After The Death Escape and Ascension, The Male Protagonist of Long Aotian Went Crazy - Chapter 15

The Two Instruments Floating Life Array—anyone who enters it, aside from the one who cast the formation, will be pulled into the deepest memory mirror within their mind.

Wei Shizhou, desperate to preserve his life until Chi Qingxuan arrived, had spent the entire night learning the Two Instruments Floating Life Array, so that he could trap everyone inside.

He didn’t know how powerful this array truly was—only that it was the sole method that could buy him some time.

Watching the others get dragged into the memory mirrors, Wei Shizhou collapsed weakly to the ground.

Just now, Hua Jinning had truly tried to kill him.

Thinking of the plot, he felt suffocated with frustration.

How vicious could that evil woman be, to simply watch someone die without lifting a hand to save them? But unexpectedly, the Two Instruments Floating Life Array had even managed to trap her.

And Shi Hua—she was the most powerful being in the cultivation world.

Could it be that she too carried some deep, unforgettable memory?

Wei Shizhou frowned, staring intently at Shi Hua’s serene face.

Her expression was calm, sitting upright in her seat. Her brows were like distant mountains veiled in mist, concealing her true emotions.

The beauty of Immortal Venerable Shuyu was well known throughout the cultivation realm.

Such an easily heart-stirring face—how could it belong to someone capable of such cruel deeds?

Wei Shizhou couldn’t comprehend it. Since everyone was already trapped in the mirrors, why not take this chance to sneak into Shi Hua’s memory mirror? Perhaps he could dig up some dirt on this wicked woman!

And so he did.

Wei Shizhou cautiously sat down beside her.

Too far away, and he wouldn’t be able to enter.

After making sure it was safe, Wei Shizhou closed his eyes.

The yin-yang lights of the array slowly began to turn.

The cries of street vendors drifted faintly to his ears—the scent of steamed buns, the sugary sweetness of pastries… a jumble of sounds and fragrances rushed over him.

Wei Shizhou blinked in astonishment.

This wasn’t what he expected at all.

Was this really Shi Hua’s memory mirror?

Before his eyes was the mortal world.

He had lived among mortals for over ten years—he wouldn’t mistake it.

“The evil woman’s deepest memory… is the mortal world?”

Wei Shizhou couldn’t understand what connection the Immortal Venerable Shuyu could have with the mundane realm.

Suddenly finding himself back in a once-familiar world, Wei Shizhou felt a bit lost.

To avoid running into Shi Hua inside the mirror, he casually grabbed a mask to cover his face. The palm-sized mask only hid half of it.

The streets bustled with people, but there was no sign of Shi Hua. How was he supposed to find her?

“Ahhh! A monster!”

From a nearby alley, a child’s scream rang out. Wei Shizhou instinctively sprinted toward it.

Only when he reached the entrance of the alley did he come back to his senses.

Wait—that’s wrong. This was a memory mirror, a fixed past. Real or false, it wasn’t his business to meddle.

Suddenly, the scene inside caught his eye.

In the alley, a little girl in a red dress stood on a crate, holding a wooden sword. She swung her arms about in a clumsy imitation of swordplay, shouted loudly, and jumped down.

The few children below clapped and cheered instantly.

“The monster’s dead! The monster’s dead!”

The little girl raised her chin proudly, pointing her wooden sword into the air, her voice ringing with vigor:

“From now on, you’re all under my protection! If there are monsters, just call my name—I’ll appear right away!”

The children cheered again, swarming around her with endless chatter.

At the mouth of the alley, Wei Shizhou stood dumbfounded.

Who are you?

This smudged-faced little girl in red—could she really be the awe-inspiring, domineering Immortal Venerable Shuyu?!

Wei Shizhou felt as though he’d been struck in the head.

“Hey, who are you? Why are you standing there like a statue?”

The girl’s crisp little voice pulled Wei Shizhou back to reality.

Lowering his gaze, he looked at the child who barely reached his waist. It was impossible to connect her with Shi Hua.

“Your name… is Shi Hua?”

“That’s me!” The little girl nodded firmly, but eyed him with suspicion. “And you still haven’t said who you are!”

The other children had scattered without him noticing.

Only he and she remained in the alley.

Well, he was wearing a mask anyway—no risk of her recognizing him once the array ended.

Wei Shizhou bent down, a teasing smile tugging at his lips:

“You say you slay monsters? Do you know that I am an immortal? With a single swing of my sword, I can reduce monsters to dust!”

“Really?!” The little girl’s eyes sparkled with admiration, though still tinged with doubt. “You’re really an immortal?”

He didn’t look it—especially with that pig-faced mask.

Yes, the mask Wei Shizhou had grabbed just happened to be a pig face.

Hardly the image of a lofty immortal.

But Wei Shizhou was oblivious, grinning as he teased her:

“Mhm. Don’t believe me? Watch.”

A small flame danced at his fingertip.

The flickering firelight reflected in the girl’s eyes, like a tiny flame of hope.

“Wow!”

She gasped in awe, her gaze full of reverence. She threw her arms around Wei Shizhou’s leg and beamed up at him.

“You really are an immortal! Immortal, Immortal! Please take me as your disciple! I’ll train so hard, I promise!”

Afraid he wouldn’t believe her, she even raised her hand, ready to swear an oath.

Wei Shizhou gently took her hand, his black eyes fixed on her with unusual seriousness.

“Answer me one question first.”

The little girl nodded vigorously:

“Ask away, Immortal! I’ll tell you everything I know!”

So easy to fool.

The thought flickered through Wei Shizhou’s mind. But he almost laughed—so what if this little girl really was Shi Hua? It didn’t change the fact that in the future, she would commit vile deeds out of jealousy toward others’ talents.

“What’s your name? Where’s your home? How old are you?”

The girl grinned wide, a missing tooth showing, her gaze full of open admiration.

“My name’s Shi Hua, I’m seven years old!”

“I don’t have a home—I’ve eaten at other people’s houses since I was little, and usually sleep in an old temple!”

What?

Wei Shizhou was stunned. This… this was really Immortal Venerable Shuyu?

So young Shi Hua, before entering the immortal sect, had lived like this?

He wanted to ask more, but the scene suddenly warped.

The yin-yang light of the array spun beneath his feet—and in the blink of an eye, he fell from human warmth into human hell.

The same street, the same alley—but now empty.

The air reeked of ash and bl00d.

The misty haze was nothing but the ashes of burned homes, scattering in the wind.

Wei Shizhou’s pupils contracted. He turned—charred ruins, corpses, rotting stench—rushed at him all at once.

His legs went weak.

He had never witnessed carnage like this.

Stumbling forward stiffly, he recognized several bodies: the mask vendor, the children who had cheered earlier…

Where was Shi Hua?

She must be alive. In the future, she was destined to be an immortal venerable—she couldn’t die here.

Wei Shizhou repeated this to himself.

But he was still a youth—never before had he confronted such cruelty. To see the freshly living turned to corpses in moments churned his stomach violently.

The little girl’s innocent face flashed in his mind, her bright smile.

Something in his heart quivered.

Choking back nausea, he hurried through, searching frantically.

At last—!

He spotted the corner of a red dress beneath rubble.

Kneeling, he clawed away the collapsed debris, drenched in sweat, his face smeared with dirt—forgetting entirely that he could have used immortal techniques—until finally, he dragged the small figure free.

“Hey! Wake up!”

He tried pouring spiritual energy into her.

It didn’t work.

Her body couldn’t absorb it at all.

Weren’t you supposed to have earth-grade immortal bones? Why wasn’t your body drawing in spiritual energy to protect your heart?

Wei Shizhou couldn’t understand.

What was Shi Hua like as a child—what had she gone through? Everything seemed buried beneath the label of “vicious supporting character.”

He was blinded by prejudice.

Wei Shizhou was dazed.

Then the little girl in his arms coughed weakly, her eyes fluttering open.

She saw the familiar pig mask and smiled faintly, just as before.

“Immortal… I see you again… Did you disappear before because you didn’t want to take me as a disciple…?”

If you don’t want to smile, then don’t—your forced smile looks awful!

His chest ached.

Wei Shizhou blinked slowly, then shook his head.

“No. It’s not that I don’t want you—it’s that I’m unworthy. In the future, you’ll have a truly powerful master.”

“A really powerful master…”

The tiny figure in his arms, fragile as glass, lit up with hope at the thought.

Her life was slipping away.

Wei Shizhou forgot all about the Two Instruments Floating Life Array. He had only one thought: to save her.

Their future grudges belonged to the Shi Hua of the future.

This little Shi Hua—so innocent, so sweet—she only wanted to slay monsters.

“Little Shi Hua, I’ll definitely save you—”

But just as he moved, the scene twisted again. An invisible barrier flung him out.

He could only watch as the girl lay in her pool of bl00d, powerless.

Frantically, he pounded the barrier.

“Let me in! She—”

Then he froze.

He had forgotten. The mirror world couldn’t be changed.

This little Shi Hua would one day become Immortal Venerable Shuyu. Everything here was her past. The massacre was real. She would be saved, eventually, and taken into an immortal sect.

Wei Shizhou steadied himself, eyes cold as the scene warped again.

This time, he arrived at a place of birdsong and flowers.

The air was thick with spiritual energy.

It seemed to be Shi Hua’s days in a sect.

Wei Shizhou strolled idly, but gradually realized he knew every blade of grass here. Looking closely—yes, this was Xuan Yin Immortal Sect.

That sect really hadn’t changed in ten thousand years.

As he sighed, his eyes caught a girl kneeling in the distance.

Her body was thin, kneeling on one knee before someone.

The person before her was partly hidden by branches—only the red tea-flower colored robe was visible.

A woman’s ethereal, commanding voice carried over.

“From this day forth, you are this Venerable’s disciple. Within this jade token is your recorded identity.”

“Disciple Shi Hua, greets Master.”

The girl’s crimson hem fluttered in the wind, her voice firm and resonant—like the scarlet hue itself, blazing and unrestrained.

Wei Shizhou didn’t approach.

So this was little Shi Hua?

But then who had saved her from that slaughter, bringing her here to Xuan Yin?

The scene shifted once again.

Wei Shizhou glanced around.

This was by a lake in the back mountain of Xuan Yin.

He knew the place well—he often hid here to avoid the storyline.

It was the season of lush green.

Peach blossoms swirled in the wind, petals scattering freely—some drifting down to float on the lake.

Wei Shizhou walked toward the lakeside, thinking about where little Shi Hua might appear.

Shhh—

A blade sliced past his cheek.

It was only a test—no killing intent.

Wei Shizhou dodged swiftly, raising his gaze to the girl smiling cheekily before him.

Her complexion was far too pale, her hand trembling as she held the sword—but her eyes shone as bright as ever, her brows radiant like the rising sun, dazzlingly vivid.

She balanced the sword with one hand, tilted her head, and grinned.

“Little Immortal, this time I’ve caught you!”