Cheng’s heart stirred, "You know her?"

The woman muttered to herself and continued forward, her pace quickening as if trying to escape something.

Yang Cheng instinctively chased after her, but no matter how he ran, he couldn’t keep up, only able to watch her silhouette grow more distant.

"Don’t go!"

He shouted, desperately charging forward.

At that moment, the woman suddenly turned around.

Yang Cheng managed only to glimpse her profile—a fair complexion, delicate features, slightly upturned lips, and a pair of movingly beautiful eyes.

That face, it bore a seventy percent resemblance to Jiang Yu!

Yang Cheng’s heart trembled, just as he was about to take a closer look, everything turned black before him, and his consciousness was abruptly pulled from the Illusion Realm.

"Chen? Chen!"

Jiang Yu’s anxious call echoed in his ear. Yang Cheng suddenly opened his eyes and found himself sitting by the bedside, holding Jiang Yu’s hand.

"What happened just now? I called you for ages and you didn’t respond, you scared me to death!"

Jiang Yu’s eyes were red, her voice carrying a hint of tears.

Yang Cheng shook his head, his mind still lingering on the images from the Illusion Realm—the flower field, the sunshine, the breeze, and the woman who resembled Jiang Yu.

"I’m fine, it seems like I just had a dream."

He shook his head, puzzled why Jiang Yu’s Rabbit Source Qi, which was already suppressed, would result in such an abnormal situation.

Yang Cheng closed his eyes, leafing through the Tome of the Ghost Doctor in his mind, searching for records of Rabbit Source Qi.

"Rabbit Source Qi, one of the Zodiac Energy, parasitizes the meridians within the human body, awakening as the host matures, gradually eroding the host’s vital essence, causing them to become increasingly weak. Without intervention, the host will become exhausted within three to five years."

"Rabbit Source Qi possesses the ability to delve into memory, able to transform into scenes and characters from deep within the host’s memories, aiming to confuse the practitioner. To extract Rabbit Source Qi, it cannot be forcibly removed; one must target its origin by tracing back through memories on an overcast day to succeed."

Upon reading this, Yang Cheng realized with sudden clarity.

No wonder when he tried to inject True Qi, he was pulled into that Illusion Realm—it was Rabbit Source Qi’s protective mechanism, using memory recall to confuse him.

And the woman in the Illusion Realm was likely the origin of the Rabbit Source Qi.

Which meant that the initial person parasitized by the Rabbit Source Qi was that woman.

Yang Cheng took a deep breath, carefully choosing his words, "The situation is quite complex. The Source Energy within you has a self-protective mechanism, forcibly extracting it carries risks. We need to first trace back through your memories to find the origin of the Source Energy to extract it successfully."

"Memory recall? What is that?"

Jiang Yu looked puzzled.

"To put it simply, it’s entering the Illusion Realm deep within your memory to find the person originally parasitized by the Source Energy before proceeding to the next step."

Yang Cheng didn’t elaborate much, because he vaguely felt that things might get tricky.

"Can we continue tonight?"

Jiang Yu asked softly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Yang Cheng shook his head, "Not tonight. Memory recall requires a specific time, best done during an overcast day at the right moment to minimize risk. Today isn’t an overcast day; forcibly entering the Illusion Realm might not go smoothly."

Jiang Yu’s eyes flickered with a trace of disappointment but soon returned to normal, "Then let’s wait for an overcast day to discuss. Anyway, my body feels much better."

"Since we can’t proceed tonight, I’ll head back to my room first."

Yang Cheng said, ready to leave as he stood up.

"Chen!"

Jiang Yu suddenly called out to him, her voice carrying a hint of tension, and she said shyly, "Can you... can you stay with me?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Cheng felt a bit helpless. Earlier, he had been close to Jiang Yu, already burning with desire, and if he stayed to sleep beside her, unable to do anything, it would simply be torture.

Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Yu’s voice grew as quiet as a mosquito, "Chen, I beg you, I’m scared alone."

Looking at her nervous yet hopeful expression, Yang Cheng’s heart softened, and he nodded, "Alright."