26: Chapter 26 Who is that woman?

Qing Luo recalled, "He said I have a special ability, that I can see things others cannot. He also said... there would be a day when we meet again."

Chu Yang sighed softly, "It seems the soul bead had chosen you long ago."

"Why did you leave the soul bead at the Yin Yang Platform back then?"

"It was not by my choice," a trace of pain flashed in Chu Yang's eyes. "Back then, I was forced to separate a portion of my soul power and hide it in the Yin Yang Platform in order to... evade pursuit."

"The people from the Dark Prison?"

Chu Yang nodded, "They have coveted my Power of Reincarnation for a long time."

As he spoke, Chu Yang's expression suddenly changed, and his gaze swept toward the door. "Someone is following us."

Qing Luo grew tense. "Who is it?"

"I can't see clearly for now," Chu Yang set down his teacup. "We must split up. You go find the Witch, and I will lead the pursuer away."

Qing Luo said anxiously, "But your injuries haven't healed yet!"

"Listen to me," Chu Yang's gaze was firm. "In half an hour, we meet at the town entrance. If I haven't arrived, you all leave first."

Without waiting for Qing Luo to object, Chu Yang had already stood up, paid, and left.

After a moment's hesitation, Qing Luo decided to follow Chu Yang's instructions. She walked out of the tea house and headed toward the marketplace to find the Witch.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Qing Luo suddenly noticed a dark figure flash by, quietly tailing Chu Yang. The person was dressed ordinarily, but their steps were light, clearly possessing extraordinary skill.

Qing Luo was secretly surprised: Could this be the pursuer Chu Yang sensed?

Her instinct was to warn Chu Yang, but she remembered his instructions. While she was hesitating, her vision suddenly blurred, the soul bead vibrated, and an image flashed into her mind—

Chu Yang was besieged by three people, blood splattering everywhere.

"Precognition?" Qing Luo was shocked by this sudden ability, but there was no time to think. She immediately changed direction, following her intuition to track Chu Yang's trail.

The back alleys of the town were intricate and complex; Qing Luo nearly got lost several times. Finally, she heard the sound of fighting ahead.

Rounding a corner, Qing Luo saw Chu Yang struggling in a fight with three Men in Black. Just as she had seen, Chu Yang was at a disadvantage and was already injured.

"Chu Yang!" Qing Luo rushed forward without a second thought.

Chu Yang looked back, his eyes filled with surprise and worry. "Go!"

One of the Men in Black noticed Qing Luo and sneered, "It seems the other target has delivered herself to us."

Chu Yang shouted angrily, "Your opponent is me!" With that, he waved his sleeve and struck out with a beam of golden light, forcing the Men in Black back.

Seeing this, Qing Luo no longer hesitated and awakened the soul bead within her. Golden light surged from her palm, turning into a barrier that blocked the way in front of Chu Yang.

"You..." Chu Yang was surprised by Qing Luo's control.

Seeing this, the Men in Black looked at each other and attacked simultaneously. Black Qi surged like a tide, lunging at the golden barrier.

Qing Luo gritted her teeth and held on, but felt her strength failing. At the critical moment, Chu Yang suddenly grabbed her hand. "Together."

In an instant, Qing Luo felt a warm power being injected into her body, resonating with the soul bead. The golden light flared up, swallowing all of the black Qi.

The three Men in Black saw that things were going poorly and retreated at the same time. "Withdraw! The Master said not to have a direct confrontation before the time is right!"

The three of them turned into black smoke and dissipated.

Qing Luo breathed a sigh of relief, only to find Chu Yang's face deathly pale as he fainted once again.

"Chu Yang!" Qing Luo cried out, struggling to support him.

She couldn't afford to think much and immediately looked for their other companions. Fortunately, the town was not large, and she soon found the Witch, who was searching for them in the marketplace.

"What happened?" The Witch took Chu Yang from her and asked anxiously.

Qing Luo briefly recounted what happened, and the Witch's expression grew increasingly grim. "Let's go. We'll meet up with the others at the town entrance. It's no longer safe here."

At the town entrance, Daoist Wangchuan and Bi Luo had already been waiting for a long time. Seeing Chu Yang unconscious, Daoist Wangchuan's expression turned solemn. "There is no time to lose. Let's leave this place immediately."

The five of them hurriedly left the town and continued their journey northward.

Qing Luo looked at Chu Yang, who was being carried on the Witch's back, feeling uneasy: Did my reckless actions worsen his injuries?

However, what made her even more uneasy was that at the moment her hand touched Chu Yang's, she seemed to have read some fragmented memories—in those memories, there was a woman who looked very similar to her, and... Chu Yang's deep feelings for that woman.

A trace of complex emotion flashed through Qing Luo's heart: Was the soul bead choosing me a coincidence, or... was there some other hidden reason?

Night shrouded the land. The Witch gently changed Chu Yang's medicine. Daoist Wangchuan sat nearby, meditating and regulating his breathing, while Bi Luo was responsible for keeping watch. Qing Luo leaned against an ancient tree, staring blankly at the campfire.

"How are his injuries?" Qing Luo asked softly.

The Witch shook her head. "His internal injuries have worsened, and his power is even more unstable. Those Men in Black were clearly prepared."

"It's my fault," Qing Luo said self-reproachfully. "If I hadn't appeared so rashly—"

"You saved him," the Witch interrupted her. "If you hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Qing Luo was silent for a moment. "I saw some images the moment I touched him."

The Witch stopped what she was doing. "What images?"

"A woman who looks like me, and Chu Yang's feelings..." Qing Luo said hesitantly. "That feeling was very strange, as if those memories also belonged to me."

The Witch sighed, seeming as if she wanted to say something, but finally only said softly, "Get some rest early. We still have to travel tomorrow."

But Qing Luo found it hard to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, those strange yet familiar images flooded into her mind. Before dawn, she finally drifted off into a daze, only to be startled awake by a low groan of pain.

Chu Yang was covered in a cold sweat, his face pale, his hands clenched into fists, clearly experiencing a nightmare.

"Chu Yang!" Qing Luo hurriedly went forward, reaching out to wake him.

The moment she touched Chu Yang, a powerful suction pulled her consciousness into a strange world—

Under a blood-red sky, countless corpses were piled up like mountains. Chu Yang stood atop a mountain of corpses, holding a dripping longsword, his expression indifferent. In the distance, black mist churned as a blurry figure slowly approached.

"You have come after all," the figure spoke, its voice like cracking ice. "My Successor."

Chu Yang pointed his sword forward. "I have come to take your life."

The figure let out a piercing laugh. "Laughable. Do you think you can break free from fate? Look at your hands—how much blood of innocent people is on them?"

Chu Yang looked down and saw that his hands were already soaked in blood.

"No!" he roared. "You forced me to do it!"

"Me?" The figure drew closer, and a face similar to Chu Yang's was faintly visible, but it was old and terrifying. "I am merely your future. Look, she's here."

Chu Yang turned abruptly and saw a woman walking slowly toward him. Her face was almost identical to Qing Luo's, but her expression was cold and indifferent.

"Junior Sister," Chu Yang's voice trembled. "I'm sorry, I failed you."

The woman just looked at him quietly. Her eyes gradually filled with a blood-red hue, and her body began to crack, eventually turning into ashes.

"No!" Chu Yang knelt on the ground in pain.

Qing Luo felt a wave of dizziness and was suddenly ejected from the nightmare. She staggered back and found that Chu Yang was already awake, staring intently at her.

"What did you see?" Chu Yang's voice was hoarse.

Qing Luo didn't know how to answer. "A battle, and a woman who looks like me."

Chu Yang closed his eyes. "You shouldn't have entered my nightmare."

"Who is that woman?" Qing Luo asked the question that was on her mind.