After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 27

The Memory-Seeking Grass is actually not of a high grade; it falls into the lower tier among immortal herbs. However, due to its limited efficacy and stringent growth conditions, almost no one cultivates it, and it is extremely rare to find in the wild.

So that’s how those Memory-Seeking Grasses were planted? No wonder such a hard-to-find herb could be found in such abundance here.

“Where did you obtain the seeds for this Memory-Seeking Grass?”

Bai Xuan replied, “The deity gave them to us not this one, but another.”

Yin Ruolan withdrew her gaze and nodded thoughtfully. Given Xu Jingqiu’s current state of forgetfulness, it didn’t seem likely that she would have deliberately brought these seeds and entrusted someone to plant them. “Might the clan leader be willing to part with some? I am prepared to exchange some heavenly treasures for a portion of the Memory-Seeking Grass seeds and the method to cultivate them.”

Bai Xuan did not immediately agree but instead looked at her with apparent suspicion. “Might I ask what use the Demon Sovereign has for this grass? The Memory-Seeking Grass can only be used on those with memory impairments and has no other functions.”

“Precisely for that purpose.”

Bai Xuan shifted his gaze to Xu Jingqiu, who was being fed by Yin Ruolan to keep her quiet, and understood for whom the Memory-Seeking Grass was intended and the true motive behind the Demon Sovereign’s request. “Of course, that is possible. However, we have no need for those heavenly treasures. What we seek is cooperation with the demon realm.”

Yin Ruolan fell silent for a moment, frowning slightly. Her tone carried a hint of hesitation. “What kind of cooperation do you propose?”

“I hope the Demon Sovereign can offer the demon tribe some shelter and protection in times of crisis and take my daughter under your wing,” Bai Xuan sighed. “The secret realm has already been discovered, and it may not be able to sustain us for much longer. Moreover, the operation of the secret realm consumes energy and cannot be maintained indefinitely.”

“In return, I am willing to offer all the spiritual herbs we possess outside the realm, along with what you require. Furthermore, our entire tribe will do everything in our power to treat the deity.”

Yin Ruolan did not agree immediately. Instead, she looked at the little white tiger nestled in Xu Jingqiu’s arms, playfully begging for food, before slowly responding, “I assume you are aware that if I wished to take these by force, no one here could stop me. Cooperation requires mutual benefit. To be frank, I have no need for the other spiritual herbs, and restoring memories is not limited to this method alone. What else can you offer me?”

“The demon realm does not support idlers, and life in the demon realm is not as glorious as you might imagine.”

“Naturally, if conflicts arise again between the demon realm and the cultivation world in the future, our demon tribe will undoubtedly go through fire and water for you. Moreover, I know you would not resort to force otherwise, you would not be sitting here discussing this with me, would you?” Bai Xuan remained calm and seated, unoffended by her words.

The demon tribe was indeed weak now, so they needed to seize every opportunity, and the Demon Sovereign seemed inclined to cooperate. But why was she being so circumspect? What was she guarding against?

Yin Ruolan stared at him silently before suddenly breaking into a smile, though her red eyes held no warmth. “You are clever. Very well, I agree on the condition that this time, you must ensure proper treatment for my consort.”

As the two suddenly reconciled with a handshake, the other two people and the tiger beside them hadn’t quite processed what had happened. All they knew was that Yin Ruolan had demanded the Memory-Seeking Grass, and then, almost abruptly, they reached a cooperation agreement, one that seemed to put the demon realm at a disadvantage. Strangely, however, Yin Ruolan didn’t appear dissatisfied; it was all an act.

Xu Jingqiu pondered for a moment before giving up on further thought. She patted the little tiger in her arms and sighed, “The world of adults is truly complicated.”

Wen Banxia: …
Aren’t you an adult too?

“Since the demon tribe has fallen into such dire straits, why not seek help from Tianzhi?” Wen Banxia still had some doubts. “Tianzhi has aided many sects in desperate situations and could certainly lend a hand to the demon tribe as well. Faced with such circumstances, Tianzhi would never stand idly by. This secret realm isn’t particularly challenging for them. With a little assistance, you wouldn’t have to rely entirely on the demon realm, which hasn’t been faring well since that battle.”

This time, it was Bai Xuan’s turn to be taken aback. A flicker of something unidentifiable passed through his eyes. “Tianzhi… I haven’t heard of it. Those tribesmen who left never returned. We know nothing about what’s happening in the outside world now.” After saying this, Bai Xuan suddenly looked at Xu Jingqiu. “Divine One, do you know anything about it?”

Wen Banxia and Yin Ruolan simultaneously turned to look at Xu Jingqiu, who seemed lost in thought. The atmosphere grew slightly tense. After a moment, they heard her say, “No wonder she never noticed your tribe that person has always been blind. I can try to reach out afterward, but whether you can secure help will depend on your own efforts.”

“After all, Tianzhi doesn’t support idlers. I’ve heard the current head of Tianzhi complain that their budget is tight, with no funding from above, and they’re short on money. Why are you looking at me?”

Bai Xuan didn’t know what to say. In the end, he let out an almost imperceptible sigh and bowed respectfully. “I will arrange for the relevant matters to be prepared immediately. Divine One, you may rest for a while before we proceed with the treatment. The process will be quite taxing for you, so it’s best to recover your strength.”

Yin Ruolan had no intention of lingering. Upon hearing this, she stood up immediately. “Mm, we’ll take our leave now. Xiao Qiu?”

“Oh, right, coming.” Xu Jingqiu also stood up and instinctively glanced back. Wen Banxia had already risen and, noticing her look, smiled silently, mouthing two words: “Let’s go.”

Just as they were about to leave, Yin Ruolan suddenly stopped and coldly regarded Bai Xuan. “In truth, you don’t truly trust or revere the Divine One that much, do you?”

“You’ve noticed it too her current state isn’t right. What you want, the demon realm will provide. So, don’t even think of scheming against her. I believe the clan leader understands the reason I proposed this cooperation.”

She was referring to the matter of Tianzhi. The demon tribe wasn’t entirely unaware of Tianzhi’s existence. At the very least, she could sense traces of other humans who had once been in this village. Moreover, Bai Xuan knew about Xu Jingqiu’s connection to Tianzhi.

Bai Xuan lowered his gaze but remained standing tall. “The others believe with all their hearts. But as the clan leader, I must consider the survival of our entire race and seize every opportunity we can. The deity may help us temporarily, but only we ourselves can protect us forever.”

“As for the deity, we mean no offense. Should the deity require anything, we are willing to offer the full strength of our clan to assist.”

Outside, the same fox-person continued to guide them. Yin Ruolan had already developed a conditioned reflex, the moment she saw this fox, she instinctively moved to shield Xu Jingqiu.

Seeing this, the fox-person laughed heartily. “So nervous, Demon Lord? You should have faith in your deity. The clan leader has instructed me to take you to rest. The other demons have been waiting for a while now.”

Only when the fox-person truly began leading the way without any further mischief did Yin Ruolan gradually lower her guard. This time, perhaps because the young clan leader was nestled in Xu Jingqiu’s arms, fewer furry bundles came pouncing over. Watching the chattering, playful young ones, Xu Jingqiu finally remembered what she had forgotten to ask earlier.

“What happened to the spiritual energy here?”

“About eighty years ago, the spiritual veins here suddenly vanished. The secret realm could no longer retain spiritual energy, and we could only watch helplessly as it dissipated until it was completely gone. The last successful transformation in our clan was eighty years ago. We’ve considered leaving, but those who ventured out never returned, nor did we receive any news. Over time, we gave up.”

At this, the fox-person seemed momentarily lost in thought. “To be honest, we don’t know how long this secret realm can last or what we’ll do afterward. We have no ideas. Without spiritual veins, cultivation is impossible. The demon race today is only weaker than before.”

Wen Banxia suddenly interjected, “It’s likely Penglai’s doing. Not only in the demon realm and the demon race’s territory, but even in the cultivation world now, spiritual veins are scarce. Cultivators rely on the spiritual energy overflowing from the Penglai Island in the sky, while demons depend more on demonic energy for cultivation. The spiritual veins were probably all extracted by Penglai. As for their motives, no one questions it, and no one dares to. In today’s cultivation world, Penglai represents righteousness, the sole standard.”

The fox-person hadn’t expected even the cultivation world and the demon realm to be in such a state and was momentarily at a loss for words. Xu Jingqiu, however, seemed unbothered. She hummed a tune while stroking the cat in her arms, walking along quite contentedly, as if indifferent to these matters.

“I’ve heard a theory that the cultivation world willingly surrendered their spiritual veins. Otherwise, Penglai couldn’t have gathered so many and grown to this uncontrollable extent.”

Yes, it began with the cultivation world offering their spiritual veins to defeat the demon realm, allowing Penglai to use them as a foundation to seize all spiritual veins. Now, whether demons or those struggling under Penglai’s rule, all must swallow the bitter fruit they themselves sowed.

The demons in the village gradually grew busy, preparing for the healing ritual. What the clan leader alone could once easily accomplish now required the combined efforts of nearly all fully transformed demons in the clan. Thus, shortly after guiding them to their destination, the fox-person also left to assist.

Before leaving, the fox person suddenly asked Xu Jingqiu, “Divine One, do you think we are ungrateful?” After all, it was Xu Jingqiu who had helped them, yet now they were only offering treatment in the form of a cooperation.

Unexpectedly, Xu Jingqiu shook her head. “I believe my initial assistance wasn’t without purpose, I must have had my own calculations. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come here at that time, nor would I have so readily agreed to your request. And she certainly wouldn’t have suggested the method of having you plant Memory-Seeking Grass while also providing you with treatment.”

“My coming here was already part of a plan; it just happened to coincide with the situation.”

This place was a retreat she had left for herself. It was very likely that her past self had already sensed something amiss in this world, which was why she left behind that black crystal the [Creation Crystal] and established this entire secret realm.

If she had forgotten, it wouldn’t matter, the Memory-Seeking Grass there would be enough for her to slowly recollect. Moreover, once the secret realm was discovered, the [Creation Crystal] would emit a signal detectable only by the Seven Kings, a precaution in case her current state was insufficient to handle the problems here.

But why had she come here? What was she searching for? And why did she leave so abruptly?

Xu Jingqiu tried to delve deeper into these thoughts, but every time she grasped at a clue, a sharp headache would inevitably strike.

“If you can’t remember, then don’t force it,” Yin Ruolan said softly, gently cupping Xu Jingqiu’s face. “Don’t push yourself too hard. When the time comes, it will all come back to you.”

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