Lin Du didn't sleep all night.
Not that he didn't want to—he just couldn't.
That stone lay beside his pillow, the character "Mother" inside it flickering dim and bright, like breathing. Every few minutes, he checked it, making sure that blurry figure was still there.
Outside, the moon traveled from east to west. Inside, he added oil to the lamp three times. Still, his eyes stayed open.
"Host." The trash can's voice came from his robe, muffled. "You've been tossing and turning all night."
"Yeah."
"Can't sleep?"
"Yeah."
"What are you thinking about?"
Lin Du was silent for a moment.
"About that heart."
The trash can didn't speak.
Lin Du continued: "The second heart seed has appeared. Where is it? Who has it? What does it want? I don't know anything."
"What are you going to do?"
Lin Du thought for a moment.
"Wait."
"Wait?"
"Yeah." Lin Du said. "Since it's appeared, it'll come for me eventually. Just like Zhou Yuan's heart did."
The trash can was silent for two seconds.
"What if it comes for you to kill you?"
Lin Du laughed.
A bitter laugh.
"If it wanted to kill me, why wait until now? It could have done it last night."
The trash can fell silent.
Lin Du turned over, watching the sky outside gradually lighten.
"Bro Bin."
"Yeah?"
"You said the nine heart seeds represent nine emotions—hatred, resentment, sorrow, fear, regret, obsession, delusion, clinging, love."
"Yeah."
"Zhou Yuan's was resentment."
The trash can blinked. "How do you know?"
"Guess." Lin Du said. "That heart contained the original owner's resentment. Raised for three years, it became a heart. What else could it be?"
The trash can thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Makes sense."
Lin Du continued: "What about the second one? That character 'Hatred'—what does it represent?"
"Hatred itself?" The trash can said. "Pure hatred?"
"Maybe." Lin Du said. "But whose hatred? Hatred for whom? Why?"
The trash can didn't answer.
Lin Du hadn't expected it to.
He just stared at the brightening ceiling, counting silently in his mind.
First heart, resentment, took three years.
Second heart, hatred, how long would it take?
And who would it choose?
---
By dawn, Lin Du finally fell asleep.
But not for long. A knocking at the door woke him.
"Lin Yuan! Lin Yuan!"
Wang Tiezhu's voice.
Lin Du opened his eyes, rubbed his sore eyelids, and went to the door.
Wang Tiezhu stood there, face paler than yesterday, sweat covering his forehead. When he saw Lin Du, he grabbed his sleeve.
"A-another thing happened!"
Lin Du's heart tightened.
"What?"
"Zhang Gui!" Wang Tiezhu gasped. "Zhang Gui—he's alive!"
Lin Du froze.
"Alive?"
"No, not alive!" Wang Tiezhu quickly waved his hands. "His body—it's gone!"
---
Zhang Gui's quarters were already surrounded by three layers of Enforcement Hall disciples.
When Lin Du arrived, chaos reigned. Enforcement Hall disciples rushed in and out—some questioning witnesses, some taking notes, others searching the perimeter.
Lin Zifan stood at the door, his face dark.
Lin Du walked over and lowered his voice. "What happened?"
Lin Zifan glanced at him, his voice heavy. "The body's missing."
"How?"
"Don't know." Lin Zifan said. "The two disciples on night watch were found unconscious at the door this morning. When they woke up, the body inside was gone."
Lin Du was silent for two seconds.
"Can I go in and look?"
Lin Zifan nodded and led him inside.
The room looked the same as yesterday. Where Zhang Gui had lain, a body-shaped impression remained on the floor. But the body was gone.
Lin Du stood in that spot, closed his eyes, and focused.
Something was there... very faint, very light, like resentment, but different.
"Bro Bin." He called silently.
"I feel it." The trash can's voice came. "That heart seed's aura. Stronger than yesterday."
Lin Du opened his eyes.
Stronger than yesterday.
That meant the heart seed had been here. And it had taken Zhang Gui's body.
Why?
What did it need a body for?
He suddenly remembered something.
When Zhou Yuan died, his heart was missing too. But Zhou Yuan's body remained.
Why was Zhang Gui's body gone?
"Host." The trash can suddenly said. "Have you considered something?"
"What?"
"Zhou Yuan's heart took three years to raise, using the original owner's resentment." The trash can said. "But the original owner wasn't completely gone—his resentment was collected, but he reincarnated as you."
Lin Du's heart stirred.
"You mean—"
"Zhang Gui just died." The trash can said. "His resentment is still fresh. He hasn't reincarnated yet. If that heart seed wants to raise a new heart—"
Lin Du's pupils contracted slightly.
"It needs Zhang Gui's resentment."
"Exactly." The trash can said. "And fresh resentment works better than aged."
---
Coming out of Zhang Gui's quarters, Lin Du walked in silence.
Head down, mind racing.
If the trash can's guess was right, the second heart seed was now "feeding" itself with Zhang Gui's resentment.
Once it was full, what would it do?
Come for him?
Or—look for its next target?
"Lin Yuan."
Lin Zifan's voice came from beside him.
Lin Du stopped and looked up.
Lin Zifan stared at him, his gaze complicated.
"Do you know something?"
Lin Du was silent for two seconds.
"I know a little." he said. "But I'm not sure."
"Say it." Lin Zifan said. "Two minds are better than one."
Lin Du looked at him and suddenly asked:
"Brother, do you trust me?"
Lin Zifan froze.
This was the second time he'd called him brother.
The first was yesterday. The second was today.
"I..." Lin Zifan opened his mouth, then nodded firmly. "I do."
Lin Du smiled.
A faint smile, but genuine.
"Good." he said. "Then I'll tell you."
---
They found a quiet spot, and Lin Du told him everything about the heart seeds.
From Zhou Yuan's heart, to the truth at the bottom of the cliff, to the secret of the nine heart seeds, to the appearance of the second one, to Zhang Gui's missing body.
Lin Zifan listened in silence for a long time.
Then he spoke.
"That organization you mentioned—the Corpse Collectors. I looked into them."
Lin Du's heart stirred.
"What did you find?"
"Not much." Lin Zifan said. "But they've been around a long time. Legend has it that after every heart seed host dies, they're the ones who collect the bodies."
Lin Du froze.
"Collect the bodies? For what?"
"I don't know." Lin Zifan shook his head. "But there's a legend—"
He paused.
"Legend says that on the day the nine heart seeds unite, all the dead hosts will come back to life."
Lin Du's pupils contracted.
All the dead hosts would come back to life?
Then Zhou Yuan? Zhang Gui? And all those other hosts throughout the ages he didn't know about—
They would all come back?
"It's just a legend." Lin Zifan said. "No one knows if it's true."
Lin Du didn't speak.
He looked down at the stone in his hand.
Inside, that character "Mother" was still there. That blurry figure was still there.
But if all the dead hosts could come back to life—
Could Mother come back too?
---
That night, Lin Du didn't return to his own quarters.
He went to Lin Zifan's place.
The brothers sat facing each other, the stone between them. The oil lamp's flame flickered, casting their shadows on the wall—now bright, now dim.
"Hey," Lin Zifan suddenly said, "do you think Mom can hear us?"
Lin Du blinked.
"She should be able to." he said. "She can sense things."
Lin Zifan nodded.
Then he spoke softly to the stone:
"Mom."
The stone brightened.
Lin Zifan's eyes reddened again.
But he held it together. The tears didn't fall.
"Mom." He called again. "Don't worry. I'll take care of little brother."
The stone brightened again.
Longer this time.
Lin Du watched from the side, his heart aching and warming at once.
He suddenly remembered his past life's words:
"I waited three thousand years for you—not to watch you disappear, but for you to come and take me home."
Now, Mother was back.
Just a trace of consciousness, maybe not lasting long, but she was back.
That was enough.
"Brother." Lin Du suddenly spoke.
Lin Zifan looked at him.
"About that heart seed—I'll handle the investigation." Lin Du said. "You keep an eye on Enforcement Hall. Tell me immediately if anything comes up."
Lin Zifan frowned.
"You investigating alone? Too dangerous."
"Not alone." Lin Du patted his chest. "I've got Bro Bin."
The trash can poked its head out of his robe, its two little eyes blinking.
"That's right, you've got me." it said. "I may just be a trash can, but I can fight—*burp*."
Lin Zifan stared at this talking, burping little thing, momentarily at a loss for words.
Finally, he sighed.
"Fine." he said. "But promise me one thing."
"What?"
"If you're in danger, don't tough it out alone." Lin Zifan looked at him. "Run. Come back to me. We'll figure it out together."
Lin Du was silent for two seconds.
Then he smiled.
"Deal."
---
That night, Lin Du lay in bed, staring at the moon outside.
Bro Bin was curled up in his arms, already asleep, snoring softly.
Lin Du wasn't sleeping.
He was thinking about the second heart seed.
Where was it? Who had it? What did it want?
He didn't know.
But he knew one thing—
It would come for him eventually.
Just like Zhou Yuan's heart had.
When that day came, he'd be ready.
Because this time, he wasn't alone.
He had a brother. He had a mother. He had Bro Bin.
And he had a heart that wanted to protect them all.
Outside, the moon slowly moved.
In the distance, something flickered in the darkness.
Like an eye.
Or like—another heart.