The right choice... It's always about choices. Su Yuan made her make a choice, and Master did too. But Zhao Zhao didn't understand why she had to make a choice. Wouldn't it be great if everyone could be together?
Master was a very important person, and so was Su Yuan. To a little tree, they were like the soil and the rain.
How could a tree lose either of them?
Before she could figure it out, images began to appear on the ice mirror.
It seemed to be a war. Dark clouds gathered, and thunder and lightning flashed. Zhao Zhao immediately recognized Su Yuan at the front, wearing silver armor and holding a long spear.
This was a Su Yuan she had never seen before, a strange one. There was a killing intent on his face that couldn't be hidden and didn't need to be hidden. With a wave of his hand, the demons knelt in submission.
In the battlefield slaughter, Su Yuan expressionlessly took out one rebel after another. With the power of the ancient Ying Long that inspired the greatest fear, he captured the enemy's chief general alive.
The images flashed by frame by frame. All she saw was Su Yuan leading the troops in battle. Wherever Su Yuan went, there would surely be a heavy rain washing away the blood on the ground.
Some demons who lost knelt down and begged for a chance, but Su Yuan remained unmoved and still resolutely chopped off their heads.
For a moment, all the demons fell silent.
Some demons who knew they couldn't escape death suddenly got up and fought back. Amidst the lightning and thunder, blood flowed like a river.
Su Yuan stood indifferently in the river of blood, his expression unchanged.
"Rebels shall die." This was the only response Su Yuan gave.
Chong Ming's voice sounded beside her. "Take a good look. Su Yuan is a heartless and emotionless person from birth. He treats his fellow demons like this. For someone like you with a questionable identity, do you really believe he has no ulterior motives for you?"
The images in the ice mirror kept changing, and the sounds of the battle never stopped. Outside the ice mirror, Zhao Zhao's heart tightened. She turned to look at Master and said seriously, word by word, "Master, the demons he killed were all those who deserved to die. Didn't you hear? They were all rebels."
"How can you simply describe what he did with words like heartless, emotionless, and cold - natured? Master, I went down the mountain once, but I feel that the one who has changed is you."
Chong Ming felt a bit guilty under Zhao Zhao's gaze. He averted his eyes and didn't look into his little apprentice's eyes. "Even so, Su Yuan is not someone worthy of trust after all."
"You're so infatuated. It seems it's time for you to remember some things."
A golden light flashed into Zhao Zhao's forehead. In an instant, countless strange yet familiar memories flooded into her mind.
"Zhao Zhao, take a good look. Master is doing this for your own good."
At first, the images in her mind were the ones Zhao Zhao had seen before. In a desolate landscape, Su Yuan walked forward with his back to her. She shouted hoarsely behind him, trying to stop him, but Su Yuan remained unmoved and still left resolutely.
"Su Yuan, don't go! Don't go. Don't leave me behind!"
The scene changed. She saw herself finally able to transform from a little tree. She was very happy. She chattered to Su Yuan and invited him to come and see what she looked like after the transformation. Su Yuan had nodded with a smile on his lips at that time.
But later... Thunder rumbled. Her body was scorched by the thunder fire, her bones were broken bit by bit, and her body was shattered. She fell to the ground like a broken rag - doll that had lost all support, watching Su Yuan a few steps away remain indifferent.
"Su Yuan... Su Yuan... Look at me..."
"Why did you lie to me?" This was the only response Su Yuan gave to her who was covered in wounds.
"I didn't. I didn't lie to you..."
Su Yuan sneered. Without hesitation, he pointed his long spear at her and said, "You shouldn't be alive."
Shouldn't be alive... Shouldn't be alive?!
At this moment, the memory looped back. This was what she had seen under the influence of the Wangsheng Bell. She had always thought it was fake.
So, was it real?
Zhao Zhao knelt on the ground. The painful memories shook her spiritual sea. She wanted to say it wasn't like this. Su Yuan couldn't treat her like this.
Moreover, she was only a hundred years old. She had grown up on Wutong Mountain. How could she have experienced those things? But when she met Master's pitying and heart - aching gaze, she suddenly felt scared.
"Zhao Zhao, you know he is burdened with sins. Do you know that your blood and the strange fragrance on your body can relieve the pain caused by the sins on him?"
Chong Ming pulled his little apprentice up from the ground. "Is it really not for some ulterior motive that he keeps you by his side?"
"No, Master. It's not like this..." Zhao Zhao shook her head in vain to deny it. She didn't believe it was like this. In this world, only by experiencing things oneself could one know the truth. Although she was a bit slow, she wasn't so oblivious that she couldn't tell how much of Su Yuan's feelings for her were sincere and how much were false.
"Master, he gave me his heart. He won't treat me like this. There must be a misunderstanding. I'm going to find him and ask clearly."
She believed that Master wouldn't lie to her, but at the same time, she didn't believe what she saw in the memories.
When they first met, Su Yuan clearly didn't know her at all, and she didn't remember these things. There must be something wrong.
"Stop! I've said before that you're not allowed to have any more dealings with him." Seeing that Zhao Zhao was determined to rush out to find Su Yuan, Chong Ming couldn't bear it anymore. The golden Binding Immortal Rope tightly bound Zhao Zhao.
"I said," Zhao Zhao's chest heaved. A colorful light shone from her heart. The dragon scale on her neck also began to emit a white light. The blue demon pattern appeared on her forehead. All the characteristics of her original form were revealed. Her black pupils were replaced by a deep blue. "Let me go!"
The Binding Immortal Rope shattered into pieces. In an instant, the Bu Ye Ding flew into Zhao Zhao's hand.
"Tree Spirit..." Chong Ming's pupils constricted. He looked at this scene in disbelief.
After so many years, Zhao Zhao had actually broken through at this moment. He had waited for a hundred years and hoped for a hundred years. He had thought there would be no hope...
Zhao Zhao, who had got the Bu Ye Ding, turned around and disappeared at the cave entrance. Jian Yun and the others who were guarding outside only saw a blue figure flash by. They thought something had happened and rushed into the cave in a hurry.
"Little Junior Sister! Master, Junior Sister she—" Jian Yun only said half of his sentence and then swallowed it back.
"For privately letting Zhao Zhao return to the mountain, go to the Cliff of Self - Reflection for punishment on your own." Chong Ming didn't have the mood to deal with them. He waved his hand and sent them away.
The Queen Mother of the West, who had come after getting the news, passed by the three apprentices. Jian Yun bowed to the Queen Mother of the West with a bitter face and folded his hands. The Queen Mother of the West sighed helplessly.
"You used to think it was good for her to be with Su Yuan. What are you doing now?"
"Su Yuan gave half of his heart to Zhao Zhao. The connection between them has strengthened. It's not a good thing for Zhao Zhao's memories to recover too quickly."
The Queen Mother of the West stroked the ice mirror and said with a half - smile, "Do you think it's because of Su Yuan?"
After saying that, without waiting for Chong Ming to answer, she asked again, "Why did you try to seize that tripod? Didn't you know it was useless a long time ago? Chong Ming, I'm increasingly unable to understand what you're doing now. I just hope you won't regret it in the future."
Chong Ming clenched his fist. "You talk too much."
"Hehe..." The Queen Mother of the West tossed her hair. "Actually, you know very well that you can't stop them at all. Their fates have been predestined thousands of years ago. Even though you've tampered with Zhao Zhao's memories now, she will always remember what's real. Aren't you afraid she'll hate you?"
"Let her hate me. It's not like this is the only thing for her to hate me for."