Little Alpaca – Chapter 148

Volume 4: Immeasurable

The one telling the story is bold enough to say it, and the one listening is bold enough to believe it.¹

Chao Yun still looked the same as before. She was dressed in a white robe, with no ornaments in her hair. A simple hair ribbon tied her ink-black hair into a long whip that hung low behind her back, leaving a few stray strands to fall by her temples. The makeup on her face was also exceedingly plain.

Her eyes were as gentle as they had always been, but the unfamiliarity within them frightened Yi Qiu.

The moment their gazes met, the air fell silent.

After a few seconds, Chao Yun came back to her senses, her eyes full of vigilance as she looked at Yi Qiu. “How do you know my name?”

“Chao Yun… you, you don’t remember us?” Yi Qiu said, glancing worriedly at You Yan before turning back to Chao Yun. “I’m Yi Qiu, and this is You Yan. We’ve met before—you saved us!”

“I… I saved you?” Chao Yun couldn’t help but frown, her eyes filled with bewilderment. “I don’t know you.”

After a brief silence, she instinctively took two steps back, the wariness in her eyes deepening. “Why are you here?”

“We’re here to save you!”

“Save me? I don’t understand what you’re talking about…” Chao Yun said, unconsciously clenching her fists. She frowned. “Who are you people? Why do you know me, and why have you appeared here?”

It was obvious that no one was supposed to disturb this place.

Other than the Yi Bird, Chao Yun had never seen anyone else. To her, two uninvited strangers who had broken through the barrier seemed extremely dangerous.

Just as Yi Qiu was about to say more, You Yan squeezed her wrist.

Looking lost, Yi Qiu closed her mouth and simply looked up at You Yan beside her.

“There’s no need to be nervous. You should be able to sense that if I wanted to kill you, it’d be as easy as turning one’s hand over. There’s no need for me to waste words on you.” You Yan’s gaze was indifferent as she watched Chao Yun, speaking with a casual air. “I came here looking for a friend. She was captured by a bird demon. She looks similar to you, and coincidentally, her name is also Chao Yun.”

“…”

“So, I hope you can answer a few questions for me. If you’re not her, I’ll go look elsewhere.”

The way You Yan put it—a friend captured by a bird demon, who just so happened to look identical and share the same name—who wouldn’t be left with a head full of questions after hearing that?

As expected, the vigilance in Chao Yun’s eyes was gradually replaced by astonishment.

After a moment of hesitation, she couldn’t help but walk forward two steps, her right hand resting on the trunk of a nearby tree. Her eyes were filled with confusion.

Chao Yun said, “Go ahead and ask.”

You Yan asked, “Do you know what this place is?”

Chao Yun replied, “This is North Sea Snake Mountain.”

You Yan continued, “And the person who lives with you, what is her identity?”

Chao Yun said, “You mean Yu Su? She… she’s the goddess of this place. She’s my wife.”

“Your wife?” Yi Qiu was shocked. “When did you two get married? How could you and her…”

“Yu Su and I have been together for two thousand years,” Chao Yun said with a serious expression. “She is my wife, and I am her wife. You must have the wrong person.”

What’s all this about? It hadn’t even been two months, so how could Chao Yun have married that Yi Bird?

Even if she had amnesia, even if she’d been tricked, how could they have gotten together so quickly?

What on earth was this Yi Bird trying to do? Did she start a fire just so she could take advantage of a crisis²?

“How could that be? It’s impossible! That Yi Bird must have done something to you…”

You Yan coughed lightly, cutting off Yi Qiu’s unfinished sentence. She continued to ask, “If you’re not my friend, then who are you? Why do you look exactly like her and have the exact same name?”

A trace of doubt flickered in Chao Yun’s eyes but was gone in a flash. Her gaze became firm. “I… I am Chao Yun. I’ve been cultivating on Snake Mountain for over two thousand years, and Yu Su has always been by my side…”

You Yan couldn’t help but sneer. “Over two thousand years, and this is all the cultivation base you have?”

Chao Yun frowned and said, “A union between an immortal and demon goes against the heavenly laws³… Yu Su has suffered a lot for my sake. A hundred years ago, I was about to undergo tribulation and ascend to immortality, but something went wrong. My spiritual veins⁴ were damaged, and my entire cultivation base was scattered. All my previous efforts were wasted…”

Hearing this, Yi Qiu finally understood.

Chao Yun’s memories had been completely altered by the Yi Bird. Not only did she not remember the truth, but she had even forgotten who she was.

“That Yi Bird is quite the storyteller,” You Yan said, lowering her gaze to glance at Yi Qiu.

“You…” Chao Yun was momentarily angered, and her gaze toward You Yan turned hostile, but she still maintained a degree of politeness. “Young miss, perhaps there’s a misunderstanding between you and Yu Su. I’m not the person you’re looking for, and she absolutely did not capture your friend.”

You Yan raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Chao Yun asked, “When was your friend captured?”

You Yan replied, “A little over a month ago. Not quite two months yet.”

Chao Yun said, “Then that proves it. Yu Su hasn’t left Snake Mountain for a thousand years. How could she have captured your friend and brought her here?”

You Yan was silent for a moment before letting out a soft “Mm.”

Seeing this, Chao Yun couldn’t help but ask, “Do you believe me now?”

You Yan lowered her head, shook it, and chuckled. “Interesting. The one telling the story is bold enough to say it, and the one listening is bold enough to believe it.”

She looked up and asked, “Snake Mountain is hidden in the North Sea, a place even immortals and gods might not be able to find. If someone hadn’t led the way, why would I come here to search for someone when I wasn’t sure?”

Chao Yun retorted, “Then you shouldn’t be asking me. Whoever led you here, you should go find them. Snake Mountain has been sealed for a long time. The person who led you here must be harboring ulterior motives!”

“Isn’t that the Yu Su you speak of?” You Yan said, taking two steps forward. Under Chao Yun’s extremely wary gaze, she asked, “Your cultivation base is so low. Is it really because of damage to your spiritual veins from that tribulation, or is it a spiritual power seal⁵ forcibly applied by divine power⁶? Don’t you have any feeling about it yourself?”

“You…”

“Two thousand years ago, Snake Mountain was burned by the heavenly fire⁷ of the Huodou⁸. All the plants and creatures on the mountain were destroyed overnight. The Yi Bird was fortunate enough to be saved by the Wood God⁹, Gou Mang, and was taken to the Jade Sea to recover for several hundred years. During those centuries, Snake Mountain was a barren wasteland. How could you have cultivated here, and how could she have accompanied you here?”

“What are you talking about…”

“You’ve been staying in this house for a long time without leaving, haven’t you?” You Yan said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. “Let me guess, has it been a little over a month?”

Chao Yun’s expression changed dramatically.

But You Yan didn’t stop. “This barrier around us… it’s not here to protect you, is it?”

“I… I’ve been feeling weak lately, and the weather has turned cold. That’s why Yu Su put this up for me…” As Chao Yun spoke, she coughed a few times, as if she really were weak.

“Why couldn’t it be to imprison you?”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Chao Yun bit her lip, her breathing becoming ragged.

You Yan just gave her a faint look and asked softly, “With so many inconsistencies, you haven’t suspected a thing?”

Chao Yun instinctively closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, replying through gritted teeth, “I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about… Please leave. Leave now. Otherwise, when Yu Su returns, if you still want to go, you’ll have to explain everything from start to finish!”

Everyone tends to believe without a doubt in their own memories. As long as it’s something in their memory, no matter how many suspicious points there are, they will always feel that others are trying to deceive them when it’s pointed out.

Chao Yun was exactly like this at this moment.

But to You Yan, this order to leave was far too weak.

“These things do need to be explained clearly. Aren’t I explaining them to you right now, from start to finish?”

“You!”

“If this is just a barrier to keep out the cold, it shouldn’t be able to stop you. The question is, can you walk out of this barrier?” You Yan retorted.

Chao Yun frowned, leaped to the ground, and said with a determined gaze, “Why couldn’t I?”

Hearing this, You Yan immediately pulled Yi Qiu aside to make way for her. “Then why don’t you try?”

Without a second thought, Chao Yun walked toward the barrier. But she never could have expected that the moment her body touched it, she would be thrown back half a meter by a powerful force.

“How could this be…”

“I told you, it’s here to imprison you,” You Yan said flatly.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but clutch You Yan’s sleeve, afraid that Chao Yun would do something impulsive and alert the departed Yi Bird.

However, just as Chao Yun was about to try leaving again, You Yan reached out and stopped her.

“It’s useless. She’s determined to trap you. With the little power you have left, it’s impossible for you to get out.”

Chao Yun was silent for a moment, then reached out to gently touch the five-colored spiritual light¹⁰ flowing before her.

It didn’t harm her.

She closed her eyes in thought for a moment, then opened them and said calmly, “Why must you be so provocative? Snake Mountain has never been struck by heavenly fire in two thousand years, and I’ve only been staying here recently. If I don’t like this barrier, Yu Su will take it down for me…”

“Chao Yun, you…” Yi Qiu hesitated for a moment, then frowned and asked, “Do you really not remember anything? You’ve forgotten me and You Yan, forgotten the Xianlu Sect, and even forgotten Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan? They’re the people you wanted to protect most in this life!”

“What… are you saying…” Chao Yun clutched her forehead, her face twisting in pain.

It seemed a sudden headache had struck her, and her body began to sway.

You Yan watched indifferently from the side for a while, then suddenly frowned for some unknown reason. She took a swift step forward, and the index finger of her right hand landed steadily on three acupoints¹¹ on the crown of Chao Yun’s head: Baihui, Tongtian, and Luoque¹². A dark green spiritual light instantly surged from her fingertip into Chao Yun’s body.

Seeing this, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but pout.

Was this her way of helping restore her memory?

Hai¹³, she had to hand it to her. If that bird woman had this trick up her sleeve, why didn’t she use it earlier instead of wasting all that time on talk therapy¹⁴? Wasn’t she tired?

Yi Qiu took two steps forward, wanting a closer look, only to see You Yan suddenly release her fingers, turn around, and pull her into an embrace. In a flash, they were gone, and Yi Qiu had no idea where she had been taken.

“This… what the…”

“The Yi Bird has returned.”

“Then, then…” Yi Qiu looked at the unfamiliar mountain forest around them and said, completely dumbfounded, “what about Chao Yun?”

“She’s at the usual place.”

“Why didn’t you bring her with us?” Yi Qiu started to get anxious.

“How could I? She wasn’t willing to come,” You Yan retorted.

“Didn’t you, didn’t you restore her memory?”

“I don’t have that kind of ability,” You Yan shrugged. “I just erased her memory of seeing us.”

“Huh?”

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