Yue’s voice barely rose above a whisper.
“…Mu.”
The single syllable echoed through the quiet zoo.
Granny Mu slowly lowered her hand.
For the first time since arriving…
The cheerful smile on her face disappeared.
“…So…”
“…they found your family first.”
Lin Tianyu frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Granny Mu didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she looked toward the old apple tree.
The branches swayed gently in the night breeze.
“…Let’s sit.”
“This story…”
“…is older than your grandfather.”
A few minutes later…
Everyone gathered beneath the tree.
Hei Bao lay quietly nearby.
Sun Xiaohou sat upside down on a branch, unusually silent.
Even Zhao Ming sensed that this wasn’t the time for jokes.
Granny Mu looked at Yue.
“Do you remember anything else?”
Yue closed her eyes.
“I remember…”
“…a village.”
“…Lots of bamboo.”
“…Children laughing.”
“…A woman singing.”
She frowned.
“After that…”
“…only fire.”
“…And running.”
Granny Mu sighed.
“I hoped those memories would stay buried a little longer.”
Tianyu looked at her.
“Who is she?”
The old woman answered softly.
“Her full name…”
“…is Mu Yue.”
Yue repeated it quietly.
“…Mu Yue…”
The name felt strangely natural.
As though it had always belonged to her.
Tears welled in her eyes.
“I…”
“…I think that’s really my name.”
The System chimed.
Identity Updated
Name: Mu Yue
Memory Recovery:
14%
Status:
Guardian Candidate
Granny Mu nodded.
“Good.”
“Your memories are returning naturally.”
“Don’t force them.”
“If you do…”
“…the seal protecting your mind may shatter.”
“The seal again.”
Tianyu crossed his arms.
“Everyone keeps talking about this memory seal.”
“Who placed it?”
Granny Mu’s expression darkened.
“…I did.”
Silence.
Yue stared at her.
“…You?”
The old woman nodded.
“I sealed your memories.”
“I erased your spiritual presence.”
“And I sent you away.”
“…Why?”
Her voice cracked.
“…Why would you do that to me?”
Granny Mu closed her eyes. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Because…”
“…you were going to die.”
The words hung heavily in the air.
“No…”
Yue shook her head.
“I don’t understand.”
“You were six years old.”
“The Mu Clan was attacked.”
“They weren’t after our treasures.”
“They weren’t after our land.”
Her hands trembled.
“They were after…”
“…the Guardian Bloodline.”
The System displayed another notification.
Historical Record Unlocked
The Mu Clan
Status:
Extinct
Former Duty:
Protectors of the Sanctuary’s Guardian Candidates.
Survivors Confirmed:
2
Tianyu looked up sharply.
“Two?”
Granny Mu smiled sadly.
“One is standing beside you.”
“And the other…”
She tapped her own chest.
“…is me.”
Yue covered her mouth.
“No…”
“My parents…”
Granny Mu looked away.
“They stayed behind.”
“…To buy us time.”
Fragments flooded Yue’s mind.
A woman embracing her tightly.
Warm tears on her hair.
A man’s voice shouting,
“Take Yue!
We’ll hold them off!”
A silver pendant pressed into her tiny hands.
Then…
Screams.
The memory ended abruptly.
Yue collapsed to her knees.
“…Mother…”
“…Father…”
Her shoulders shook.
Tianyu quietly knelt beside her.
He didn’t speak.
He simply rested a hand on her shoulder.
Sometimes…
Silence was kinder than words.
After several minutes…
Yue finally looked up.
“…Who attacked us?”
Granny Mu hesitated.
“I don’t know.”
Sun Xiaohou suddenly snorted.
“…Lie.”
Everyone turned.
The monkey stared directly at Granny Mu.
“…You know.”
She remained silent.
“…Little Monkey…”
“…Not now.”
“…Now.”
His golden eyes narrowed.
“…Enough hiding.”
Hei Bao slowly opened his eyes.
“…Tell.”
Granny Mu sighed deeply.
“I knew…”
“…one symbol.”
She reached into her sleeve.
Carved into its surface…
Was a black sun surrounded by crimson flames.
The moment Tianyu saw it—
The System screamed.
Forbidden Organization Detected
The Eclipse Court
Threat Assessment:
Catastrophic
Ancient Enemy of the Sanctuary
Current Status:
Active
Records Available:
4%
“The Eclipse Court…”
Tianyu repeated.
“They still exist?”
Granny Mu nodded.
“They never disappeared.”
“They simply learned to hide.”
“For thousands of years…”
“They’ve hunted every trace of the Sanctuary.”
“They believe that whoever controls the Divine Beasts…”
“…will rule the world.”
Sun Xiaohou spat on the ground.
“…Idiots.”
Hei Bao nodded.
“…Always.”
Tianyu frowned.
“So Gu Rong…”
“…works for them?”
“No.”
Granny Mu shook her head.
“Crimson Cloud Pavilion doesn’t even know the Eclipse Court exists.”
“They’re merely…”
“…being used.”
At that moment…
The silver pendant around Yue’s neck suddenly began to glow.
A beam of pale light shot toward the old apple tree.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
The tree’s trunk shimmered.
Ancient runes spread across its bark.
Then…
A hidden compartment slowly opened.
Inside rested a small wooden box covered in dust.
Tianyu blinked.
“…Grandpa hid something in the tree?”
Granny Mu smiled faintly.
“No.”
“…Your great-grandfather did.”
Tianyu carefully opened the box.
Inside were only three items.
A faded photograph.
A jade key.
And…
A folded letter.
The photograph showed three people standing beneath the very same apple tree decades ago.
A young Lin Guowei.
A smiling Granny Mu.
And…
A little girl with golden eyes sitting on Hei Bao’s shoulders.
Yue stared at the picture.
Her breathing stopped.
“…That’s…”
“…Me.”
With trembling hands, Tianyu unfolded the letter.
The handwriting wasn’t his grandfather’s.
It was much older.
Across the top were written eight neat words:
To the Keeper Who Comes After Me.
As Tianyu began reading…
The jade key inside the box suddenly floated into the air.
The Sanctuary trembled.
The System announced:
Keeper Relic Discovered
First Sanctuary Vault Key
Hidden Vault Location…
Unlocked.
[End of Chapter 16]