Chapter 1065: Tianhuai Yesterday

Chapter 1065: Tianhuai's PastBy Sanyin YuyuWord count: 1252

Tianhuai's eyebrows furrowed deeply.

On the surface of his body, the distinctive seams of a puppet began to emerge. Threads of silk outlined themselves from the surrounding void. The man, who had just been moving freely, instantly transformed into a lifelike puppet, suspended amidst numerous "boxes."

The Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends—clones.

"How did you find out?" Tianhuai's voice emerged from the "box" beneath Chen Ling's feet. "My true body is hidden among the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends. No one knows this secret. For so many years, no one has ever forced my true self out..."

Scarlet blood flowed from Chen Ling's seven orifices. Donning a large red opera robe, he staggered to his feet from the "box" and slowly said:

"Your secret isn't unknown... You told it to the person closest to you."

Chen Ling paused for a moment.

"Think carefully again. By now, you should be able to remember who that person is."

Silence fell within the box.

The secret of Tianhuai's true body had naturally been told to Chen Ling by Huaimang. From the very beginning, the Tianhuai who appeared before everyone was a puppet; his true self was always hidden among the Earthly Fiends... Chen Ling's goal was to find out which box he was in.

Tianhuai's reaction was actually very quick. From his perspective, it was impossible for Chen Ling to know the secret of his true body. Yet, after Chen Ling had searched more than forty "boxes," he still decisively chose to immediately kill Chen Ling to prevent any unforeseen circumstances...

However, he never expected that Chen Ling would, in an inexplicable manner, directly and precisely pinpoint the location of his true body from the remaining twenty-odd boxes.

This was, of course, not a wild guess by Chen Ling. He had indeed thoroughly searched those twenty-odd boxes, and then, at the moment Tianhuai instantly killed him, he activated a card, rewinding the script to eight seconds earlier.

This time, he shot Tianhuai directly in the forehead.

Had it been a real bullet, this shot could not have taken the life of an Eighth-tier individual, and might not even have caused him any harm. But what struck Tianhuai this time was not a bullet...

...but his past self.

"Brother, Father found out about the parrot you secretly gave me again... He killed the little parrot and beat me severely... I... I don't really hurt, but I'm so scared... This morning I found that the new mute sister who was supposed to take care of me is also gone..."

"The mute sister was very kind. Although she didn't speak, she was always gentle when bandaging my wounds every day... Every night after I fell asleep, she would watch me from my bedside, wiping away tears... She wrote words to me with water, saying she would definitely find a way to get me out..."

"Brother, the medicine Mother brews for me is getting stronger and stronger, and my stomach feels so uncomfortable... Every time I drink the medicine, I feel light-headed. I saw Uncle Han and Butler Liu who used to take care of me... And yesterday, the mute sister came again... They would all take care of me together in my dreams... But sometimes, I couldn't seem to tell if they were real or just illusions..."

"Today I quietly told Third Uncle about this, and Third Uncle said it was normal, that medicine for treatment is always like this, and only by continuously drinking it can one recover... He also said that in the future, the destiny of the Esoteric Sect would rely on you, Brother, and me."

"Brother, do you know what a 'Blood Puppet' is? Last night, when I got up to use the restroom and passed Father's door, I heard strange sounds coming from inside, where he was with Auntie... He also said that in the future, I would become a 'Blood Puppet' and stay by your side, Brother, so you could become a demigod... and the Esoteric Sect would flourish under your leadership."

Crackle, pop—

The sound of burning rafters awakened Tianhuai from his nightmare.

He whipped his head around, seeing the manor behind him engulfed in flames... He saw his younger self standing amidst blood and fire, slaughtering frantically, his silver-cloud black robe stained crimson.

He was incredibly strong, so much so that no one in the entire family could withstand a single blow from him—Father, Mother, Third Uncle, Auntie, Butler, Maidservant... He personally slew his parents and slaughtered all his blood relatives.

Then, he carried the young Huaimang, who was covered in wounds, deboned, and had his sinews removed, and with a single sword, walked out of the sea of fire.

"Even without a Blood Puppet, I can still become a demigod..."

He stroked his unconscious brother's hair, his blood-stained youthful cheeks filled with determination. "The Esoteric Sect has rotted in your hands, Father... From today onward, I will lead the Esoteric Sect to glory once more."

That day,The most remarkable genius among humanity, the youngest Seventh-tier of the Puppet God's Path, the future Sect Master of the Esoteric Sect... personally annihilated his entire clan.

"Is this... me?" Tianhuai looked at the 'yesterday' before him. Everything in his mind seemed completely fragmented; two segments of memory, two lives, intertwined wildly in his brain, plunging him into deep confusion.

"I think you should have noticed it long ago," Chen Ling's voice calmly resonated.

"There's a contradiction between your memories and your reality. It's just that the King of Silver stole your 'doubt'... Think carefully about which one is the real you."

Chen Ling lifted the lid, and Tianhuai, clad in his silver-cloud black robe, slowly sat up. As if realizing something, his gaze shifted to a spot not far away.

A young boy, also wearing a silver-cloud black robe, was looking at him with concern.

"Xiaomang..."

Tianhuai's brow furrowed tightly. The memory in his mind overlapped with Huaimang's appearance. He subconsciously rose, and with a flicker of movement, appeared before Huaimang.

"Brother...?" Huaimang cautiously spoke.

"Xiaomang!" Tianhuai gripped Huaimang's shoulders with both hands, his eyes flashing with worry and self-reproach. "Are you alright? Were you hurt just now?"

Huaimang shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum.

"Brother, do you remember now?"

"Only a little..."

Tianhuai tried to sort through his complete memories, but another person's memories kept fragmenting in his mind. He clutched his head with both hands, seemingly struggling.

He turned back to Chen Ling. "Damn it... Where are my memories? How can I get them back?"

"Coincidentally, we do have full 'after-sales' service..." Chen Ling raised a hand and pointed to Jiang Xiaohua, who was still fighting in the distance. "However, you'll need to recall your Earthly Fiend puppets first."

Tianhuai was stunned. With barely any hesitation, he raised his hand and summoned all the puppets back into the "boxes."

As Chen Ling had said, after the King of Silver ceased stealing his doubts, Tianhuai had already sensed that something was amiss. When he personally witnessed that unforgettable past belonging to himself, he became even more certain of his judgment... A life without Huaimang did not belong to him.

"Plum Blossom, I'll leave the rest to you," Chen Ling said to Jiang Xiaohua, who was walking directly toward them.

"...Mm."

Jiang Xiaohua swallowed the ring back into his abdomen. Seemingly a bit weak, he pointed to Tianhuai and the person who held his memories, and spoke sullenly:

"Side by side. Lie down."