The trek back up the ridge was steep, blistering, and silent.
The volcanic stone hissed beneath Fang Xi's steps. Cinders floated in the wind like snow, and his shadow flickered with each gust.
Han Shun tried to erase me with a talisman.
And yet I returned — with something darker than a wound.
He clenched his fist.
The black rune on his wrist had cooled, but it hadn't faded. Instead, a faint ring of crimson now glowed at its edges, like old blood dried over time.
It pulsed — once — as if aware he was thinking about it.
Fang Xi narrowed his eyes.
Memory. Blood. Death. This rune consumes experience, not just Qi.
And it had given him something in return.
Return to Camp
The group had moved slightly north after the battle, resting near a natural cave. The Flame Petal Orchids had been stored. No one was seriously wounded.
Wei Lian looked up first when Fang Xi stepped from the smoke.
Her eyes did not widen. She did not stand.
But she adjusted her grip on her sword.
Bai Mo blinked and offered a careful smile. "You're alive."
"Disappointed?" Fang Xi replied calmly.
"No. Just curious."
Deng Rui whistled. "By the ancestors, you're a ghost!"
And Han Shun… froze.
He had been seated by the fire, playing with his talismans. But now he went still, one hand tightening over his pouch.
So he didn't expect me to survive. That confirms it.
Fang Xi said nothing to him.
Not yet.
A Lesson of Silence
That evening, as the others slept, Fang Xi approached Han Shun from behind.
The boy stirred, then stilled.
"You tried to kill me," Fang Xi said softly.
"I… I thought you wouldn't survive the beasts. You—"
"I don't care what you thought."
Fang Xi leaned closer. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"But you made two mistakes. First, you failed. Second… you did it too early."
He stepped back, letting the words sink in like poison.
"I forgive you," he added, almost kindly. "Because one day, you'll be more useful to me alive than dead."
And then, he left Han Shun alone with his shaking hands.
The Mark Awakens
That night, Fang Xi meditated deeper than he had in weeks.
He peeled back layers of mental resistance and reached into his meridians… then past them, to the faint sensation of the rune on his skin.
You want memory?
I have thousands of lifetimes' worth.
He focused on the duel with Liu Yimei — the tension, the sweat, the rhythm of death.
The rune pulsed again.
Suddenly, he was there.
Back in the clearing. Blade in hand. Liu Yimei lunging forward, daggers drawn.
A memory… but clearer. Sharper. Realer than real.
He moved through it — not observing, but reliving.
He dodged her strike. Again. And again. Each time faster.
Each time smarter.
When the illusion faded, he opened his eyes, heart pounding.
New Insight Gained
[Memory Loop Insight – Level 1]
You may relive one past encounter in vivid clarity.
While inside the memory, your body remains still.
Time spent inside is brief, but what you learn… stays.
Fang Xi exhaled slowly.
A technique born of death. A rune that feeds on trauma. And a path only I can walk.
He smiled, a little.
Let others chase pills and sword manuals.
I'll study my own blood.