Five years passed in the Spirit Realm.
Su Mei was now a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Her name, the Ice Empress, was
whispered with fear across the Northern Star Region. She had conquered three minor sects and
established a floating fortress city called New Cloud Sparrow.
Li Wei lived in the central spire of the fortress. It was a luxurious cage. He had a massive
apartment, servants (constructs made of ice and magic), and a library of mortal books Su Mei
had collected for him.
But he hadn't seen Su Mei's real face in six months. She communicated via voice transmission
or holographic projection.
Today, the door opened.
Su Mei walked in.
Li Wei stood up from his reading chair. He dropped his book.
She had changed.
It wasn't just the aura. It was her face. Her features had become perfectly symmetrical,
smoothing out the tiny imperfections that made her human. The small mole under her left
eye—gone. The way her smile crooked slightly to the right—corrected.
She looked like a porcelain doll brought to life by a necromancer.
"Su Mei?" Li Wei asked.
"Greetings, husband," she said. Her voice was a monotone hum, perfect in pitch, devoid of
inflection. "I have allocated fifteen minutes for a wellness check."
She walked over to him and scanned him with blue light.
"Vital signs: Stable. Liver function: Optimal. Mental state: Depressive symptoms detected.
Suggestion: Increase sunlight simulation in the quarters."
She spoke like the System.
"I don't need sunlight," Li Wei said, walking toward her. He reached out to touch her arm. "I need
my wife."
Su Mei didn't pull away, but she didn't lean in. His hand touched her sleeve. It felt like touching a
wall of cold air.
"I am here," she stated. "I am fulfilling the spousal contract."
"Contract?" Li Wei looked into her eyes. They were vast, empty blue skies. "Is that what we are?
A contract?"
"Marriage is a contract," Su Mei explained. "I provide protection and resources. You provide...
stability."
She looked around the room. She saw a wooden duck Li Wei had carved. It was a crude toy, a
replica of one they had sold in the mall years ago.
She picked it up.
"I remember this," she said. "Item: Duck. Material: Low-grade pine. Purpose: Child's
entertainment."
"We sold those," Li Wei said, desperate for a spark. "Remember? A little boy cried because he
couldn't afford it, and you gave it to him for free. You said his smile was worth more than
copper."
Su Mei stared at the duck. She tilted her head.
"That was inefficient," she said. "Giving away inventory leads to revenue loss. I must have been She put the duck down. She didn't smile at the memory. She critiqued it.
"Su Mei," Li Wei grabbed her shoulders. The cold burned his palms, but he held on. "Look at
me! I am Li Wei! I am the man who cooked for you! I am the man who held you when your father
died! Stop analyzing me and feel me!"
Su Mei looked at his hands on her shoulders.
"Physical contact detected," she noted. "Heart rate elevated. Adrenaline spiking. You are
distressed."
"Yes! I am distressed! Because you are turning into a rock!"
Su Mei gently removed his hands. Her grip was like a steel pincer, unyielding.
"I am not turning into a rock, Li Wei. I am turning into a god. Rocks are inanimate. Gods are
absolute."
She stepped back, smoothing her robes.
"Your distress is noted. I will instruct the kitchen golems to prepare Spirit-Calming Soup for your
dinner. It contains valerian root."
She turned to the door.
"Wait!" Li Wei shouted. "The box! The box in your ring! Are you going to use it? The Heartless
Sword Sutra?"
Su Mei paused at the threshold. She didn't turn around.
"The box," she repeated. "It is an option. A tool."
"Am I just a variable in an equation to you?"
Su Mei turned her head slightly. The light from the hallway hit her profile, making her look
translucent.
"Li Wei," she said softly, and for a second, her voice sounded almost human. "You are the only
variable I haven't solved yet. That makes you... precious. In a way."
"Precious like a treasure?"
"No," she said. "Precious like a puzzle I cannot bear to finish, because once I finish it, I will have
nothing left to do but rule."
She walked out. The door sealed with a hiss.
Li Wei stood alone in the luxury apartment.
She hadn't denied it. She hadn't promised not to use the Sutra. She just said she wasn't ready
to finish the puzzle.
He picked up the wooden duck. He looked at its painted eye.
"She's not gone," Li Wei whispered to the duck. "She's just buried under the ice. I have to keep
digging."
But deep down, he knew the ice was miles thick, and he was scratching at it with his fingernails.
[System Quest: The Final Transformation.] [Time Remaining: Indefinite.] [Warning:
Beneficiary Humanity Level at 5%.]
Li Wei put the duck on the shelf. It looked lonely. Just like him.