Chapter 689 — So That's How It Is

The white-robed Lily, the black-robed Empress, Chaoneng Zhao, the rabbit, the crisis of the Cosmic Sea, the contract, the push toward cosmic level...

A flood of forgotten memories—Shi Jin suddenly remembered them all, drenched in sweat, his head splitting with pain.

"Ah—" A low growl, and Shi Jin gasped, frozen in place.

He looked at the startled rabbit spirit... no, he was the one who had been startled.

"I remember."

"I remember everything."

"Not long ago, I should have been forming a contract with the Empress, trying to break through to cosmic level."

"So—did I succeed or fail? Why did I end up in a place like this?"

"And also..."

At this moment, Shi Jin felt extremely vexed—vexed as he stared at the little white rabbit.

"You wouldn't happen to be..."

"Gu gu?"

Looking at the blank little white rabbit, Shi Jin felt nervous now—very nervous.

Damn it, this white rabbit—could it be Chaoneng Zhao?

In his previous life, had he contracted it too?

Was Chaoneng Zhao his pet beast all along?

And most importantly—when they had just met, he had actually tried to eat Chaoneng Zhao??

Now that he remembered everything, Shi Jin linked the fragments of memory that had surfaced when he first contracted Chaoneng Zhao with his full memories now, and deduced a fact that made him ache with vexation.

Whether or not his past self had contracted the Empress as he had now, one thing was certain: in the Empress's lost memories, she definitely knew him.

"I contracted the bunny and successfully recovered my memories with the Empress—which means she's most likely the Empress. But now I've even completed the contract in the memory world, so why can't I go back?" Shi Jin puzzled.

"Gu gu? (Where's the cartoon?)" asked the rabbit suspected to be Chaoneng Zhao's cub.

Shi Jin suppressed his irritation. Ancestor, please stop talking.

I'm already annoyed enough.

If I learn any more of your embarrassing childhood history, even if the contract is complete and I make it back, you'll kill me.

In any case, if Chaoneng Zhao really was his contracted beast from a past life, Shi Jin felt certain he must have squeezed and hoodwinked it plenty.

What a sin.

"I'll look at it on the way. I need to go somewhere now." Shi Jin took a deep breath.

Bunny: ??

"I have to go." Because just now, he had remembered everything.

Besides the memories about Chaoneng Zhao, there were also the parts of his past-life memories that he had forgotten after transmigrating.

Not the memories after the mountain collapse, of course.

But the memories after he had adopted the white rabbit.

After adopting the white rabbit, Shi Jin had suddenly become very interested in rabbits as a species.

So he had consulted ancient texts and discovered a ruin that might be connected to the Jade Rabbit of myth and legend, and wanted to explore it.

In the end, the mountain collapsed and crushed him outright.

On top of that, he now remembered what Teacher Shangqiu had said—that the ruin he had gone to explore was indeed related to the Jade Rabbit—which made Shi Jin all the more certain.

This ruin might be the next key point.

For no other reason than that Chaoneng Zhao's abilities were so similar to the Jade Rabbit's, and he had even joked with the Empress, guessing that she might be the Jade Rabbit.

But now it seemed she was clearly just a not-very-clever little white rabbit.

Then why were Chaoneng Zhao's abilities so like the Jade Rabbit's—and why did she have a talent for pounding medicine?

Perhaps this ruin could yield some clues. Since contracting the little white rabbit had brought about certain changes in him, then perhaps finding the mystery of the Empress's power next could push things forward a bit more.

"Interesting." Shi Jin was suddenly full of vigor.

But beside him, the juvenile Empress's face fell; she had grievances she could not voice.

She wanted to watch cartoons!!

…………

Two days later.

Shi Jin appeared near the ruins where the mountain had collapsed in his previous life.

Because of the disaster that had struck here before, the area had already been sealed off.

Although it was confirmed that ancient ruins lay here, no other archaeological team had dared to enter rashly before the danger was ruled out.

With the little white rabbit in tow, Shi Jin slipped past the cordon and made his way into the main area.

"Be careful." Shi Jin had no wish to be crushed again, so he warned, "I've played cartoons for you in the car for so long. When I run into danger later, you had better save me."

Bunny: ??

What kind of person is this.

Now that the contract was formed, Bunny could sense Shi Jin's thoughts more clearly. Because it was an equal contract, the big white rabbit's impression of Shi Jin had improved a little. None of that really mattered, though; all Shi Jin hoped was that she would not hold a grudge over nearly being eaten.

"Coo! Coo!!"

Along the way, apart from watching cartoons, Shi Jin taught the little white rabbit how to use psychic power.

Whether it was because the rabbit was gifted or because Fenxing taught well, its learning speed was among the best Shi Jin had ever seen in a pet beast, far better than Chongchong had been back then.

In only a day or two, without using any nutritional resources at all, just by gnawing carrots, it had trained to the point of sensing with psychic power.

Now, after sensing the situation nearby, the juvenile Empress suddenly alerted Shi Jin.

Underground!

Not far off, the ground beneath was hollow. There was another ruin underground!

Shi Jin: !!!

"Oh ho." Shi Jin stared blankly. "So teaching you was not wasted after all. You have done a great service."

"But I did not bring any tools. How am I supposed to dig down there?"

"Why do you not know instant teleportation?"

Rabbit: ?

"Just kidding. Sense around. Is there a mechanism to get in?"

"Coo." The juvenile Empress's face fell into a bitter look. Tired, so tired. Maybe Fenxing should just teach her instant teleportation instead. She would listen.

"You are the boss, so you rest first." Shi Jin did not dare exploit her too harshly, afraid the Empress might recover her memories too and hold a grudge.

…………

After a while, Bunny successfully used psychic power to sense out a hidden passage leading down to the underground ruins.

Shi Jin and the others carefully opened it and went inside, arriving at a place that resembled both an ancient tomb and a cavern.

But after going deeper in, Shi Jin froze on the spot.

Because this really was a tomb, damn it.

And what was utterly absurd was the writing on the tombstone. What the hell.

"The Tomb of the Spirit of Time and the Great Emperor Jade Rabbit, Who Alone Is Honored in Heaven and on Earth"