Morning light had just filtered into the ruined temple. Wind blew through the gaps in the broken walls, sweeping up the ashes on the ground. I was still lying on the bed with my back to the door, my right hand pressed beneath the pillow.
The jade pendant was still there.
My fingertips touched its icy edge, and I slowly drew it out. Faint light glimmered across its mottled surface. The words "Guard Heart" were carved deep and steady. When I turned it over, the two characters "Qingwan" on the back were as fine as hairs, yet clearly visible, as though they had been chiseled in stroke by stroke with every ounce of strength.
She had come last night.
It had not been a dream, nor an illusion. The scent of medicine mingled with an exceedingly faint trace of Blood Qi still lingered on the jade. It was her aura, unique and unmistakable.
I stared at those two words for a long time. Then an unfamiliar stirring suddenly welled up in my throat. It was neither pain nor joy, but like a stone that had lain submerged for three years finally being fished from the depths, sending ripples across the water as it broke the surface.
At that moment, a thought silently surfaced in my mind—
"Host emotional fluctuation detected. Heaven-Slaying Origin absorption efficiency increased by 17%."
I paused.
The system had never given feedback because of emotional changes. All these years, I had accumulated Origin through endurance and traded suppression for growth. The quieter I was, the stronger I became. Yet now, because of a jade pendant and two names, it had actually taken the initiative to announce an increase.
So... having one's heart moved could strengthen one's power too.
I gave a low laugh, sat up, and tucked the jade pendant close against my chest. As the cloth brushed against it, that trace of coolness rested against my heart and was slowly warmed by my body heat.
I took out a green Jade Slip from my sleeve. Its edges had long been polished smooth, and the name "Wuchen" had been carved into it with an exceedingly fine blade, every stroke uniform in depth. I did not know how many times it had been traced over. I had carried this thing with me for more than a month. I had thought it might never be of use, but now, it was time to return it to its rightful owner.
I rose and pushed open the temple doors. The morning mist had yet to disperse, and the distant mountain forest was a hazy outline. I sprang into the air, and after several leaps, left the barren slope behind, heading toward the southern part of the city.
Ye Qingwan's small courtyard lay in a secluded corner of a Ji Clan branch compound, beside a narrow alley rarely visited by anyone. I landed on the roof, lifted a tile, and saw her sleeping on her side, the blanket pulled up to her shoulders, her breathing calm and even. Her brows were faintly furrowed, as though residual power still lingered in her meridians and had yet to dissipate. Even in sleep, she was regulating her breath.
I did not disturb her. I lightly jumped down and entered through the window.
The room was simply furnished. Medicine pouches hung at the head of the bed, the Green Jade Medicine Pestle rested on the table, and half a sheet of Talisman Paper lay spread out nearby, its ink not yet dry. I walked to the bed, lifted her pillow, and placed the Jade Slip beneath it, pressing it right over the mark her palm had once left behind.
Just as I was about to leave, she suddenly spoke softly. "...Is that you?"
My steps halted. I turned and leaned against the window frame, casually pulled a Spirit Fruit from my robes, and took a bite. My voice was slightly hoarse. "I accepted Miss Ye's jade pendant."
She did not move or open her eyes. Her fingers merely slipped quietly beneath the pillow. When they touched that cool piece of jade, her fingertips paused almost imperceptibly.
After a moment, she said in a low voice, "Three months from now, don't lose."
I bit down on the last mouthful of fruit and flicked the core out the window. "If I win, you'll tell me the secret my mother left with you." After a pause, I added, "As for me... sooner or later, you'll know everything."
With that, I flipped out through the window, my figure melting into the morning light.
Back at my residence, I shut the door and leaned against the wall, closing my eyes to regulate my breathing. The Heaven-Slaying Origin within me circulated smoothly, a fraction faster than usual, as though the sluggishness left behind by last night's Lightning Tribulation had been smoothed away by some invisible force. It was neither a breakthrough brought about by battle nor the result of converting Calamity Qi. It felt more like an inner resonance, quietly changing my foundation.
The system gave no further prompt, but I knew that exchange just now had not merely been one of tokens. Something deeper had been ignited.
I raised a hand and pressed it to my chest. The warmth of the jade pendant still lingered there.
She had given me "Guard Heart" because she had seen through my disguise and caught my lonely coldness. And I had returned "Wuchen" to her, not to answer her feelings, but to make a promise I would never retreat from—I would protect this sentiment, even if I had to keep my edge hidden, even if I had to lie low for another three years.
So long as she was still waiting.
Just after noon, I was practicing martial arts in the courtyard. My movements were slow yet steady, each stance drawing forth the undercurrent of Origin within me. Afu knocked outside, keeping his voice very low. "Young Master, City Lord Yan has sent an invitation. The secret realm tournament will begin in three days, and the younger generation of every clan must attend."
I did not stop moving. I merely nodded.
"And... Miss Hongxiu secretly slipped me a note. She said it was for Miss Ye." He paused. "She said that lately, people have been prowling around the alley at night. It looks like they're coming for us."
I withdrew my stance and slowly raised my palm upward. A wisp of pale golden light flowed between my fingers before vanishing.
"Understood."
That evening, I visited the apothecary and bought some Calming Pills and Vein-Strengthening Powder, packing them into a small porcelain bottle. By the time I passed Ye Qingwan's courtyard, the sky had already darkened. The courtyard gate was tightly shut. Just as I was about to leave, the door opened a crack from within.
She stood in the shadows, a Black Cloak draped over her shoulders, the ends of her hair faintly tinged crimson.
"I received the Jade Slip." She looked at me, her tone calm. "When did you prepare it?"
"A long time ago," I said. "I just never had the chance to give it to you."
She lowered her head to look at the porcelain bottle in her hand. I had just set it outside the door. "You knew I didn't sleep well last night too?"
"Your brows have been furrowed the whole time," I answered. "And your left pinky has kept trembling. That's a sign that your Spiritual Power is flowing in reverse."
She gave a cold laugh. "You observed quite carefully."
"It wasn't observation," I said. "I remembered."
She raised her eyes to look at me, and something stirred in her gaze.
Neither of us spoke again. The night breeze brushed through the locust tree in front of the courtyard, and its leaves rustled. A few barks sounded in the distance before silence returned once more.
At last, she said, "At the tournament, I don't need you protecting me."
"I know." I nodded. "But if you're in danger, I'll act."
"Even if it exposes you?"
"Even if it does," I said. "Some things are more important than lying low."
She stared at me for a long time. Then she suddenly raised her hand, took the porcelain bottle, and turned to go inside. Just as the door was about to close, she left behind one sentence. "Don't die before the tournament."
The door shut.
I stood where I was, and the corners of my mouth slowly lifted.
On the way back to the residence, the last streak of sunset vanished from the horizon. I walked down the long street and turned into a side alley when my steps suddenly halted.
There was a trail of wet marks on the stone-paved road ahead, as though water had just been splashed there. But it had not rained today. I crouched down, lightly touched the ground with my fingertips, then brought the moisture to my nose.
It was not water.
It was blood.
The scent was extremely faint, nearly impossible to detect. If I had not been especially sensitive to the smell of blood, I would never have noticed it. Someone had deliberately wiped away this blood, then scattered medicinal powder over it to conceal its aura. Unless one carefully distinguished it by following the wind, it would have looked like nothing more than an ordinary stain.
I rose to my feet, my gaze turning cold.
Someone had been here.
More than one person. At least three, and their cultivation was not low. They had moved in haste. They had gone to Ye Qingwan's courtyard, stayed no longer than ten breaths, then swiftly withdrawn along a route leading straight out of the city.
I clenched my fist, and a glimmer of golden light surfaced in my palm.
The system quietly began operating, and the Heaven-Slaying Origin started gathering at an accelerated pace.
Not because of anger, nor because of danger, but because—
Someone wanted to harm her.
And I had just promised myself that I would not let her face wind and rain alone again.
I turned back, quickening my pace. The night deepened, and lanterns along both sides of the street lit up one after another, illuminating my advancing figure.
When I was still fifty steps away from her courtyard, I heard an exceedingly faint sound of someone stepping on roof tiles.
Someone was up there.
I stopped and looked up.
The tiles were silent. No figure appeared.
But I knew he had come.
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