Chapter 287: Farewell, Old Friend
From afar, Qi Feidao caught a glimpse of a faint pink dot in the vast expanse of snow, like a peach blossom falling in the snowy field.
He almost thought he was seeing things.
But the girl immediately put away her bow, dismounted the snow wolf, and stepped on the thick ice and snow, leaving footprints as she approached Li Piaoxu's lifeless body.
The tremendous force caused the city gate to develop a deep crack! A trail of enchanting blood snaked beneath the man's body. The cultivators guarding the city were speechless. Though they had no idea where this girl had come from, not one of them had the courage to speak.
One by one, they all looked in astonishment at the scene before their eyes.
It wasn't until the leader, Qi Feidao from Chongde Ancient Garden, suddenly woke up.
"Qiao Wan?" Qi Feidao muttered, as if seeing something unbelievable. He quickly rushed down from the tower, almost stumbling due to excitement.
Qiao Wan "picked up" Li Piaoxu, her hands sticky with blood, but she didn't feel any discomfort.
It was as if... she had already become accustomed to life and death struggles. Vaguely, in her mind, it seemed like there was another girl running alongside her in the snowy field, fighting and killing monsters, using their fur to make a headband...
In the current situation, Qiao Wan didn't have time to think. When she looked up, she saw a young man who seemed very weathered, looking at her in shock.
He said, "Qiao Wan?"
The reason why the young man looks worn-out is because he has a scruffy beard, is very thin, and is wrapped in a thick fur coat. His face has a bit of a pale shade and his eyelids are somewhat dark. He looks weak.
From the time when he was a carefree Elder Martial Brother in the Mathematics Department, wearing simple clothes and shoes with peach blossom eyes, to the present years of battle, Qi Feidao has somehow transformed himself into a version of Lu Pihan. Regardless of the seasons, Qi Feidao, who used to wear only straw shoes, has changed. He now wraps himself in a thick fur coat and still feels cold, like a patient.
Um...
Qiao Wan stopped, holding Li Piaoxu's hand. A look of embarrassment and hesitation appeared on her face. "Excuse me, taoist friend, who are you?"
...
In a tavern in Masui City, as soon as they entered, the fire was lit.
Qi Feidao took off his fur coat and couldn't help but shiver a little. He met Qiao Wan's surprised gaze and gave a bitter smile.
"It's an old ailment."
Then he poured a glass of wine and handed it to Qiao Wan.
Looking at the elegant young girl in front of him, Qi Feidao felt a mix of emotions and could only say, "Qiao Wan really lives up to her name!"
Even after losing her memory, she still possesses such fierceness and bravery!
In just that brief encounter, Qiao Wan understood that this person was a friend of the previous owner.
Qiao Wan gently touched the warm wine glass, feeling a bit awkward and uneasy.
After all, they weren't really friends, so she didn't know what to talk about. She could only silently drink her wine.
"What happened to your body?"
Listening to others' situations might not be a good habit, but as a "friend," she had to show concern, right?
Qiao Wan put down her glass and hesitantly asked.
Qi Feidao smirked and said, "Got into a fight."
"Don't worry, nothing serious. I got checked out by Mrs. Cen before."
"And Little Fang, Meng Shixiong, and elder martial sister, they're all fine too."
Hearing the names Little Fang, Meng Shixiong, and elder martial sister, Qiao Wan felt even more pressure, like she had bigger responsibilities!
"Did Hall Master Ma find out about your amnesia?"
Upon seeing Qiao Wan's confused gaze, Qi Feidao chuckled lazily and said, "Forget it, you can't remember anymore."
"I will slowly explain it to you."
Outside the tavern, snowflakes floated in the air. While drinking, the young man patiently explained, allowing Qiao Wan to slowly piece together the "original host's" past relationships and life.
"How did I end up here?"
If it were the previous Qiao Wan, she would have noticed the change in Qi Feidao.
Gone were his previous flirtatiousness and recklessness. The young man in front of her had aged a bit, with fine lines around his eyes. There was a hint of bitterness in his smiles and a lack of mockery.
This once promiscuous and studious Elder Martial Brother in the Mathematics Department had eventually turned into a mature and experienced gentleman.
As a gesture of reciprocity, Qiao Wan briefly explained her own situation.
Qi Feidao, being a clever person, could tell right away that she was uncomfortable. He didn't ask any further questions or force her to drink more. Instead, he let her wander around the city on her own.
As the chief commander, Qi Feidao knew he shouldn't be drinking. He only had a drink occasionally to warm his body, as it couldn't handle the strain of his duties.
As for Qiu Ergou and his group, Qi Feidao had already arranged for reinforcements to meet them after Qiao Wan explained the situation.
Walking through Masui City, Qiao Wan felt heavy-hearted and down, but couldn't quite put her finger on the exact feeling.
Sometimes she would think of Deng Saner, and other times she would think of Mei Kangping. And then, suddenly, memories of her happy college life would flood her mind.
No matter where she sat, Qiao Wan was filled with doubts.
Was she really this Qiao Wan, or was she someone else?
Could it be that she had actually lost her memory? Was her previous college life nothing more than a dream?
"I am a butterfly, and the butterfly is me" is a mysterious topic. Qiao Wan, after thinking for a while, couldn't come up with an answer and decided to give up.
After tightening their clothes and wandering around the city, Qiu Ergou, Li Hongyuan, and the others finally came back.
With the knowledge that war might break out soon, and the few people on the street, Qiu Ergou almost couldn't recognize the familiar figure walking on the main road. He rushed over immediately.
"Lu Wan, are you crazy?!"
Before he could finish speaking, he immediately added, "Deng Saner isn't dead!!"
Qiao Wan was stunned.
After carefully examining Qiao Wan and confirming that everything was okay, Qiu Ergou couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you too happy?"
"Deng Saner isn't dead!"
Qiao Wan blinked in confusion.
"Deng Saner isn't dead?"
"Not dead!!"
...
After leaving the doctor's office, Qiao Wan couldn't help but think about Deng Saner, who was lying on the bed, with a bloodstain on his waist and unconscious. She felt a sense of unreality, as if she was in a dream with her feet on cotton.
The girl with a paralyzed face sniffled and suddenly burst into tears. Her joy turned into a flood of tears, and Qiao Wan cried uncontrollably, feeling very embarrassed.
Although it was embarrassing, Deng Saner didn't really die... That was really great! Qi Feidao sympathetically patted Qiao Wan's shoulder.
At first, Qiu Ergou didn't notice, but after Qiao Wan lost her memory, he suddenly realized how fragile her shoulders were.
This time, Qiu Ergou was stunned. Something seemed off.
Why... Why does this famous Qi Feidao from Chongde Ancient Garden's Mathematics Department seem so familiar with Lu Wan?!!
"Do you... Do you know each other?"
Qi Feidao was surprised. "What? Qiao Wan didn't tell you?"
"Qiao Wan?!!"
As soon as Qiu Ergou heard the name, he jumped up.
He looked at Qiao Wan in disbelief and asked, "Qiao Wan? The Qiao Wan?"
"The Qiao Wan from Kunshan?"
"The... the princess of the demon realm?"
"The..."
Qiao Wan...
Everyone in the cultivation world has heard of the name "Qiao Wan," even Qiu Ergou and others in the far north have admired the Qiao Wan from Kunshan.
Now, after being personally pointed out by Qi Feidao, he realized that the person he had been traveling with during this time was none other than the famous Qiao Wan.
At this moment, Qiu Ergou and the others were not just shocked, they were utterly disappointed.
"Ah, right." Facing the shocked looks from Qiu Ergou and others, Qiao Wan wiped away her tears and tried to regain her composure. "I am 'Qiao Wan,' Lu Wan is my alias."
She was the famous Qiao Wan from the cultivation world.
After following Qi Feidao into the room and sitting down, Qiu Ergou's expression became vacant. It was clear that he was still in shock from discovering that Lu Wan was actually Qiao Wan. He couldn't recover for quite some time.
But now, it wasn't the time for reminiscing.
After a brief pause, Qi Feidao's friendly smile faded and he adopted a more serious expression.
"So... why did you come to Masui City?" His gaze fell upon Qiao Wan.
Qi Feidao's emotions were conflicted at the moment. After Qiao Wan went missing, they searched for her for a long time. Ma Huaizhen from Kunshan, as well as Lu Pihan, Little Fang, and elder martial sister Bai, all searched extensively. But it was as if Qiao Wan had vanished without a trace, completely disappearing.
Just when he thought Qiao Wan had surely met a grim fate in some unknown place in the demon realm...
The girl in the pink dress appeared once again. Her arrival brought a shockwave to Qi Feidao, who had chased after the enemy for six hundred miles and shot it down with a single arrow.
Qiao Wan was still the same Qiao Wan, with a calm face, polite manners, fearlessness, and a bit of a girlish demeanor.
Just like when she suddenly disappeared, she suddenly appeared on the battlefield in the northern realm, not far from the demon realm.
Even though there were many doubts in her mind, in order to avoid troubling the Qiao Wan who had lost her memory, Qi Feidao. did not immediately catch her and ask her about it, but gave her some time alone to sort out her thoughts.
He didn't want to suspect his friend.
But Qiao Wan's appearance was too coincidental, and being the empress of the demon realm was indeed a hurdle.
Rather than giving Qiao Wan time to sort out her thoughts, it was more like he deliberately kept her occupied and used a jade scroll to contact Ma Huaizhen, who was far away on the Dragon Stone Path.
He told him about "Qiao Wan's appearance".
Qi Feidao didn't know how Kunshan, the god of death, felt.
But Ma Huaizhen clearly thought the same as him.
Where did Qiao Wan go and what happened? Why did she appear on the battlefield in the northern realm? Is it related to the demon realm?
Perhaps due to the intense war, Ma Huaizhen received a message and came back.
"Ask clearly."
"Ask clearly in great detail."
Afterwards, there was no more news.
Therefore, even though some things were cold and lacked empathy, Qi Feidao restrained his lazy smile, his gaze becoming serious.
But he had to ask clearly.
Qiao Wan wasn't foolish and could naturally sense her "friend's" cautiousness.
Having spent some time on the battlefield, she didn't want to make things difficult for Qi Feidao.
Qiao Wan's lips moved, hesitating for a while before finally speaking.
She explained everything in great detail.
"I..."
"I am not the Qiao Wan you all think I am. I come from another world..."
