I will be stronger after the remake

The two carefully dug out a few bamboo shoots, picked fresh shepherd's purse by the stream, and caught a big carp. On their way back, the hospitable villagers gave them a basket of peaches, making it a truly fruitful trip.

As dusk deepened, red paper lanterns lit up the Peach Blossom Village.

Tang Ping and Yu Shujiang sat leaning against each other on the veranda, enjoying bamboo-stuffed bamboo shoots and peach blossom wine.

The moonlight, like silver, draped the distant hills in a light veil. A gentle breeze blew, and peach petals drifted lightly into the wine cup, adding to the poetic and picturesque scene.

Reflecting on her day, Tang Ping couldn't help but sigh that life in Peach Blossom Village perfectly matched the idyllic pastoral fantasies of the petit bourgeoisie.

Despite the lush vegetation, there are no mosquitoes, and the temperature is pleasant, neither too hot nor too cold. There is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, which do not follow their respective seasonal periods.

The village children were lively and polite, none of them were unruly. The villagers were warm and hospitable, simple and sincere, and neighbors loved each other and there was no scheming or fighting among them. This was the so-called utopian society.

"It's such a wonderful place. It makes you feel like you could live here forever," Tang Ping exclaimed.

"Yes, I wish I could live here forever! I wouldn't have to worry about the outside world, about monsters and psychics, I could just live my life happily..."

Yu Shujiang echoed the same sentiment, but her expression was exceptionally complex, a mixture of longing and distress, as if she were in the midst of a fierce internal struggle.

After hesitating for a long time, she poured Tang Ping a glass of wine and finally made a decision. With the resolve of someone about to sacrifice herself, she removed the still bright peach blossom from her hair and said with difficulty, "But what is fake is still fake."

"Hmm, how so?"

Tang Ping didn't show much surprise, because that sense of disharmony had been lingering in her mind.

Yu Shujiang shifted her body, leaving the chest that made her feel so safe, and created some distance between them, saying, "Because we are not lovers, nor are we eloping, and we have no intention of staying here."

"But why do you call me 'brother'? I don't seem to mind being addressed that way."

"Because you are my mother's godson..."

Yu Shujiang quickly explained the relationship between the two, and then talked about why she came to Peach Blossom Village, as well as what she saw and heard in the mythical ruins.

As Tang Ping listened to the story, he felt a sharp headache, but he forced himself to endure it and did not show it on his face. He discovered that his memory had changed again and had become completely consistent with what Yu Shujiang had said, with all the details matching up. On the contrary, his previous memory had many untenable and untenable parts.

By the time Yu Shujiang finished speaking, Tang Ping's memory had been corrected. He was covered in cold sweat and said with lingering fear, "It's really impossible to guard against. I never expected that the mythical relics derived from Peach Blossom Spring would be like this."

Upon closer reflection, it seems to fit the original work quite well.

In the original story, Peach Blossom Spring was not dangerous at all. There were no monsters or immortals there, and the villagers were all kind and simple. It was a utopian place.

Even if the fisherman broke his promise and revealed the location to outsiders, the only punishment he would receive would be that he could no longer find his way back to Peach Blossom Spring. There was no direct loss of benefit to him. The governor felt that he had been tricked and punished the fisherman in anger, but that was another matter.

From the villagers' perspective, their only wish is to keep the existence of Peach Blossom Spring a secret from outsiders. Therefore, the idea of ​​"altering the memories of outsiders so that they would voluntarily stay in the village" seems quite reasonable.

However, such bizarre methods could easily lead to being caught off guard if one did not have prior knowledge and precautions.

After figuring out the logic, Tang Ping asked curiously, "Your memory isn't affected?"

Yu Shujiang nodded and said, "Yes, it's probably because of the effects of psionic energy. I have a certain resistance to this."

Tang Ping immediately recalled that the other party possessed a psychic ability called "Unfettered," which had the effect of resisting control-type psychic abilities and being free from inner demons.

As for whether "modifying memories to make people voluntarily stay in Peach Blossom Village" belongs to the control system or a kind of inner demon, it is irrelevant, since it was resisted by Yu Shujiang's spiritual energy anyway.

“Now that you’ve regained your memories, let’s leave this place quickly,” Yu Shujiang said, standing up.

Tang Ping thought for a moment and calmly said, "No rush. Now that we understand the principle behind the mystery of Peach Blossom Spring, things have become simpler. Besides, you are unaffected."

"From the perspective of solving the mystery, the greatest danger of Peach Blossom Spring lies in the unknown. If you are not prepared, almost everyone will fall into the trap. But once you understand that the core of the other party is to tamper with memories, and that the tampered memories can be corrected by the correct memories, there is nothing to worry about."

"Moreover, although I think the reason why the fisherman in the original story could not find the way back to Peach Blossom Spring was because he broke his promise and told outsiders, it is ultimately just a guess. If the real reason is that 'once you leave Peach Blossom Village, you can never go back,' then our current actions are somewhat risky."

Yu Shujiang asked in confusion, "Even if we can never go back to Peach Blossom Village, there is wood, water and food outside. The living conditions are a bit tough, but they are not unbearable."

Tang Ping shook his head and said, "Who knows when we can go back? It's fine to stay in the wild for a day or two, but what if it drags on for a month or two? This kind of long-term wilderness life is not as simple as you imagine. If it were me, I could only ensure my own survival at most. I couldn't be as comfortable as I am now."

Yu Shujiang looked around and nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, living here is so convenient. Apart from not having mobile internet, the other conditions are comparable to the best farmhouses."

Tang Ping added, "The harsh living conditions are one factor, but there's another crucial point: if our departure from Peach Blossom Village is seen as a failure to solve the mystery, we might be ostracized from the mythical ruins."

"Leaving the mythical ruins... then we can go back, right?"

"The probability of returning to the Realm of Illusion is very small. Don't forget my previous deduction: this mythical ruin is still in its gestation stage and has not yet bordered the Realm of Illusion. Its exterior is likely a spatial rift. I have no confidence in surviving in that environment. Even though these are just speculations and there is no conclusive evidence, it concerns my own life. How can I gamble with that?"

Yu Shujiang nodded thoughtfully: "Indeed, preserving your life is the most important thing, so we will continue to stay here until we find a way to leave or are rescued. Until then, I will be responsible for reminding you to correct your memories every day."

"That's roughly it. Just in case, we'll write down the correct memories on paper as a kind of insurance, so that one day your psychic powers can't resist and your memories are altered like mine. Also, I've thought of a way to save myself."

Tang Ping took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and introduced it: "This is a pill that the organization rewarded me with to improve my spiritual power cultivation after I won the martial arts tournament last time. However, I haven't used it because it will cause drug resistance. I planned to use it to complete the final step when my cultivation is stuck or when I am close to the threshold of advancement. Now is undoubtedly the best time to use it. I plan to use the pill to break through to the third stage. Maybe then I will have a way to go back."

Reminded, Yu Shujiang's eyes lit up and she said, "Then I'll try to break through to the second stage. I had a vague feeling that I was getting closer and closer to the limit of the first stage. Maybe now is the opportunity to break through."

The two had reached an agreement to stay in Peach Blossom Village and, based on this, discussed several possible solutions.

late at night.

After taking a shower, Tang Ping and Yu Shujiang returned to their respective rooms to rest. Even though their memories had been altered during the day, making them believe they were a couple, Tang Ping still remembered Yu Shujiang's age. Therefore, they insisted on sleeping in separate rooms to avoid making a mistake.

Before going to bed, he first wrote down the correct memory on a piece of paper, and then wrote it again on the inside of his dragon skin coat. Still not satisfied, he transformed the Ruyi Iron into a weighted wristband and wrote it down in small characters on the wristband.

Having three burrows is the prudent choice.

Lying on the bed, Tang Ping closed his eyes, and the image of Yu Shujiang telling him the truth involuntarily replayed in his mind. If it weren't for those words, he would probably still be living in a false memory.

Honestly, he wasn't the kind of male protagonist in a light novel who was incredibly oblivious to feelings. Naturally, he sensed Yu Shujiang's affection for him during their daily interactions, but he never fell in love with her. He subconsciously treated her like a child, thinking that this feeling was a product of adolescence and shouldn't be taken seriously.

However, Yu Shujiang, who was clearly immersed in the fake relationship, ultimately chose to reveal the truth herself, which touched Tang Ping's heart.

Chapter 236 Love Poems

When Tang Ping woke up the next day, his memory had been altered again. This time, he didn't even talk to the village chief. He had just taken a nap and was now back to being the persona of "eloping with his girlfriend and wanting to stay here."

Yu Shujiang immediately communicated with him and corrected his memory.

"If Peach Blossom Spring matures and is embedded in the Illusionary Realm, it will be a completely harmless mythical relic. Although your memories will be altered, it will only allow you to stay and live a leisurely life without any harm. Moreover, the altered memories are easy to correct. Even if the first wave of people are all affected and fall into the trap, as long as other colleagues outside notice the anomaly, they can easily rescue them."

Tang Ping sighed inwardly, and at the same time understood why the lie-detecting device was ineffective against the village chief. It was because not only his own memories had been altered, but the memories of everyone in the village had been altered, and the village chief did not believe that he was lying.

Yu Shujiang said, "The situation in Peach Blossom Spring is actually quite dangerous now. We can't leave, and outsiders can't get in. Once everyone's memories are altered, they will be completely trapped in the village and become missing persons."

Tang Ping nodded: "We don't have a way to get out of here right now. We can only wait patiently for rescue. Although space-type psychics are very rare, our country is the world's strongest psychic organization, so there are still some of them. Now we can only hope that your identity will be exposed soon, so that the organization will take notice and gather experts to rescue us as soon as possible."

Yu Shujiang muttered, "I don't think it matters if I get rescued a little later. I quite like my current life, so I'll just treat it as a vacation."

Tang Ping glanced at her and felt that this girl was becoming more and more unscrupulous, as if the abacus beads were about to jump into his face.

But it's not entirely incomprehensible. When a man and a woman travel together alone, something is bound to happen. Because they are away from their usual environment and surrounded by strangers, they inevitably feel a sense of liberation and can let loose without restraint.

Tang Ping patiently instructed, "Although there is no way to escape for the time being, don't be idle. Take this opportunity to cultivate. I tested it last night and my spiritual power increased very quickly, faster than I used to cultivate. This shows that Peach Blossom Village is rich in spiritual energy and is a rare blessed land."

"I've always been puzzled by something: mythical relics all have rewards, such as the Arhat statue at Guiyuan Temple and the Treasure Basin in Yuanjiang. The former can improve your cultivation, and the latter gives you a magic weapon. But in 'The Peach Blossom Spring,' there is nothing that can be a reward. The fisherman who mistakenly entered Peach Blossom Village neither gained supernatural powers nor became stronger. He just had an experience. Therefore, I seriously suspect that the reward of Peach Blossom Spring is that you can increase your cultivation to the maximum efficiency by cultivating here."

"Of course, we can't draw conclusions after just one night of cultivation. We need to experience it for a longer period of time and consider all factors. In any case, improving our cultivation is definitely the right thing to do. When you and I advance to the next level, we might be able to obtain the spiritual energy to escape from here."

Yu Shujiang wasn't unhappy after hearing this, but said, "I'll listen to you. But you can't order takeout here, and there are no restaurants. If you want to eat, you have to cook for yourself. You can't spend all your time cultivating. In the end, someone still has to be responsible for maintaining daily life. Why don't you focus on improving your cultivation, and I'll take care of the housework? Anyway, even if I advance to the second stage, I won't see much improvement, but if you advance to the third stage, it will bring about earth-shattering changes. The third stage is a recognized watershed in the spiritual energy world."

Tang Ping asked skeptically, "Putting aside cleaning, can you even cook?"

"You underestimate me. Do you think I'm the kind of pampered young lady who doesn't know anything about farming or physical labor?"

"Eh, isn't it?"

Feeling slighted, Yu Shujiang said angrily, "I've learned a few cooking techniques from the nanny at home. I won't say they're incredibly delicious, but they're definitely palatable. You'll see in a bit."

Seeing her so confident, Tang Ping had some expectations, but then she saw Yu Shujiang run to Aunt Wang's house next door, clamoring for her to order some dishes, leaving her speechless.

Of course, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. There's no market here, and even though you can pick wild vegetables and fruits from the back mountain at will, it would take a lot of time. So, for the sake of efficiency, it's only natural for Yu Shujiang to ask the villagers for them directly.

Before long, Yu Shujiang returned from Aunt Wang's house with a large pile of bottles and jars. According to her, since everything in the mythical ruins was made up, there was no need to be polite. Besides, the villagers were set up to be incredibly generous and hospitable, giving whatever one wanted.

While Tang Ping was practicing her basic spiritual energy cultivation technique in the courtyard to digest the pills she had swallowed yesterday, she watched Yu Shujiang cook.

Yu Shujiang carefully tore the peach blossoms into small pieces and sprinkled them into the soaked glutinous rice. She then poured in a few spoonfuls of peach blossom honey made by the villagers and gently stirred it. The pink petals blended with the snow-white glutinous rice, and a sweet fragrance gradually filled the air.

Next, she took a bamboo steamer, lined it with fresh lotus leaves, carefully spread the mixed glutinous rice on the leaves, and then garnished it with a few red dates and a few green plums before steaming it.

Inside the stove, the firewood crackled and popped, casting a faint blush on Yu Shujiang's face.

While the rice was steaming, she scooped out a spoonful of osmanthus honey from the earthenware pot, mixed it with warm water, and then picked a few mint leaves and put them into a rough earthenware bowl. The moment the water was poured in, the mint leaves swirled and unfurled, blending with the amber-colored honey and releasing a refreshing fragrance.

After the soup had circulated through a full cycle, he smelled a unique aroma that was a mixture of the fragrance of glutinous rice, the sweetness of peach blossoms, and the freshness of lotus leaves. He opened his eyes and saw steam rising from the steamer, making his mouth water.

"dinner time!"

Yu Shujiang lifted the lid of the steamer. In the rising steam, the peach blossom sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves looked tempting, and red dates and green plums were sprinkled on top, just like an exquisite painting.

She ladled the steamed rice into a porcelain bowl, added a dish of crisp pickled bamboo shoots, and a bowl of warm osmanthus honey water, and gently placed it on the table.

Tang Ping picked up a mouthful of glutinous rice with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth and chewed. She immediately felt the soft and sticky rice grains melt between her teeth, with the sweetness of honey and the fragrance of peach blossoms. The fine petal fragments added a unique texture. With each chew, it was as if the fragrance of flowers bloomed on the tip of her tongue, while the fragrance of lotus leaves appeared and disappeared, which neutralized the sweetness and made her feel more and more flavorful as she chewed.

Just as he was about to take another bite, he suddenly felt a gaze full of eager anticipation fall on his face. He couldn't help but smile and praised, "Soft, sweet and fragrant but not greasy at all. The crispness of the petals, the softness of the glutinous rice, the richness of the honey, and the freshness of the lotus leaf are all melted in one bite. It is indeed very good. I underestimated you."

In fact, Tang Ping felt that the deliciousness was 80% due to the ingredients themselves, and the remaining 20% ​​was due to the chef honestly following the recipe without making any whimsical adjustments. However, he was not without emotional intelligence and knew that he should encourage and affirm the chef in the meantime.

Sure enough, upon hearing the praise, Yu Shujiang chuckled foolishly twice, then immediately put on a serious face and said proudly, "Now you know I'm a good woman who can grace the living room and cook in the kitchen."

Tang Ping glanced at the other person but didn't say anything in agreement. She simply ate her meal in silence, quickly organizing her thoughts.

Yu Shujiang was slightly disappointed that she didn't receive the criticism she had expected, but when she looked up and saw Tang Ping enjoying the breakfast she had made herself, she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

After finishing her meal, Tang Ping did not continue her cultivation. Instead, she returned to her room, found a piece of silk cloth, wrote a few lines on it, and then handed it to Yu Shujiang, who was clearing away the dishes.

"Brother, you didn't write me a love letter, did you? Haha, could it be that what they say in the book is true, that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?"

Yu Shujiang chuckled, though she didn't actually think in that direction at all.

Tang Ping thought for a moment and said, "In a sense, yes."

"Ah, it really is a love letter!"

Yu Shujiang's expression changed drastically. She hastily wiped her wet hands on her trousers, then impatiently unfolded the silk cloth, only to find a poem written on it:

"Peach blossoms, glistening with dew, open the window at dawn; delicate hands prepare the soup, plucking rosy cheeks. Glutinous rice is kneaded until fragrant, then tinged with honey; green plums adorn the lotus leaves. The stove fire illuminates the beautiful face; clear spring water permeates the fragrant osmanthus wine. The delicacies stand before the table to greet the sunrise, awaiting the arrival of my beloved."

As a top student, Yu Shujiang was not so bad as to be unable to understand even this little bit of information. Her ear tips quickly turned crimson, and the loose strands of hair at her temples slipped down as she lowered her head, half-covering her flushed cheeks.

"Brother, how come you're so good at flirting!" Yu Shujiang stamped her foot and scolded, "You haven't regained your memories yet, have you?"

Tang Ping dismissed it, saying, "I just wrote you a poem full of flowery language, and the wording is quite subtle. It's hardly flirtatious."

"You're already quite good at it. Luckily, I'm not an artsy young woman, otherwise I would definitely be moved. You should go practice now and don't bother me while I'm washing the dishes."

Yu Shujiang, half embarrassed and half annoyed, pushed Tang Ping out of the kitchen and continued washing the kitchen utensils.

But she stopped after washing for a while, secretly took out the silk cloth to look at the poem on it, and couldn't help but giggle. After laughing, she continued washing, but after washing for a short time, she couldn't help but take it out to look at it again.

It took Yu Shujiang a full half hour to come out of the kitchen. She went to the courtyard and saw Tang Ping meditating. She wondered, "I wonder if there is an ice cellar in the village. Maybe we can get some cold drinks."

……

Tang Ping and Yu Shujiang settled down in Peach Blossom Village. Every morning when they woke up, Yu Shujiang would correct Tang Ping's memories, but in front of the other villagers, the two still maintained the appearance of a couple and did not reveal the truth to provoke them.

Yu Shujiang's cooking skills were actually quite average, but the ingredients in Peach Blossom Village were truly outstanding. Even with simple cooking, she could make delicious dishes. She also enjoyed doing chores and other trivial matters, and when talking with the villagers, she acted as the hostess.

After absorbing the medicinal power of the second pill, Tang Ping felt that his spiritual power cultivation was about to reach the upper limit of the second stage. As long as he swallowed the third pill, he could try to break through and advance.

The key to reaching the goal so quickly lies in the deep accumulation of past experience.

When the spider demon was converted, the progress of the transformation was already nearly halfway done. After that, the Dragon King of Qiantang was released to boost the process, and there were two more interactions with the Arhat statues.

It can be said that his acting relies mainly on tricks, and the degree of acting he achieves through honest and down-to-earth good deeds is at most only about 10%.

Because continuous consumption of pills could easily increase drug resistance, Tang Ping originally planned to take a break for a while. After all, life in Peach Blossom Village was free of mental strain and could easily lead to addiction. But just then, an anomaly occurred.

"Someone's been eaten!"

Tang Ping and Yu Shujiang exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with disbelief, after hearing the news from Aunt Wang.

Why are there horror elements in Peach Blossom Spring? This wasn't mentioned in the original text!

The two rushed to the village entrance, where they found an old woman slumped to the ground, her bamboo basket overturned beside her, tender bamboo shoots scattered everywhere. She was trembling, her eyes wide open, muttering repeatedly, "Monster...a monster...Ah Fu has been eaten..."

The villagers watching were filled with fear and confusion, clearly not including this plot point in their basic logic.

Just then, a boy covered in mud rushed out from the edge of the peach grove. His thin body trembled violently, and his eyes were filled with fear and despair. He clutched the village chief's clothes tightly, and cried out in a broken voice, "I saw a monster! It was a big bird! It... it had fiery wings bigger than a house! Its face was like a stone scorched by fire, its eyes were two bloody holes, and its claws were thicker than the locust tree at the village entrance. It tore Afu to pieces in one go and then swallowed him!"

These words were like a thunderclap, silencing the clamor of panic for a moment. Then, the panicked cries erupted even more shrilly. The villagers looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief and a deeper fear.

Someone asked, trembling, "Is there really such a huge monster?"

Many people tried to get more details from the boy, but he was already sobbing uncontrollably, only repeating "fire wings" and "bloody eyes".

After listening, Tang Ping and Yu Shujiang already had their answers.

"It was Cao Poshi; he was indeed drawn into Peach Blossom Spring."