Chapter 125: Erased Time

Ye Luanyun could not catch his breath, choking for a long time before he finally spoke.

"You aren't going to ask about your grandmother?"

He had thought that if she used her grandmother to bargain for his life, he would feel a little better, rather than being so contemptuously let go by a member of the younger generation.

However, Sui Yi’s next words made him want to vomit blood again.

"Since you were the one behind everything, and you say that Great Uncle Seven wasn't actually a bad person, then based on the friendship between your older generations, he wouldn't have just left my grandmother aside. I think that even if Great Uncle Seven didn't intervene, you shouldn't have let him die with regrets."

"According to you, if I don't save your grandmother, I am being unfilial?"

Ye Luanyun gritted his teeth, his eyes fierce, but in the end, he could only exhale a powerless sigh.

"As for Aunt Ye, my father has already been there and removed the Green Corpse Gu I planted. You can rest assured."

"Mm." Sui Yi turned to leave. Before she had taken a step, she looked back at Ye Luanyun.

"As for the feud between us, if you want to settle it, come for me personally in the future. Misfortunes should not involve one's family; I think you should understand that rule better than most. Since you’ve already broken it once, don't break it a second time. Otherwise, I imagine Great Uncle Seven would be shamed even in the afterlife."

Misfortunes should not involve one's family...

Ye Luanyun, who had seen his own family ruined and destroyed by such misfortunes, offered a bitter smile. He didn't answer, but Sui Yi knew he had heard her.

Just as she was about to leave:

"I once thought that you, whom Aunt Ye rescued, were just an accident, a passerby. It wasn't until we sank to the bottom of the palace that I realized... perhaps you are the one closest to the secret of that palace."

Ye Luanyun’s voice faded as Sui Yi walked away, but the resentment within it grew deeper. If it truly had to do with Sui Yi, then she was the one with the deepest karmic debt regarding the curse. It was precisely because of this that Ye Luanyun refused to let go of his hatred.

Hearing his words, Sui Yi merely touched her forehead lightly and looked up at the sky.

The closest?

How could I not know that...

It is precisely because of this that I must let you go this once.

***

As Sui Yi walked out of the village entrance, she saw a simple, honest-looking boy. She paused for a moment, gathered her gaze, and walked over.

When Wang Pu saw her, his grip on his schoolbag tightened slightly. He asked somewhat dryly, "Are you going home to see Grandma Ye?"

"No, to the hospital first. Can you go to my house and check on my grandmother for me?"

"Huh?"

Wang Pu was clearly stunned, but he quickly composed himself and nodded. "Okay."

With that, the two returned to Nanxun together.

***

Previously, Jiang Yunxiu had said that Gong Jiu and the others were sent to the hospital in Nanxun Town, which was back near Sui Yi's home. This saved Sui Yi from running back and forth.

Concerned for the safety of Gong Jiu and the others, Sui Yi did not go home and instead went straight to the First Hospital—the same place where she often bought medicine.

The hospital was as busy as ever. Since the town had many residents but few hospitals, most patients flocked here. Having visited the hospital frequently over the past few years, Sui Yi had witnessed its changes. A few years ago, it had been dilapidated, but two years prior, when the economy improved and government funding arrived, the First Hospital was the first to be renovated and rebuilt. That had earned the leadership at the time a great deal of public support.

Sui Yi found the ward of Gong Jiu and the others with familiar ease.

At that moment, inside the ward...

Gong Jiu and Hua Yaofei were clouded with worry and uncertainty. On the other side, Brother Ma, his arm wrapped in bandages, sat staring blankly at the clock on the wall. Feng Sha and the others were in a similar state.

The atmosphere in the room was truly solemn and chilling, so much so that the young nurses didn't dare to enter.

***

After Sui Yi walked in and saw everyone’s state, she paused for a moment.

She asked the nurse who had led the way, "Did they... develop cerebral edema? Have they lost their wits?"

"Lost their wits" was a polite way of calling them idiots.

Her voice was crisp and clear, and she possessed an ethereal, cold-jade quality that was both aloof and pure. It left the young nurse momentarily dazed.

Everyone in the room reacted.

"Damn it, who are you calling that!"

With a sharp glare from the formidable Miss Gong, the young nurse shuddered and ran away in fear. *Oh my god, how could such a beautiful and spirited woman have such a fierce look!*

Once the nurse left, Brother Ma slammed the door shut.

The room fell into a deathly silence. Everyone stared at Sui Yi.

She was dressed in casual clothes, tall and lithe, with shoulder-length hair draped over her shoulders. She looked ethereal and light, with a long, unidentifiable object slung over her back, her skin flawless, and her hands tucked into the pockets of her leather jacket.

Such a person would attract 100% of the attention anywhere, let alone in a hospital. But standing before people like Gong Jiu, she immediately triggered a wave of wailing.

"Damn! How come she’s completely fine!"

"Hell! I have so much plaster on me I could go fight an Alien!"

Gong Jiu and Hua Yaofei were the most resentful. Who was the woman who had been nearly dying, the one who had suffered so many fractures? It couldn't possibly be this graceful, beautiful girl in front of them!

Amidst the torrent of complaints, Sui Yi calmly placed a basket of fruit aside, sat on a chair, picked up a small knife and a pear, and began to peel it meticulously. She asked indifferently, "Have you all taken your medicine?"

It was clearly a considerate and gentle question, but everyone present couldn't help but overthink it.

Mainly because this woman's "black-bellied" mode usually operated in parallel with her "saintly" mode...

She was equally capable of being both devious and gentle!

Gong Jiu narrowed her eyes, staring at Sui Yi’s slender, fair wrists. She didn't answer the question directly, instead asking, "Don't you have anything else you want to ask?"

"Hmm?"

Sui Yi looked up at her, her eyes clear and shallow, and asked softly, "You haven't eaten yet?"

"Damn it!"

Gong Jiu rolled her eyes, glared at her, and snapped, "Look at that clock."

Following the direction indicated by Miss Gong’s arm—which currently resembled a small elephant leg—Sui Yi turned to look at the wall clock.

Four o'clock in the afternoon, September 21, 2007.

Four o'clock. Sui Yi knew from the sky that the time was about right, but as for the date...

"The 21st?"

Sui Yi frowned.

She furrowed her brows.

That meant today was Sunday? No wonder Wang Pu was still in the village... She had felt a bit uneasy before, but she had been thinking about too many things and hadn't reacted in time.

Whether coming to the hospital or doing anything else, her mindset had been that since she had already missed so many days, there was no rush to return to school. She had been resigned to her fate, never expecting...

Today was only Sunday!

"We set off on Saturday, the 20th. We arrived at the tomb at 8:10 that morning. How long did it take from entering the ancient tomb to leaving it?"

Gong Jiu’s tone was icy, and her expression even colder.

***

As soon as she finished speaking, Hua Yaofei lazily grabbed an apple from the fruit basket Sui Yi had brought and took a bite.

"Anyway, we went in on the night of the 19th, half a day earlier than you. And inside the tomb, we probably stayed for two nights."

Two nights? From the 19th to the 21st, it sounded plausible, but the problem was...

They had rarely slept inside the tomb.

Their periods of activity had been very, very long. The only time they had slept soundly was when they were drugged by Aguna... After that, a long, long time had passed...

Everyone couldn't recall exactly how much time had elapsed, but it was definitely more than a day or two!

At the very least, it had to have been three days!

In other words, it being only the 21st today was impossible!

Of course, the most direct method was...

Soon, five watches were placed on the table. The time on all of them was the same.

Eight o'clock in the morning, September 25, 2007.

Sui Yi stared at the watches, then at the clock.

Silence. A deathly, heavy silence.

"So, the three or four days we spent inside the ancient tomb were essentially erased," Feng Sha concluded in a low voice, looking at everyone with a cold gaze.

"Rather than erased, it’s more like... time stood still."

When the words "time stood still" came from Sui Yi's lips, everyone fell back into silence.

These four words sounded too terrifying. Like a dream.

"Maybe we were hallucinating."

"It's possible... anyway, who knows."

A few people said this slowly, appearing relaxed, but in reality, everyone was quite shaken.

Sui Yi recalled her failed magnetic sense and lowered her eyelids. When had she realized her magnetic sense had failed? It was after entering that underground world.

Time standing still... that jade disc... the fragments...

She subconsciously touched her palm; there seemed to be a faint, lingering heat. Her eyes darkened slightly.

Time reversal, resurrection—that would make sense.

But Sui Yi didn't speak. Everyone soon found other bizarre reasons to explain the anomaly. Finally, Hua Yaofei threw the apple core into the trash can and concluded bluntly:

"We’ve already escaped, so let it be. Do what you want with the watches—toss them or adjust the time. As for the others, keep them quiet. I don't think any idiots will be blabbing about this." Her gaze swept over them, and those she looked at straightened their expressions.

As long as they didn't want to die or invite trouble, they naturally wouldn't talk.

Besides, no one would believe them anyway.

They didn't even believe it themselves!

Brother Ma, Feng Sha, and the others soon found an excuse to leave. Only Hua Yaofei, Gong Jiu, and Sui Yi remained in the ward.

Sui Yi was always meticulous. She realized she only saw Gong Jiu and the others; the hospital wasn't large, yet there was no sign of Lin Feng and his group. She wondered...

"You mean those jerks? They left long ago. It seems someone came to pick them up. I only found out after asking the young nurse just now. Hmph, they were quick on their feet..." Gong Jiu curled her lip in disdain.

Hua Yaofei changed to a more comfortable position, sniffed the faint smell of formalin in the air, and frowned, "It's a pity we didn't figure out their background. Otherwise, we definitely would have had to get some revenge."