CHAPTER 50
The Beginning Of A New Arc: New World.
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~Unknown World~
Somewhere in an unknown wilderness, a young girl with hair split perfectly between jet black and snowy white treaded barefoot over jagged rocks that lined a small brook.
She was none other than Lu Xie.
Currently, she was a shadow of her former self—frail, weak, and battered. Her clothes were stained with mud and soil, clinging uncomfortably to her skin.
The chilling morning breeze blew against her, making her petite figure shiver violently.
'Did I pass out?' She asked herself mentally, her thoughts sluggish. 'The last thing I remember, it was hardly dusk.'
She looked down at herself. 'And how did I end up in this strange red cloth? Its design is odd... Too elegant.'
'Where is everyone? Did Kuang Luosheng kidnap me? Just what in the world did that Soul Stealer do to me?'
Countless questions crossed her mind, a chaotic Q&A session clearly in session within her brain. Unfortunately, there were far more questions than answers.
As she stepped over the last jagged stone, her feet finally touched soft, grassy soil. However, the relief came too late. Her last semblance of will faded as her knees gave way to her body's accumulated trauma.
She collapsed, her vision fading into an embracing darkness. But before the final flickers of consciousness were extinguished, she caught sight of the blurred silhouettes of several figures rushing toward her.
~Unknown Location~
After an unknown period of time, Lu Xietong began to regain consciousness.
The first thing that assaulted her senses was the overwhelming aroma of herbs and medicinal concoctions. Usually, such smells were bitter and acrid, but strangely, this scent was quite aromatic, almost soothing.
This was followed by an overwhelming sensation of comfort. The fluffy bedding beneath and over her felt like a thousand warm hugs—something she didn't know she desperately needed until this very moment.
'Sigh… so comfortable…' she groaned inwardly as her awareness sharpened.
Now, she could hear inconsistent murmurs and whispers nearby. However, the more she focused, the harder they were to understand.
'What are they saying? Why can't I understand? It sounds alien. Am I back in the Yin-Yang Dynasty?' her ears perking.
'Thankfully, they must have found me!'
'No... wait!'
Her analytical mind snapped into place. 'This language is foreign.'
The keyword 'foreign' sent a jolt to her soul.Her eyes snapped open as she sat upright, the lingering fog in her mind dispersing instantly.
Examining her surroundings, reality hit her with dismay.
Her surroundings were well-beautified, but the concept was far bolder and more exaggerated than what the Yin-Yang Dynasty would ever opt for. The Yin-Yang sect adhered to a strict, aura dingy and aesthetic—mostly black and white, or red and blue. Even when going all out, they stuck to gold and purple.
However, here, bold blues and vibrant greens lined the walls. The furniture was crafted from polished wood so beautiful and rich in grain that it would make gold cry in shame.
It was spacious, elaborate, and undeniably alive.
Turning her head towards the source of the voices, her gaze landed on an elderly couple. They were dressed in blue-green asambo—robes styled in a fashion quite different from anything she had known or seen, even including her memories from before her age regression.
It was fresh. It was new. It was intriguing.
Noticing she was awake, the elderly couple approached with warm, hospitable smiles. They spoke in rising intonations—clearly questions—but she couldn't understand a single word.
'What the hell are they saying? Didn't all Nine Realms come to an agreement to speak only the General Language eons ago to ensure no legacy was lost to a language barrier?' she lamented in her head.
'Could they be a deviant cult? These secret groups are the only ones who still communicate in dead or secret languages.'
Her eyes narrowed slightly. 'Is this their way of determining if I am part of them? If that's the case, it would be wise not to speak. Unless I know the code, things might go south.'
Lu Xietong concluded quickly. 'l have studied quite a few ancient languages and dialects from deviant cults for leisure before my age regressed... yet this doesn't sound like any I recognize.'
Noticing she wasn't replying, the elderly couple began using gestures instead.
Lu Xietong, ever the opportunist, realized she could discern their meaning with simple logic and reply with nods of affirmation or dissent.
Under Lu Xietong's subtle misguidance, the elderly couple concluded that the trauma had caused her to lose her memory. They seemingly diagnosed her with a severe case of nonfluent aphasia—a condition where one loses the ability to produce or understand speech due to brain trauma.
After confirming her "condition," they eventually left the room, leaving her alone to drown in her river of thoughts.
Curiosity screamed at her to investigate immediately—but reason prevailed.
Firstly, she had to be cautious and maintain her facade of memory loss until she was sure of her situation.
Secondly, she felt something was off. If they were a deviant cult, they should have eventually swapped to the Standard Language to interrogate her, or done something weird. However, they didn't. They genuinely seemed to speak this gibberish as their native tongue.
She could only rely on herself to determine what was going on. The first item on her agenda was clear: learn whatever language they were speaking.
'That shouldn't be too hard,' she cheered herself up mentally.
After all, deciphering ancient tongues was something she used to do for leisure before she became a child again. This was just another puzzle to solve.