The Vanishing Courtyard

?!

“Are you kidding me, A-Rou? Didn’t we just go together to deliver the flowerpot?”

“What flowerpot?” Jiang Qing looked helpless.

“Didn’t we just come back from the internet café? You even borrowed the five yuan from me for the computer!”

Huang Xiu stared intently at Jiang Qing’s face, seeing no trace of a lie.

If this was acting, it was far too good.

Her fair fingers trembling slightly against the seam of her trousers…

And besides, how could five people possibly coordinate their stories in the blink of an eye just to fool her?

Moreover, her friends would never be so bored.

So… did they really instantly forget that memory?

Or was she the one having hallucinations?

Huang Xiu’s face instantly turned pale, goosebumps rising uncontrollably all over her body.

There were plenty of pedestrians around, and the temperature was scorching.

Yet she felt as if she were trapped in an ice cellar, freezing cold.

Her breathing involuntarily quickened.

Was it some kind of supernatural ability? Was she really seeing ghosts? Or had she genuinely hallucinated for no reason?

“Xiu Xiu, your face looks terrible! What’s wrong, still can’t remember?” Jia Qianrou asked with concern.

“Come with me, I’ll take you to see that small courtyard we talked about before.” Huang Xiu refused to accept it.

Memories could be altered, but that courtyard had existed for a long time—it couldn’t just disappear into thin air!

Suppressing the fear rising in her heart,

she quickly walked into the alley, with the other five roommates following closely behind.

After several twists and turns, they exited the alley.

Immediately, a flat open ground covered with rubble and stones appeared before the six of them.

“How… how is this possible?!” Huang Xiu was completely dumbfounded.

She walked over trembling, reached out, and waved her hand.

Empty, truly empty. Not invisible—there was really nothing there!

This was indeed a completely empty lot!

The two-story simple building, the small courtyard enclosed by red brick walls, and the vegetables inside it—all gone!

“Wh-what happened?” Huang Xiu felt dizzy.

During the competition, she had even rested here and gathered other special ability users!

Was the courtyard also fake? Was it her hallucination?

Had her hallucinations started from the very beginning?

What was going on?

Endless confusion filled Huang Xiu’s mind, and she began to feel lightheaded.

“Isn’t this just an empty lot? Why did you bring us here?” Jiang Qing crossed her arms in confusion.

“By the way, Jiang Qing, do you remember? After we finished at the internet café, didn’t I ask you for ten yuan to buy a flowerpot?”

Huang Xiu grabbed Jiang Qing’s hand, like a drowning person clutching at a lifeline.

“Don’t you believe me? Take out your money and check. I remember you had 300 yuan—each of us spent five yuan on the internet, that’s thirty for six people, plus ten for the flowerpot. So you should have exactly 260 yuan now.”

As she spoke, the logical chain in her mind became clearer.

Buying the flowerpot happened before going to the courtyard.

So if the money hadn’t decreased, and it was still 270, that would prove everything that happened before was her hallucination.

And her hallucination must have started around the time they went to the internet café.

But if it really was all true… then that proved everything she had just experienced was completely real.

And if it had really decreased, that proved what she experienced was real.

Only the other people’s memories had been tampered with!

“Money? I did give each of you five yuan, but I didn’t bring 300—I brought 290!” Jiang Qing said while taking money out of her pocket. “Look, after deducting 30 yuan for internet, it’s exactly 260.”

“No, it should be 270. You’re just forgetting! And don’t you think it’s strange? Why would you deliberately bring an odd amount instead of a round number?” Huang Xiu said firmly.

She had already confirmed that she wasn’t hallucinating, but that her companions’ memories had been altered.

However, the current problem was…

Why did a courtyard disappear without reason?

Huang Xiu looked at the empty lot.

Even if it were a spatial ability, moving an entire courtyard without any trace or sound seemed impossible.

“I definitely remember how much money I brought. As for why it was 290, it’s because I happened to have that much in my backpack and just brought it all.” Jiang Qing said seriously.

Changed again… Huang Xiu felt a deeper chill.

Earlier, Jiang Qing had said she prepared it deliberately, but now, to cover up the tampered memory, she even changed the motivation.

To alter the memories of five people and move such a large space without anyone noticing…

Such a powerhouse was extraordinary, extremely rare in the world.

And… a flicker of fear passed through Huang Xiu’s eyes.

Was her own memory necessarily correct? Had it not been tampered with at all?

“No, my memory must be true.”

Huang Xiu felt in her pocket.

One bag of seeds she had prepared was now missing—that was the best proof.

“Why did he only alter the memories of the others, leaving mine intact? Why?”

Huang Xiu’s heart was filled with confusion and incomprehension.

Looking at her roommates, all wearing puzzled expressions, she finally gave up trying to restore their memories.

Such a powerhouse’s memory modification couldn’t be undone by her alone, unless another expert intervened.

Huang Xiu made up her mind.

“So, Yong Yi, have you figured it out? Is it an illusion, or has some weird person really changed our memories?” Jia Qianrou didn’t think Huang Xiu would suddenly pull such a big joke—Yong Yi wasn’t that kind of person.

She frowned, trying hard to think along with Huang Xiu.

“Could it be some kind of supernatural ability? I remember something…”

As she spoke, Jia Qianrou’s voice suddenly stopped, and the confusion on her face instantly froze.

Then, her lips curved, the corners of her eyes lifted, and she revealed a gentle and helpless smile.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t we going to eat? Why are we all standing here like this? The cafeteria food will be gone soon!” Jia Qianrou shrugged.

!!

Huang Xiu witnessed Jia Qianrou’s expression change from confusion to helplessness, watched the whole process of her instantly changing her words.

Was Shui Lexian still here?

She abruptly turned her head to look around, but besides the six of them, there was no one else.

“Let’s go, let’s eat!” Wen Zhan also spoke up. “Yong Yi Jie, you said this was a shortcut, but it’s really not short at all!”

“Yeah, we’re getting farther and farther!” Chi Xue said with a smile.

“So, everyone, should we make a bet? Is it really far or not?” Jiang Qing chuckled.

“Let’s go, let’s eat. I led us the long way.” Huang Xiu forced a smile.

She had already figured it out.

This kind of memory modification automatically fills in logical gaps caused by missing memories.

And as long as the related content is thought about, the modification is triggered.

So no matter how many times she said it, no one would remember, and no one would believe.

“Then let’s go, go! I’m starving!”

Wen Zhan led the way, and the others followed. Huang Xiu walked at the back, her heart feeling icy cold.

She completely couldn’t understand why that person named “Lexian” had done this.

Earlier, when they first met, it was all peaceful.

Was it just because she didn’t agree to stay for dinner?

Wasn’t that too petty?

“Shui Lexian, Shui Lexian. Damn it, I have no impression of that name. For such a powerhouse, it shouldn’t be like this!”

The bizarre incident that afternoon had a huge impact on Huang Xiu.

During the evening training session, she couldn’t concentrate and kept zoning out.

“If that’s the case, it would have been better not to leave my memory, to let me forget along with my friends.”

The pen in Huang Xiu’s hand spun rapidly…

At midnight, when it was quiet and deep,

a green figure appeared in the room. Huang Xiu, who had been waiting, stood up from her chair.

Following Huang Xiaoxian’s footsteps, Huang Xiu quickly left the dormitory.

She walked for a while on the silent streets and finally entered an ordinary two-story building on the side of the road.

In the simply decorated room,

Yun Ning was exercising, his clothes completely soaked, sweat dripping from his chiseled muscles.

As a volunteer, he had to help during the day, so only at night did he have time to complete his training.

In the right hand of Yun Ning, a figure—Yuan Fei—was sitting in a chair playing on his phone.

Seeing Huang Xiu enter, he put down the phone, the screen displaying large “Victory” characters.

“What’s up, Xiao Xiu? What do you need to tell me in person?”

“It’s like this—this afternoon, I met someone named Shui Lexian in the base…”

As she spoke, Huang Xiu observed Yuan Fei’s expression. Noticing that his brows twitched slightly at the name “Shui Lexian,” she felt a little relieved.

“Professor Yuan knows this person!”

“Strange, how did you run into him?” Yuan Fei curiously rubbed his stubbly chin.

“He is the most mysterious person in Daxia. If he doesn’t want to be known, no one knows what he looks like or where he is. Many people avoid him, and many desperately want to meet him.”

“Who is he?” Huang Xiu swallowed.

“One of the Three Divine Generals of Daxia.” Yuan Fei said.

“What? Three Divine Generals?!”

Yun Ning, who was training nearby, heard their conversation and walked over in shock.

But the next moment, the shock on his face disappeared.

“Really, I’m so thirsty!”

Yun Ning casually picked up a glass from the table and went to pour water, as if nothing had happened.

He completely didn’t remember the previous topic.

This… Huang Xiu fell silent, watching Yun Ning walk toward the kitchen, a sudden pang of guilt flashing through her heart.

“See, that’s how it is.” Yuan Fei shrugged. “Many people are afraid of him because his ability has developed to an unprecedented level, becoming conceptual. No one wants their memories inexplicably altered.”

“Unless he voluntarily removes the ‘No One Knows’ effect on a person, no one except those at his level can remember him.”

“The courtyard…” Huang Xiu said softly.

She didn’t want Yun Ning to hear and have his memory modified again.

“He probably activated his ability proactively to prevent your roommates from being altered again.” Yuan Fei explained.

“I see…” Huang Xiu understood the reason, but couldn’t help asking, “Why is such a powerhouse here? And why did he preserve my memory?”

“Even if I’m S-rank, it shouldn’t be enough to catch the attention of a top Daxia powerhouse like him…”

She inexplicably felt she might be drawn into something.

“He kept your memory for a reason. He is a very good and talented person.”

Yuan Fei smiled and ruffled Huang Xiu’s hair.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t worry. Your future is bright and boundless. Until you grow strong enough, all of us will be your support.”

“Until then, you just need to focus on training hard.”

“Time waits for no one. You have to get stronger quickly, Xiao Xiu.”

Yuan Fei said solemnly.

“Yeah…”

An indescribable sense of security filled Huang Xiu’s heart. She rarely showed any resistance,

docilely allowing Yuan Fei’s large hand to brush over her head. In the kitchen, Yun Ning put down his glass, watching this scene, and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“How wonderful…”

This was exactly what he worked so hard for—to keep this beautiful life going on and on.

Meanwhile, while Huang Xiu was on her way to Yuan Fei’s place,

in the silent darkness, next to the hundred-person dormitory, an unknown conversation was quietly taking place.

“Did you come?”

“We all came!”

“No one saw, right?”

“Impossible!”

“Alright, Xiao Bei, turn on the light!”

In the moonlight, a bare-chested youth nodded, clasped his hands together horizontally in front of his chest, and then slowly opened them to both sides.

Pfft…

A worm-like fire dragon was “pulled” out from between his palms.

The fire dragon had a lively face, snorted in the air, and then pounced on the pile of firewood on the ground.

With a puff, a small bonfire illuminated the room.

This was an abandoned dormitory.

The walls were full of cracks, the floor covered in black stains, and rusty iron-framed beds pushed into the corners.

Around the bonfire, six faces flickered in and out of view—all male.

“I called you here despite violating the rules, and you should all know the reason.”

Amid the crackling and popping of burning wood, Li Xiu from the Special Higher Academy lowered his voice.

“To team up with you and ambush Tian Du University in the next combat assessment?”

Jiao Le sat cross-legged on a discarded chair with only an iron frame and no wooden seat.

“I refuse. We get no benefit. Your Special Higher Academy is close in points to Tian Du University and can push to second place, but we’d just be putting in effort for nothing.”

He gave a cold smile. “And you people are the ones who forced our Jurisdiction Bureau into this hundred-person dorm!”

…Li Xiu remained silent.

To be honest, he wasn’t satisfied with the new dorm either.

The squat toilet was yellow and moldy, the showerhead was broken and often didn’t produce water.

But compared to the endless snoring in the hundred-person dorm, he was still quite content.