Hong Chun's first memory of this world was around when she was six years old. Well, Father Hong implied that her age was six so she went with the flow.

She was told she had an accident that might have affected her brain a bit so the matter of memory loss was explained.

On the other hand, she had always been cynical so she doubted if she really came from Mother Hong's womb. The number one reason was her lighter hair. As far as she knew no one from both sides of the family had a similar feature. But it could be fixed with dyes so her peace wasn't bothered.

As she grew up, many more clues sprang right before her eyes. Old Shang's devotion, the little slip of the tongue by the Hong couple every now and then, and the way they avoided her gaze sometimes. But she ignored them for the sake of being free of drama.

She had no idea where in the world she came from anyway so it was better to shut up. But some things couldn't be avoided forever. She realized it now.

The truth she ignored ended up smashing her door and entering her life forcefully.

It was in the form of assassins and Old Shang's death. It was also in the form of the mysterious person in front of her.

She assumed he was like Si Hai, a spirit. Because someone with this otherworldly face wouldn't be human.

But Si Hai was like a baby chick in front of this mister. She reckoned he must have done something to her because the memories from before when she was six years old and her AI were magically unlocked.

Among those memories, he was also present. And if those were accurate, he might hold the reason why her soul was taken by that insane scientist.

"Are you mad at me?" One couldn't possibly stay angry if they heard his sweet gentle tone. And yet, the girl in front of him seemed immune to his mild temperament.

She shook her head and broke free from his arms. Standing up, she realized her hair was longer than it should be. It now reached her buttocks as opposed to the elbow-length she always kept. It must be because of the abundant spiritual power of this person.

Qin Yu watched as the maiden examined herself. Of course, she would look clean as though she had just gone out of her courtyard. All the rips on her clothes and the wounds on her body were treated by him.

Then, he heard her mutter. "Turn off HUD."

He felt a subtle shift in her as she said that. It wasn't the spiritual power he was most familiar with but it was something similar.

If he didn't know her inside out, he would be curious. Qin Yu doubted if cultivators could even sense her ability. Because looking at her again, Huang Qiaoli appeared to have no cultivation base just like fourteen years ago.

Hong Chun looked at him after making sure that her body was fine as though the pain before was an illusion.

"Is there something wrong?" (QY)

That kind voice irritated her which confused her so she put a hand on her chin.

I think there's really something wrong with me.

It had been only several minutes since she woke up but she displayed more genuine emotions than she did when she was on modern Earth and in the Hong fu combined.

She was somewhat afraid to think that she was losing her firm control over her emotions.

The person who had been ignored all this time had admirable patience. He still sat there quietly and waited for her to sort her thoughts.

Hong Chun was pondering over the matter of her control. From the look of things, her being a cyborg was a thing of the past. Her soul was originally inside a human body but was transferred to another world and fashioned into a highest-tier technology. If she was a human, to begin with, then there was no reason in hiding emotions, right?

But she wasn't simply hiding emotions. She also had trouble actually feeling them due to being a robot for a lifetime.

Granted, she learned how to identify feelings when she started writing novels. But those feelings were carefully suppressed in front of Papa.

Ah, she was getting nowhere. She decided to ask the other living being inside the cave.

"Say, am I human?"

The reply she got was an encouraging "Yes."

Qin Yu even nodded with fondness, as though he understood her confusion.

"Then feeling things is normal?"

It was a stupid question but she needed affirmation. It was a good thing that Qin Yu was considerate and wouldn't embarrass her.

"Even unintelligent creatures can express emotions. It is part of our way of life."

Hong Chun sighed. She suddenly felt tired but she still had some business with this person.

Her attitude turned another 180-degree spin.

"Then don't you think it's about time to explain some things to me?"

She was only six years old back then. And if he didn't give back her memories, she would die here without remembering that day.

They were in the middle of a forest covered in snow. Her birth parents were strong generals yet they were fleeing from enemies. She didn't know who those enemies were but she felt the danger.

Because she had short legs, Ba Ba1 had to carry her.

Still, the enemies reached them and her father gave her to her mother. When Ba Ba was ganged upon by dozens of men, her Niang2 knew he wouldn't make it.

The enemies were too many.

She remembered Niang joined the fray and together, they defeated all those bad guys. Niang had high cultivation while Ba had solid external martial arts. The two of them were undefeatable. And yet, they appeared to be short of breath. The snow was stained red and it seemed to be raining blood.

The young her felt an unimaginable pressure constricting her chest and breathing was even painful. But this same person appeared right before her eyes.

Qin Yu examined the young woman in front of him. The look of horror he saw in her eyes that day was nowhere to be found.

It was as though the little girl he met fourteen years ago had no relation to her.

Well, it would be impossible for her to be the same. While the real span of time from when they last met was only fourteen years, she had died two times already. Counting her situation earlier, it almost became three.

The little girl first died when she was six due to a heart attack after seeing her parents being killed in front of her. Qin Yu witnessed this as the child's parents earnestly prayed for the goddess to protect her. The goddess didn't come, it was he who heard the prayer.

But when he was about to save the child, she was already at death's door.

He tried reviving her but her soul slipped away and in an attempt to catch her, she was accidentally sent to a different world.

Seeing it as his responsibility, he worked tirelessly to find and retrieve her soul. But souls have no context of time.

In the end, she spent what could be considered a lifetime in that world before he could take her back. Then, he sent her to Great Han. Her injured soul couldn't handle the pressure of the concentration of spiritual essence in Huo Ai.

He wiped most of her memories so she wouldn't raise suspicion in the small kingdom. Now that her soul was mostly healed, he could take her back to her clan.

"Forgive me. It's my fault that you suffered."

"What?" In all her years of existence, she never expected someone to apologize for all the things she experienced. Yes, she was tortured at that place but at that time, she had no concept of abuse.

It was a term only used on humans or animals. Even though she had a beating heart, she treated herself as a subhuman.

And now that she regained her memories of this world, she learned her birth parents already died years ago.

If this story was told to others, they would sigh at the tragedy of her life. But because of her circumstance, she couldn't tell whether she felt sad or if she even felt anything about it.

In short, she didn't see the need for apologies so her reaction was a bit too dull.

Qin Yu sighed. Being the only person who knew her special situation, he somewhat understood that she was at a loss.

It was really his fault. Because of his impulsive action to save her, he made her go through that hellish experience of being treated like a non-person. Now, the girl was having trouble figuring out basic human emotions.

Hong Chun was even more baffled when the being looked like he was in pain. She didn't know that Qin Yu was drowning in self-blame for the clueless woman.

Anyway, Qin Yu had made a decision some years ago. "Huang Qiaoli, you have received Qin Yu's eternal protection so you can rest assured."

She heard him claim this in an austere manner, not really realizing what it meant.