After Forgetting Two Exes - Chapter 21

When she heard Shi Yuan call out her real name, Ji Xun Yue froze. Her expression instantly turned cold.

Stepping back to put some distance between them, she asked guardedly, “What did you just call me?”

When had she slipped up? How could he have recognized her identity?

Shi Yuan, however, ignored her question. He withdrew his gaze, took a solitary gulp of wine, and muttered to himself, “Ji Xun Yue, I truly hate you.”

” ” Her tense body relaxed.

It seemed Shi Yuan was simply drunk; he hadn’t actually recognized her.

Wait, that wasn’t right!

If he wasn’t talking to her, then who was this person he was cursing? Could there be a second Ji Xun Yue in this world?

Recalling Shi Yuan’s strange reaction when he saw her in the God Realm yesterday, could it be that the person he was cursing was actually her?

This thought was more shocking than the prospect of being recognized.

She asked in startled confusion, “Uncle-Master, the person you mentioned, her name is Ji Xun Yue?!”

When had she ever played with his feelings, let alone been engaged to him?

Hearing the name, Shi Yuan gave a bitter laugh and turned to look at her.

As night fell, his eyes swirled with endless bitterness. “Yes, Ji Xun Yue. The noble Sovereign of the Demon Realm, the heartbreaker who made me suffer so.”

The blood rushed to Ji Xun Yue’s head, leaving her hands and feet ice-cold.

She wanted to ask if there was a misunderstanding, but Shi Yuan had already recognized her yesterday. Even Yu Hanshu’s words had been laced with irony, using Shi Yuan to mock her.

Did she and Shi Yuan truly have a past relationship?

According to him, they met after the War of Gods and Demons ended. It was highly likely they met in the Immortal Realm when she was seeking medicine for her mother.

Ji Xun Yue searched her memories desperately, yet she could find no trace of any prior interaction with Shi Yuan, let alone “deceiving his feelings.”

Shi Yuan was now dead drunk, completely oblivious to the shifting colors of Ji Xun Yue’s face.

The jar of wine in his hand was empty. He tossed it aside and said in a low voice, “You once said you would take me to see the flowers of Shenyuan. But before the flowers could even bloom, you broke off the engagement.”

At the mention of Shenyuan, Ji Xun Yue stood speechless. A strange intuition rose in her heart.

Shi Yuan continued, “Since you broke your word, how could I let you have your way?”

It was him!

He was the “nemesis” who had targeted her for a thousand years. He was the one who had used Xuan Huai’s name!

In an instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Ji Xun Yue’s mind, making the world spin.

It seemed she really had forgotten something. It seemed she really had promised someone a trip to see flowers. She felt as if she were on the verge of recalling a memory that shouldn’t exist.

The familiar headache struck again.

Suddenly, as if her breath had been snatched away, Ji Xun Yue clutched her collar, gasping for air.

But the pain only intensified, rendering her unable to think.

Xuan Huai, Shi Yuan, the engagement, the promise; relevant and irrelevant memories flashed and intertwined, sweeping everything away.

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Her face turned deathly pale. Waves of pain hit her so hard she could no longer remain standing.

Losing her strength, her knees buckled, and she collapsed toward the ground.

Before she could even process the sudden spark of hope in her heart, a flash of white appeared in her vision.

Someone caught her hand, steadied her waist, and pulled her into a firm embrace, stopping her fall.

Ji Xun Yue looked up at the newcomer.

“Xuan Huai,” she whispered his name through a furrowed brow.

When did he arrive? She hadn’t noticed him at all.

The headache seemed to pause for a heartbeat, only to return with double the intensity. She was forced to close her eyes as her senses failed, leaving her only with the rhythmic thrumming of blood in her veins.

“Mmh,” Xuan Huai responded softly. With a focused expression, he gathered spiritual energy in his palm and slowly began transferring it to her.

“Xuan Huai? Why are you here?”

Shi Yuan shook his head, trying to clear his vision, but the alcohol made it impossible to focus. He squinted and saw Ji Xun Yue’s pale face, looking even more fragile under the moonlight.

“Ji, no, Jinyue, what’s wrong with you?” Most of his drunkenness evaporated. Shi Yuan stood up, looking at the two of them with uncertainty and alarm.

Xuan Huai did not answer. He didn’t even look at Shi Yuan. His entire focus was on the person in his arms.

Ji Xun Yue’s eyes remained tightly shut. Just like that other time, she gripped his clothes tightly. Her eyelashes trembled violently as if she were trapped in a nightmare.

“Ugh,” Feeling the pain within her being soothed, her brow relaxed slightly, though she still couldn’t open her eyes.

She saw vast streaks of blood spreading across her vision again.

This time, it wasn’t Ji Linyin. It was someone whose face she couldn’t make out, lying in a pool of blood. She used all her strength to try and see the person’s features, but they only drifted further away.

As far as her eyes could see, everything was the color of blood.

Stabbing pains flickered in her brain, pulse after pulse, until the crimson before her eyes turned into an impenetrable black.

She felt it. Deep within her memories, there was a seal. The formation was very familiar; it was her own handiwork.

She had actually forgotten a part of her past, and it was she herself who had sealed it?

“Cough, cough!” The moment she found the answer, Ji Xun Yue gasped for air like someone being pulled out of water.

Her vision restored instantly, and the headache gradually faded. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the person in front of her.

A faint scent of incense lingered at the tip of her nose, seeming to calm her agitated mind.

It was Songwu incense. Today, while passing a shop in Youdu, she had specifically bought a stick to compare; the scent was identical.

The shopkeeper had explained that this incense was primarily made of “fog bamboo” and pine branches, mixed with various flowers.

Her thoughts drifted uncontrollably until the person before her asked with concern, “Are you feeling better?”

Only then did Ji Xun Yue remember where she was and what she was doing.

Ling Ran had brought her here to console Shi Yuan, but she had inadvertently discovered that she and Shi Yuan were once engaged. According to him, she was the one who had betrayed him.

And because Shi Yuan resented her heartlessness, he had spent a thousand years targeting her under Xuan Huai’s name.

As her strength returned, Ji Xun Yue released her grip on Xuan Huai’s clothes and took a few unsteady steps back. Xuan Huai moved to support her, but she reached out a hand to stop him.

She stared blankly at the two men; they both looked back at her with complex expressions.

“I, I’m fine.” When she spoke, she realized her voice was incredibly raspy.

Shi Yuan asked, bewildered, “Why did you suddenly fall ill?”

Ji Xun Yue made an excuse: “I just had too much to drink and got dizzy.”

Shi Yuan might know about her headache issues; she couldn’t afford to arouse his suspicion.

She looked at Xuan Huai again. She opened her mouth but found herself unable to speak.

She had suspected him for so long, riding a roller coaster of emotions. Now that the truth was out, she didn’t feel particularly joyful.

Standing in the moonlight, his gaze held worry and other emotions she couldn’t quite decipher.

Though they were only two or three steps apart, it felt as if something insurmountable lay between them.

If he knew she had harbored such malice toward him, how disappointed would he be?

Shi Yuan suggested, “Why don’t you stay here for the night to rest?”

Ji Xun Yue instinctively declined. “There’s no need.”

She desperately wanted to find a quiet place to sort through her emotions, but not here.

Shi Yuan paused, then nodded slightly. “Alright. We can talk about everything else later. Go back and rest first.”

Ji Xun Yue forced a pale smile. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Uncle-Master.”

She then turned to Xuan Huai. “Master, let us go.”

Xuan Huai gave a soft acknowledgment and summoned the White Jade Boat, waiting for her to enter first.

Shi Yuan frowned, saying earnestly, “I should come along and check on you. Perhaps there’s something I can do to help?”

“No need.” Xuan Huai’s back was to him, his voice turning several degrees colder. “You don’t need to come.”

Ji Xun Yue, who had just sat down, was chilled by the frost in his voice. She looked toward him, but he avoided her gaze. Half of his face was hidden in the shadows, masking all emotion.

On the way back, Ji Xun Yue stared blankly at the sea of clouds shrouded in moonlight, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Xuan Huai.

Xuan Huai truly wasn’t her arch-enemy. She should be happy about this; after all, she hadn’t misjudged his character. She could call him “Master” without any reservations and peacefully accept his care.

But how could she have predicted that she would be unable to feel even a shred of hatred for the actual culprit?

Was it because her hatred had already been exhausted on Xuan Huai? Or was it because, seeing Shi Yuan so broken and haunted by the past, she simply didn’t know how to hate him?

After all that trouble, it turned out the antagonism was a fruit grown from seeds she herself had planted. It was almost as if her journey here was meant to correct this mistake. It was ironic; though she didn’t know why she chose to forget Shi Yuan, the past she had deliberately buried was now being unearthed by her own hands.

She wondered how many people knew about her and Shi Yuan. She suddenly thought of Yu Qianchan. Her friend likely knew and, because Ji Xun Yue had forgotten, found it awkward to speak up, so she sent her here to resolve the misunderstanding directly.

And in all of this, Xuan Huai was truly innocent. Shi Yuan used his name, and she sought revenge against him.

At this thought, Ji Xun Yue couldn’t help but give a bitter smile, glancing toward Xuan Huai.

As expected, her eyes crashed right into his.

She lowered her head guiltily, not daring to look at him.

“Still feeling unwell?” Xuan Huai was the first to speak.

Ji Xun Yue shook her head. Though the headache was gone, she was left with a lingering exhaustion that made her crave a long sleep.

“We’ve arrived,” Xuan Huai said after a while.

“Right.”

She snapped out of her daze and looked at the scenery of Cangxing Isle, which appeared exceptionally quiet and deep in the night. It brought her a strange sense of peace.

After disembarking the small boat, it was only a short walk to her room.

Ji Xun Yue pushed open the door but hesitated to step inside.

Xuan Huai stood beside her. She could feel his gaze on her.

“Master,” she said, keeping her head down.

Xuan Huai did not reply, seemingly waiting for her next words.

The onset of the headache had robbed her of the ability to think. The pile-up of emotions had left her restless, but now that her thoughts were organized, her mood was gradually improving.

However, after hesitating for a long time, she only managed to say awkwardly, “Master, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” His voice was very soft, as if he were trying to hide his emotions.

The door closed. Xuan Huai watched the light turn on in her room. He stood there quietly for a moment before turning to leave.

The late spring night still carried a chill.

After returning from the God Realm, he had seen Ling Ran’s message and went to Guiyuan Isle. Ever since she saw Shi Yuan yesterday, he had been feeling uneasy.

Sure enough, when he arrived, he overheard Shi Yuan questioning her about her “betrayal,” and she had discovered the truth.

His appearance felt like an intrusion upon their long-awaited reunion.

Only when she looked at him did he feel a little less pathetic. He even felt a desire to reveal their own past to her.

The night wind rustled the leaves in the courtyard. Xuan Huai stopped and looked out, his eyes filled with a deep silence.

He had once promised to take her to the Demon Realm to see the Shenyuan flowers bloom, but then she vanished. When they met again during the War of Gods and Demons, she was the Young Sovereign of the Demon Realm. Her gaze toward him was calm and indifferent. He had tried to explain, but she simply told him coldly that she didn’t know him.

Unlike with Shi Yuan, her forgetting of him was absolute.

Behind him, the creak of a door suddenly broke the silence of the night.

“Master!”

Xuan Huai froze, turning around in disbelief.

Ji Xun Yue stood in the doorway of her room, bathed in a warm yellow glow, looking at him from across the distance. Though she didn’t have the face from his memories, she still tugged at his heartstrings.

She smiled and said, “I haven’t thanked you for today. Thank you, Master.”

Her smile caused him to lose himself. For a fleeting moment, that expression overlapped with all the various smiles from his memories. One second, he felt he had returned to the past; the next, he was hit by the massive contrast of reality.

That single smile stirred a powerful, almost uncontrollable urge in him to pull her into an embrace.

Xuan Huai stood rooted to the spot, unable to react for a long time.

The curve of Ji Xun Yue’s lips slowly faded as she began to hesitate.

He had looked troubled throughout the entire journey back. Could it be that he knew what Shi Yuan had done, but was distressed because his friendship prevented him from clearing the air?

Just then, the corners of Xuan Huai’s mouth lifted slightly, acknowledging her thanks.

Under the watery moonlight, his white robes appeared aloof and distant, yet his eyes were filled with tenderness.