After burying the former clan leader, Li Hua became cold as she stared at the elders of the Yan Zu clan. Those elders wanted to suppress her now—after the former clan leader's death, a weakness had appeared that they could exploit to seize greater benefits for themselves.
Li Hua could not tolerate the actions of these cunning old foxes, but she was powerless at present.
"I am far too weak… I do not possess enough resolve, nor the ability to persevere…"
Although she had reached Rank Three in only a year and a half—an astonishingly short and impressive period—that had been under the protection of the former clan leader. Now, she stood exposed. Countless old wolves were waiting to strike her down and force her to the sidelines, while they devoured the juicy, fragrant meat by consuming the clan's resources.
Li Hua did not wish to see this, but for now, retreating to the sidelines was the best choice.
"Sometimes, one must retreat when victory cannot be assured. That is what I am doing now."
Li Hua withdrew from the political arena of the Yan Zu clan and remained in a corner, cultivating far away from all those struggles. She obtained a simple method from the clan's true records to ease the pressure on her aperture. This alleviated the strain and granted her a more comfortable pace of cultivation.
Two years later, Li Hua reentered the political stage of the Yan Zu clan. This time, she stood at Rank Four, wielding enough strength to suppress all the elders. She stripped them of true authority and became the new clan leader of Yan Zu.
Her intervention caused waves of upheaval within the clan. After all, she was young—barely over twenty years old—yet she had become the Yan Zu clan leader with Rank Four cultivation. Her future was radiant, her prospects boundless.
The lower-ranked Gu Masters believed she would lead their clan to new heights, while the elders regarded her with both threat and hope.
But Li Hua paid them no mind. All she did was nurture the clan and ensure it proceeded along the proper path. She enacted many measures that infringed upon the elders' interests, strengthened individual autonomy, improved the living conditions of Gu Masters, and elevated the clan to an entirely new level. She also established agreements with several caravans, turning Mount Yan Zu into a bustling trade hub.
Yet the good times of the Yan Zu clan did not last long. Li Hua had to leave Mount Ju Xian to seek solutions for her "hidden injury." She had deliberately injured her aperture in order to buy herself time and obtain a better method to relieve the pressure on her aperture.
With her cultivation at the upper stage of Rank Four, it was easy for her to depart from Mount Ju Xian.
Li Hua was now a grown woman of breathtaking beauty, as though nature itself had sculpted her form. Standing five and a half feet tall, with long green hair flowing to her waist, pure white skin, a full yet slender figure, a narrow waist, a delicate nose, and weary, exhausted eyes, she resembled a forest fairy.
"This may be my last time at Mount Ju Xian… but I have already obtained clues on how to alleviate the pressure on my aperture. Perhaps if I had six more years, I could find a solution to eradicate this problem entirely… but unfortunately, the most I have is five years."
Li Hua sighed in fatigue. The previous years had weighed heavily upon her, yet within her heart, flames of perseverance and resolve burned fiercely—she was determined to end her suffering.
A new wave of memories arose. Li Hua was sitting within a cave, her skin having turned the brown color of tree bark, signaling that death was near. Holding a Gu worm resembling ancient ginseng roots with longing, she thought:
"lifespan Gu was the final step… how regrettable, how regrettable that I realized this only at the end of my life. I have only a few days left to live, and even if I begin refining the Gu now, I won't finish until a week later. By then, I would explode along with the entire mountain… Fortunately, I have prepared my inheritance. Now, I shall entrust this to the destined one."
Li Hua sent forth her will, producing it through a Gu worm along with all the Gu worms from her aperture, into a chain of tunnels that led deep into the mountain. She followed her will slowly, gazing one last time at the cave's features.
"This is my final time. I persevered and struggled to find a solution, and I succeeded… but my time has truly come to an end. Perhaps when the destined one arrives, I may return. But life is too unpredictable—I would rather not return. It is better to leave behind my arrangements."
Li Hua moved slowly from tunnel to tunnel until she arrived at the fifth hall of the inheritance cave.
This cave was unimaginably vast. More than that, a colossal bird emanating a majestic aura rested beside a grand Gu House. Li Hua entered the Gu House, ignoring the bird, and sat down upon a chair made of solid wood.
She opened and closed her eyes several times. Tears flowed forth, expressing her bitterness and dissatisfaction with this life.
For a long while, there was nothing but the sound of sobbing and tears falling upon the ground.
Li Hua wiped her tearful eyes and forced a pained smile. Then she activated the Gu worm within her aperture. Gradually, Li Hua transformed into a wooden statue with exquisite features. The last thing to solidify was her smile.
Thus, Li Hua died, leaving behind deep regret and sorrow.
Fang Tian was gradually drowning beneath the torrent of memories. At times he convulsed; at times he wept, lying upon the bed, having suffered a shock from the overwhelming quantity of memories. This was not like searching a soul—it was as though he had personally lived through these events.
They were his memories, yet not his memories at the same time. They were experiences he had lived through, yet not lived through—experiences lived by another. Fang Tian gathered the faint remnants of his will, stabilized his consciousness, and began to assimilate these memories without rejecting them.
Li Hua's memories merged with his own. He barely managed to prevent himself from becoming lost within them and mistaking himself for another person. Every moment of Li Hua's life passed before his eyes—from a child playing in muddy pools with other children, to a novice Gu Master, to a clan elder and the Yan Zu clan leader, and finally, her last moments within the familiar inheritance cave.
After a period of assimilating these memories, Fang Tian slowly recovered his consciousness. He opened his eyes and stared around in shock and confusion. He did not know where he was, nor who he was.
"I am Li Hua!"