Chapter 8 He Is Back

After leaving the waterfall, Felix walked for another two days. This morning, he stepped onto a narrow trail in the woods, heading south. Finally, he returned to a large valley basin. The place was filled with the sounds of birds and fragrant flowers; it felt like a paradise. In the valley, vast fields of strange and exotic flowers were planted, none of which Felix had ever seen before. As he reached the outskirts of the medicinal garden, he noticed a group of people gathered from a distance. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to approach them. As he got closer, he heard them shouting, "Felix… Senior Brother Daniel, Felix is back!" Then he saw the group rushing toward him. He was startled but forced himself to act calm. Daniel stepped forward and said coldly, "Felix, how dare you come back! Seize him!" Felix was taken aback, his expression a mix of confusion and disbelief. But that was just an act. Inside, he was secretly relieved. "How dare you come back?" Those words made it clear that they didn't know the original Felix was dead; they thought he had just gone missing or fled for some reason. Felix was observing everyone's expressions. He figured that crawling out of his grave would definitely shock the killer, and if the killer was among them, he'd slip up. But he failed; there were dozens of workers wearing identical outfits surrounding him, making it impossible to see anyone's facial changes. Behind the crowd, Booth and Alan looked particularly strange. Their faces were a mix of shock, confusion, and disbelief. "You said you buried him, didn't you? How is he still alive? You didn't just let him go, did you?" Booth glared at Alan and whispered. Alan was just as bewildered. He replied in a low voice, "Senior Brother Booth! You have to believe me; I really buried him! And… when I took him away that night, he was already dead!" Booth's expression quickly calmed down. That's right; he had personally checked Felix's body that day. He was definitely dead, which was why he let Alan dispose of the body. Booth couldn't believe that a dead man could somehow come back to life just eight days later! At that moment, Booth felt stuck. If Felix publicly revealed what happened that day, he'd be in big trouble. Killing a fellow disciple was a serious crime, and even as a disciple of the sect leader, he'd face severe punishment! Just then, while Booth and Alan were unsure of how to respond… Suddenly, Felix started shouting, "Who are you people? Let me go! Let me go right now!" Daniel frowned and said, "Felix, you don't even recognize me?" Felix looked confused. "Who are you?" "You don't remember me?" Daniel's brow furrowed deeper. Felix shook his head lightly. Daniel continued, "Where have you been these past eight days?" "I don't know," Felix said, his tone uncertain. "One night a few days ago, I crawled out of a grave behind a mountain. I don't remember anything." The crowd of workers exchanged bewildered glances, and Daniel's expression stiffened with suspicion. He studied Felix's face carefully, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. At that moment, Booth stepped forward. Seeing that two workers had restrained Felix, he waved them off. Felix rubbed his arms and looked around at the people gathered. "Do all of you know me?" Booth asked, "Junior Brother Felix, do you really not remember any of us?" Felix shook his head, looking genuinely lost. "I don't." Booth gave a faint smile. "I'm Booth. We've crossed paths quite a few times. Let me ask you this—did you run away to avoid punishment these past few days?" Felix's heart skipped a beat. Run away to avoid punishment? Did the original Felix commit some kind of crime? Felix quickly protested, "Avoid punishment?! No way! I didn't do anything like that! I barely made it out alive, crawling out of a grave! Please, Senior Brother Booth, you have to believe me!" Booth raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Who tried to kill you?" In the crowd, Alan's face darkened. Why would Booth ask him that in front of everyone? If Felix wasn't really amnesiac, this could blow everything wide open and put him in serious trouble. What Alan didn't realize was that Booth was just testing Felix. To Booth, Felix's survival left him with two logical options: First, to escape to some faraway place and live under a new identity. Second, to rush to the Elder's Council on Cloud Peak and report him and Alan for murdering him. But Felix hadn't done either. Instead, he waltzed back into the garden, claiming he had lost his memory. This led Booth to believe Felix wasn't lying—he probably had lost his memories. If he hadn't, there was no way Felix would be this calm around him and Alan. Scratching his head, Felix muttered, "I really don't remember. When I woke up, I was buried in the dirt. After I crawled out, my mind was blank. Senior Brother Booth, what did you mean earlier about me running away to avoid punishment?" The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the tension in the air. Booth pressed on, "Not long ago, a lot of rare herbs and spiritual mushrooms went missing from Garden No. 9, the one you were in charge of. Are you saying you didn't steal them?" "Missing herbs?" Felix's eyes widened in confusion. "I don't remember that at all! Wait—herbs went missing from my garden? What do we do now?!" At that moment, Felix finally understood the original Felix's death. It had to be connected to the stolen spiritual herbs and spiritual mushrooms. The original Felix must have known the truth behind the theft—and that's why someone killed him to silence him. Seeing Felix's panic-stricken expression, the crowd once again exchanged puzzled looks, uncertain about what to believe. Daniel started to panic. If Felix didn't take the blame, he'd be the one held responsible. While it wouldn't cost him his life, he'd definitely lose his position as head of the Garden A. Daniel barked, "Felix, don't you dare pretend you've lost your memory to get away with this. Who else could've stolen the rare herbs and mushrooms from the garden under your watch?" "Senior Brother, I swear, I have no idea what you're talking about! I'm innocent!" Felix shouted again, insisting on his innocence. From how everyone was acting, Felix figured Daniel was the most suspicious. But he kept that to himself. Booth asked again, "If you really lost your memory, how did you manage to find your way here?" Felix answered, "A few days ago, I ran into a girl in white named Zara at the back of Cloud Peak. She told me my name is Felix, that I have a master, and that I work at a garden seventy miles south of Cloud Peak. So I followed her directions and found my way here." "You met Zara?" Booth's expression shifted slightly. "Yeah. If you don't believe me, you can ask her yourself. I honestly don't remember anything else," Felix said earnestly. Booth didn't ask further, though his eyes gleamed with thought, as if he were piecing things together. After a long pause, he finally said, "I'll speak to Junior Sister Zara to verify your story. Even though you came back on your own, it doesn't clear you of the suspicion of theft. I've been tasked with investigating this matter, and I promise I won't wrong an innocent person—or let a guilty one walk free." He then turned to Alan and Daniel. "Junior Brother Alan, take Felix to the Discipline Hall at Cloud Peak and make sure he's kept under strict watch until this matter is resolved. Senior Brother Daniel, have someone else manage Garden No. 9 in the meantime." Both Alan and Daniel gave slight nods of acknowledgment. Just like that, Felix, still clueless about the whole situation, was tied up tight. But surprisingly, he wasn't too worried. In fact, he felt a bit relieved. He'd passed the first hurdle. Having never even flown on an airplane in his previous life, Felix was now experiencing the thrill of flying through the sky on a sword like an immortal cultivator. With Alan holding him tightly, sword beneath his feet, they shot into the clouds. For days, Felix had been craning his neck, watching cultivators fly back and forth in the sky. Now, he was finally tasting the freedom of sword flight for himself. He felt the fierce winds high above and gazed down at the vast expanse of land below. A sense of exhilaration surged through him. At that moment, Felix fell in love—with this world, with the sky, with the joy of soaring through the heavens. He made a silent vow to himself: he would train hard and reach the level where he could fly on a sword as soon as possible. Alan's way of flying was just like the sword immortals Felix had seen in fantasy dramas—standing on the sword, with a transparent barrier forming in front of him to shield against the wind. But Booth was different. With his hands clasped behind his back, Booth simply flew through the air, his body seemingly defying gravity without the aid of a sword. It was clear from their flying styles that Alan's cultivation level was far below Booth's. Halfway through the journey, Booth shot Alan a look, then sped off ahead. Alan caught the signal immediately. Seeing that Booth had already flown off, Alan suddenly stopped mid-air, his cold eyes fixed on Felix. "Why'd we stop, Senior Brother Alan?" Felix asked, confused. "Junior Brother Felix, are you sure you don't remember anything? Better come clean, or I won't hesitate to drop you from a thousand feet in the air!" "I've told you a dozen times already! I crawled out of a graveyard and can't remember a thing. Senior Brother Alan, you've gotta help me! Please find whoever did this to me and make them pay!" Felix's heart raced. He wasn't at the level where he could fly with a sword yet, and if Alan dropped him from this height, it wouldn't just splatter his brains—his guts from his previous life might come out too. Alan hoisted Felix a little higher, his voice cold. "This is your last chance." "Senior Brother, stop joking! I'm not good with heights—AHHH!" Before Felix could finish, Alan let go.