"Mom, what's going on?" Zhang Tian asked, his voice deep as he looked at his parents.
"Oh, Xiao Tian, you're finally back. This child, Qilin, I don't know what's happening to him. He hasn't been well lately," Li Xueqin said with a trace of sadness on her face. "He often forgets things, and now he's even forgetting what he's done before."
"Has the Soul Deprivation Curse taken effect?" Zhang Tian's heart sank. Zhang Qilin was losing his memory now, and how could he go to Xizang?
Zhang Tian hurried over to Zhang Qilin. "Qilin, do you remember me?" Zhang Tian asked.
Zhang Qilin looked at Zhang Tian, and a hint of emotion flickered across his usually indifferent expression. While the Soul Deprivation Curse could cause memory loss, those it affected could still recall familiar people or events that were deeply etched in their souls.
Looking at Zhang Tian, Zhang Qilin furrowed his brow slightly. "Zhang Tian."
Zhang Qilin uttered two words. Zhang Tian nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I am Zhang Tian! Qilin, you remember me!" Zhang Tian was a little excited. He hadn't expected that even with his memory loss, Zhang Qilin still remembered him.
"It's so vague. Did we experience something together?" Zhang Qilin asked, his voice soft but heavy.
Zhang Tian knew his memory loss was serious. He recalled what had happened when he first returned to Beili. Zhang Qilin's whereabouts had been mysterious, and he had even spent weeks at the antique shop. Zhang Tian hadn't thought much of it then, but now it seemed Zhang Qilin might have been having problems even then.
"Yes, we've been through life and death. We are brothers who shared hardships!" Zhang Tian nodded earnestly.
Zhang Qilin's expression was a little strange. "Brother," he murmured. A few images flashed in his mind, but they quickly vanished.
"Xiao Tian, what can we do? At first, he still remembered us, but after sleeping for a while, he doesn't even remember us anymore," Li Xueqin said, looking at Zhang Tian with concern. "I can only say he's our child, and that's why he hasn't left. Can this illness be cured?"
Zhang Tian took a breath. Throughout all the grave robbing expeditions, Zhang Qilin had barely experienced memory loss. Yet now, it was happening to him. Was this due to the curse's amplification or his cultivation?
"This illness can be cured. You just need to take him to a place deep in his memory," Zhang Tian said softly. He didn't mention Kunlun, only the depths of memory.
Li Xueqin breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, as long as it can be cured, it's fine. This child, really, sigh." A trace of sadness lingered on Li Xueqin's face.
Zhang Tian didn't say much more, only glancing at Zhang Qilin. Zhang Qilin seemed to understand Zhang Tian's gaze and followed him. Even Zhang Qilin didn't know why he was doing this, but it felt natural.
Soon, in Zhang Tian's room. Zhang Qilin stood inside, while Zhang Tian sat on the sofa.
"Sit down. Let's have a good chat," Zhang Tian said softly. Zhang Qilin sat on the sofa, his hazy, vacant gaze fixed on Zhang Tian. At this moment, he seemed even less aware than when Zhang Tian had first met him.
"Do you remember when you first felt your memory becoming blurry?" Zhang Tian asked. Zhang Qilin shook his head.
"I remember living in a cave. Later, I seemed to have encountered two groups of people, and I met you too," Zhang Qilin said, looking at Zhang Tian, then added faintly, "Did we experience something?" Zhang Qilin looked at Zhang Tian, and his head began to ache.
"Don't think too much about it," Zhang Tian said. "How about this, come with me. I can help you find back your lost memories." Zhang Tian extended his hand. It was the same as when he had first met Zhang Qilin. The same small room, the same words, and the same person. However, this time was different; Zhang Tian and Zhang Qilin already shared a deep emotional bond.
Zhang Qilin didn't hesitate. His bare hand fell into Zhang Tian's. As before, it was still cold, like that of a cold-blooded animal. After a brief handshake with Zhang Qilin, Zhang Qilin spoke.
"When do we go?" Looking at Zhang Qilin's gaze, Zhang Tian considered.
"In a while. I'll take you to see a few people first. Perhaps you can recall some memories," Zhang Tian said. Zhang Qilin looked at Zhang Tian curiously. A few people? Were they people from his memory? Were they related to him? Perhaps he could really find something. Thinking this, Zhang Qilin nodded slightly, as if he were naturally devoid of expression.
Zhang Tian knew that the young Zhang Qilin had been innocent and naive like other children. But later, due to some changes, Zhang Qilin became reticent, and even a smile was a luxury.
"When?" Zhang Qilin uttered a few words.
"Now!" With a wave of Zhang Tian's hand, a wave of energy rippled through the air. In the next moment, Zhang Qilin and Zhang Tian had arrived in another world.
In a spectral space. Hu Bayi was still meditating. Since there was no sense of time in this place, Hu Bayi didn't know how long he had been cultivating. Shirley Yang was perusing ancient texts on elixirs. She was intelligent and had quickly grasped the knowledge of refining Grade 1 elixirs, though she hadn't practiced them.
"Lao Hu," Zhang Tian called out softly. As Zhang Tian called, Hu Bayi's eyelashes trembled slightly. Then, Hu Bayi slowly opened his eyes.
"Hmm? Sect Leader, what is it?" Hu Bayi was still a little groggy. Since he found calling Zhang Tian 'Boss' awkward, Hu Bayi had changed his address.
"Qilin has lost his memory." Zhang Tian's voice fell. Almost instantly, Hu Bayi was wide awake. His eyes were filled with disbelief.
Shirley Yang was the first to rush over. "Second Brother has lost his memory?" Hu Bayi exclaimed in shock.
Zhang Tian nodded slightly. "Yes." With that, Hu Bayi turned his gaze to Zhang Qilin. Upon seeing Zhang Qilin's expression and his eyes, Hu Bayi furrowed his brow slightly. Hu Bayi was observant; he could tell that Zhang Qilin's eyes lacked familiar warmth and instead held a sense of strangeness.
"When did this happen? Is there any way to help him immediately?" Hu Bayi's first thought was how to improve the situation.
Zhang Tian looked at the two of them. "The best improvement is to search for memories. I brought him here to see if seeing you can help him recover some of them." As Zhang Tian spoke, Hu Bayi and Shirley Yang nodded.
"Second Brother, I am Hu Bayi, Hei Mei Qiu. We are the five-person team. We went to so many tombs together!" To help Zhang Qilin regain his memory, Hu Bayi even resorted to a somewhat self-harming method. Although it was a bit strange, it seemed to have some effect. Zhang Qilin clutched his head, pain appearing on his face.
Shirley Yang's eyes lit up. "Medically speaking, this is the process of recovering memory. Quick, stimulate him further!" Shirley Yang urged. Zhang Tian hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"We went to the Kanto Army Fortress, the Tomb of the Prince of Jinling. You killed giant snakes, corpse fungi, and countless evil spirits..." As Zhang Tian's words continued to prod, beads of sweat slowly began to appear on Zhang Qilin's forehead.