Chapter 33: Piercing the Veil of the Past

The little panda transformed into a young girl, standing deep within the alleyway with a black stray cat cradled in her arms, calmly observing the two shifty figures at the entrance.

The black cat tilted its head, stole a glance at the young Mo Jin, and then leaped down from her arms. With a soft mew, it ran ahead of the duo, stopping to look up at them curiously.

Zuo Si rubbed his nose, speaking with a fierce tone, “Heh, it’s that stray cat again. Filthy thing, get the hell away from me.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he raised his foot and kicked out viciously.

He missed. The stray cat leaped forward, swiftly dodging the blow. Seeing his kick fail, Zuo Si grew exasperated and followed up with a wild swing of his steel pipe.

The cat couldn’t see what was behind it. The sudden, incoming steel pipe scraped heavily against its fur.

“Meow!”

The black cat collapsed to the ground in terror, completely motionless.

Wang Ming was startled and barked crossly, “What the hell are you doing? Why are you hitting a cat for no reason? What if someone sees us and—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Wang Ming felt his throat suddenly tighten, as if a massive hand had clamped down on his windpipe, cutting off his breath entirely.

With a heavy thud, the steel pipe slipped from his fingers, rolling across the ground.

The two boys were violently dragged into the deep recesses of the alley. Seeing a colossal shadow of a bear cast upon the wall, their bodies shook like chaff, and the terror in their hearts was magnified to its absolute limit. Their necks were gripped tightly, and their limbs grew rigid and immobile. They could only watch helplessly as the massive bear shadow slowly drew closer.

Zuo Si instantly wet his pants in pure terror. This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on a bear so massive. He had heard that wild bears ate people alive!

Just then, a crisp set of footsteps echoed from the entrance of the alley, drawing closer.

Mo Jin’s face was frost-cold, a sharp glint flashing across her eyes. Releasing her grip on their throats, she seized the duo by their collars and slammed them hard against the adjacent wall.

With a dull thud, the two crumpled to the ground.

They coughed up blood, their bones feeling as though they had been shattered to pieces. Their ears rang with a deafening buzz, completely frightened out of their wits. Scrambling up from the ground like they had seen a ghost, they fled the alleyway in sheer panic.

The young Mo Jin walked over, bent down, and gathered the limp, soft form of the black stray cat into her arms.

Passing by the entrance of the alley, the young Lin Mo heard the commotion inside. She tightened her grip on her schoolbag straps, paused, and turned her head to look. Two figures were crawling and scrambling out of the darkness in complete disarray.

The little Lin Mo was a bit dazed. Why do those two look like they’ve just seen a ghost?

She peered deeper into the alley, where an exceptionally beautiful young girl stood holding a little black cat, her fingers gently stroking its head. The little Lin Mo clutched her chest; she had truly never seen such a beautiful girl before.

Unable to resist, she stepped into the deep alley and walked up to the girl’s side. The little black cat was curled into a ball, letting out weak, intermittent whimpers.

Sensing someone approaching, the young Mo Jin raised her head. Her rosy lips parted slightly, and her fingers stilled as she froze on the spot.

The little Lin Mo lowered her head to look at the black cat, asking in a soft voice, “Is it hurt?”

Mo Jin’s eyes held a complex emotion, and she offered no answer.

“Can I hold it?” The little Lin Mo tugged at her schoolbag strap, her voice gentle and laced with a hint of nervousness.

Cradling the little wild cat, Mo Jin handed it over to Lin Mo.

The little Lin Mo stroked the black cat’s head, her tone filled with pity, “What a poor little kitty. Let’s take it to the vet. There’s a veterinary clinic right next to our orphanage, we can take the kitty there together.”

She looked up slightly, noticing that Mo Jin’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears, the rims faintly flushed. Assuming that Mo Jin was crying because the cat was injured, she quickly comforted her, “Why are you crying? It’s okay, the kitty will definitely be cured.”

Mo Jin remained silent, staring straight at Lin Mo as tears began to fall in cascades.

The little Lin Mo gave Mo Jin a brief hug, patting her back with one hand while soothing her softly, “It’s alright, it’s alright, the kitty will definitely get better. Let me take you to find the vet right now, okay?”

She took hold of Mo Jin’s hand, pulling her along to move forward.

However, Mo Jin stayed rooted to the spot, refusing to follow her.

The little Lin Mo showed a look of confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Mo Jin pursed her lips. “Are you willing to return to the valley with me?”

“The valley?” The little Lin Mo’s mind spun, and she asked blankly, “Which valley?”

Mo Jin’s delicate features softened, her eyes reflecting a brilliance akin to shifting stars. “There is a vast bamboo forest, and there is a panda inside. Just you and me.”

The little Lin Mo tightened her grip on her schoolbag straps, glancing back at the bag on her shoulders. “But I still have to go to school. I can’t go to the place you mentioned.”

“You used to always live in that valley.”

The little Lin Mo shook her head, saying with a lack of confidence, “No, I’ve grown up in the orphanage since I was small. I’ve never been to the valley you’re talking about.”

A trace of disappointment surfaced in Mo Jin’s eyes. She took the little cat back into her arms, took a step back, and turned to walk away. The little Lin Mo stood frozen in place, her lips moving as if she wanted to speak, but no words came out.

The viewing Lin Mo thoroughly came to an understanding. It was her—Mo Jin had indeed spoken to her back then. Yet those memories had completely vanished; when she first saw these scenes, they had only felt vaguely familiar.

Now, the forgotten memories in her mind were flooding back.

When she was a child, she had a peculiar interest in plants. Whenever she saw thick, colossal trees, she couldn’t help but run over and hug them, and those trees would invariably grow even more lush and green.

When she basked in the sun alongside withered potted plants, they would miraculously spring back to life.

Whenever she stayed up late at night, a cluster of fallen leaves would inexplicably appear on her pillow the next morning.

During the frequent rains of spring and summer, her hair would grow at an astronomical speed, forcing her to cut it every single day.

After reaching adulthood, she had somehow forgotten these occurrences entirely, unable to recall a single fragment, as if she had suffered from a bout of amnesia.

It turned out that her childhood differed from other children because she wasn’t human to begin with.

She had inadvertently stumbled into the human world and lived as an ordinary human. In reality, it was Mo Jin who had been silently guarding her from behind all along. Without Mo Jin, she would have died a myriad of deaths. Even if she had survived, she would likely have been branded a monster and captured to be dissected as a specimen for research.

Fortunately, after many twists and turns, she was specially recruited into the Maolin Academy and encountered Mo Jin once again. Perhaps all of this was destined by fate in the grand tapestry of things.

The only thing she worried about now was whether she would suffer from amnesia again and completely forget this entire experience. Although the duration of the internship was brief, the time she spent living with Mo Jin day and night was truly beautiful, and she couldn’t bear to lose it.

Lin Mo kept her eyes closed, her long eyelashes trembling uncontrollably while her lips twitched slightly. Two faint tear tracks quietly slid down her face.

Clenching her fists, Lin Mo reopened her eyes, her gaze turning firm once more. As long as she worked together with Mo Jin to find a solution, they would definitely be able to overcome this amnesia.