Chapter 6

From noon till dusk, Liu Chengzhi hung from the stone rack, his blood dripping away bit by bit, his life signs fading with it.

Yet from start to finish, he never once cried out in pain.

His expression remained calm—only his increasingly pale lips and the relentless flow of blood proved he was enduring inhuman torment.

Luo Chu was frantic with worry, but not a trace of it showed on her face.

Finally, the last stick of incense burned to its end.

“Three hours are up. Liu Chengzhi is mine now. Remember my earlier words. It’d be wise for none of you to overestimate yourselves—eggs daring to strike a rock.”

Luo Chu’s arrogance was well-founded.

The original body’s cultivation was nothing to scoff at, and she had to borrow the tiger’s might while she could.

[Ding! Main Missions 1 and 2 completed. Rewards: Restoration of 20% of Venerable Luo Chu’s cultivation; one Soul-Returning Pill.]

A surge of spiritual energy flooded Luo Chu’s veins.

With a swing of her sword, she severed the chains binding Liu Chengzhi.

The boy collapsed forward, and Luo Chu caught him gently before soaring away on her sword.

The child in her arms, lips white as pear blossoms, whispered weakly: “Immortal… have I… truly severed ties with my past?”

“Mn. It’s all over.”

“Good…”

The boy smiled—a desolate expression far too mature for his youthful face.

Tiny blue lights scattered around him like willow catkins drifting in late spring, or like fireflies vanishing in a summer night, wrapping him in a warmth that felt almost tender.

“From now on, this master will protect you.”

The woman before him seemed untouched by mortal dust, her ink-black hair cascading like a waterfall.

Her face was carved from ice and nobility, yet her eyes brimmed with worry and heartache—a beauty so transcendent no words could capture it.

This kind of beauty belonged only to the divine.

Too sacred to gaze upon, yet too mesmerizing to look away.

No language could describe the awe tearing through Liu Chengzhi’s heart.

“Immortal… I’m not in pain… Don’t worry…”

Though barely clinging to life, his eyes remained fixed on her, as if memorizing her face—as if this were the last time.

“Liu Chengzhi?”

Luo Chu checked his breath.

“Chengzhi!”

“Dumbass cat, why isn’t he breathing?!” Panic seized her.

Since transmigrating, she’d treated everything like a spectator watching a play.

But now, feeling his breath fade and his body cool, she was terrified.

At the very least, she couldn’t let him die in her arms.

The orange cat was equally stunned.

“This…I don’t know either.”

“IQ is a wonderful thing—wish you had some. Didn’t I just get a Soul-Returning Pill? Hand it over.”

[Main storyline progress: 10%. Host, confirm use of mystery item—Soul-Returning Pill?]

“Keep yapping and I’ll turn you into a rectangular ash box.”

[Data loaded. Administering Soul-Returning Pill to ‘Liu Chengzhi.’ Host’s inventory: -1.]

Luo Chu placed the black pill into Liu Chengzhi’s mouth, clutched him tightly, and accelerated her sword-flight.

A breeze drifted through the window, carrying the scent of bamboo and earth.

Flecks of sunlight spilled into the room as the boy on the bed stirred awake.

“Immortal!”

Liu Chengzhi bolted upright.

“Awake? Lie back down—what if you reopen your wounds?”

Luo Chu pushed aside the curtain and entered, her moon-white robes flowing like gossamer in the light.

She might as well have been a deity descending to the mortal realm—untouched by worldly grime.

In her hands was a bowl of lotus seed porridge.

“Immortal!”

The boy’s heterochromatic eyes lit up at the sight of her, only to dim instantly.

He lowered his head, trembling, before looking up again—tears glistening like tiny pearls.

“You didn’t shed a tear during the Bloodletting Ritual, but now you’re turning on the waterworks?”

Luo Chu laughed helplessly, her voice cool as jade, crisp as snowmelt—yet to Liu Chengzhi, it was the warmest, most beautiful sound in the world.

Then, as if catching herself, she schooled her expression back to neutrality.

Liu Chengzhi pouted.

“Immortal…”

“Still calling me ‘Immortal’? Time to change that.”

“Mas… Master?” he ventured softly.

“Mn.”

“Master! MASTER!”

He practically yelled, throwing himself into her arms with enough force to nearly topple the porridge.

I get that you’re happy, but I’m not fucking deaf—stop screaming in my ear!

Luo Chu had never been hugged with such fervent devotion.

Frozen stiff, she awkwardly balanced the bowl before finally patting his head.

“Master, where… is this?”

Belatedly realizing his impulsiveness, Liu Chengzhi reluctantly peeled himself off her.

“The side chamber of the Yinbing Pavilion. You’ll live here from now on.”

She blew on a spoonful of porridge and held it to his lips.

“You’ve been unconscious for a day. Eat.”

As he swallowed, he mumbled: “Yinbing Pavilion… is it Master’s home?”

“It was. Now, it’s our home.”

At this, Liu Chengzhi nuzzled against her shoulder, murmuring: “I was born for Master. From now on… no one but Master can take my life…”

“Hm? What did you say?”

His voice had been too faint.

“This disciple said—thank you, Master. I’ll be good to you forever… and never leave you!”

“Good.”

The young boy gazed quietly at the woman before him—her face so cold, yet her brows perpetually softening with unconscious tenderness.

And he was utterly, irreversibly enthralled.

That year, she’d given a ray of light to a creature crawling through darkness.

And like a fool, he’d clung to it, ached for it—until he realized, too late, that this very longing would become his lifelong curse.