Violet Heart Valley
Little White, try my cooking!
Little White, where did your Little Little White go?
Hey, why are you laughing? Do I look weird or something? Ivy Shen checked herself—her outfit wasn’t strange at all!
Little White, want to play the guqin together?
Little Little White, come here! Ivy Shen waved lightly at the white crane, and it fluttered over, flapping excitedly—clearly in a great mood.
Easy now, don’t squirm—your injury isn’t healed yet. She patted the white crane and smiled.
Pervert bird, such a total pervert! For eighteen years that crane’s been cold to me, but this chick lands here for half a year and it’s glued to her—treats her like its own mom! I am NOT okay with this!
You’re always calling me Little Bird, right? White Crane is a divine bird—clearly we’re fated! What, you want in on this too? Too bad the crane totally hates you! Seeing Aiden Chen’s liver-colored face, Ivy felt super satisfied!
You, you, you—I hate you!
Who wants you to like me anyway? As long as Little White likes me, I’m good! Right, Little White? Huh, why’s your face all red? Do you actually like me? Hey, don’t ignore me—I’m talking to you! Little White, where are you going?
Shameless, seriously shameless!
Like I care—pfft!
Lately, Ivy Shen had gotten more and more attached to Eli Crane’s white crane. Scenes like this made Aiden Chen so jealous he could practically float!
Little Bird, you’re not allowed to get close to Young Master anymore! Stop tempting him! Sure, he laughs more lately, but I can’t stand you clinging to him all day! He’s like a literal immortal—you can’t just defile him like that!
So what if I’m clingy? Deal with it! She stood hands on hips, full fierce-mama mode.
Spill—what are you after?! Aiden’s face turned a lovely shade of green.
Motives? Hmm, I’m into your Young Master—is that reason enough? She raised her brows, half-joking, half-serious.
Ugh, you’re not worthy, not worthy at all!
Not wasting words on you. I’m warning you—stop bothering me or, when I marry Little White, I’ll kick you out! With a toss of her hair, she strutted off in style.
--------------------
As time passed, Ivy Shen’s injuries mostly healed, but the trauma ran deep—she’d lost her memories and even forgotten all her martial arts.
Before dawn, Ivy was spacing out in the pavilion again. She still had no clue why she’d fallen, and according to Aiden Chen, someone had stabbed a dagger into her chest. Why would anyone do that? She wasn’t dumb enough to stab herself—she actually valued her life!
So there was only one possibility left—she’d been set up. But who would go so far as to hurt a defenseless woman like her?!
In her blank memory, she pictured herself as a weak, helpless girl—otherwise, how would anyone have succeeded? But it was all just guessing, and she could never confirm it. What was she supposed to do?!
"Miss Ling!" Suddenly Eli Crane’s voice rang out. That nickname was his own invention for Ivy—he thought she was clever and lively, so he called her 'Miss Ling' since he didn’t know her real name.
"Little White!" Seeing who it was, Ivy jumped to her feet.
"Come on, I want to show you something!" Eli Crane smiled and spun the wheels, rolling his wooden chair forward.
Ivy hurried over to help push him. "Little White, where are you taking me?" For some reason, whenever she saw him, her restless mind calmed down. Even if she couldn’t remember the past, every time she saw his smile, her heart felt warm.
"Little White, it’s not even light out yet—why are you up? Where’s Aiden?" Seeing the dim sky and Eli alone in his wheelchair, Ivy worried. "Did he not get up yet?!"
"Didn’t you get up early too? It’s fine, I’m used to it." His voice was always gentle and calm.
"Little White, what are you showing me?" Her curiosity spiked as he led her onward—she really wanted to know.
Eli just smiled at her questions and didn’t answer, which made Ivy even more curious.
After a while, Eli led her to a cliffside. "We may be at the bottom of the valley, but we can still watch the sunrise here."
"Sunrise?" The word made Ivy pause. Why did it feel so familiar?!
Eli saw her confusion and didn’t say anything, just pointed to a nearby stone for her to sit.
"Do you come here often?" Looking at the pitch-black surroundings, Ivy couldn’t help but ask.
"Yeah, I come here alone a lot." Eli’s voice was soft, tinged with endless sorrow.
Hearing that, Ivy frowned slightly. She figured he must have been really lonely all these years.
"Miss Ling, look!" Suddenly Eli’s voice was full of excitement.
At the sound of his voice, Ivy Shen looked up. In the hazy sky, a few faint stars lingered; the earth was draped in a gray-black veil, utterly silent except for the occasional chirp of insects. Soon, the eastern sky began to pale, a narrow band of dark red streaked across it, above which cool white sunlight emerged. The sun rose, crimson rays spreading wider and wider, and in an instant, the deep red orb burst forth with dazzling light. At last, golden beams pierced the clouds and bathed the endless land in a layer of radiance.
Ivy’s tears flowed unconsciously at the sight. So this was sunrise—the breathtaking sunrise she’d heard about...
"Don’t cry." Eli Crane turned, smiling gently as he wiped away her tears.
(This chapter isn’t over yet~ Please click 'Next Page' for more!)
"Little White..."
"You really want to remember your past, don’t you?" Eli could see she had too much weighing on her heart—even if she’d forgotten, she still couldn’t let go.
"I don’t know. But right here—" She pointed to her chest. "It’s so stuffy, it hurts!"
"Let me help you, okay?" Eli suddenly said something that stunned Ivy.
"Help me? How? Even Old Man Sai couldn’t cure me..." Her voice faltered—if even the Living Buddha Sage couldn’t help, could Eli?
"I can!" Eli said seriously, taking her hand. "Come with me!"
So Ivy did as he asked, pushing his chair along. The farther they went, the more remote it got, and Ivy felt something was off. But when she saw the snowy expanse ahead, she was utterly stunned.
"Is that snow?" How could there be a snowy field here?
"Yeah." Eli nodded, urging her onward. Ivy pushed his chair into the white expanse, where snowflakes drifted down from above.
Wasn’t this place spring all year round? Why was there snow here? Where exactly were they? Questions raced through Ivy’s mind.
Then Eli told her to stop and pointed at the cliff wall. "See that cave? There’s a Memory Spirit Herb inside—supposedly it can restore memories." He turned to Ivy with a gentle smile, snowflakes drifting onto his hair.
"Memory Spirit Herb? It can restore memories? Is it really that amazing?" Ivy looked at his handsome face, unable to resist asking.
Eli smiled. "I only heard it from Grandpa Sai. He said that herb is a lucky star for memory—whether it’s for senile elders or simple-minded children, it can bring memories back."
"Can it help you too?" Ivy asked seriously. If it could restore memories, maybe it could heal his legs too?
Eli’s eyes dimmed for a moment. "My problem’s old... it can’t be cured."
"Little White..." Seeing his lonely gaze, Ivy’s heart ached. Instinctively, she grabbed his hand. "I’ll make sure you recover!"
"Why?" Eli looked up at her, curious.
"Uh, can I tell you after we get out?" Ivy grinned playfully, planning to explain later.
"Okay!" He nodded, letting her push him forward. But just as Ivy gripped the wheelchair, a frantic voice rang out behind them.
"Young Master, Young Master..." Aiden Chen came running in a panic.
"Young Master, where are you going?" Aiden, covered in snow, reached them and shot a nervous glance at the cave. His face turned deadly serious.
"I’m taking her in to get the Memory Spirit Herb."
"No way!" Aiden blurted out. "Young Master, that’s forbidden—didn’t Grandpa Sai say there’s a monster in there? You can’t go! Besides, that place is guarded by the Bai family’s..."
********Next Month Preview*******
PS: There’s still one day left this month! Next month I’ll work hard to update more—aiming for lots of 10,000-word chapters! By the way, any Ghost King fans here? His arc is coming soon—love you all!