After Gui Yin drank his medicine, it didn’t take long before another visitor arrived at his door.

At this time, Gui Yin had already told Shan Yu and Qin Siyi that he had lost his memories. The two little girls took it surprisingly well—in fact, they even seemed a little excited. For the remainder of the morning, the girls tried to help Gui Yin recover more of his memory. Although Gui Linghuo scolded them at first, he soon joined them as they clumsily tried to piece together Lord Immortal Ninglan’s life.

Gui Yin watched them silently with his head propped up against the palm of his hand. A small smile graced his face as their stories ran into each other and clumsily diverged to something obviously untrue. The only thing this session did was confirm Gui Yin’s theory—although Lord Immortal Ninglan was a good and patient teacher, he was not actually close to his little disciples.

When the light knock sounded, the children’s argument didn’t stop. Gui Yin stood by himself and went to get the door.

The moment the doors parted, the person on the other side looked at him in surprise.

“You should be in bed. Why are you up and walking already?”

Gui Yin stared at the other man with a hint of vacancy in his eyes. His gaze roamed from the tip of the man’s head down to his shoes and back up to his eyes.

The man was dressed in round-collared robes that were cream colored and had delicate bamboo embroidery on the front. His hair was pulled up into a half bun by an elegant jade crown. His features could be described as foxlike, carrying a light air of seduction to them. In contrast, he had sword-like brows and a rather defined jawline that added an air of scholarliness and diffused the almost androgynous charm he had about him. At first glance, anyone would call him an upright gentleman, but upon closer examination, the word “sword cultivator” would jump out.

“Qinle?”

“Sect Master-shixiong,” Gui Yin stepped away from the door and walked back into his room.

At this point, the children had quieted down.

“Ye-shidi has told you of my situation, I presume?”

The sect master of Yunjing Pavilion watched as Gui Yin familiarly poured him a cup of tea and set it down in front of him. He sighed and sat down.

“He has.”

“Then, you should also know that my injuries have fully recovered,” Gui Yin said.

“I am aware.”

“And my cultivation is fine.”

“Yes, that too.”

“So, Sect Master-shixiong, there is no reason for you to be pulling such a long face.”

Lín Cāngyuàn (林沧愿) looked at his younger martial brother with a hint of helplessness. He rapped the side of Gui Yin’s head with his knuckle.

“Can’t you show a bit more anxiety?” Lin Cangyuan scolded. “Losing one’s memory isn’t something to be easily dismissed.”

Gui Yin held the side of his head and stared at Lin Cangyuan in surprise. The hit didn’t hurt, but perhaps that was the most surprising thing. It was the type of hit Gui Yin would see between either teasing lovers, loving parents and their children, or frustrated friends. It was never something Gui Yin thought he would be on the receiving end of. And, for a moment, Gui Yin was speechless.

“A normal person who lost their memories of everything and everyone would be worried or they would be suspicious. Instead, not only are you just playing with your disciples, but you’re also comforting a stranger like me?”

Gui Yin’s hand slowly lowered. “Then…shall I scream at you to get out?”

Shan Yu and Qin Siyi giggled behind their hands. Even Gui Linghuo had to lower his head in order to hide his budding smile.

“I’m just wondering how you can be so calm even in this situation,” Lin Cangyuan said helplessly.

Gui Yin chuckled. “Well, that’s simple. If I were to throw a tantrum or freak out as you are suggesting, then that would accomplish nothing. Whether I lost my memories because someone was trying to harm me or if it was really just an accident, I will find out in due time.”

Even if someone had lost all their memories, their personality would still be relatively the same—this is what Lin Cangyuan concluded. Perhaps if Gui Yin had lost his memories up until a point when he was younger, his personality would change. But this was definitely still Lord Immortal Ninglan, someone who had weathered many storms in the past already. There was little, if anything, that could shake him to his core.  

Lin Cangyuan sighed. “Fine then. That’s fine. I won’t pester you about this anymore. However, I am forcing you to rest."

Gui Yin raised a brow. “How so?”

“Shuangye Peak’s sect duties will be split amongst the remaining peak lords. The only thing you’re in charge of is your disciples and your recovery,” Lin Cangyuan said. “I will also send a message to Fengyao Sect (风耀派).”

“Fengyao Sect?” Gui Yin echoed curiously.

“Shizun was supposed to attend Sect Leader Qiang’s (强) birthday banquet in a few days,” Gui Linghuo explained. “You already asked this disciple to acquire a gift.”

“And did you?”

Gui Linghuo nodded. A small pout emerged on his lips. “This disciple had it ready, but you returned injured, so…”

Gui Yin smiled slightly. He turned back to Lin Cangyuan. “I can still go.”

“You cannot.”

“I think it would be beneficial for me to go,” Gui Yin said. “After all, Ye-shidi said that my memory will only slowly recover if I see more people. Isn’t this the perfect occasion?”

Lin Cangyuan adamantly disagreed. “Letting you go to a banquet now is like throwing you into a pit of snakes. It’s completely out of the question. You weren’t even meant to go in the first place. It was just a coincidence that you were returning around this time, so I asked you to go.”

“Then, will anyone else be able to go in my place?”

“…This…”

Gui Yin lightly tapped the table. “If you’re sending me, that means that Sect Leader Qiang is a prominent figure that you would like to remain on good terms with. The fact that you didn’t go yourself means that you are busy and since you hesitated, that means the others either don’t want to attend or cannot attend. But let’s say you send a letter to Fengyao Sect; what exactly would you put into it?”

Lin Cangyuan gaped at his younger martial brother. “I…well, I would say you’re feeling unwell.”

“A cultivator of my caliber feeling unwell either means they’re on their death bed or they are politely refusing to attend an event,” Gui Yin said. “Which would you like the world to believe?”

Lin Cangyuan let out a disbelieving scoff. He took a sip of his tea to calm his reeling mind before turning to eye the younger man. “I’m beginning to doubt you truly have amnesia.”

“Sect Master-shixiong was about to make a rash decision and I was only trying to stop you,” Gui Yin said. He supported Shan Yu, who had blanketed herself over his lap, and lightly patted her back. “Don’t worry, I won’t go alone.”

Lin Cangyuan glanced at him skeptically. “What? You’re going to take Linghuo with you?”

Gui Yin’s smile grew. “He’s quite dependable, isn’t he?”

Lin Cangyuan suppressed a sigh. “Still, you can’t go.”

“What we’re afraid of now isn’t that I can’t defend myself or that I will get cheated. Sect Master-shixiong is worried the world will find out I’ve lost my memories, isn’t that right?” Gui Yin asked.

Lin Cangyuan watched him steadily.

“But, Sect Master-shixiong, since the moment you’ve walked in until now, have you thought for a moment that I’m any different?”