The room was not grand, yet it was spacious and orderly. A single wooden table stood at the center, surrounded by three chairs. In three corners of the room, candle holders were placed each capable of holding four candles casting faint shadows against the walls. A soft scent of aged wood lingered in the air.
On the eastern side of the room rested a bed large enough for two, pushed close to the wall. The door was positioned to the north, while a window lay on the southern wall, its curtains gently swaying with the mountain breeze that slipped inside.
Xu Lin and Su Qingxue lay together on the bed.
"Husband," Su Qingxue said softly, her voice cautious, "my junior sister has sent people to hunt me. I don't know if they'll discover this place.
Among them are Core Formation cultivators… there might even be half-step Nascent Soul experts. Should we leave and go far away?"
Xu Lin gently rubbed her hand, which rested on his chest, and spoke calmly, "Qingxue, for the next few days, you shouldn't go out. Tomorrow, I'll go purchase everything we need. After some time passes, we'll leave this place, cultivate quietly, and live in peace."
Su Qingxue frowned slightly. "But husband, will you be safe? If someone targets you—"
"I'm already at Foundation Establishment, third level," Xu Lin replied with a faint smile. "I'm not some Qi Condensation rookie. I also have a fifty-kilometer teleportation talisman. If something feels wrong, I'll leave immediately. It's only for tomorrow. Don't worry too much."
She still looked uneasy. "Please… be careful."
"Alright, alright," Xu Lin chuckled softly. "Let's sleep. I have to leave early tomorrow."
They soon fell asleep.
The next morning, sunlight poured into the room.
"I'm leaving now," Xu Lin said as he prepared to go out. "I'll be back by evening. If I'm late, don't wait for me."
"Be careful," Su Qingxue said, watching him leave.
...
Xu Lin walked through the marketplace, carrying supplies for the coming days.
Since I'm already out… I should buy something for my wife, he thought.
She'll definitely like it.
His eyes stopped on a blue bracelet displayed on a stall. The color reminded him of Su Qingxue's eyes—deep, clear, and gentle like the ocean.
"This would suit her perfectly," Xu Lin murmured.
"Shopkeeper, how much for this bracelet?" he asked.
"Eighty copper coins," the man replied.
Xu Lin paid without hesitation and left, a small smile on his face.
She'll be so happy, he thought as he walked home.
But when Xu Lin reached the courtyard, his steps froze.
Tables lay shattered. Objects were scattered everywhere. The peaceful home he had left behind was in ruins.
"What… what happened?" he whispered, panic flooding his chest. "Qingxue—Qingxue!"
He rushed inside.
Her body lay motionless on the ground.
"Wife…" Xu Lin staggered forward.
"Wife… stop joking… wake up…"
No response.
He collapsed beside her, lifting her into his arms.
"Qingxue… please… don't do this… don't leave me…" Tears streamed down his face. "You promised… you said we'd go to the Moonlight Festival… that we'd watch our children play…"
His chest tightened. Breathing became painful.
"Why… why did you leave me…?" His voice broke. "How am I supposed to live alone…?"
He cried again and again, like a lost child begging for an answer that would never come.
Why… why am I inside this jade…? Su Qingxue's voice echoed silently.
Her soul hovered within the jade pendant.
He can't see me… he can't hear me…
She watched Xu Lin clutch her body, crying until he could barely breathe.
"I'm here… I'm here…" she cried desperately. "Don't cry… please don't cry… husband…"
But her voice never reached him.
"I'll revive you," Xu Lin gasped, struggling for breath. "I'll bring you back…"
His eyes turned sharp with madness and resolve.
"I've heard… if the soul exists… the body can be remade…" His breathing was ragged. "If I reach Divine Transformation… or Void Amalgamation… I can enter the Reincarnation River… I can retrieve your soul…And revive you after rebuilding your body."
His hands trembled.
"And the one who killed you…" His voice turned cold. "As you told me that your junior sister sent cultivators to hunt you...yes....it must be her...only your junior sister would benefit from this."
"I'll repay this karma," he whispered. "Then I'll reach that realm… and resurrect you."
"No!" Su Qingxue screamed in panic. "You fool...my soul is here! It's trapped in the jade! Don't challenge the Ethereal Immortal Sect… just cultivate…"
But Xu Lin couldn't hear her.
He could only hear his own heartbeat… and the sound of something breaking inside him.