After Rebirth, the Love-Struck Cannon Fodder Woke Up - Chapter 22.2

Chapter 22.2: Emotional Scars

Emotionally, her possessiveness was extremely strong, but unfortunately, she did not realize this at the time.

On one occasion, Shen Anlan went to the sect’s Treasure Pavilion. While flipping through ancient texts, she accidentally discovered a spell that, after cultivation, could hypnotize a person and make them speak the truth.

She was eager to try it out. She spent ten thousand sect contribution points and exchanged it for the Truth-Telling Art.

Cultivating this spell required the assistance of a specialized Spirit-Calming Incense.

Under normal circumstances, cultivators closed the door of their cave dwelling and set up restrictions around them when entering seclusion to practice spells. However, Shen Anlan thought of the girl who often came to look for her. If the door was closed, she would most likely be saddened. Therefore, she kept the cave dwelling open during her cultivation.

The girl did come. Unaware that Shen Anlan was cultivating, she unconsciously inhaled a lot of the Spirit-Calming Incense and thus fell asleep.

Shen Anlan quickly caught the girl. Smelling the faint, elegant body fragrance emanating from the girl’s neck, for the first time, she had the thought of wanting to touch and possess her.

When the related thoughts surfaced in her mind, she was startled by her own desires. She quickly carried the person and placed her on the bed, while she herself quickly sat cross-legged on the meditation mat and silently recited the Heart-Clearing Art.

After the heat subsided, Shen Anlan recalled the spell she had just cultivated and, uncharacteristically, conceived a mischievous thought.

She wanted to know the girl’s true opinion of her.

She secretly cast the Truth-Telling Art, awakening the already hypnotized girl, and seriously asked a few questions.

First, she asked when she had fallen in love with her and what kind of person she thought she was.

Due to the hypnosis, the girl looked at her blankly, her eyes somewhat vacant, but Shen Anlan found her particularly beautiful.

The related questions were quickly answered.

She had fallen in love the moment she was rescued from the demonic beasts. It was love at first sight. In the girl’s eyes, the person she loved was as cold as a celestial being. Although she was a bit aloof, the girl couldn’t help but draw closer. She didn’t seek a response, only hoping that the celestial being wouldn’t drive her away when she came to visit.

Listening, a genuine smile unconsciously appeared on Shen Anlan’s face.

It felt so good to be loved like this!

Yet, she ignored the fact that many people in the entire Clear River Sect admired her, and many of them had fallen in love with her at first sight. But when faced with the affection of those people, Shen Anlan felt no joy, only a little annoyance.

Despite this differential treatment, she still hadn’t grasped her own feelings. It could be said that she was an outsider to her own emotions, or perhaps she was deliberately avoiding everything related to romance.

She liked that the girl’s heart and eyes were filled with her, yet she was unwilling to break the current balance. She offered no response, simply stringing the person along.

If asked the reason, it was probably the arrogance of being favored.

The second question Shen Anlan asked was also related to romance.

She asked the girl if she had liked anyone before her. To what extent did her love for her reach?

The girl answered cleanly and directly that she had not, and that her love for her was beyond words, and if necessary, she could sacrifice her life for her.

Shen Anlan was satisfied with the first half of the answer, but the second half was somewhat incomprehensible to her.

Can one truly sacrifice one’s life for another person when in love?

Does such love truly exist in the world?

It wasn’t that she thought this way without reason. Since childhood, Shen Anlan had seen too many negative examples.

Not to mention distant cases, even in the Clear River Sect, couples separated almost every year.

Being able to separate peacefully was already an excellent outcome. More often than not, it ended with the death of one party.

Therefore, upon hearing Du Lianxin’s words, Shen Anlan was a little skeptical, but the Truth-Telling Art was still being cast without any abnormality, indicating that the girl was speaking from the bottom of her heart.

However, she still felt that this kind of love was too fanatical.

Shen Anlan was immersed in thought, completely unaware that the girl she had hypnotized was slowly moving closer to her.

After the Truth-Telling Art was cast, all the actions of the hypnotized person were controlled by their innermost heart.

Du Lianxin already liked Shen Anlan, and being hypnotized was no exception. Instead, it liberated her true nature.

Looking at the person she longed for day and night, she followed her heart, slowly moved forward, actively hugged her, and kissed her on the corner of her lips.

Shen Anlan was caught off guard. When she realized what was happening, she quickly pushed the girl away, her cheeks immediately turning a suspicious red.

At the same time, a thought uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.

Her lips are so soft and fragrant…

Shen Anlan shook her head repeatedly, trying to shake the related thoughts out of her mind, while simultaneously reciting the Heart-Clearing Art again.

The girl was pushed to the ground and looked at her with a highly innocent expression.

Her usually clear eyes had inadvertently become tinged with a hint of allure.

Shen Anlan looked for a moment, then uncomfortably shifted her gaze.

Seeing that Shen Anlan was ignoring her, the girl’s eyes showed a hint of grievance. She bit her lip, got up by herself, and, supple as silk, stuck to her again. This time, she actually started to pull at her clothes.

Shen Anlan quickly restrained her, pressed a sleeping acupoint, and simultaneously lifted the Truth-Telling Art.

The girl’s body in her arms was incredibly soft, making her want to touch her.

She repeatedly warned herself that taking advantage of someone was the act of a despicable person.

That night, Shen Anlan recited the Heart-Clearing Art countless times.

The girl, with her sleeping acupoint pressed, slept very sweetly on the bed.

When the morning sun first rose the next day, she woke up from her deep sleep, feeling a blankness in her mind.

After the Truth-Telling Art was cast, the subject had no memory of the event upon waking.

At the time, Du Lianxin only thought she was too tired and had fallen asleep in the cave dwelling, disturbing the person she loved, and felt guilty about it for a long time.

During those days, her every move was extra cautious, fearing that she might displease Immortal Shen and be prevented from visiting again in the future.

Shen Anlan noticed the girl’s abnormal behavior, but she did not explain what happened that day.

She was afraid that if she told the truth, her beautiful image in the girl’s heart would be completely shattered.

Moreover, in her eyes, the cautious girl was very much like a little rabbit—well-behaved and cute. When she looked at her, she would deliberately restrain the affection in her eyes, displaying only the innocence that was unique to her.

Unfortunately… the good times did not last long.

Due to the rampant atrocities of the demonic cultivators against the innocent, the Sect Master issued an order, preparing to unite with the other Daoist sects to cleanse the Demon Sect.

Shen Anlan accepted the order to go out and met the rogue cultivator Feng Yan, whom she had befriended during her earlier training outside. The other party lied, claiming to have found a demon cultivator lair in the Ice Domain, and lured her there.

Because Feng Yan had helped her before, Shen Anlan had no suspicions and went directly.

What awaited her was a series of traps.

Feng Yan critically injured her at the crucial moment, crippling her Dantian.

It was only then that Shen Anlan realized that the rogue cultivator was just a disguise. Feng Yan’s real name was not Feng Yan. Her true name was Feng Ruo, the notorious Saintess of the Asura Sect.

Shen Anlan regretted her carelessness, but the deed was done, and regret was useless.

Before she lost consciousness, blinded in both eyes, she felt a slight regret: a regret that she hadn’t been able to see the girl one last time.

Thinking that her life would end here, Shen Anlan never expected to wake up again.

Hearing the extremely familiar voice reaching her ears, she was a little incredulous.

She had been saved by the girl.

Soon, she realized that she had become a cripple, a blind person with no strength to bind a chicken.

At that moment, Shen Anlan was actually not too saddened.

All along, the sect had placed high hopes on her. It was a lie to say there was no pressure.

Losing her cultivation, being free and unrestrained, moving away from the sect, and living out the rest of her life in a quiet place was also a good outcome.

Shen Anlan had thought that after becoming a cripple, the girl would gradually lose her feelings for her.

Deep down in her heart, she always believed that the girl’s affection for her was largely due to her external reputation, status, and strength.

After all, young people are naturally inclined to admire strength.

Now, none of these existed.

Every day, she mentally prepared herself, imagining the scene of the girl saying goodbye to her.

However, the girl treated her as she always had, caring for her, who was now disabled, with meticulous attention.

Faced with the girl’s constant address of “Immortal Shen,” she, uncharacteristically, corrected her.

She said: “I am already a cripple and no longer a cultivator. You can just call me Anlan from now on. There is no need to address me as Immortal Shen anymore. I will also call you Lianxin. This way seems more intimate.”

At that time, Shen Anlan was blind and couldn’t see the girl’s expression.

But judging from her subsequent words, one could hear the excitement contained within.

She thought, She is truly foolish. She hadn’t treated her very well in the past, yet now that she had fallen to this state, not only did the girl not abandon her, but her attitude remained completely unchanged from before.

In the girl’s heart, she was always that noble and pure celestial being.

After losing her cultivation, Shen Anlan often fell ill.

Lianxin knew she disliked bitterness. Every time she brewed medicine, she would add a lot of spiritual honey and gently feed it to her, spoon by spoon.

Shen Anlan had thought that life would continue like this. It was truly good to have a person who dedicated their whole heart to her company.

She never expected that Lianxin, in order to cure her, had secretly learned a forbidden technique from an unknown source.

That day, under the girl’s gentle encouragement, she drank a bowl of sweet-tasting herbal medicine and then lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, Shen Anlan found that her eyes could see. Not only that, her lost cultivation and shattered meridians were completely restored, and her strength had even advanced further, silently breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage.

At that moment, she felt no joy in her heart, only endless panic.

She quickly sat up from the bed and saw the girl lying collapsed nearby, her breath weak and unconscious.

Trembling, she hugged the girl and cautiously checked her pulse. She found that Lianxin had no spiritual energy at all, her meridians were blocked, and a faint aura of death was emanating from her body.

Shen Anlan rarely wept, but at that moment, she burst into tears, the droplets streaming down her cheeks, wetting the girl’s collar.

She didn’t want to recover her cultivation at all. She didn’t want anything to happen to Lianxin!

If time could be reversed, she would definitely overturn that bowl of medicine from last night without hesitation and confess her feelings to Lianxin.

She only wanted to be with her and spend the rest of their lives together.

After crying for a long time, Shen Anlan slowly calmed down, preparing to search for a way to heal Lianxin.

Regarding Lianxin’s use of the forbidden technique without telling her, she felt both heartache and anger.

She was angry that the girl didn’t understand her at all and even angrier that she didn’t value her own life.

Therefore, when she cast a spell to wake the girl, she only gave a cold thank you, without a hint of a smile or saying anything more.

She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from crying again. She was always strong in the girl’s heart; she shouldn’t be like this.

In order to find a way to heal Lianxin as soon as possible, Shen Anlan temporarily left the small courtyard where they had lived for over half a month.

Before leaving, she intentionally set up multiple restrictions around the courtyard to protect the girl’s safety.

But she never expected that halfway through her journey, she would be surrounded by members of the Demon Sect again.

It turned out that the reason Feng Ruo hadn’t killed her was to see her reaction after falling from a Heavenly Maiden to the common world.

Feng Ruo also didn’t expect that someone would be so foolish, willingly sacrificing their own Dao path, and even their life, to restore her to her former state.

When she saw Shen Anlan with her strength fully recovered, Feng Ruo’s face showed surprise, disbelief, and a hint of envy.

She envied Shen Anlan for having someone who was sincere to her and would never abandon her.

Unlike her, although she held a high position in the Demon Sect, she was constantly facing intrigue and deception. Even her mother held a degree of exploitation toward her.

Feng Ruo had always liked women. When she first met Shen Anlan, she had a faint inclination, but this woman was too cold and emotionless. She could never find an opportunity to act, and later, she gradually lost interest and stopped considering the matter.

The reason she set up a trap and critically injured Shen Anlan was because she was forced by her mother.

Her mother had told her more than once that Shen Anlan had a Congenital Dao Bone. Her future achievements would be immeasurable, and she had to be eliminated before she fully matured.

Feng Ruo was unwilling at first. For this, her mother slapped her and confined her for three months.

Later, she compromised.

This was because, during that time, she had truly perceived the change in the attitude of the people in the Asura Sect towards her.

She had tasted the warmth and coldness of human nature in just three short months.

The first thing Feng Ruo did after regaining her position was to kill the person who had spoken disrespectfully to her.

Then came the planning and scheming to cripple Shen Anlan’s cultivation…

Seeing Shen Anlan’s strength restored, her heart was filled with mixed emotions. The first thing she thought of was actually finding the person who helped Shen Anlan recover her cultivation.

Someone with such a pure heart was exactly what she had always desired.

Unfortunately, Feng Ruo’s plan failed. Shen Anlan had not only recovered her cultivation but had also advanced further in strength, slaughtering all the subordinates she had brought and severely injuring her as well.

If the Right Protector hadn’t appeared in time to save her, she would definitely have perished at Shen Anlan’s sword on the spot.

It was also because the Right Protector of the Asura Sect arrived in time that, although Shen Anlan killed the Demon Sect members, she was caught by the light of an ancient treasure and trapped in a world within a mirror.

That ancient treasure had already appeared in this life—it was the bronze ancient mirror.

The reason it did not appear in Du Lianxin’s past life memories was that the enemy’s target had always been Shen Anlan, and this treasure was not refined in the present era but was acquired by a Demon Sect member from the remains of an ancient powerful being.

In her past life, Shen Anlan was trapped in the mirror world for a long time.

Initially, although her consciousness was clear, when she saw the girl transformed by the strange entity, she couldn’t bring herself to attack for a while.

Facing the identical face, she always subconsciously recalled every moment she had spent with Lianxin.

As the delay prolonged, affected by the rules of the mirror world, her past memories gradually blurred.

If not for the crucial moment when she recalled the daily care the girl gave her, regaining her consciousness and decisively killing the strange entity, Shen Anlan might have been forever lost in the mirror world.

When she finally escaped and rushed back to the small courtyard, she found that Lianxin was no longer there.

She searched everywhere but found nothing.

Later, Shen Anlan thought, Could Lianxin have returned to the sect first, having waited for her return in vain?

Holding onto this hope, she didn’t hesitate, immediately taking action and rushing toward the sect’s location.

However, when she returned to the Clear River Sect, she was informed by an outer-sect steward that Lianxin had chosen to leave, returning to her hometown, feeling ashamed to stay in the sect without cultivation.

Shen Anlan didn’t believe this. She knew Lianxin’s background; her homeland had long been destroyed in a natural disaster. How could she return?

She questioned the steward with a cold voice. The person was initially stubborn, insisting that Lianxin had left on her own.

It wasn’t until she held her longsword to the steward’s neck, scaring the person witless, that he trembling revealed the truth.

It turned out that her Lianxin had been forced to leave, and her current whereabouts were unknown.

Shen Anlan killed the steward with a single sword strike, left the sect, and resumed her search for the person who worried her day and night.

Finally, she found Lianxin in an inconspicuous, remote mountain cabin.

But… she was too late.

When she arrived, the girl’s aura was already gone. She lay coldly on the wooden bed. No matter how much she called, she never responded as she had before.

She could no longer see Lianxin’s smile, nor hear the voice that made her feel so at ease.

Shen Anlan never imagined that their parting back then would be an eternal farewell.

If she had known this, she should have taken Lianxin with her when she left. That way, whether alive or dead, they would be in the same place.

The thought that the last words she said to Lianxin were a cold thank you filled her with endless regret.

If time could flow backward, if everything could start again, she would do everything in her power to treat Lianxin well.

Unfortunately, there are no ‘if only’s in the world, and no cure for regret…

Shen Anlan held the corpse of her beloved person, staying in the wooden cabin for a long time, crying until her eyes were swollen red.

Eventually, her Master, Xuan Su, rushed over and forcibly took her away.

Seeing her utterly distraught, her Master told her that if she could cultivate to the Great Vehicle Stage and master the Law of Time, the foremost of the three thousand laws, she could reverse time and return to the past.

Hearing this, Shen Anlan grasped the only lifeline, like a drowning person.

She sealed the body of her beloved person in an ice coffin cast from ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, placed the ice coffin in her daily meditation room, and thus began her secluded cultivation.

She emerged from seclusion ten years later, immediately advancing to the Great Vehicle Stage and annihilating the entire Demon Sect.

At that time, Shen Anlan had only a superficial grasp of the Law of Time. Her attempt to cast the spell ended in failure, and she suffered a backlash, causing her raven hair to turn white.

At her Master’s urging, Shen Anlan re-entered seclusion. It took her a hundred years to finally and completely comprehend the Law of Time.

By then, her cultivation had advanced further, reaching the Great Vehicle Completion stage.

If she wished, she could instantly summon the Ascension Tribulation and ascend to the Immortal Realm.

But she did not do so. Instead, she cast the newly mastered Law of Time, reversing time.

To avoid involving innocent people, Shen Anlan exercised restraint when casting the spell.

The fate of those who had no direct connection with them would not be altered by this.

However, this came with an obvious drawback.

She could not control the specific time to which time would flow back. She did not know when she and Lianxin would be reborn.

Judging from Lianxin’s reactions over the past few days, it was clear that Lianxin was reborn earlier.

In the past life, Shen Anlan did not tell Lianxin her true intentions when she left the small courtyard.

So… Lianxin probably hated her in this life.

The thought of this possibility made her heart ache intensely.

The girl who had clung to her in the previous life now only wanted to keep her distance.

Recalling everything that had already happened in this life, Shen Anlan’s eyes gradually became fanatical.

Regardless of love or hate, Lianxin could only be hers! No one could steal Lianxin away from her!