"I hate you, I hate you!!!"
General Qing Jiang, overwhelmed with emotion, raised his fist to smash the Spirit Observation Platform, but reined in his strength at the last moment.
The last vestiges of his reason told General Qing Jiang that if he destroyed the platform, he would have few opportunities left to converse with Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi watched silently from the side, secretly wishing General Qing Jiang would vent his frustrations.
A thousand years ago, two lovers who met on the battlefield, abandoned everything for love and fled, only to be ruthlessly pursued.
The world was so vast, yet there was no place for them to call home.
In the end, one died in agony from his injuries, while the other had her very soul split in two by her enemies and presented as a gift to others!
This story was tragic, and what made it even more infuriating was that a millennium had passed, and General Qing Jiang had only just learned the truth.
Now, knowing everything, he had no opportunity for revenge.
With no chance for retribution, yet he could empathize with the suffering Princess Yu Shu had endured a thousand years ago.
Longing gnawed at General Qing Jiang's heart like a tiny blade, slicing away, as if he too were experiencing the pain Princess Yu Shu had borne back then.
As a descendant, Yan Shouyi could offer no help, only pat General Qing Jiang's shoulder as a gesture of comfort.
After a considerable amount of time, General Qing Jiang and Lian He finally managed to compose themselves.
"Lian He, do you have any more clues about what happened afterward?" Yan Shouyi asked, helping to prompt her. "For instance, the Grand Tutor's whereabouts, or the location of the other bone chain?"
Lian He replied softly, "I still have some clues regarding the Grand Tutor."
"What clues?" Everyone became instantly tense.
"The Grand Tutor's pursuit of the Princess was not merely for revenge; he had another motive!" Lian He stated.
Another motive?
Yan Shouyi pondered.
Indeed, the Qing Jiang Kingdom was in the ancient Shu region, and General Qing Jiang and Princess Yu Shu had fled as far as the Great Wall's frontier. Countless kingdoms lay between them. Even if the couple had angered the King of the Qing Jiang Kingdom, they shouldn't have warranted such a massive expenditure of manpower and resources, even pursuing them to the Great Wall's frontier, to take their lives.
Could it be that the Grand Tutor desired something else from Princess Yu Shu?
Lian He continued, "After the Qing Jiang Kingdom fell, I continued to track the Grand Tutor's movements. I later heard that the Grand Tutor seemed to have gone into the territory of the original Yu Shu Kingdom. Following the information, I investigated and finally discovered some traces!"
"This so-called Grand Tutor also appeared to be a successor of a folk sect. However, folk sects inherently carry five curses and three deficiencies, and they must endure a death tribulation every three generations. The Grand Tutor happened to encounter his death tribulation, and everything he did was to avoid it!"
"At that time, I also went into the original Yu Shu Kingdom's territory. After much investigation, I only managed to glean some fragmented information. As I lacked the ability to further verify it, I could only record it temporarily, planning to pursue it further when I had the means. Unfortunately, my health also deteriorated later, and knowing my life was nearing its end, I was forced to abandon the investigation and use a secret method to allow my soul to reincarnate with the Princess."
So, this was how the ancient texts obtained from Bai Muyu came to be.
Yan Shouyi finally understood everything.
He had previously believed the ancient texts were the key to breaking the fate tribulation. Now, it seemed the content within the texts was merely Lian He's speculation from back then and not necessarily accurate.
The true key was where the Grand Tutor had taken half of Princess Yu Shu's soul, and whether he had succeeded.
The appearance of General Qing Jiang and Princess Lian He had solved many puzzles in Yan Shouyi's mind.
Now, he finally understood why the Spirit Observation Platform was so miraculous. He had indeed clarified many issues here.
"Big fool, I've discovered something..."
At this moment, Lin Zhitong suddenly frowned, a troubled expression on her face, as if unsure whether to voice her thoughts.
Yan Shouyi also sensed something was amiss with Lin Zhitong and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Zhitong seemed to have made up her mind, her expression grave as she said,
"According to Lian He, Princess Yu Shu's soul was split in two. I am only half. Even though I have reincarnated, my soul is ultimately incomplete. Could it be... alas, do you remember why my father married me off to Bai Yusheng?"
Yan Shouyi's brow furrowed. "Because your master said that only by marrying Bai Yusheng could you possibly survive... survive..."
Midway through his sentence, Yan Shouyi also realized the anomaly.
To this day, he had found no issues with Lin Zhitong's body. However, Lu Jingsheng had profound cultivation and was Lin Zhitong's master; he wouldn't speak recklessly and curse his disciple to death.
What if Lu Jingsheng's words at the time referred to Lin Zhitong having only half a soul?
If the other half of her soul were not found, would Lin Zhitong be in danger of losing her life?
Yan Shouyi looked at Lian He and asked in a deep voice, "Lian He, how did Zi Tong die in her previous lives?"
Lian He answered without hesitation, "She died of illness before she reached thirty."
"The cause of illness?"
"The cause of illness... I don't know." Lian He shook her head hesitantly.
Illnesses in this world are already myriad and strange, and medical technology in the past was not developed. It was normal for Lian He not to know what kind of illness it was.
But now, looking back, these illnesses seemed far from simple.
Lin Zhitong's complexion turned somewhat pale.
If her speculation was correct, she might only live to thirty in this lifetime as well.
This was entirely different from the ending she had envisioned, of growing old with Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi quickly supported Lin Zhitong and gently comforted her a few times.
General Qing Jiang frowned and said, "I think I understand what you mean."
"It seems we must find the other half of Princess Yu Shu's soul," Yan Shouyi said, looking at General Qing Jiang.
To Yan Shouyi's surprise, General Qing Jiang suddenly knelt down with a thud!
"General, what are you doing!" Yan Shouyi, supporting Lin Zhitong, tried to help General Qing Jiang up, feeling a little flustered.
General Qing Jiang spoke, "Yan Shouyi, I am but a lingering remnant, unable to help you much. However, I cannot forget what happened a thousand years ago. Although I can no longer exact revenge, I implore you to seek out Yun'er's remaining soul, so that I may at least see her one more time and say I am sorry to her face!"
Yan Shouyi quickly replied, "General, even if you hadn't asked, I already had a reason to search for the other half of her soul. There is no need for you to kneel. Please, rise!"