Fuuuu!! Plip-plip!!
The sound of the wind could be heard almost constantly. At night, in the junction between houses, the darkness was deeper than usualâuntil, at a certain moment, raindrops began falling onto the rooftops.
In the eastern corner, a house drew no attention at all, just like all the others, and its interior was shrouded in shadows.
Zhang Chen, who had just mentioned something from his past life, felt a bit nostalgic, but in that moment, he thought he was hallucinating.
A voice, incredibly close, reached his ears.
Unfortunately, his face showed no trace of happiness upon hearing it. After all, it wasnât Shen Jieâs voice.
As soon as he raised his head, he saw a figure standing beside the bed.
It was dark, and he couldnât see it clearly: the clothes it wore, the faceâit was all indistinguishable.
But that didnât make him hesitate. In a single leap, he stood up.
Power, I need power!! Zhang Chen shouted in his mind; this was the only way he could think to communicate with that golden radiance.
As if hearing his call, he saw the same ever-shifting star, wrapped in a golden glow, travel through his entire body before settling into his spiritual energy.
The energy within him began to shift, undergoing a profound transformation.
With a single thought, it took the form of a palm, and without thinking, he charged toward the mysterious figure.
Unfortunately, all those movements only drew a slight exclamation from the other party.
âOhâ¦â
The figure didnât even look at him. As Zhang Chen approached, he saw nothing but a light wave of its hand.
He saw the air distort before him; his body halted abruptly, and in the next moment, one of his knees was forced to bend.
The veins in his neck bulged from the strain.
He could only watch as the figure reached out and touched Shen Jieâs face.
âAhh⦠Who are you!!?â With a muffled shout, sweat was already dripping down Zhang Chenâs forehead as he forced those words out with great difficulty.
Only then did the figure straighten. With another wave of the hand, he felt the energy in his body vanish; the consequences came immediately.
His body truly lost its strength at that moment, trembling in pain, and he could only watch the figure helplessly.
The figure that had been gazing at Shen Jie finally turned, and even in the dark bedroom, he could make out the gleam of a mask upon its face.
Its hair seemed to shine, red as fire.
Slightly dazed, Zhang Chen felt a fleeting memoryâit was about the story of a woman from the city who opened the fields so the commoners could have a chance⦠But her hair had been blackâ¦
Fortunately, Zhang Chen remembered that Shen Jie seemed to have a close relationship with an influential figure in the city, and from the looks of it, this could very well be that person.
He sighed and stopped struggling, but he noticed that his body was still restrained; only his head could move freely.
Lifting it, he saw that the masked figure was still watching him.
âHmm! Ugh!â
At that moment, a groan of pain echoed through the bedroom.
Shen Jie, who had only been frowning before, was now clenching her teeth tightly. Sweat streamed down her forehead like a waterfall.
Her hair began to take on a silvery hue, and with each deepening of that color, her pain seemed to intensify.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen wanted to get up, but he was still immobilized by the figure. With every sound of Shen Jieâs pain, he struggled even harder.
âLet me go!!â
The figure looked at him in silence, seeming to be there only to witness the suffering of the two. But contrary to expectations, it turned, and its hair began to move even without any wind.
The colors grew even brighter.
Without hesitation, the spiritual energy around the figure stirred, swirling furiously.
Before it, a strange form began to appear, completely red.
It looked as though the flames could transform into a river of lava, yet everything was held firmly under control.
As the breaths passed, Shen Jieâs hair turned more and more silver, and her expression became increasingly twisted.
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Zhang Chen was already clenching his fists tightly, feeling his helplessness.
Five oval petals, forming a completely red flower, took shape at some point.
The petals spun slowly, absorbing the spiritual energy around them and becoming increasingly solid.
No one knew how much time passed, but one of the petals, no more than three centimeters long, fell toward Shen Jieâs body.
Without any display, the petal sank into her body, and soon after, a red glow flared for an instant before vanishing just as quickly.
At that moment, her hair stopped turning silver, and her face returned to the calm of ordinary sleep.
Returning to pure black, the flower, now with only four petals, receded and sank into Shen Jieâs body, disappearing as if it had never been there.
Zhang Chen, who had witnessed everything, felt a profound shock.
That simple flower made him feel the insignificance of his existenceâan experience he had yet to have until now.
When he saw the petal fall and Shen Jieâs calm return, his heart finally settled.
After the flower sank into her body, he saw the figure stand up; for a brief moment, it seemed to stagger, though perhaps it was only his imagination.
Next, Zhang Chen felt the restraints around his body loosen and vanish.
Lifting his head, he looked at the figure with a complicated expression.
It was clear that if Shen Jie had gone into crisis and this figure hadnât been here, he would have been completely powerless⦠What a bitter feeling.
The figure continued watching Shen Jie, as if confirming she was truly alright.
âWhen she arrived in the city, she was just a desolate figure, unable to trust anyoneâ¦â said the figure in a calm, gentle voice. Then it added, âBut I could see in her posture that she was not some casual cultivatorâ¦â
Zhang Chen heard her begin to speak and raised his head, confused, as her words echoed through the room.
She wasnât even looking in his direction, as if speaking to him, but also as if she were merely talking to herself.
After a brief pause, the voice continued: âA girl who came looking like she was fleeing to a remote corner⦠Heh! For some reason, I found her pleasing, but she didnât want to be known⦠or helped⦠Still, I noticed there was a seal on her, and it wasnât something simpleâ¦â
As he listened, Zhang Chen saw the figure turn fully toward him.
Her red dress was adorned with embroidery of flame-shaped flowers, and the mask bore the same pattern.
Her hair no longer fluttered, adding an even more mysterious touch to her charm.
âThe seal is goneâ¦â
The moment those words fell, Zhang Chen felt that he had understood something.
More than once, he had been puzzled by her cultivation, but Shen Jie always claimed it was something âdifferent.â
She broke the seal to help me!? he thought, and when he lifted his head, he saw that the masked woman was staring straight at his face.
Even behind the mask, he could feel her gaze.
His face shifted through several expressionsâguilt, anger at his weaknessâbut in the end, sadness prevailed. Then he heard her speak again.
âCan you take responsibility?â the figure asked, watching his expressions. Seeing him lower his head, she continued, âIf you canât⦠let her go.â
Zhang Chen heard those words in silence. Though each was an absolute truth, it didnât make them any less painful.
His fists were clenched tightly, and in his eyes was a hesitation he tried with all his might to hide.
Could she have hesitated� he thought, looking at the young woman sleeping soundly.
As he gazed at her face, the uncertainty in his heart began to fade, slowly dissolving from his dark irises like snow meeting the sun.
âHahaha!â A laugh escaped him as he stood up. Every movement seemed incredibly difficult, yet with a smile on his face, he declared, âWhat a disappointment⦠Haha! Who wouldâve thought that one day I would hesitate!â
With effort, he struggled to stand tall, keeping his back straight, and looked directly at the masked figure.
The pride that had been dimmed by the incident in the early morning now shone once more in his eyes.
âI will not regret it; I will take responsibility! AS LONG AS THERE IS LIFE IN MY BODY, I WILL NOT LET HER GO!!â
His firm voice echoed through the cabin, as if fearing the woman in red might not hear him.
On the other side, she said nothing, simply watching him calmly, searching for any trace of hesitation in his eyes⦠If there was anyâ¦
I wonât let you leave my life⦠I wonât make the same mistake, he thought, growing more certain of his decision.
In a second life, he would not repeat the regrets of the first.
Sigh⦠With a heavy sigh, she finally turned her gaze away from Zhang Chen. Looking toward the young woman on the bed, she said in a low voice, âSpiritual Body of the Lunar Vesselâ¦â
Zhang Chen heard this and, before doubts could rise, saw the woman in red turn and leave the room.
The sound of the door opening and closing confirmed that she was gone.
She came, did as she pleased, and left⦠Only the powerful have such freedom.
âSpiritual Bodyâ¦â he muttered to himself, feeling his legs weaken.
Zhang Chen walked with difficulty to the side of the bed. Up close, Shen Jieâs breathtaking beauty was even clearer.
With a faint smile, he leaned his back against the bed and sat on the floor.
From this distance, he felt safer.
His face carried a weariness he tried to hide. Now that everything had passed, he gave himself a wry smile.
He had felt so powerful when making those declarations, yet he couldnât even defend himself.
Still, not everything had been in vain. Besides confirming that Shen Jie indeed had some connection to an influential figure in the city, he had also managed to communicate with that golden radiance⦠It was just that this exhaustion was not easy to bearâ¦
Without realizing it, his head tilted, and a steady breath began to escape from his lips.
The rain continued to fall outside, but strangely, not a single drop seeped through the dilapidated roof.
The gentle rain seemed to wash away the fear that had loomed over the cluster of houses.
The night passed like this; with the presence of the supervisors earlier, the residents slept in peace. But unfortunately, the laments had yet to quiet down.
When Zhang Chen finally awoke, rays of sunlight were already streaming through the gaps in the roof.
Startled, he sat up and looked behind him, letting out a sigh of relief.
Shen Jie was still sleeping peacefully, with no signs of pain. Gently stroking her head, he stood up and went to the kitchen.
He washed his face in the water basin and, glancing around the tidy kitchen, noticed that every jar had its place.
The clay stove was quite ordinary, from what he could see.
Suddenly, something came to mind, and he rushed to the door, ready to head to his own house.
It was the first time he was seeing the damage from the night before in the daylight.
Many houses were still destroyed, but he saw no bodiesâat least not any in plain sight.
With a heavy sigh, he ran without hesitation toward his home.
About a thousand meters to the west, he spotted it, the door broken and a wall collapsed.
Entering, he noticed bloodstains, one near the wall and another by the kitchen, but no body⦠Either the supervisors or the beasts...
Taking a deep breath, he walked past the dried bloodstains. Fragments of his machete were still scattered about.
With another sigh, he picked up a simple pouch he carried on his chest.
During the night, he had taken it to Shen Jieâs house, and, without hiding anythingâwhat a joke, she had just saved him.
With a thought, he took everything edible and stored it in the storage pouch.
As soon as he turned around, he saw a muscular figure walking toward him. Taking a step back, bumped into the few bowls that had been left behind. Closing his eyes, calmed his breathing.
Without hesitating any longer, he ran back to Shen Jieâs house.