Chapter 72: Memories Sealed in the Tree

  The people upstairs had no idea he would do this, and they rushed out to chase after him. The autumn-colored person behind them raised their bow and aimed at Min Ye's back. Because he was always protecting me and hadn't seen it, I started to get anxious - what if Autumn Person's arrow shot down and pierced Min Ye's heart, wouldn't that be murder?!

  Just as he was about to release the taut bowstring, Miyu suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shouted: "STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

  An arrow flew out with a "whoosh" and shot straight at Mito!

  I completely raised my hand with the power of my wrist and slapped open the button that was holding me back, releasing all the air in an instant and retreated to Mito's side!!!!!!!!!

  That arrow flew over majestically and suddenly froze in front of me at a distance of three millimeters...

  Miyu got up from the ground and shouted at me: "Xiao Cha, you big idiot! I'm a Mikage no Kami, I won't die! I can open a boundary!"

  He actually came rushing over without any regard... Big idiot, really is a big idiot!

  Onmyouji... Onmyouji!!!!!!

  I stood there stupidly for a while before suddenly becoming indignant and grabbing Mito's collar: "Damn it, I've been searching so hard for Dad's trail, and it was you who hid him! Why didn't you tell me earlier?! And what about that childhood memory of mine? What deleted it from my mind?!"

  "Get rid of your memories, it was Auntie who did it! The reason I never told you... is because Xiao Cha, you've never asked me about it t＿t!"

  It seems like I've never asked him about his father before... uh...

  "Uh... isn't it already... possible to protect what you want to protect, to guard the people you want to guard...? " Minye still smiled warmly: "You're confused about why you need to protect some strange things, and you're confused about why you need to guard some strange people. Hehe. No matter who the other person is, it's because you want to protect them that you protect them, right? It's not like you wanted to protect your father just because he's your father... in that instant just now, what came into your mind... was it really your father or just protecting him?"

  I was taken aback... Indeed, just a moment ago, I rushed over to protect Yayoi only because I wanted to protect him.

  Yayoi struggled free from my grasp and slowly stood up, explaining to us: "From the very beginning, I followed the president of my own accord. He never forced me to do anything." (Kocha grumbled: Humph, he's been forcing me around, you're just fine, aren't you?)

  Guan Yue took away Bo Mu because he was worried that Min Ye would use Bo Mu to threaten Xiao Cha.

  At midnight, I will take you away to fulfill the last promise Mr. Ruo made... with the heads of the seven families and also with the successors.

  The arrow shot by the boy with the quiver just now did not completely hit the back of Min Ye Hui, he pressed slightly on the feathers at the end of the arrow, and the shot arrow would be changed direction by the wind...

  Everyone here... has always protected only one person, Xiaocha. Just like Xiaocha works hard to protect us and this school.

  "Yayoi! You're the one who sealed Father in the tree, aren't you?! Come with me to unseal it!" I suddenly remembered something and picked up Yayoi, who was still wandering around.

  Yayoi was taken aback and then said something very profound: "Things that exist in memories, or forgotten... which is better..."

  "Cut it out, stop pretending to be so refined! Go and unseal the seal right now!" I dragged him and ran directly towards home...

  ……

  The method of unsealing seemed simple enough, Mito just placed her hand on the tree with leaves floating down and stood for a few seconds before turning around to say to me: "Alright. You can now enter the tree, see him... The last image left for you... is also for you, Mr. Wang's daughter, the final gift."

  I half-believed and half-doubted as I stretched out my hand towards the giant tree, when suddenly a huge force pulled me in...

  Endless white sky, endless white clouds, endless white world...

  I looked at Dad... a warm smile, a kind face... He stood under a pure white paulownia tree... The sky was filled with flying leaves and white paulownia flowers.

  It's like a memory from a dream...

  In the tree, what was sealed away were the days Dad spent with the seven families in the past... happy, beautiful, blissful, and even when he lay on his sickbed at the end, he still had a smile on his face.

  Let's all get along and be harmonious from now on, don't quarrel anymore.

  Let's all be happy and harmonious from now on, no more conflicts.

  In the future, whoever starts a fight first will be punished by running naked on the street for ten laps.

  I have a daughter... I have a daughter who is still young, please take good care of her, let her have the ability to protect what she wants to protect, let her have the ability to guard whom she wants to guard...

  What Yayoi said is right... It's better to forget things that are sealed in memories...

  The southern end of the cloud... This is the southern end of the cloud, in the small courtyard south of our house, there is such a tree. In spring, it blooms with emerald green, in summer, it blooms with colorful flowers, in autumn, it blooms with golden yellow, and in winter, it blooms with crystal white... From the beginning to the end, the colors are dazzling, one tree with many flowers, opening in sequence, displaying different colors...

  Dad... Dad is always quietly staying in the myth of Tongtong, always quietly waiting... Losing his voice, losing his eyes, losing his body, losing everything that can be called memories...

  A very, very long road, a very, very distant yellow memory... Dad used to tell me over and over again the story about the pigeon tree, the story about the tung oil tree...

  "A long, long time ago, it was said that there was a monarch who had only one daughter, named "Princess White Dove", whom he loved as much as the apple of his eye. This princess had an unusual temperament, she did not love gold, silver, pearls or jade, nor would she marry into royalty or nobility, but instead she loved horseback riding and archery, pursuing a manly spirit."

  One day, the princess was hunting in the forest when she was entwined by a venomous python. At the critical moment, a young hunter named Tongqiang cut off the snake with his knife and saved the princess's life. The princess admired the young hunter's wit and bravery. They fell in love at first sight, made a vow to each other, and the princess took off her jade hairpin, broke it into two halves, and they each kept one half as a token of their promise.

  The princess returned to the palace and told her father about what had happened, asking him to marry her off to Tongtong. However, this was met with her father's firm opposition, and he sent guards to kill Tongtong in the deep mountains that very night. When the white pigeon princess found out, she cried until she almost died. On a stormy night, she removed her luxurious palace makeup, put on a simple white dress, and stumbled out of the tightly closed palace, coming to the place where Tongtong had met his demise, and began wailing loudly. She cried until her tears turned to blood, staining her white clothes red. Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder boomed, heavy rain poured down, and a small tree burst forth from the ground, resembling a jade hairpin standing upright. In an instant, it grew into a towering tree. The princess, overcome with emotion, stretched out her arms and flung herself at the tree. In a flash, the rain stopped, the thunder ceased, and the crying was no longer heard. All that could be seen were countless white flowers covering the branches of the tree, their shape resembling lively and lovely little white pigeons, amidst the dazzling splendor of the sky... blooming one after another...

  The southern end of the clouds...

  Dad... I will always guard your dove tree... just like guarding mom... guarding you...