"Chie! Chie!"
"Consort can rest assured. Junzhu's pulse has stabilized significantly. She should be able to wake up soon."
"That's great! Our Eldest Miss is saved!"
Darkness reigned in her world.
What was real, what was false--
She could not tell.
She was only a solitary soul.
Drifting in oblivion.
Countless voices--
Some from the distant past, some from the near present.
Kept calling to her.
But she could not hear them.
She was merely a drifting soul.
...An insignificant presence.
Jiang Rui Yue was in deep sleep, her thoughts sluggish.
She could not exactly remember what day it was, nor could she tell what era or century it was. Everything inside her head was blank.
Only slightly throbbing pain in her head and all over her body was telling her... she was still alive.
Alive both in soul and body.
Jiang Rui Yue drifted in that dark, still, and boundless space for what felt like an eternity...for so long that it seemed as if a few centuries or millennia had passed, or perhaps, unbeknownst to her, the world had frozen still. Yet, there was also that strange feeling that time hadn't passed much, as if the moment you turn back, everything would return to how it had been years ago...the places you often visited or the people you once used to know. Strange and deluding, right?...
At last, her eyes fluttered open slightly, hazy with lingering sleep and something inexplicable within their depths.
She squinted her eyes slightly, trying to adjust to the lights in the room before staring at the ancient-style canopy above her head with a still...very still and slightly perplexed gaze.
"Again?..." An inaudible sigh escaped.
She felt her entire being enveloped in cozy warmth, then her nose caught a wisp of light and the lingering slightly bitter smell of herbal medicine in the air.
"Ah!… Chie-chie awake!"
At that moment, a pair of large, moist, limpid eyes suddenly barged in front of her face and into her still...almost frigid world. Completely blocking her view and cutting off her distracted thoughts.
Jiang Rui Yue was speechless.
Who was this fat child? She had never seen her before…
Still feeling dazed, she heard another voice ring out.
"Jiaojiao, don't make noise! What are you doing here? And how did you climb onto the bed?"
Madam Jiang was at a loss for words. She had only stepped away for a moment, yet this little girl had appeared here in the blink of an eye...How?Did I give birth to a daughter or a mystic mouse?...
How could she be this swift and sneaky?
Definitely taking after her father!....Father's daughter!...
Before leaving, she had even asked someone to guard the door. Just how had this girl managed to slip inside?
Madam Jiang quickly scanned the room, her gaze finally landing on the open window. Once again, she was rendered speechless. Hmm...this girl had even learned how to climb through windows! How audacious...
The little girl trembled at the sound of her mother's voice and immediately retracted her chubby paws, which had been hovering above her sickly elder sister. Her large, round eyes blinked repeatedly, looking exceptionally harmless and innocent. Don't hit Jiaobao~~
Who in the world could possibly bear to scold or hit such an adorable child?
…Of course, Madam Jiang could.
In just a few swift steps, she reached the bedside, scooped up the little troublemaker, and delivered two light swats to her tiny round bottom....Ah!..No, don't hit Jiaobao's bottom!~~
Only then did her gaze quickly shift toward the bed.
"Yue'er…,"Madam Jiang was momentarily stunned. Then her shock melted into overwhelming joy.
"Yue'er, you're awake! You frightened Mother so badly!" Her eyes reddened. Reaching out to hold her daughter's hand gently, unable to stop the tears from spilling over.
"Chie-chie~~" the chubby little girl blinked, her round eyes wide and sparkling brightly...Jiaobao saw Chiechie first!...
The little one was very proud and felt that her precious bottom no longer hurt.
Taking a steady breath, Madam Jiang quickly composed herself and called out, "Someone, come! Hurry and inform Senior Yuan that the Eldest Miss has awakened!"
"The Eldest Miss has woken up?! Yes, this servant will go at once to inform Senior Yuan!"
Xixia and Xichun were both startled, their faces lighting up with undisguised joy. Xixia hurried off immediately to notify Senior Yuan, who had recently been residing in the guest courtyard of their residence.
Upon hearing the news, Senior Yuan did not delay for even a moment and hurried over to conduct a thorough examination.
"Girl, how do you feel? Is there any discomfort anywhere?" the old man asked as he carefully checked her pulse. "I've already given you a superior-grade healing pill....the injuries on your body shouldn't be too painful. If it's still unbearable, tell me. I'll prescribe some pain-relieving medicine."
"No, it doesn't hurt that much," Jiang Rui Yue replied hoarsely.
Even after drinking a cup of warm water, her throat still felt as though it were burning, raw and painfully dry.
As for her body, she truly did not feel much pain, only a lingering weakness and a mild headache.
Senior Yuan finally felt relieved and could not help but marvel at the young girl's heaven-defying luck. In all his years of life, when had he ever seen someone emerge virtually unscathed after encountering such a massive beast tide?
Not to mention, the heiress had not only survived the once-in-a-century beast tide unharmed, but the very chaos of it had also ended up saving her life when she ran into a group of extraordinarily powerful assassins.
If this wasn't heaven-defying luck, then what else could it possibly be?
Indeed, geniuses seemed to be Heaven's favored children—even their luck was absurdly good.
One could only sigh in envy.
Senior Yuan let out a quiet sigh. After examining the injury on her head, asking several careful questions, and confirming that there were no hidden complications, he finally concluded that everything was progressing smoothly.
The patient was recovering remarkably well.
Only then did Madam Jiang and the others truly relax, joy evident on their faces. Madam Jiang's eyes were still rimmed with tears, yet her lips curved into a gentle, loving smile as she held her eldest daughter's hand.
"Yue'er, what's wrong? Does it hurt badly? If it hurts too much, you must tell us. Don't hide it from Mother."
Madam Jiang noticed that something about her daughter seemed… a bit off after she woke up. She could not quite put her finger on it, yet instinctively, she felt that something was wrong. A wave of panic rose in her heart.
Faced with the anxious and worried expression of this loving mother, Jiang Rui Yue felt a trace of discomfort stir within her chest. But for the sake of her future survival and safety, she had no other choice. She was also helpless.
This was the only way she could continue living a carefree life in the future. And even though it might not be fullproof plan, she still had to do it.
With that thought, Jiang Rui Yue suppressed the faint guilt in her heart, bit her lip lightly, and lifted her eyes to look at Madam Jiang...her gaze distant and strangely unfamiliar.
Under such a gaze from her own daughter, Madam Jiang's unease deepened. The people standing nearby also began to sense that something was amiss.
"Yue'er, what's wrong?" Madam Jiang softened her voice, trying not to sound overly anxious, though the fear and worry in her eyes only grew more apparent.
However, Jiang Rui Yue remained silent. Her gaze became increasingly unfocused and strange, her pale face etched with deep confusion.
Madam Jiang finally lost her composure. "Yue'er…!"
Still, there was no response. Instead, Jiang Rui Yue stiffly raised a hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut, as if enduring a sudden surge of pain.
"Yue'er!"
Seeing her daughter in distress, Madam Jiang instinctively reached out, intending to pull her into an embrace. But just as her hand extended forward, she heard her daughter's faint, trembling voice.
"Why… can't I remember anything? Who am I?"
Madam Jiang froze in place, her expression slowly collapsing into utter disbelief.
Stunned and dumbfounded, the people present could not help but glance at one another, their widened eyes reflecting shock and utter disbelief.
Madam Jiang was the one most deeply affected. Yet, as someone who had weathered many storms in her life, she quickly forced herself to regain composure. Suppressing the surging anxiety in her heart, she steadied her trembling voice and spoke as gently as she could.
"Yue'er… you don't remember me? I am your mother."
"No…" Jiang Rui Yue still looked bewildered and distressed, as if enduring some invisible pain. Confusion written all over her face, "Are you really my mother? Then why can't I remember anything?"
Madam Jiang's face drained of color. She staggered backward, nearly losing her footing. "Senior Yuan! Senior Yuan!"
"This…" Senior Yuan was equally shocked and momentarily at a loss for words. How could she be this unlucky? Did he somehow jinx it?
He hurried forward to examine her again. Yet no matter how carefully....or how long he checked, he could not detect anything abnormal.
In the end, he could only sigh helplessly.
"Your Highness, this old man's abilities are limited. I truly cannot determine what is wrong with the Heiress. However, I can say with certainty that her memory loss does not appear to be related to her head injury."
What he meant was that her memory loss was not caused by a physical injury...which also meant the situation was far more complicated to handle.
"You mean… Yue'er may have injured her mystic consciousness?" Madam Jiang's once-gentle eyes gradually turned cold, though her voice trembled slightly.
Senior Yuan sighed and nodded. It was the only explanation he could think of. Unfortunately, there was no way to verify it. A cultivator's mystic consciousness was extremely fragile, no one could probe or tamper with it at will. Even if he dared to give it try, he was afraid that the people from the Warlord estate would never allow it.
I'm afraid this genius is ruined…
Everyone in the room gasped softly, their expressions filled with disbelief, concern, grief—and even a faint trace of pity.
Jiang Rui Yue, however, did not understand what they were discussing, nor did she particularly care. Judging by their reactions, she knew her objective had been achieved.
Ignoring the emotional turmoil of those around her, she calmly finished her herbal porridge, drank her medicine, and then contentedly went back to sleep.