You Owe Me One, Pay It Back in the Next Life.

October, 1113.

Autumn has arrived at Mount Taixu. A woman in white looks out from the pavilion. The sea of clouds in the distance reflects the withered yellow leaves that have swept in from nowhere, like the background of a painting, making the landscape even more vivid.

The nineteen-year-old Courtesan already possessed a charm that surpassed her previous ones. Her naturally melancholic eyes, unadorned yet gazing at the scene that resembled butterflies fluttering among withered leaves, exuded a captivating allure that made one want to soothe her sorrow.

Li Shishi's white dress was simple and plain, with only light-colored cloud patterns interwoven on the silk cuffs as embellishments. Compared to the bright red dresses of the past, which were as vibrant as peonies, her temperament was more elegant, making her appear even more delicate and pitiful.

A woman with a straight back and dignified posture, even when she looks down in a daze, can reveal a deep-rooted resilience, which is obviously very different from the beginning, and has gained a calmness that has been tempered by the world.

However, perhaps because she was preoccupied with her own thoughts, her complexion was not very good. Her lips were not adorned with lip rouge and were pale in color. She was surrounded by a fragile and hazy aura, like a night-blooming cereus that could bloom and wither at any moment in the night.

The woman gazed at the withered leaves that had drifted to the corner of the table, watching their tips sway gently in the breeze. Only then did she come to her senses and realize that the brush she was using to dip into the inkstone had become saturated and bloated.

Li Shishi looked at the letter that was mostly finished, her emotions rippled and swayed like waves, but quickly calmed down to a state of normalcy.

Can they see it?

Will they be able to come back?

She tried to habitually recite the Sword Heart Technique, but found that the questions that had frequently appeared in her mind a year ago no longer existed, and there was no need to deliberately shift her attention.

Writing letters is merely a habit I find solace in this Fuyun Temple, where no one ever visits.

One letter a year, that's all.

But if, when one is old and faded, and still no one visits Fuyun Temple, then most of the accumulated letters will either be burned, or the pretentious and unbearable content will be discarded, and new letters will be rewritten and sealed away.

The woman sat upright in the deserted temple. On the table were several books, a cup of tea, an inkstone, and a sheet of Xuan paper. The smile that used to grace her eyes, which were like autumn water, had faded to a pale indifference. At this moment, her clear black and white pupils reflected only the unfinished ink and words on the letter, as clearly as bright red etched in the snow.

Li Shishi's sleeves fluttered slightly, exposing her slender wrists to the air. She rewrote the letter, and as she moved the brush, ink droplets from the tip shattered on the inkstone, splashing onto the table and slowly spreading, lingering in the breeze with a faint fragrance.

The woman's expression was focused, her eyes lowered, and her pen-holding movements were precise, exuding an elegance unique to beautiful women. The brass sword resting on her lap seemed somewhat out of place in this scene, but it gained a touch of charm from the ancient historical atmosphere.

Over the years, she has never relaxed her cultivation of the [Immortal Decree] and the Void Sword Qi, but unfortunately, her talent is mediocre, and she can only end up as a nobody in the martial arts world.

Mysterious and disordered musical scales resounded in the Sea of consciousness. This was one of the gifts given to him by the boy at that time. However, even though he had practiced countless times in front of him with a model and succeeded from beginning to end, he was still imprisoned by his aptitude for Qi techniques and could not reach that shackle.

Sometimes, Li Shishi wondered, "I'm past the age where I can even begin to learn the Sword Heart Technique, so why am I unwilling to give it up?"

If you couldn't grasp the essence of Qi cultivation a year ago, you still won't be able to grasp it even ten years later.

This is a pointless act.

But after that person disappeared, the thought of abandoning him that had once crossed my mind vanished without a trace.

She continued her daily recitations, calming her mind and concentrating her spirit, as devoutly as if worshipping a Buddha, as if following the things that person had once possessed, hoping to find some relief from the pent-up emotions in her chest.

The girl once believed that being unable to master the Sword Heart Technique meant that she and the so-called immortals would eventually be separated by a huge chasm. At that time, the irreparable differences between them would brew a bitter wine, and one of them would have to drink it all.

But even now, before she could fully savor the strong liquor, she suddenly realized that it also meant she would never... never be able to catch up with that person's silhouette.

The handwriting and the sorrow in his heart are perfectly matched, and the final chapter is about to be drawn.

The woman's expression was faint, yet tinged with sorrow and a barely concealed grief. Crystalline tears welled up unnoticed, fluttering down her thick, curved eyelashes as she blinked, striking the sword resting on her lap, shattering like pearls in the refraction of light, creating a golden hue.

The blade of the brass sword had an ancient, weathered appearance, as if stained with mottled rust. Yet, as each teardrop fell and each piece of golden metal shattered, characters resembling cloud patterns appeared, engulfing the blade. Then, as if entering a dye shop, the original outer layer was instantly stripped away, allowing the brilliant golden color to spread completely...

The Xuanyuan Sword, which had accompanied her from her youthful days to the present, finally met some unknown demand at this moment, under the long-accumulated protective thought day and night, and underwent a strange change.

Before Li Shishi could even put down her pen, she lost control of her body in the brief moment when the Xuanyuan Sword began to move. Her expression faltered slightly as she looked down at the ever-growing radiance that enveloped her and the trembling, molting blade. Suddenly, she understood why the boy had entrusted her with a sword that was so worn and dilapidated it looked like scrap metal.

From the very beginning, this was not an ordinary object.

Please cherish this power.

The man's whisper, gentle yet tinged with a hint of sternness, echoed in my ears.

In that instant, Li Shishi could only feel a pain like a tattoo spreading through every nerve in her body. Her back, which she had always been used to keeping straight, now felt a burning heat like lava, as if a large, red-hot iron was constantly hammering at her skin. Her mind went into a daze for a moment, only to be pulled back to reality by the pain she had never experienced before.

The pen in her hand snapped in an instant as her strength shifted, shattering into countless tiny wood chips that exploded in the room, triggered by the Heaven and Earth Qi. The letter on the table was unaffected, but it still vibrated a few times amidst the loud noise.

The woman fell to the ground in a disheveled state, instinctively curling up to resist the tingling and intense pain coursing through her cells. She silently recited the Sword Heart Technique, hoping to bring back her scattered consciousness, but amidst the even more vivid pain, she suddenly understood the situation before her.

Ji Lin, the Yellow Emperor, Stigmata, Legacy.

Yes, it is an unparalleled demon from the distant depths of the coast of Qinglong Town.

Memories swirl and churn, but the image of the boy holding the ancient brass sword on the shore comes flooding back to me.

The Yellow Emperor was one of those who sealed Chi You together with his immortal friend. Of course, her sword could have been left behind. At the time, I didn't think much about it, just because its style was almost the same as the sword Jiang Rongyue obtained. But now that I think about it, if the Yellow Emperor's sword was originally given to him by the Immortal Chi Yuan, it wouldn't be surprising if it were the same.

Su Su must have known about the legacy within this sword all along, which is why she made the request at the beginning of the transaction that she always keep it by her side.

She whispered from her lips:

"Why?"

Why was I chosen?

This Xuanyuan Sword has been dormant for three or four years. If it truly meets the requirements, it should have been passed on to its successor long ago.

This is just like the Sword Heart Technique; if you can't master it during the optimal period, even if you spend ten times the time afterward, it will be in vain.

The murmur, seemingly an illusion, responded in kind:

"My wish to protect is nothing more than this."

Goodbye, those who come after.

The person's voice faded away like smoke, leaving no echo.

But at this moment, Li Shishi had no mind to continue thinking about this issue. The process of inheriting the Stigmata was like being cut into the body by a thousand tiny cuts. She couldn't stop silently reciting the Sword Heart Technique. Later, even while suppressing muffled groans, she tried her best to pronounce it clearly in order to keep her mind at peace.

Bone, muscle, fascia, blood cells, limbs, bones, and the adaptability and resistance to Honkai Energy are all gradually raised to previously unattainable thresholds in this steaming and forging process, which is like being tempered in a furnace, constantly breaking through one barrier after another.

But like an earthworm wriggling in a swamp, it is sucking the blood of a true dragon, and naturally it must bear the price of possessing things that do not belong to it.

In a moment of near-emptiness, Li Shishi's will nearly collapsed. The Sword Heart Technique and the musical scales she uttered came to an abrupt halt. Yet, in the swamp of bitterness and despair, she seemed to see that person's receding figure. A strange obsession and longing burned in her lungs like karmic fire, causing her almost lost mind to grit its teeth and return to normal.

Thus, the scale of the Sword Heart Technique continued to reverberate throughout the room, like surging tides repeatedly rolling back and forth.

The girl seemed to be in the depths of a swaying ocean, as if she were still in swaddling clothes. Her mind was freed from the suffering body, peaceful and serene. In the center of her Sea of consciousness, a drop of water emerged as if the world had been created, and then appeared one after another, quickly spreading into a lake.

As the Qi Technique talent was continuously updated and evolved, the conditions that had previously constrained him were finally met, and a sword heart transcended the limitations of his prime age and was thus formed.

Meanwhile, the renovation seemed to be mostly complete.

As she felt the pain rapidly receding and her body seemingly transformed from the inside out, she finally had the lingering feeling to notice the Xuanyuan Sword she was holding in her arms.

The Mind Lake, deep within my Sea of consciousness, seemed to have an unconscious intimacy with it, yet I didn't know how to connect with it.

And so, Udu-dust had been silent for a long time, resurfaced from the depths.

A celestial figure appeared suddenly, transmitting the complete information of the Void Sword Qi into the consciousness, before drifting away again.

Li Shishi's consciousness was hazy. She was too surprised by Udu-dust's unusual behavior to notice it. She simply followed her thoughts at that moment and established a real connection between her Mind Lake.

Thus, after restoring its original appearance, the Xuanyuan Sword began to emit a warm white light, undergoing a true reshaping and transformation.

Clearly, after entering the Sword Heart realm, Li Shishi, who had spent so much time with the Xuanyuan Sword, completely fulfilled the requirements of its meaning, enabling the Key of Domination to undergo positive changes based on the wielder's affinity, reaching its ideal form.

Finally, what appeared before me was a delicate and exquisite sword, its entire body seemingly cast in silver, yet its texture was more like steel. Smooth and intricate light-colored cloud patterns circled and rose from the edge of the blood groove, while only the hilt was tinged with a crimson red, like blood-stained cherry blossoms.

She propped herself up and stood up, looking at the unfamiliar yet familiar sword for a while. She stretched out her slender fingertips and gently stroked the hilt, then rubbed it to the end, recognizing the two characters engraved on it by touch.

Its name is -- [Paper Kite]

The girl's lips parted slightly, revealing a complex smile.

Paper Kite, Paper Kite.

That's truly... just right.

Li Shishi put aside her reverie and carefully examined the newly acquired sword, finding a fading red line running along the center of the blade.

She learned from Ziming's message that she had not yet fully inherited the Yellow Emperor's Stigmata. She had only passed the initial training and still needed to be tempered to perfection before she could fully inherit all the abilities.

As a metaphor, when this red line is fully formed, it signifies the moment she gains access to the abilities associated with the Stigmata.

Li Shishi was unaware that not all holders of the Stigmata possessed the relevant special abilities. The only case she had encountered was Jiang Rongyue. Su Su and the Immortal Chi Yuan were beyond the scope of the Holy Mark and could not be used as any reference.

Therefore, a mistaken understanding ignited a spark of hope within one's heart.

Jiang Rongyue's Stigmata ability, in her view, is probably related to the power of foreseeing the future; otherwise, the information obtained by [Chaoxian] would be completely inexplicable.

And since such an outrageous ability can exist in the world through Stigmata.

Logically speaking, it's not impossible that I might gain the ability to easily find people.

The woman, as if grasping at the only straw a drowning person could reach, hurriedly stuffed the Xuan paper into the envelope, processed it briefly, and placed it on the table. She called over Cang Xiaoxuan, who was slacking off in the next room, and chose to go straight down the mountain to continue her solo mission, embarking on a plan to search for Jiang Rongyue while diligently cultivating and accelerating the fusion of the Stigmata.

Just as the ancient sage, who was suspected to Yellow Emperor, said, Li Shishi was chosen because of her desire to help and even protect Jiang Rongyue.

Therefore, she chose to carry it out to the end.

Time flies like an arrow; it passes by in the blink of an eye.

During her travels, Li Shishi completely absorbed the Stigmata of the Yellow Emperor.

However, this Stigmata, which originally had no special abilities, actually displayed an extremely special ability after it was completely inherited, just as it had originally wished.

--[Fellow Daoist]

That is, it can know the location of any human being with a fundamentally similar physique.

In short, this former Courtesan has now become a humanoid Stigmata locator with extremely precise effects and a wide detection range.

Whether awakened or not, any human with a high probability of awakening Stigmata will be detected by the radar. In the world of cultivation, she would be extremely suitable to be a wandering elder who goes out to collect geniuses, and naturally, she would have a good chance of fulfilling her wish to find Jiang Rongyue.

This left Li Shishi stunned for a long time before she belatedly realized how overjoyed she was.

She wasn't sure whether it was because Heaven heard her vision and thus bestowed its mercy, or whether the ancient Yellow Emperor was so eager to find talented people that even the Stigmata's power was related to this. But the fact that the hope of finding the other person was no longer a pipe dream was a genuine one.

However, the woman immediately encountered her first problem. Although there were only a handful of beings in the vast Divine Shenzhou who had awakened their Stigmata, the fact that there was a high probability of awakening forced her to expand the search area considerably.

On the other hand, because it was dark under the lamp, Li Shishi wandered around for a long time before deciding to first return to the place where Jiang Rongyue last appeared to investigate.

Following in the footsteps of the two who had returned to Fuyun Temple, she once again arrived at Mount Taixu.

However, the reason for his visit this time was not to write a letter, but to find Jiang Rongyue.

Upon entering the maze after a long absence and seeing the familiar scenery, the girl's heart pounded like a drum. Through her use of the Stigmata's power, she was able to clearly discern what the difference in the magnitude of this attraction meant, and she almost wept with joy.

Although I managed to gather a few promising talents for [Chaoxian] during these six months, none of them could compare to this one.

Su Qing'an's Herrscher of Death Stigmata completely shielded her from Stigmata detection capabilities due to its unique nature. Fu Hua herself did not possess Stigmata, so her target at this moment was extremely clear.

The woman knew that it was Jiang Rongyue, and it could only be Jiang Rongyue, and... it was the living Jiang Rongyue, otherwise she wouldn't have felt anything.

Li Shishi's mind was overflowing with the information that she was still alive. She didn't even have time to feel the regret and shame of not being able to find her in Paper Kite Mount Taixu. She immediately threw the kite she was wearing at her waist and lightly leaped onto the thin blade of her sword.

She actually relied on the control she had cultivated to the State of Dustless over the past two years to fly on her sword in mid-space to the endpoint of her senses. Only then did she skillfully make a sword incantation to let her weapon return to its sheath, and without hesitation let her slender body fall into the lake that she knew all too well.

Thousands of water droplets splashed and leaped up, while the Heaven and Earth Qi, like a gathering storm, rapidly filled the transformation formula inscribed on this place.

The Cloud Dragon Waterfall, which carried many memories between the two, was restored to its original state of steaming heat as the Qi technique was activated.

Five years ago, Li Shishi was the only one in Fuyun Temple who couldn't operate the formula of controlling the Heaven and Earth Qi, but now she can do it too.

She wore the same red dress as she had three years ago, and like a fish that didn't need to breathe, she swam without any hesitation towards the end of the bright and cold current, trying her best to recreate the scene of pulling it out of its suffocation.

For a long, long time.

We finally reached the end.

This hidden paradise, created by immense power at the bottom of the lake, possesses an environment where one can breathe. Warm lake water is continuously seeping into the hole she tore open behind it, yet it is also constantly freezing into ice flowers, as if playing a game, rising and falling dramatically.

The dark-colored ice crystals formed a dense network in all directions, like vines.

Li Shishi walked slowly across the surface covered with ice and rock, then suddenly stopped, gazing at the distant scenery in a daze, speechless.

Jiang Rongyue.

That was the person she had been searching for for two long years, only to find herself back where she started.

The girl was situated amidst layers of exceptionally clear ice crystals, her beautiful face and slender figure clearly visible, as fresh as ever. The occasional cracks in the ice resembled pure white flowers surrounding her, beautiful yet cold.

Her "eyes" were open, but the captivating peach blossom eyes that could convey a variety of emotions were no longer visible. Only the dark, empty eye sockets remained, exuding a profound and obsessive quality. Her thin lips were slightly pursed, as if she were smiling.

Jiang Rongyue appeared lifeless, as if she had died surrounded by endless frost and Abyss Flower, but retained a vibrant body, which was why she could draw him here.

Li Shishi gazed at him in silence. Her burning heart gradually cracked, shattered, and scattered during this cold reunion after two years. She felt as if she had fallen into an abyss of despair. A chilling, knife-like bitterness far surpassed the despair she felt when inheriting the Stigmata. It spread coldly from her chest and continued to intensify.

She knew Jiang Rongyue's abilities all too well; no one in the world had the capacity to be so ruthless towards her.

That person chose to have their eyes gouged out.

That person had taken precautions to prevent Xiao Xuan from using the instruments from Mount Taixu to search for him.

Once again, that person chose to leave without saying goodbye, sealing himself at the bottom of Cloud Dragon Waterfall.

She acted as if she couldn't bear to see herself even in death, thus holding a silent and deserted funeral for herself.

The woman smiled, mimicking the man's expression at that moment.

She was a woman of unparalleled beauty, and her smile was always radiant and gentle, the curve of her lips like a spring breeze caressing a lake, with a cloying tenderness.

A girl in a red dress, with water droplets rolling down and melting one after another, walked in front of the person. Strands of soft black hair clung to her beautiful face, making her skin appear even whiter. She was clearly disheveled and her heart was sinking to the bottom, but she still exuded a calm and dignified air as she stood up straight.

The Heaven and Earth Qi swept in and gathered together a miniature storm, gently peeling away the frost piece by piece...

Li Shishi patiently and quietly peeled away the outer shell that contained the other person, watching as that person was revealed to the world, and before she fell to the ground without support, she embraced her.

The woman embraced the frosty, hardened body, feeling the no longer beating heart, the ceased breathing, and her heart, hanging by a thread, plunging into utter darkness.

The ice in his heart within his Sea of consciousness cracked inch by inch. The Void Sword Heart, which he had painstakingly mastered after countless hardships, finally crumbled after fulfilling his desire to touch the other, and began to play a mournful melody.

Using the still-controllable Heaven and Earth Qi, she shattered the supporting pillar, letting a large amount of ice fall and crash down. She lowered her eyes, smiled, and whispered:

"Jiang Rongyue."

"I've finally met you."

"But you owe me one, and you'll have to repay it in the next life."