Chen Chuan sat quietly as scene after scene, half-real and half-illusory, drifted before his eyes—all of them memories stored within that vial of memory potion.
Under normal circumstances, the effects of this potion surfaced only during deep sleep or when his mind was sufficiently relaxed.
Previously, however, to break through to higher limits, he had remained entirely focused on his mental cultivation, substituting meditation for sleep almost completely. During that period, events had arrived one after another in rapid succession, leaving him no room to unwind, so these things—which could easily cause distractions—had never surfaced.
Now, though, he had broken through to the Fourth Limit and become a martial artist. In Jibei Dao Center City alone, very few could pose any threat to him, and the urgency in his cultivation had eased for the time being. At this moment of complete physical and mental relaxation, the memories left behind by his original body's mother began to surface one by one from the depths of his mind.
In the past, the transmission of these memories had been elusive and disjointed. Triggered either by certain thoughts, feelings, or familiar sights, the corresponding memories would follow, something he could not fully control.
Examining them now with his current strength, there were no longer any obstacles or limitations. Following his body's transformation and the vast elevation of his mental power, his awareness and mastery over his own physical vessel completely surpassed what he had once been capable of.
Now, with a shift of his consciousness, everything—both what had appeared before and what had not—surged forth. They wove together around him in vibrant detail, only to be neatly sorted by his will, arranged into chronological order, and examined one by one.
After watching all of these memories, he had a general grasp of what they contained.
Much of it chronicled his mother's experiences and adventures during her youth, including some matters around the time he was born, as well as extensive training methods and techniques for martial arts. For his original body, this latter part was undoubtedly the most precious.
Another portion concerned later events and the origins of these potions. However, there was not much of this; there were no visual scenes, only her own spoken account.
Overall, most of the memories were warm and fond, like parents recounting youthful adventures and stories to their child while passing along some martial arts knowledge along the way. As for anything dark or distressing, it seemed she had been reluctant to show it directly to her child, deliberately softening those parts.
From this, he also realized that the contents were incomplete. It was not out of deliberate secrecy; from every indication, his parents had simply wished to keep their child from being drawn into certain conflicts, while still ensuring he would not be completely ignorant of lurking crises and enemies. Thus, they had handled it this way.
He noticed that whenever events reached a critical turn, a brown-haired woman would inevitably appear. It could be said that this woman was the root of everything that later befell his parents.
Her background was extraordinary. At the time, his mother had accompanied her as a member of her security detail. Though no explicit mention was made, he could piece together the woman's likely identity from scattered clues and passing remarks.
Opening his eyes, he said, "Andun, pull up the records for Yuanren Company's past and present senior executives and their relatives. I need detailed files covering the period between twenty and thirty years ago."
"Andun acknowledges. Accessing database to retrieve files. Viewing requires authorization... Authorization granted..."
While the files were being retrieved, a block of text first appeared on his boundary credential, presenting a brief introduction to Yuanren Company.
The company was founded in the Western Continent nation of Narbo by its first-generation founder, Gao Weishen, and possessed a corporate history spanning one hundred and ninety years.
This branch of the Gao family originally hailed from the Eastern Continent and shared blood ties with the imperial lineage of the former imperial house.
Two hundred years ago, after losing a political struggle, this branch had fled into exile on the Western Continent, where the reigning Western Continent emperor, Legar III, conferred upon them the title of Marquis of Etoile. There they put down roots, multiplying and prospering. Leveraging their deep, tangled connections with the Eastern Continent, they built lucrative transoceanic trade networks and engaged in human trafficking.
Yet despite living in a foreign land, the Gao family—or the Etoile family—placed supreme importance on their lineage. Their direct line almost never intermarried with nobility outside the Eastern Continent. As a result, the ruling family retained pure Eastern Continental physical features to this day, without any mixed heritage.
One hundred and fifty years ago, with the advent of high-energy algae and advancing technology, all former empires across the globe were plunged into turmoil. The main branch of the Gao family relocated to the Ying Continent. They had provided financial backing during the founding of the Linax Federation, and after joining, actively took part in expansionist frontier wars, securing a pivotal position within the federation.
Today, the Linax Federation comprised eighty-two states. Among the five largest was Titlan-Heimer State, once a sacred ground of the First People, now entirely ruled by the Gao family. The headquarters of Yuanren Company was situated right here.
During the Grand Alliance era, center cities were constructed worldwide to form the Ring of the World. The Etoile-Yuanren Company joined as a major power, sharing and seizing vast amounts of technology and research achievements. Following the collapse of the Grand Alliance, it leaped to prominence as a global megacorporation.
Nearly all of this was public information; the Disposal Bureau's records were only slightly more detailed than what was publicly available, though deeply confidential internal data was likewise missing.
Just then, Andun's voice sounded: "Supervisor Chen, the information you requested has been retrieved."
Chen Chuan glanced at the display on the screen. Between thirty and twenty years ago, the head of Yuanren Company had been Gao Lun, a sixth-generation descendant of the Etoile-Gaos. He had two sons and one daughter: his eldest son Gao Xinjian, second son Gao Xinwen, and third child, his daughter Gao Yuling.
Advanced in age, Gao Lun had long since stepped down behind the scenes. The current head of the conglomerate was his eldest son, Gao Xinjian, who oversaw and managed domestic operations, while the second son, Gao Xinwen, was responsible for overseas expansion.
His daughter Gao Yuling had vanished over a decade ago. It was said that she went missing along with her security personnel during a foreign trip, and was now presumed dead.
This incident had not caused much of a stir at the time, because succession in Yuanren Company adhered to ancient Eastern Continental traditions, passing exclusively through male heirs. Her disappearance had no bearing on the power structure of Yuanren Company itself.
Chen Chuan turned it over in his mind. *Over a decade ago...*
Although there was no specific date, it was strikingly close to the period when his parents had vanished.
He asked, "Andun, do you have a photograph or detailed profile of Gao Yuling?"
Andun replied, "Because direct-line members of the Etoile-Gao family almost never make public appearances and maintain stringent control over information, there are no detailed files. There is only an unverified photograph, suspected to be Gao Yuling at twelve years old."
Chen Chuan said, "Bring it up for me to see."
A photograph immediately appeared on his boundary credential. It was a shot taken at an amusement park, likely a selfie from some tycoon's cruise trip; two young girls in the background were waving at seabirds wheeling in the distance.
One was clearly the tycoon's daughter, bearing a ninety percent resemblance in build and facial features. The other showed only a hint of her profile, but had flowing light-brown hair.
Chen Chuan gazed closely at it. The woman in the memory potion also had light-brown hair. Although a profile and hair color alone were not enough to confirm her identity, still...
He looked at the girl's raised arm and fingers. Certain physical characteristics could not be altered without implants. Comparing them with the woman in his memories and combining that with the clues he had gathered, he could determine that this was almost certainly the same person.
If the identity of the person shown in this photograph was correct, then that woman was Gao Yuling.
He pondered the matter. Gao Yuling's disappearance was suspicious. It was hard to imagine a child of the Gao family vanishing so inexplicably. Following ordinary logic, business rivalries and internal family struggles were likely involved.
If so, had his parents been swept up in it because of that?
For a clear period, his mother, Yu Zhen, had been responsible for Gao Yuling's security during her travels in Great Shun, and the two had appeared to share a good relationship. Hints within the memories also pointed toward Yuanren Company.
Supposing that was true, was the death of his predecessor somehow connected? When his predecessor died, a good five or six years had passed since that time. Could there really be any connection across such a long interval?
He considered it further. As things stood, clues were still scarce. Key pieces of information were missing—for instance, what that vial of red medicine actually was had never been stated outright in the memories.
The reason for this was likely that a key figure was missing from the equation.
From various circumstances and the information left behind, his parents had evidently found him a mentor at the time.
This mentor was supposed to take him to Center City after his parents departed. Following that, barring any mishaps, he would use clues left in the apartment to retrieve the memory potions stored at Wansheng Financial Firm, discover various martial training techniques within them, and step onto the path of a fighter.
Yet this mentor had never appeared. His original body had remained in Yangzhi City all along, charting an entirely different trajectory in life until his own arrival.
And many things were likely known only to that person.
Though he did not know who this person was, they had to be someone his parents trusted deeply—quite possibly a fellow disciple or senior of his mother, Yu Zhen.
He recalled that his mother's master had been Old Lady Ni's junior martial sister, who had also appeared in the memory potion and was likely a third-limit fighter. Perhaps clues could be found in that direction.
He waved his hand, and the display on his boundary credential vanished.
He leaned back on the sofa, his deep, calm gaze fixed on the sky beyond the window.
In the past, when he lacked sufficient strength, even if he learned of these matters, he could only set them aside. But now that he was a martial artist with ample power to protect himself, it was time to find an opportunity to uncover the truth behind it all.
Chapter 791