Before long, a sudden stir arose at the entrance of the Martial Inquiry Arena.
“Yan Yi is here!”
The crowd parted to open a path.
A female cultivator walked in from outside the Martial Inquiry Arena.
She was tall and slender, dressed in a light green Taoist robe. The sleeves and hem were embroidered with silver-white crescent moon patterns that occasionally flickered with a faint spiritual glow as she walked.
Her long hair was bound behind her head, secured only by a silver hair ring without any extra ornaments. Her features were refined, and her demeanor gentle.
Yan Yi walked all the way into the Nascent Soul area, stepping directly up to Yun Heng.
Yan Yi came to a stop and raised her hand in a polite bow.
“Fellow Cultivator Yun, I have long heard of your esteemed name.”
“I heard earlier that you won two consecutive matches against late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators when you first entered the Martial Inquiry Arena. Seeing you today, your reputation is truly well deserved.”
Her tone was calm, carrying a hint of admiration.
Yun Heng also raised her hand to return the courtesy.
“Fellow Cultivator is too polite.”
Yan Yi looked at her, a look of seriousness in her eyes.
She had already heard the news of Yun Heng's previous two matches.
Defeating late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators while only at the mid stage of Nascent Soul, and winning two consecutive matches in one go—no matter one's cultivation realm, a person like this could not be taken lightly.
In the center of the Martial Inquiry Arena, array lines lit up on an empty Nascent Soul Platform.
Yun Heng and Yan Yi walked onto the Martial Inquiry Platform one after the other.
More and more onlookers gathered around.
After verifying their Martial Inquiry Tokens, the referee raised his hand to activate the array.
A faint white spiritual light rose from all sides of the Martial Inquiry Platform, enveloping the entire surface.
“Yun Heng challenges Yan Yi, tenth place on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard.”
“Falling off the platform, surrendering, or losing the ability to continue fighting will all result in defeat.”
The referee looked at the two of them.
“Begin the match.”
The moment the words fell, Yun Heng moved.
Her toes lightly tapped the platform, her body turning almost into an afterimage. The Tianheng Broken Sword appeared in her palm, its frost-white blade aiming straight for Yan Yi.
So fast.
Yan Yi's eyes narrowed slightly. She drew her sword and held it horizontally across her chest.
The two swords collided in midair.
Spiritual energy dispersed in all directions, striking the array barrier and rippling with fine, dense waves.
Yan Yi was shaken back half a step.
Yet Yun Heng did not stop.
With a flick of her wrist, the Tianheng Broken Sword slid along Yan Yi's blade, and a second strike was already slashing toward her shoulder.
Yan Yi turned her body to dodge, swinging her sword in a counter.
Two sword rays collided in midair before dispersing simultaneously.
Yan Yi's cultivation had reached peak Nascent Soul, her spiritual power richer and thicker than Yun Heng's, but she was ultimately not a sword cultivator.
Mirror Moon Sect was famous for its Talisman Dao and illusion arts; sword techniques were merely a defense mechanism used by its disciples for close-quarters combat. Though Yan Yi's sword moves lacked obvious flaws, they were far from masterful.
After several exchanges, Yan Yi gradually fell into a disadvantage.
The edge of Yun Heng's blade grazed her sleeve, leaving a long, thin tear on her light green robe.
Yan Yi immediately retreated.
She raised her right hand, a light purple talisman appearing between her fingers.
Overlapping silver patterns were drawn on the talisman paper, with a faint crescent moon at its very center. A single glance made one feel as though the crescent moon was slowly rotating.
“Illusion Dream Talisman.”
Spiritual light lit up at Yan Yi's fingertips, and the Illusion Dream Talisman ignited without fire.
A light purple mist dispersed from the talisman paper, enveloping half the Martial Inquiry Platform in the blink of an eye.
Yun Heng thought to herself that things were bad.
She immediately held her breath and circulated the Formless Concealment Technique, trying to isolate herself from the spiritual light drawing near.
However, the Illusion Dream Talisman did not invade through breath. Purple spiritual light flashed before her eyes.
In the next instant, the Martial Inquiry Platform, Yan Yi, and the surrounding spectators all vanished into thin air.
“Yun Heng.”
“Yun Heng?”
Someone was calling her.
Yun Heng slowly raised her head.
The scene before her eyes was somewhat blurry, as the glaring computer screen dissolved into a haze of scattered white light. She blinked, reached out to grab her glasses from the side of the desk, and put them on.
Her vision finally cleared up.
The colleague sitting across from her was looking at her with a face full of concern.
“You scared me to death! I thought you passed out from low blood sugar.”
The colleague breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.
“It's already two in the morning. Finish it tomorrow, just go home for today.”
Yun Heng was a bit dazed. She glanced at the computer screen.
The unfinished document remained open on the screen, next to a cup of coffee that had long gone cold. Most of the lights in the office were still on, but almost all the other seats were empty.
So she had simply been too exhausted from working overtime and accidentally fell asleep at her desk?
The colleague was already starting to pack her things.
“I'm leaving first. You should head back early too; don't actually work yourself into the hospital.”
“Okay.”
Yun Heng responded subconsciously. The colleague put on her bag and quickly left the office.
Silence returned to her surroundings.
Yun Heng sat in her seat and took a moment to compose herself before the confusion in her mind gradually faded away.
As expected, taking a job at a big tech firm back then was truly out of my mind. I didn't make much money, but my hair is almost all gone.
Yun Heng shut down the computer and briefly tidied the things on her desk.
When she stood up, a light clinking sound suddenly came from beside her clothes.
Yun Heng looked down. Two items were surprisingly hanging at her waist.
A piece of blue-white jade, and a small pouch that looked like a drawstring satchel.
What were these?
How could she have no recollection whatsoever of when she had bought these things?
Yun Heng reached out and touched the piece of jade.
The moment her fingertips touched the jade's surface, a subtle sting of pain suddenly hit her brain.
Some blurry memories gradually grew clearer.
Ah, she remembered now.
This was something her adoptive mother had left her when she was young.
Her adoptive mother had specifically exhorted her to keep it on her at all times and never lose it.
“What a terrible memory.”
Yun Heng shook her head helplessly.
To even forget something she had worn since childhood, it seemed she really ought to take a good rest for a while.
She didn't overthink it further. Hanging the jade and the pouch back up properly, she left the company.
When Yun Heng heard a voice again, sunlight was already streaming in through the window.
“Xiao Heng.”
“Xiao Heng, time to wake up.”
Someone was calling her from outside the door.
Yun Heng turned over and pulled the blanket up.
“Mom, I don't have work today.”
“I'm too tired, so I took the day off.”
“I know you don't have work. It's already three in the afternoon, get up and eat something.”
“I made your favorite Guobao Pork and bought some mangoes. Any later, and the food won't taste good anymore.”
Yun Heng had still been keeping her eyes closed, but hearing the last sentence, she blurted out subconsciously, “Mom, did you forget I'm allergic to mangoes?”
Just as she finished speaking, Yun Heng froze completely.
That wasn't right.
How could her mother possibly forget that she was allergic to mangoes?
The first time she ate mangoes as a child, her body broke out in hives and she even had difficulty breathing. Her mother had rushed her to the hospital in her arms in the middle of the night, weeping frantically with worry all the way there.
Ever since then, mangoes had never appeared in their home again. Her mother remembered this matter better than she did—how could she possibly buy mangoes specifically for her to eat?
Yun Heng snapped her eyes open. The bedroom was deathly quiet.
Was she dreaming?
Her mother should be back at her hometown right now.
Yun Heng frowned. Just as she was about to lie back down, her fingers suddenly brushed against something cold at her waist.
That piece of blue-white jade was still hanging there.
Adoptive mother?
No... she had grown up in a happy family with loving, harmonious parents—where on earth did an adoptive mother come from?
Rate on N.U.
