260 Ch. 260 'Xiao Yang's Birth Mother'

On the way to the border, Edward turned on the hologram device, displaying a picture of a beast. Richard had never seen a creature like this. The head was like a bear but had long ears like a rabbit.

Its body shape looked like a lion, yet at the same time looked like a snake because of its long size. Its legs were so short, like a crocodile, that it confused Richard what kind of animal it was.

"What animal is this? It looks like a bear or a lion, but its body is very long like a snake."

"I have no idea. They just call it a monster, and this creature has eaten dozens of humans and devoured a farm in a village.

"How big is it?"

"I'm not sure. Some say it is as tall as an ordinary tree, and some say it is as tall as a human."

"What an untrustworthy informant."

Edward gave a small chuckle at that. "Well, luckily, we will be with two Elementalist Knights, so there is nothing to worry about."

"Isn't Hokuto strong enough to face a monster like this?"

"Hm. If only this creature had only one fundamental element, maybe Hokuto could fight it."

"This monster has more than one element?"

"Beat me. Its elements are lightning and water. And its weakness is the fire element, that's why Hokuto needs our help."

Richard nodded understandingly at this. Well, even though Hokuto didn't need them, he would still go to the South. It had been almost a year since he had seen his sister, and he wanted to see her face so badly.

Both Richard and Edward decided to use an express train to get to their destination quicker than the regular train. They could have used the sky train, which was ten times faster, but the train tickets were costly, and both of them had to rethink buying sky train tickets.

Because of their tight wallet, they preferred to take the regular train but picked the train with the highest speed.

They would arrive at the border between the South and East in a few days, and the two of them sleep on the train at nightfall.

That night, Richard dreamed that he was standing on a vast hill with views of the city below. He looked at his hands as he frowned and then glanced around him.

He wondered, where is this? What place is this? And what was even more strange, he didn't even remember his own name.

'Yang'er…'

Reflexively, Richard turned his head towards the source of the voice calling him. However, he saw no one and only felt a gust of wind hitting his body.

Yang'er? Is that her name?

Strangely, he felt that Yang'er was indeed his name, but at the same time, that name was not his.

'Yang'er, come here…' The voice called out to him once more, and his footsteps followed the sound. He walked through the open field into the forest where the trees gathered.

It was then that Richard saw a woman dressed as a nobleman appear from behind a tree.

Her black hair was wavy to the knees, and her clothes were decorated with golden floral ornaments on the cuffs and her skirt. A small tiara with various diamonds adorning her head, making him immediately recognize the woman's identity.

The lady was a royal princess.

It's just… somehow, Richard felt he recognized the lady?

"Yang'er," called the woman again while giving a faint smile making his heart feel warm.

Who? Who is this woman?

Richard stopped in his tracks when he saw the woman extend a hand toward him. He neither avoided nor felt suspicious when the woman walked over to him.

"Yang'er, you're a big boy now. I've wanted to see you for a long time."

Richard frowned at this. Did he ever meet this lady when he was a child?

He almost laughed sarcastically at the thought of the previous possibility. He didn't even remember who he was. How could he remember his childhood?

Richard remained frozen in place even as the woman arrived right in front of him. One hand of the woman rose and touched his cheek, making Richard gasp as he felt an electric shock run through his brain.

Instantly, a memory that had been locked for a long time in his brain opened, and Richard's pair of black eyes looked towards the woman with a look of emotion and longing.

"A... Aunt Xiao Hua."

Xiao Hua smiled softly as her nephew finally remembered. "Now you have gotten stronger. Take it easy. As promised, I will return your true power."

"No. I should have…"

"Shh. It's okay. Everything will be fine. "

Richard walked backward, making Xiao Hua's hand no longer touch his cheek. "Yang'er?"

"You guys tricked me. Ling Duan sealed my memory. I…" Richard held his head and tried to dig into his other memories as he closed his eyes to reduce the pain in his head.

"Yang'er," called Xiao Hua again in a gloomy tone.

"I'm not Xiao Yue's real brother. I am her cousin." Richard opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Hua with a complicated feeling.

He didn't know whether he hated this woman for taking advantage of her or had his feelings of longing and affection masked his hatred.

"You are my biological mother," whispered Richard with pain. "You left me to Xiao Feng just so that I became Xiao Yue's mo spirit. You all take advantage of me."

"But you have accepted it. You remember it, and you love Yue'er."

"And you take advantage of my affection for her."

"Yang'er," Xiao Hua stepped forward, but Richard walked backward to avoid her. "Am I too fast? But... you almost come to age. I'm sorry. I should wait a few more days." Xiao Hua raised a hand to re-seal Richard's memory.

Richard broke out in a cold sweat when he learned of the plan that the woman was doing, and he was about to prevent it, "Wait!!"

And just then, Richard awoke from his dream, groaning dizzy and massaging his forehead.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Edward, who was awakened by the sound of Richard's screaming.

When Richard shouted 'Wait!!' unconsciously, his physical body also yelled the same thing, waking Edward and several other passengers.

"I am fine."

After confirming that his co-partner was okay, Edward went back to sleep, followed by the other passengers.

On the other hand, Richard tried to remember what he had just seen. He was sure he was dreaming and meeting someone, but he couldn't remember it at all.

Surprisingly, his heart ached as if someone precious had betrayed him and stabbed him in the back.

Richard turned to the window, and his gaze stared at the passing trees rapidly, thinking of a name.

Xiao Hua.

Surprisingly, he could remember the name but couldn't remember who or what is the person to him.