Yunlaizhai.
A brand new day dawned.
Yun Ling'er clasped her hands as she looked eagerly at the village gate, awaiting the arrival of her two good friends.
Just the day before, she had received friend requests from two familiar usernames on Fetion.
Suspecting their identities, she quickly accepted the requests. After a bit of communication and some testing, she confirmed that both were in the same situation as her.
Now, Yun Ling'er was certain: she wasn't alone. Besides her, two other friends had also regained their memories. As for anyone else, it seemed unlikely—they probably hadn't recognized her or dismissed her friend requests as spam.
After waiting for over ten minutes, Yun Ling'er finally spotted two familiar figures.
Seeing her, the two of them rushed forward.
"Ling'er!" they called, pulling her into a big hug.
"Xiaoyan!" Yun Ling'er laughed joyfully as she embraced her younger friend.
Then she turned to Liu Yunshuang. "Sister Shuang!"
Liu Yunshuang reached over to pat Yun Ling'er's head affectionately. "Ling'er!"
After exchanging greetings, Yun Ling'er began leading the way.
"The scenery around our Yunlaizhai is truly beautiful! Let me show you around!"
…
As evening approached, they finished their sightseeing.
Yun Ling'er guided Xia Xinyan and Liu Yunshuang out of a valley and prepared to head back to Yunlaizhai.
"Ling'er, there are so many beautiful flowers in this valley!" Xia Xinyan remarked.
"Right? This is one of the most famous spots around for miles!" Yun Ling'er replied, smiling. "I took so many pictures!"
The three laughed and chatted as they strolled back, completely relaxed.
Suddenly, a figure appeared on the road ahead.
Yun Ling'er noticed and called out. "Uncle Artai, what are you doing here?"
Hearing her greeting, Uncle Artai gave a warm smile.
"Ling'er, it's you!"
"Come over here, quickly. Uncle Artai needs your help!"
"What's going on?" Yun Ling'er stopped, looking curious.
"Come here first; I'll explain," he replied.
"No, you need to tell me first!" Yun Ling'er insisted.
"Come here! It's not like Uncle Artai would harm you!"
"Nope, nope! Just tell me what's going on first!"
"Ling'er, be a good girl and come here quickly!" he urged again.
"Just a little bit closer," she teased, making a face at him.
Seeing her stubbornness, Uncle Artai paused for a moment, then smiled again. Under the light of the setting sun, his smile seemed oddly charming, though his tone held a hint of helplessness.
"Alright, Ling'er, if you won't come, I'll have to hurt your two friends instead."
As he finished speaking, two other figures emerged beside him: a veiled woman and an old man with sharp eyes.
"Yes, I can sense it—the love Gu is on her…" said the veiled woman.
"Then let's capture her!" the old man declared. "As for the other two… kill them."
Seeing the three blocking her path, Yun Ling'er froze, her face showing both confusion and fear.
"Uncle Artai… who are they?" she asked.
Uncle Artai sighed as though in disappointment. "Ling'er, you're still young and don't understand. 'A common man is innocent, but one who possesses jade invites trouble.'"
"Don't blame Uncle Artai. Blame those who want you to master the love Gu!"
"Uncle Artai has no other choice!"
Yun Ling'er's expression grew more fearful. "Uncle Artai… if you take my love Gu, I could be seriously injured… or even die!" she said, her voice trembling as if on the verge of tears.
Seeing her frightened look, Uncle Artai gritted his teeth and moved forward.
"Ling'er, you can only blame fate!" he said, resolute.
Just then, Yun Ling'er stopped her sobbing and muttered softly, almost inaudibly, "Uncle Artai, why are you always so eager to betray others?"
She then called out to someone behind her. "Grandma, did you hear that? Uncle Artai wants to take my love Gu!"
"If you don't come out now, the Saint of Yunlai Village will be captured!"
As soon as Yun Ling'er finished speaking, a sigh echoed from behind a large stone, and two elderly figures stepped into view.
"High Priest?!" Uncle Artai and the veiled woman gasped in shock.
After her grandmother appeared, she glared at Uncle Artai, clearly both angry and disappointed. She had watched Uncle Artai grow up. Though she knew he'd always been a bit mischievous, she never imagined he'd betray his own people.
Colluding with outsiders to steal the los Gu and even risking the Saint's life—it was a crime that wouldn't be forgiven.
Noticing the veiled woman, Yun Ling'er's grandmother angrily struck the old man beside her with her cane.
"Look at you Yunfeng people! You're brazen enough to attack our Saint from Yunlaizhai! Is this how you teach your people?"
The old man internally cursed, thinking, "Didn't you raise a traitor too?"
Outwardly, though, he responded politely, "Sister, I had no idea she would do such a thing… Don't be angry. I'll handle it right away."
Turning to the veiled woman, he scolded, "Yun Fengchuan, what do you think you're doing?"
"Do you want to start a war between the two villages?!"
He couldn't comprehend why she would do something so reckless. While the love Gu was indeed powerful, it wasn't worth all this trouble!
With the disappearance of one saint, it was only natural that suspicions would arise with a similar love Gu appearing nearby. Was she expecting no one would notice?
Even if one had the love Gu and an advantage in Gu battles, people wouldn't foolishly seek a fight.
This was a new era, not the old society. Killing a Saint would only lead to an official investigation.
And because of that, the current Gu fights between villages avoided life-threatening injuries, turning instead into more of an entertainment event. Competitors exchanged poisons in a controlled manner, while bystanders watched and even used the events as matchmaking opportunities.
In fact, he and his elder sister had met during a Gu competition and later became sworn siblings.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew, until finally, he burst out in frustration.
"Yun Fengchuan, the man next to you is that bastard, right?"
"He abandoned you for eighteen years, and now he has brought his illegitimate child and they officially wanted, and you still protect them like a treasure!"
"You ignored my advice, and now you're here, acting like a fool!"
He added scornfully, "Serves you right to be left digging wild vegetables up in the mountain stockade for eighteen years!"