Shu Mingye had been hiding it. The scroll. The truth. From the moment he found it, he had buried it, sealed it away, kept it from her. He had hoped she'd never need to know. That maybe, he could protect her from the weight of it. Forever, if possible. But forever had come too soon.
Linyue's voice was quiet but steady. "Why are you avoiding me?"
Before he could answer, Qi Heng stepped in. "It's not that important. You already broke that array. That lightning tribulation, it was also meant to destroy it. But it failed, so I placed protective arrays instead."
Shu Mingye glanced at him, startled. Was Qi Heng… covering for him?
He looked back at Linyue. Her eyes were still on him, waiting. Hurt, but waiting. He forced himself to nod. "He's right, Pie. It's already broken. It doesn't matter now. We have bigger things to deal with."
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. He turned back to Qi Heng. "So… Qi Meng. He's trying to do it again, isn't he? What he did four hundred years ago."
Qi Heng's gave a small nod. "It's the only explanation. With the Phantom Blood Array, he can escape karmic punishment. Heaven won't stop him."
"Then the only way," Shu Mingye said, jaw tight, "is to kill him."
Qi Heng nodded again. "Yes. But his energy is corrupted beyond anything I've ever seen. Normal spiritual energy or cultivation techniques won't work. Only lightning can purify it."
Linyue had gone still. Her earlier anger forgotten, buried under something colder and heavier. She asked quietly. "Then what about the souls trapped in the crystal? If we kill Qi Meng… won't they be released? Won't they go wild? How do we contain them?"
"And where," she added, voice barely above a whisper, "is the crystal now?"
Qi Heng looked at her, eyes full of sorrow. "We can only contain them by creating another vessel. Another vessel strong enough to hold them. And then destroy it with heavenly judgment thunder." He paused. Then added, "The Soul Devouring crystal… is beneath the Imperial Palace."
Linyue's voice shook. "What vessel? Like the Soul Suppression Array? Beneath the palace? In the secret passage?"
Qi Heng nodded. "More or less, yes. That passage was originally built to connect every corner of the realm like a shortcut between places. It allowed easy access into the palace. That was how Qi Meng trapped the souls from every corner of the realm. He used that path. After I imprisoned him there, I destroyed most of it. Only few sections remain now. The one connected outside the palace wall, and the one I used to help you escape."
Linyue's lips trembled. "So, to make a vessel… we need to sacrifice more souls?"
Qi Heng's voice didn't waver. "Either many souls… or one soul strong enough to contain them."
"One soul?" Shu Mingye asked slowly. "You mean…"
Qi Heng met his eyes. "It's only right for me to do it. This started because of me. My foolishness, my carelessness. My soul is already trapped in the crystal anyway. Before I completely lose myself to it, I can use what's left of me to forge a vessel. A cage. Something strong enough to contain those souls and end this."
Linyue gripped Shu Mingye's sleeve so tight her knuckles turned white. "Is there another way?" Her voice cracked. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
Qi Heng looked at her gently. "I've searched for another way. For hundreds of years. But this… this is the only answer I've found. And I didn't tell you because you were just a child then. This burden… this fate… it's too heavy. I told myself I'd explain everything later. When you were older. Stronger. But time…" He paused. His voice dropped. "Time is running out. And I'm losing to it."
The air around them felt heavier than before. The tree above them didn't rustle. The wind didn't blow. Silence wrapped around them once more.
Then Qi Heng spoke quietly, his voice almost lost to the night. "Your spiritual energy feels different… lightning and fire. Did you succeed in dual cultivation?"
Shu Mingye tilted his head, trying to smile. "Of course. We're amazing, after all."
Qi Heng's tone held a thread of warmth. "I tried with Yun Qi too… but we haven't succeeded."
Shu Mingye shrugged, glancing at the white furball. "Fluffy taught me."
Fluffy promptly sneezed and looked away like it had nothing to do with anything.
Qi Heng glanced down at it and nodded. "Good job."
Fluffy immediately wagged its tail proudly.
Qi Heng looked back at them. "Can I see it? Your spiritual energy."
Linyue turned toward Shu Mingye. He met her gaze. They didn't need words. Quietly, Shu Mingye lifted one hand. A spark flared in his palm. A flicker of deep blue flame edged with lightning. The thunderflame crackled softly, and he let it go. It scattered into the air, breaking apart into glowing fragments. Tiny blue sparks shimmered like stars, dancing gently in the air.
Linyue followed. She shaped her spiritual energy into butterflies, delicate and translucent, glowing with white-blue light. The butterflies rose, wings fluttering silently, joining the sparks in the air. Together, fireflies and butterflies born of storm and flame floated beneath the withered tree. They glowed softly, softening the cracked, broken earth beneath them. Even the twisted branches above seemed to hush, touched by that quiet beauty.
In the middle of a corrupted land, surrounded by a thousand tragedies, the three of them and one dog sat beneath a crooked tree. And just for a moment, the world looked like it could still be beautiful.
Fluffy raised its head and slowly turned it left and right, watching the glowing butterflies and fireflies float through the air. Its ears twitched. Then it sneezed again.
Qi Heng's lips curved into a faint, quiet smile. "Very beautiful," he said softly. "You're the first cultivators to ever succeed in combining fire and lightning without exploding."
Shu Mingye grinned and lifted his chin proudly. "Of course. We're the best. I already knew that."
Qi Heng actually chuckled. "You both remind me of Yun Qi and me."
Linyue tilted her head slightly. "She said the same thing."
Shu Mingye quickly added, "We're different. Pie promised she wouldn't leave me. If anything happens, we'll become spring together."
Qi Heng glanced at them, his expression unreadable. "Yes. You're luckier than I ever was. But you know you wouldn't have met her if I hadn't saved her thirteen years ago, right?"
Shu Mingye narrowed his eyes. "Are you asking for credit now?"
"I'm just stating facts," Qi Heng replied, completely calm.
Linyue let out a long sigh. "Why are you two always bickering like an old couple?"
Both men answered at the exact same time. "We're not."
Even Fluffy gave a loud, exaggerated snort like it couldn't take it anymore.
Linyue pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing. "Master, is he actually your long-lost secret son or something?"
Once again, they answered together without even thinking.
Qi Heng: "No way I'd have a son like him."
Shu Mingye: "No way I'd have a father like him."
They glared at each other.
Linyue started laughing. It shouldn't have been funny. Not in this place. Not in this moment. But somehow, laughter slipped through the cracks in their pain. It didn't erase the sadness. But for a brief moment, it helped them breathe.
Linyue's eyes bright with mischief and a bit of stubborn hope. "Master," she began innocently, "can't you go inside the wall?"
Qi Heng stroked Fluffy's head slowly. "I shouldn't."
"Shouldn't," Linyue repeated. "Not couldn't. So you can, but you don't want to. Are you afraid you'll hurt someone?"
He didn't look at her. Just kept petting Fluffy, who wagged its tail like it was trying to agree with everyone at once. "It will be better if I stay here."
Linyue's eyes narrowed, lips pursed in a pout. "I think it would be better if you reunited with your long-lost secret son. Stayed with him. And supervised him. Every minute."
Shu Mingye groaned. "Pie, I'm not his son."
"Mhm." She didn't even bother arguing.
Qi Heng looked thoughtful for a moment, as if seriously considering the chaos that idea would unleash. Then, after a long pause, he simply said, "No."