I can't believe this journey is almost over!  Thank you so much to those readers who have stuck with me and have supported my first ever story!  Love to each and every one of you!  This update was really exciting for me as a lot is revealed and emotions run wild!  I hope you enjoy it!

As before, nothing is mine except the story.  Credit to those who deserve it!

Mo Xuanyu, against his better judgement, decided to go after Wang Xian and not let him leave again. Not again. Not ever again. He flung the door open with such force that it nearly flew off its weak hinges. He searched the thick darkness for Wang Xian's figure and saw it a good distance from the house to his left. Squinting his eyes, he noticed there was someone standing between Wang Xian and the house, and his heart filled with dread. Who knew they were here?

Mo Xuanyu moved slowly at first towards the two shadows until he could see them more clearly. He did not recognize the shorter figure wearing the heavy cloak nor could he see their face, but he did hear a raspy voice asking Wang Xian about his memories. 

When his eyes locked onto Wang Xian's face, his feet started moving faster, panic possessing his body. Wang Xian's beautiful pale eyes were filled with a look of primal fear and his handsome face was twisted in terror as he tried to back away from the stranger. His steps were clumsy and heavy until they stopped completely, just like an animal that knew it was trapped with no escape.

Mo Xuanyu's body combusted with hatred towards the person making Wang Xian so afraid, his demonic power exploding inside him, feeding off his all-consuming rage. His feet left the ground, covering the last few feet in less than a second, which is why neither Wang Xian nor the cloaked figure heard him approach.

"Soulmate." he snarled possessively, his deep voice reverberating in his chest and his eyes glowing brightly in the moonless night.

The woman spun on her heels to face the owner of that powerful voice and immediately coward on the ground at his feet. She raised her hands in front of her in a defensive posture and her voice suddenly became childlike and afraid.

"Oh please, have mercy, Master! I am but an old, ugly woman who is no match for you!" She looked at him, bowing at her waist with her eyes raised to look at his face, a small smile touching her lips. "I mean no harm, I promise! Please don't hurt me!"

Mo Xuanyu looked at her, confused, his anger slowly diminishing and his eyes returning to their gentle grey color. He glanced at Wang Xian whose shoulders sank in relief before returning his gaze to the small woman before him.

"Who are you and how did you find us?" Mo Xuanyu demanded softly.

"Oh! You may call me Jiyi Xiaotou. And I found you," she explained, turning to Wang Xian again, "the same way I find all of them." A loving smile reached the edges of her lips.

Wang Xian stared at her, his mind racing. What was she talking about earlier, his memories and him taking them back? She even called herself "Memory Thief". He was so lost right now and, looking over at Mo Xuanyu, he sensed that he knew more than he had previously let on. Betrayal was starting to seep into his heart and nausea into his stomach.

Mo Xuanyu looked closely at the woman and noticed two large scars on her face. Her hands were also scarred, not wrinkled as he originally thought, from what appeared to be burn marks. But her eyes were the most intriguing aspect to him. They were, in fact, the color of jade with a hint of emerald sprinkled in their depths. His heart started to feel sorry for her so he went against his first instinct and invited her to accompany them back to the house.

"Please join us, Jiyi Xiaotou. I would like to hear your story. I'm sure it's a fascinating one." He smiled his giant bunny smile at her that no one could refuse and she graciously followed him as he turned for the house.

Wang Xian was dumbfounded! What was Mo Xuanyu doing? Did the young master know who this was? Why was he inviting her into the house? He followed behind the two, dazed and wondering what exactly was going on. He needed answers and he needed them now. So, he followed them, albeit a little reluctantly.

Once inside, Mo Xuanyu offered her some tea which she readily accepted as she sat at the kitchen table. He then offered some to Wang Xian who refused it with a simple hand gesture. Mo Xuanyu knew that Wang Xian was hurting and afraid but he needed information and this woman was the key to everything.

"I hope you don't think me rude, but how do you do it? I mean, stealing memories is difficult magic, in fact, it's unheard of magic. And why? Why steal them?"

"Because my memories are ones I'd rather forget." she said sadly. "You can see the proof on my face and hands, but there are more scars you can't see. Scars on the inside. Scars you can't heal with medicine."

Mo Xuanyu sympathized with her. He knew about physical and emotional scars and so it was natural for him to understand her pain. He urged her to continue with a nod of his head and moved to sit on the bed next to Wang Xian, who seemed disoriented and had not spoken one word since Mo Xuanyu had intervened.

Jiyi Xiaotou continued, "So, I steal other people's memories and live their lives as if I'm reading a good book." She smiled at Mo Xuanyu as if that explained everything and made it right.

"So.....the bride?" Mo Xuanyu asked, tilting his head to the side.

"No one will ever marry me."

"And.......the businessman?"

"I'll never be rich or admired."

"And what of the child?"

"I've had these scars since I was just a tiny child. My younger years were not very happy." 

Her eyes misted over and Mo Xuanyu honestly did start to pity her. He turned towards Wang Xian who was becoming paler by the minute, her words like knives cutting into his soul.

"As for the great Hanguang-jun," she said as she turned her eyes on Wang Xian. "Well, I just couldn't help myself. I never had any intention of stealing from a cultivator, let alone one of the Twin Jades, but when he wandered into the village I was in, temptation got the better of me. I knew he might be my undoing but he was just too good to let go." 

A grin and that unsettling hungry look in her eyes made Mo Xuanyu's skin crawl. Wang Xian's mouth now hung open in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"But how exactly do you do it?" Mo Xuanyu pressed. "I mean, Lan Zhan is no ordinary man. How were able to steal from him?" 

Mo Xuanyu placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in both his palms. He looked just like a small child listening to good bedtime story.  Afterall, he was the Yiling Patriarch, a very curious little bunny who liked to learn new tricks!

"Hmph! He was easy! Just like the rest of them!" she boasted, her eyes lighting up as she recalled what happened. "First, I lure my guests to me using a strong memory of someone they love. For him, it was the sound of a flute. I would assume YOUR flute." She pointed shyly to Chengquin wedged in Mo Xuanyu's waist band.

"Once they are in the house I'm currently borrowing, I generously offer them tea which is laced with a light narcotic so they won't taste it. I also burn my own incense which subdues and muddles their minds, making them......shall we say......relaxed and open to suggestion. After I get some information about them, the final part is a powder they inhale to completely put them to sleep. You see, stealing memories can be quite a painful experience and I don't want them to suffer." she says with a fake frown before it changes into a cunning smile.

Mo Xuanyu doesn't want her to stop so he coaxes her to continue her story with a backhand wave.

"Once they're asleep, I coax out their memories of who they were and place them in one of their personal items. Did you know that memories are fickle things and always try to return to their owner? By keeping them in a personal item, it keeps the memories intact and at peace. For your Lan Zhan, I used his guquin. Quite an impressive spiritual instrument if I must say so myself."

She looked at Wang Xian in admiration with a touch of irritation. "Hanguang-jun is also impressive. The past few months he's been able to reconnect with certain memories. Maybe not fully, but enough that I noticed that they weren't as clear as before. And they were all memories of you. He must really love you." she said, turning to face Mo Xuanyu.

Wang Xian listened to everything Jiyi Xiaotou was saying but his mind refused to believe that they were talking about him. He was not some powerful cultivator! He was just Wang Xian! And, had Mo Xuanyu known who he truly was? He didn't seem very shocked when she was explaining everything to him. Had Mo Xuanyu lied to him the entire time? From the very beginning? It sounded as if he had known Mo Xuanyu before meeting him months ago but that was impossible. And LOVE?

Wang Xian's world was turning upside down and spinning around. His breathing became labored and his heart raced uncontrollably in his chest. There was a faint ringing in his ears and his vision was becoming blurred. He got off the bed and started pacing in circles, unable to contain his paranoia.

Mo Xuanyu noticed how uncomfortable Wang Xian was becoming but he couldn't stop now. A plan was starting to form in his calculating brain, he just had to fit one more piece into the puzzle.

"Go on......." he said encouragingly.

"After the memory transfer, I remove all of their belongings and clothes and give them more common looking ones. I check the bodies for any unusual birth marks, scars, or any other identifying marks that might identify them and remove or disguise them."

Mo Xuanyu was confused at this because Wang Xian still had all of his scars.  His lips pursed together and he lightly scratched his nose as he thought about this.

"You can see them, can't you?" her voice held a child-like amazement.  Mo Xuanyu looked at her as his head cocked to the side, questioning.  "That is most intriguing!" she said as she clapped her hands together.  "You two must have the strongest connection I've ever come across!  You can see them, but others cannot!"  Her laughter rose higher and higher as Mo Xuanyu continued to process the information.

Mo Xuanyu was still a bit confused at this.  Didn't she say she removed the scars or........DISGUISED THEM!  She used magic to hide the scars from prying eyes!  But, his revelation was quickly replaced with something more dangerous as her words reiterated in his mind.   "You remove their clothes and check their bodies?" he repeated.

Instantly, Mo Xuanyu's rage ignited inside him like a flare. HOW DARE SHE!! HOW DARE SHE TOUCH MY LAN ZHAN'S BODY!!!!!

All reason left his mind as he jumped to his feet, towering over her, his breathing quick and harsh. His once curious eyes now emblazoned fire red and his demonic energy quickly engulfed his entire body. His black glossy hair entangled itself around his head and shoulders as his right hand reached for his spirit flute in one swift movement and brought it to his flushed lips, the red tassle swinging with the motion. Eerie notes created by the flute echoed inside the small house as Jiyi Xiaotou's face lit up in her realization.

"I knew it! You're Wei Ying! Wei Wuxian! The Yiling Laozu!!" she yelled in excitement above the unnatural music.

"Yes!" Wei Ying shouted. "And you're going to pay for what you did to my Lan Zhan!" he screamed in fury.

"You can't, dear one!" she cackled as the smoke started to wrap itself around her frail body.

"Oh, I certainly can, you witch!"

"No, no! You don't understand! I'm the only one who can give you back your soulmate!"

At that, Wei Ying immediately calmed himself. His mind flooded with only one thought, to save his Lan Zhan. But he knew she wouldn't return his memories out of the kindness of her heart. She wanted something.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice strained trying to control his hatred.

"Why you, of course!" She clasped both her hands in front of her chest as if asking for a favor. "I want the memories of the Yiling Laozu, the one man who has experienced everything! Sadness, anger, pride, fear, hatred, deceit, abandonment, happiness, loss, respect. You have experienced every emotion known to humanity. You've even experienced death itself and returned to the living." Her eyes sparkled in anticipation of the prize standing before her.

Wei Ying bowed his head as thousands of his own memories washed over him. Memories he had tried so hard to forget over the years. Memories that haunted him in his sleep and tortured his thoughts during the days. Memories that only brought him and others pain. Pain that he no longer wanted to endure.

He looked up at her with undeniable determination in his eyes.

"Do it."

Ok, wait, what?!!  He didn't stop her?  What happened?  Oh yeah!  Our beloved Wei Ying is putting others before him as usual!  But will Wang Xian let him go through with it?  Should he stop Wei Ying from sacrificing himself once again?  Let me know in your comments below!  Thanks everyone!  Have a great and safe weekend!