To elope from Emei?
To fly far away?
Abbess Miaohui stared blankly at the skeleton in the coffin.
What had defeated her back then was precisely the incident of Yan Baixiang taking Wen Yuxian away from Emei.
The thing Abbess Miaohui had dreamed of happened to her most accomplished disciple. The immense sense of loss caused Abbess Miaohui to collapse and fall into a state of demonic possession.
And now Yan Shouyi told her that she had also been within reach of the very thing she had dreamed of?
After a brief moment of daze, Abbess Miaohui said in a low voice, "They have been dead for eighty-seven years. How can you prove that he came up the mountain to take me away?"
Indeed, it was all Yan Shouyi's speculation. The soul of the faithless man had dispersed, and the truth of that year could not be restored.
Yan Shouyi admitted frankly, "I have no evidence, but you should know him best. You must know why he came up the mountain."
The reason for making such a deduction was based on the content of Abbess Miaohui's diary. Yan Shouyi was certain that even if it were Abbess Miaohui herself, she would have made the same deduction.
But reality could not be proven by speculation, and whether the demonic-possessed Abbess Miaohui would acknowledge the speculation was another matter.
At this moment, Abbess Miaohui suddenly noticed the brown-haired monkey Lele beside her.
Lele had half a wooden fish on its head, which looked very familiar to Abbess Miaohui.
She reached out and grabbed. Lele, who was calmly watching from the side, was suddenly sent into Abbess Miaohui's hand by an invisible force.
Abbess Miaohui clutched Lele's neck. Lele's face was full of terror, its limbs struggled non-stop, and it made "gaga" sounds.
At the critical moment, it was Zhuge Ji who cared most about this stinky monkey. He shouted, "Old demon, what are you doing? Let go of Lele!"
"You dare call me an old demon?"
Abbess Miaohui snorted coldly. From more than ten meters away, she flicked her sleeve, and Zhuge Ji was sent flying several meters. It was Tian Jue'er who rushed over to catch him.
Then, Abbess Miaohui ignored everyone, grabbed the half wooden fish on Lele's head, and forcibly took it off.
Without the protection of the wooden fish, Lele's bald spot was fully exposed. Lele was so angry that it covered its head and fumed impotently.
However, Abbess Miaohui didn't care about Lele at all. After getting the wooden fish, she casually threw Lele aside.
"Where did you get this wooden fish?" Abbess Miaohui asked.
Yan Shouyi looked at Zhuge Ji. Zhuge Ji's face turned red. After catching his breath, he replied, "At the scene where the skeleton was found."
Abbess Miaohui held the wooden fish and was silent for a long time.
Why was this old demon so interested in a broken wooden fish?
Did this wooden fish have any special significance?
Yan Shouyi quietly looked at Wen Yuxian. Seeing Wen Yuxian shake her head, he understood: Grandma also didn't recognize this wooden fish, which meant that the wooden fish had left Abbess Miaohui's hands even earlier than Grandma had entered the sect—it was likely related to the faithless man!
Abbess Miaohui reached out and gently stroked the wooden fish, then tapped it lightly with the knuckles of her index and middle fingers.
The half wooden fish made a strange sound, and in the next second, a remnant soul with only half a body floated out of the wooden fish!
Everyone was greatly surprised. They didn't expect this broken wooden fish to be a magical artifact, let alone to contain the remnant soul of someone!
Lele's pupils also dilated. It couldn't believe it had been playing with a magic treasure for two days.
The remnant soul floating out of the wooden fish looked young, but it exuded a mature aura. He wore simple clothes and had a somewhat handsome appearance.
Although Yan Shouyi had never seen the "faithless man," judging by the remnant soul's demeanor and Abbess Miaohui's reaction, this person must be the faithless man.
Abbess Miaohui stared intently at the remnant soul. She impulsively raised her hand, wanting to destroy this wisp of remnant soul, but stopped at the last moment.
"Xiao Hui, by the time you see me, the child and I will no longer be here."
The remnant soul, which looked expressionless and incapable of thought, suddenly spoke.
His voice was hoarse, filled with intense reluctance.
"I finally made up my mind to elope with you, but unfortunately, when I was climbing the mountain, I encountered a group of demonic cultivators. I was no match for them. I failed to preserve my life, nor did I preserve the child's life. I... I am sorry to you!"
The remnant soul wailed, his voice filled with deep guilt and despair.
The wooden fish was a magical artifact, most likely given by Abbess Miaohui to the faithless man. Before his death, the faithless man sent his remnant soul into the wooden fish, wanting to leave a final message for Abbess Miaohui.
Who would have thought that this explanation would be buried for eighty-seven years and finally dug up by a monkey.
Abbess Miaohui stared blankly at the remnant soul, her eyes filled with confusion.
So, Yan Shouyi's speculation was true?
Was I once... so close to happiness?
The man who loved me deeply was wronged, and I hated him for eighty-seven years?!
They had been on Mount Emei all along, waiting for me to find them, yet I never sensed their presence and instead strayed further and further down the wrong path?
In an instant, Abbess Miaohui's heart was in turmoil.
The remnant soul had no ability to think; it merely mechanically expressed the faithless man's beliefs from when he was alive.
The remnant soul's wailing suddenly stopped. After a few seconds, the remnant soul showed a gentle smile again, as if a stuck tape had started playing again:
"Xiao Hui, I heard you say that your talent is the best in the Emei Sect, and your master intends to appoint you as the successor to the position of Emei Sect Leader. However, once you accept the appointment, you must completely sever worldly ties and never see me and the child again... I hope you can stay true to your original intentions and become the Emei Sect Leader, yet I also hope you can renounce the world and return home to be with me."
"Fulfilling you, or fulfilling me? I pondered this question for a long time and finally arrived at an answer—love is selfish. Please forgive my selfishness. I wish to take you away from Emei, and I hope our family of three can live an ordinary life. Therefore, I boldly decided to bring the child up the mountain to personally request your master to let you leave the mountain!"
"We met in Qiantang back then, and you always said you liked the water of Qiantang. So, I secretly bought a small courtyard by the West Lake and personally planted the willows you liked the most. When spring arrives next year, our family of three will go to that small courtyard. At that time, our daughter must be starting to read and write. We'll start with the Three Character Classic. I only know some handicraft skills; teaching her to read and write will be your job..."
The remnant soul's expression was gentle, as if reciting a love letter, and he rambled on to Abbess Miaohui.
Most of the content in the "letter" was about expectations for the future.
But now, it had become an unfulfilled wish.
Everyone listened in silence, while Abbess Miaohui was already weeping uncontrollably.