Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

"You're awake!"

In a tranquil, elegantly furnished room, a white-haired young man opened his eyes, their depths clouded with confusion. A voice, warm and brimming with joy, rang softly in his ears, gentle yet crisp.

Suddenly, the young man's brows knitted tightly, and a muffled groan escaped him.

"Stupid Xiao Bai, what's wrong?"

A face radiating an ethereal, serene charm entered Xiao Bai's vision. At that moment, her lovely features were etched with worry.

"Who… are you?" Staring at the woman in a pale white dress, the young man's throat bobbed as he forced out a hoarse, low voice, his words halting and strained.

"Xiao Bai… you're still joking at a time like this?" The woman in white clenched her teeth, her voice a mix of exasperation and urgency. She gazed at him—his face deathly pale, forehead slick with cold sweat, features contorted in pain. It was clear he was enduring immense suffering.

"Who… is Xiao Bai?" The young man's frown deepened, his expression blank, his unfocused gaze hollow.

"What's wrong with you? Don't scare me!" The woman finally sensed something amiss. This wasn't a joke—he seemed to have lost his memory!

When Jia En brought him here, her heart had leaped with joy. She'd thought their paths would rarely cross again, yet here he was, though clearly in trouble. Without hesitation, she'd taken him in.

After settling him, Xiao Yi Xian examined him but found herself at a loss. As a physician, she could treat the common internal and external injuries of mercenaries, but Xiao Bai's condition baffled her. All she could do was wait for him to wake.

Now he was awake, but he remembered nothing.

What do I do?

His expression screamed agony, yet she was powerless to help.

"You're Xiao Bai! I'm Xiao Yi Xian. We went to that cave under the cliff together—don't you remember?" Desperate, Xiao Yi Xian recounted their shared experiences, hoping to spark a memory.

But Xiao Bai's pained, vacant look crushed her hopes.

He truly doesn't remember.

Xiao Bai closed his eyes, tracing the source of his pain instinctively. His inner vision revealed a chaotic scene in his lungs: golden and crimson thunder clashed fiercely, locked in combat.

A cyan thunder bolstered the crimson, while also repairing the damage caused by their battle. An earthen-yellow thunder moved sluggishly, only aiding the cyan when it faltered, otherwise standing guard over his other organs, refusing to join the fray.

Though his memories were gone, the ingrained knowledge of his cultivation technique remained. Sensing the pain, he instinctively began to circulate it.

As the technique activated, traces of the golden thunder's essence were refined, tilting the balance slightly in the crimson thunder's favor.

But the pain intensified. What had been confined to his lungs now spread, the golden thunder's slaughtering qi ravaging his meridians.

Xiao Yi Xian noticed a surge of energy from him as he closed his eyes. He still knows how to circulate his technique! Relief washed over her. If he'd forgotten even that, she'd have been utterly clueless about how to help.

Yet his worsening expression reignited her anxiety. She dimmed with self-reproach. If only I were an alchemist, I could help him, even just a little.

At a loss, she sat beside him, her eyes heavy with sorrow, silently keeping vigil. All I can do is stay by his side and not disturb him. His recovery depends on him alone.

___

Two days later.

"Time for your medicine!"

Xiao Yi Xian, beaming, carried a bowl of dark, murky broth, calling softly to Xiao Bai, who sat cross-legged on the bed.

"I'm not drinking that," Xiao Bai said, opening his eyes briefly to glance at it before shutting them again.

"Come on, you've been coughing up blood for days! I made this specially for you. Drink it, and the coughing will stop," Xiao Yi Xian said, approaching the bed, her tone coaxing, like she was soothing a child.

"I'm not sick," Xiao Bai replied, a touch exasperated. Though amnesiac, he wasn't witless. He knew the blood was due to the golden thunder in his body. Her medicine was useless until he refined the thunder to a certain point—coughing blood was normal for now.

"Get up and drink it!" Xiao Yi Xian's gentle demeanor vanished, her voice firm. Though kind, years of dealing with mercenaries had taught her that some needed a stern tone to heed a physician's orders.

Seeing Xiao Bai's lack of response, she adopted the commanding tone she used with them.

But Xiao Bai simply closed his eyes, ignoring her.

"Xiao Bai, are you trying to drive me mad?" His silence only fueled her frustration. This guy drove me up the wall before he lost his memory, and now he's still at it. Was he sent by the heavens to torment me?

"Fine, fine! Don't drink it? No dinner for you!" She huffed, turning to leave, but her steps were slow, reluctant, glancing back with every move.

Xiao Bai sighed inwardly. She talks tough, but these past few days, I've seen her true nature—gentle, kind, and genuinely happy to help me. Since he began coughing blood from refining the golden thunder, she'd pored over books, stayed up late concocting formulas, and sought out premium herbs.

After a moment's thought, Xiao Bai rose, walked over, and downed the mysterious broth in one gulp.

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes lit up with delight, a faint smile curving her lips. "Good boy, Xiao Bai! I'll go make your dinner!" She took the empty bowl, her brows arching happily, and skipped out of the room.

Rolling his eyes in secret, Xiao Bai returned to refining the golden thunder. It's maddeningly slow— at this rate, it'll take at least half a year. But he wasn't in a rush. With nowhere to go, he'd stay here for now.

___

That evening, the two sat at a table adorned with several delicate dishes.

"Xiao Bai, try these—how's today's food?" Xiao Yi Xian's eyes sparkled with anticipation. Since leaving her village for Qing Shan Town, these past few days, aside from healing others, had been her happiest.

Though improper, she couldn't help thinking: The amnesiac Xiao Bai is so much better than the old one. The old Xiao Bai teased and bullied her, but this one, though occasionally frustrating, no longer felt like he belonged to a different world.