Chapter 1247 - 1219: Intentionally Erased

Chapter 1247: Chapter 1219: Intentionally Erased

Pushing the two men into the kitchen, Liumei and Qian sat on the sofa cracking melon seeds and chatting. Qian then asked Liumei.

"Why doesn’t your mentor stay a few more days?"

"Who knows, she’s always so busy. I invited her to stay, but she said she didn’t have time." Liumei felt a bit regretful as she said this. She grew up with her mentor, their relationship being as close as mother and daughter.

"Liumei, do you know what your mentor did before?" Qian asked, probing.

"When I went up the mountain, she was already in the Taoist temple. I asked her what she did before; she said she inherited the family tradition of fortune-telling. Other than that, I don’t know much."

This doesn’t make sense...

The more Qian thought about it, the stranger it felt. Given her mentor’s background, staying on as a tutor at the university wouldn’t be any pressure; even choosing a research path would be seamless. Furthermore, she was connected to Qio Yu Xuan, and tagging along with him abroad would be quite impressive. Particularly in that era, PhDs were few and far between; why did she suddenly choose to reside on a mountain?

"Qian’er, why did you suddenly ask about my mentor?"

"Oh, nothing really, just that your mentor saved me a few days ago, so I wanted to express my gratitude personally. But she left too suddenly, so I’m just asking."

"That’s not necessary, my mentor never gets caught up in these trivialities. She always taught me that practitioners should value righteousness and help the needy. It’s an unwritten rule of our field."

"Your mentor is well-versed in mysticism. Why didn’t you learn it?"

"My mentor said my appearance doesn’t fit this field, stating that the founding master wouldn’t bestow this path upon me. Yet, I think my mentor is truly remarkable; she fulfilled all my fantasies of a heroine. If it were ancient times, she’d certainly be the most outstanding heroine in the martial world. Besides, she possesses a clarity rarely seen in martial artists; sometimes, the things she says are incredibly philosophical."

Qian nodded. Of course, she’s philosophical. Turns out, Chang Xiangsi’s identity as a mystic was just a side job. She is a bona fide PhD!

PhDs were remarkable in that era!

And she studied such a complex discipline as philosophy. No wonder Qian felt strange before, thinking a mystic could utter so many philosophical, anti-superstitious statements. The mystery is unraveled; she truly hid her expertise!

Yu Minglang brought over a plate of crispy fried shrimp. These green shrimp, lightly coated with flour and cooked in oil, were particularly crunchy and served as a pre-meal snack for the two pregnant women.

"Her mentor is really something special. I can just feel there’s a story behind her."

Even Xiaoqiang said this; their brief encounter left everyone with a deep impression.

Qian felt increasingly curious. Looking back over ten years, at that time, Chang Xiangsi was likely only in her twenties, maybe not even thirty. How could someone so young up and abandon everything to live on a mountain, secluded for so long?

The intrigue about this person was growing.

At this moment, Qian hadn’t realized that destiny’s wheels were rapidly turning toward her. Invisible forces were leading her step by step toward the truth of her origins, yet she was merely driven by her own curiosity to explore.

After returning home, Qian discussed Chang Xiangsi with Yu Minglang, who was equally surprised.

"You mean Liumei’s mentor is a Philosophy PhD?!"

"Yes, she must’ve been among our country’s early batches of scientists, so why did she seclude herself on a mountain?"

"I’ll look into it, see if I can find any clues. That batch of people is known, I should be able to uncover something—in fact, considering her age among them, she’d definitely be prominent. Being younger than most, asking around should yield something about her."

The Yu Family had extensive connections, so digging for information wasn’t difficult; he just found it peculiar.

"Honey, why are you suddenly interested in this?"

"Honestly, I’m just really curious. She has so many secrets. Not to mention, she’s from the Seven Mu Farm; why didn’t my mentor tell me? I mentioned to him about Chang Xiangsi saving me, and he just responded with ’oh’ without elaborating. Today, my brother also said Chang Xiangsi was the mentor’s sensitive area, yet he directed me to her. I can’t tell if he’s messing with me, or if Chang Xiangsi harbors no animosity toward the mentor, just that the mentor dislikes her?"

These mysteries are truly puzzling.

"Could it be some indescribable romantic entanglement between her and your mentor? A man and a woman, besides emotional matters, what else would lead to severing ties for years?"

Qian had considered if it was a romantic issue but felt it wasn’t. She recalled what Qio Yu Xuan said to comfort her compulsion.

Apparently, when his child was born, Chang Xiangsi was with him outside the delivery room. At that time, Qio Yu Xuan also used the term ’sister,’ which didn’t suggest a romantic link.

So what would cause siblings to turn against each other?

Neither Qian nor Yu Minglang could comprehend this question.

Given Qian’s curiosity, Yu Minglang set out to investigate. Initially thinking that in that era, PhDs were rare, finding information on a super-genius girl should be straightforward. Yet, to Yu Minglang’s surprise, he couldn’t find a single trace of Chang Xiangsi’s past!

It’s as if someone deliberately erased her. Other than her academic record, there were no photographs left.

It’s said that they took graduation photos of these precious talents, but a fire at the school some years later, which fortunately didn’t injure anyone and was quickly controlled, meant the images weren’t preserved.

Yu Minglang tried asking around among her peers. These people held high status, but with the Yu Family’s connections, contacting one or two wasn’t difficult. But asking around, they only said they remembered a genius girl who achieved an age-defying feat, reportedly returning from abroad after a stint in study, but seemed to have gone abroad after obtaining her PhD at home.

No one knew what happened to this legendary figure afterward; so many years, Chang Xiangsi never reached out to anyone else.

It’s as if she vanished into thin air, disappearing not long after graduating, cutting off all previous social circles, leaving no memory for anyone regarding her.

This peculiar phenomenon led Yu Minglang to check past criminal records, wondering if there was any criminal case those years; if not for committing a crime, he couldn’t fathom why such a promising talent would disappear.

But there was nothing.

Ultimately, Yu Minglang could only find a plausible explanation: maybe Chang Xiangsi suddenly saw through worldly attachments and chose asceticism.

After all, those studying metaphysics and mysticism usually think differently, and they possess broader worldviews, so it wouldn’t be impossible for them to hide their achievements and pursue asceticism.

While Qian could only temporarily accept this explanation, inside her heart, a seed of curiosity related to Chang Xiangsi remained.