"Indeed, this time, it was my fault that led to all this."
I glared angrily at the shattered statue, but the rage in my heart quickly extinguished.
"It's not anyone else's fault; it's because of me."
I looked at Rufina Howard in my arms. If, when the Thought Ghost tried to seize her, I could have fully suppressed it, none of this would have happened.
"Everyone has things they can and cannot do, Qingyuan. Faced with something so sudden, Yuna Ji and I could only stand by and watch. You don't need to blame yourself."
"So, is there any way, Mother Goddess Nuwa, like you just mentioned?"
"Among the Twelve Earthly Branches, there is a particularly unique one—the Celestial Hound. It possesses the ability to devour memories. In other words, it can also piece together all memories. You, Ethan Zhang, must rely on the power of my clan's branch to return to the past, gather all this girl's memories, and with the help of the Celestial Hound, I will have a way to bring her back to life."
A jolt ran through my heart, and I instantly understood.
"Yunmei?"
Among the eight ancient surnames, all contain the 'female' radical. Legend has it they all originated from the Nuwa clan.
Redmond's red hair slowly floated upward. I felt a tugging force and let go. Rufina Howard gently floated up, landing in Redmond's hands.
"Hurry back, I'll wait for you at the Hall of Malice. I'll notify Yunmei first. As for your subordinate, Black Moon, you can handle him yourself."
The goal was already clear, and as for returning to the past, I was all too familiar with it.
"Ethan Zhang, remember this well: this is a real journey into the past. Everything you do may affect the present. So, you must avoid people and things you know now, and hide in the shadows to collect everything about this girl. Leave her body here."
"Hmph, I don't trust you. Her body will naturally be kept by us at the Hall of Malice."
As he spoke, Redmond vanished within a wisp of black flame.
"I'll wait for you at the Hall of Malice."
Noah Grimm said this and disappeared too, while Mr. Brown smiled.
"As for us, let's take a shortcut."
I responded with an 'oh.' Yuna Ji had already grabbed Mr. Brown's shoulder, and I walked over to place my hand on him as well.