Li Xuan blinked at her words, his heart skipping a beat.
"R–remove my clothes?" he stammered, "You can't be serious…"
The woman only tilted her head. "Do you wish to die from poison, or argue with me about modesty?"
Li Xuan froze. He looked down, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean… you could at least look away," he muttered under his breath.
"Child," she sighed softly, the faintest smile touching her lips. "You think I have not seen enough flesh in a thousand years?"
His cheeks burned red instantly. "Yah, right!"
There wasn't much he could do,he knew she was right. So, awkwardly, he undid his outer robe, the soft rustle echoing faintly in the hollow space. The mist rose around him like a curtain, gentle and warm, shielding his body from view just enough to ease his embarrassment.
He sat cross-legged upon the lotus stone. The mist drifted from the six soul crystals, wrapping around his shoulders and chest until it covered him in a light veil.
The woman's voice came softly, almost like a lullaby. "Don't try to resist my power, or you'll suffer a backlash."
Li Xuan tried to steady his breath, but his nerves refused to calm. "You know… if anyone saw this, they'd think I was taking a bath with a ghost," he said with a shy grin.
Her lips curved faintly. "Hmph, and who do you think they would call crazy among us?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Surely no one is stupid enough to drown himself at the bottom of a lake just to see a ghost."
The crystals pulsed one after another, colors shifting from pale blue to faint gold. The mist grew thicker, wrapping him in waves of warmth that seeped through his skin.
He winced slightly as the faint violet threads under his skin began to fade. The warmth reached deep into his blood, dissolving that burning ache that had followed him since his fight.
The woman moved closer, her presence silent yet commanding. She extended a finger, tracing lightly through the mist until it hovered near his chest.
"Your innate core energy is still at the foundation level… how come?" she asked, withdrawing her finger.
Li Xuan just frowned,after all,his cultivation base hadn't even solidified let alone reach the foundation level . Onca a human being chose the path of cultivation,he would need to fully awaken his innate spirit core but this type of awakening deepened on how much innate core energy one is born with .
This ranged from one to a thousand units ,his was only at level 89 out of a 1000,with that he would need at least ten years to reach the foundation level before fully qualifying for the title of a spirit master.
The woman noticing his expression, didn't push it.
The crystals dimmed slowly as the mist withdrew, settling into the calm glow of moonlight. Li Xuan felt light, his body almost floating. He sighed deeply and leaned back slightly, half smiling.
"Guess I owe you my life again," he said softly.
The woman didn't answer immediately. Her eyes seemed distant, fixed on the faint shimmer above the dome. "One day, you'll wish I hadn't saved you," she whispered, almost to herself.
Li Xuan looked up at her. "Then I'll save you back," he said simply.
That earned him another look—one that lingered, as if she couldn't decide whether to laugh or scold him.
"Go, foolish boy," she said finally. "Your world still waits for you."
Li Xuan stood up and dressed again as quickly as possible.
The woman extended her finger toward the air in front of her, tracing a circle as another vortex formed. It was steadier than the others he had passed through, and he could clearly see the other side—a small, familiar path, the same one he used to come here.
He stepped forward, pausing as his foot touched the edge of the vortex.
"Who really are you?" he asked.
That question had lingered in his mind since the first day he saw her. She was the kind of woman who seemed to have forgotten what the world looked like and cared little for it—yet her heart was softer and more understanding than most humans he'd met.
The woman looked at him for a moment, then raised her eyes toward the sky.
"I am nobody," she said finally.
As if the vortex had its own mind, Li Xuan was pulled in, and in the blink of an eye he found himself back on the narrow path home.
Well, if that was her choice, he would just have to live with it. If she had been a powerful cultivator in her past, then surely something terrible had happened to her—no wonder she was in that state.
Li Xuan's mind immediately drifted to his promise to his aunt. He hadn't been gone long, and that gave him enough time to walk home before she grew worried. The path was dark and lonely, and any other child would have been terrified to walk it alone.
As he moved through the trees, a soft rustle echoed from the bushes, making him glance over. This land wasn't known for beasts, not even rats.
He brushed it off and kept walking—until a sudden laugh broke the silence, sending a chill down his spine.
"You must be Li Xuan. I didn't expect you to be this young," a tall, well-built man stepped out from the shadows, clutching a sword in his hand.
"Hmph," another voice scoffed as a second man approached from the trees. "I can't believe this is the little brat they told us about. I expected more of a man than a boy."
The second man's eyes scanned Li Xuan from top to bottom. Then, as if bored, he sighed. "Brother Zhao Mu, handle this one."
Li Xuan's expression stiffened. Zhao? That name alone made his heart tighten. So, the Zhao family had come for revenge. He hadn't expected it to be this soon.
He clenched his fists, straightening his posture.
Zhao Mu chuckled darkly. "Oh? It seems we've got a fighter. Too bad I don't have time to play."