Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 668 - 602: Possessing

The lanterns had just been lit when a figure walked through the bustling streets and entered a quiet forest.

The figure stood before the trees, their palm gently pressed against the bark, transmitting some kind of message.

After a moment, the Huai Spirit emerged from the coarse bark, its face emotionless as it said, "If I remember correctly, our accounts have been settled."

"Then consider this me owing you one," the Ink Silk Clone said hoarsely. "I want to know what the Dream Eater stole from me."

This question shouldn’t have been directed at the Huai Spirit; it should have been asked at the Academic Palace. But with the Mountain Master away, Li Ang’s authority alone wasn’t enough to access the bronze box, let alone take it out for private research.

After hearing Li Ang’s confusion, the Huai Spirit remained silent for a moment and then coldly asked, "Can you completely destroy a ceramic bowl?"

This question was strange and abrupt. Li Ang froze. "What?"

"A ceramic bowl, when shattered on the ground, breaks into pieces," the Huai Spirit stated. "A shard, when ground down, becomes ceramic dust. Even the finest ceramic dust still has weight. It doesn’t just disappear."

The Huai Spirit calmly continued, "To steal and erase something that already existed in the world is not an easy task, even for the Dream Eater—it had been sealed by Mo Family cultivators in a bronze box for over a thousand years. This had significantly weakened it, so much so that after awakening, it had to resort to using primitive methods from the Ghost Realm to draw upon its source.

"In contrast, implanting a false impression, making you believe you’ve lost something, is much easier.

"You probably haven’t lost anything you originally possessed. The notion that you lost something was merely an illusion the Dream Eater cast upon you before it died.

"You never owned it, so you never lost it."

The Ink Silk Clone wandered the city streets, the Huai Spirit’s words seemingly still echoing in his ears.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the Golden City Mansion.

Because the new residence in Furong Garden was spacious enough to accommodate all the relatives and friends attending the wedding banquet, no reception was held at this old house, already slated to be left empty. Thus, it remained quiet.

The Ink Silk Clone paused for a moment, formed a key with his fingertips, unlocked the door, and entered.

The flower bed in the courtyard was overgrown with weeds from long neglect. The broom and dustpan in the corner were covered in cobwebs, and the bamboo poles used as a clothesline showed faint traces of dried water stains.

The Ink Silk Clone entered the kitchen, where beautifully crafted ceramic bowls and plates were arranged in the cupboard.

After a long silence, the Ink Silk Clone split on the spot—one into two, two into four, four into eight—morphing into pitch-black, hollow silhouettes.

Some of the clones began weeding the flower bed and sweeping away dust;

others retrieved firewood from the storeroom, lit the stove, and began to wash rice and prepare a meal;

still others went to the study to organize drafts and discarded papers, and to tidy up scattered books. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

These household tasks were ordinary and mundane, yet Li Ang performed them very slowly, just as he had when he was newly orphaned in Yizhou, learning to live alone.

CLINK. CLATTER.

The subtle sounds of housework echoed through the mansion, a futile attempt to create a lively atmosphere. However, with not a single lamp lit and no voices to be heard, it only deepened the sense of desolation.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Li Ang silently climbed to the second floor, went into the bedroom, and lay on the bed. Opposite him was a bare wall, holding nothing.

Everything looks just as I remember it, so why do I feel so upset?

Li Ang closed his eyes. All the humanoid silhouettes ceased their movements, liquefied, seeped through the cracks in the floorboards to the second floor, and merged into one.

「...」

The wedding celebration was still ongoing. Amidst the melodious sounds of stringed and bamboo instruments, palace maids used golden branches to lift the rolled curtain. Li Leqing walked slowly out of the green hut, stepping onto an ornate felt carpet.

Her phoenix crown was adorned with intricate patterns of golden thread and golden beads, outlining phoenixes, lotuses, and other figures.

Agate, pearl, amber, turquoise, Water Crystals—all sorts of precious stones were embedded within it using exquisite craftsmanship, gently swaying as she moved.

Palace maids took turns laying down fresh carpets, paving her way.

At the end of the path, Emperor Yu and the Empress, seated in the seats of honor, watched their daughter depart for her marriage, their hands tenderly clasped together.

Beside them, Aunt Song, representing the groom’s family, had also set aside the sorrow of the past few days, smiling with contentment.

Li Ang stood at the end of the carpet. Countless fireworks bloomed in the night sky as Li Leqing, nervous yet resolute, walked slowly towards him.

「...」

"Senior Sister Sui?" A senior student remaining at the Academic Palace looked up in surprise as Sui Yi appeared on the platform by Chuiyun Lake. "Aren’t you supposed to be attending Princess Guanghua’s wedding today?" he asked.

Sui Yi—or rather, the Ink Silk Clone disguised as her—had successfully bypassed the prohibitions and infiltrated the Academic Palace thanks to the Patrol Jade Pendant. She waved her hand. "Something urgent came up, and I had to return for a bit. I’ll be leaving now."

The Ink Silk Clone hurriedly left Chuiyun Lake and arrived before Dongjun Tower. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.

BUZZ!

The moment the Ink Silk Clone appeared, the shadow screen at the front of the main hall immediately lit up with a red glow.

The ethereal clouds etched on the screen spun rapidly, shifting and darkening as they brewed an endless tempest of wind and thunder.

The Ink Silk Clone was forced to a halt. An unprecedented sense of doom bore down on her, as if all the thunder in the world hung directly overhead.

DING.

Just as the thunder from the shadow screen was about to tear apart the potential threat, the second Jade Pendant hanging at the Ink Silk Clone’s side quietly rotated once.

This was a Jade Pendant given to her long ago by the Mountain Master, containing a Protective Talisman.

Perhaps sensing a familiar aura, the red light on the shadow screen suddenly faltered, then slowly dimmed, returning to normal.

Did I pass through?

If the Ink Silk Clone possessed sweat glands, she would have been drenched in perspiration by now. Taking another deep breath, she stepped into the tower.