Lin Mu stared at the lines on his finger until the oil lamp burned out, until the sky outside the window turned fish-belly white.
"Hide."
If it really was "Hide," then what was hidden? Where was it hidden? Why was it hidden?
He looked down at the black stone. The stone lay quietly on the table, its surface reflecting the morning light. That reversed character "Bury" was gone now, leaving only mirror-smooth blackness.
"Host." The trash can's voice came from his robe. "You haven't slept all night."
"Can't sleep."
"What are you thinking about?"
Lin Mu was silent for a moment.
"Thinking about Zhou Yuan."
He put the stone away and stood up, stretching his stiff limbs.
"Bro Bin, you said Zhou Yuan has been raising that heart for three years. How does one raise a heart?"
The trash can thought for a moment.
"Emotions—raising them is actually pretty complicated." It said. "First, you need a source—like the resentment left behind when someone dies. Then you need a container—like that black heart. Finally, you need to feed it regularly to keep it active."
"Feed it? Feed it what?"
"Feed it emotions." The trash can said. "Emotions of the same origin. If Zhou Yuan wants to raise that heart, he has to feed it things regularly—hatred, resentment, regret. The more he feeds it, the faster it grows."
Lin Mu frowned.
"Where does Zhou Yuan get that many emotions to feed it?"
"That, I don't know." The trash can shook its head. "Maybe he's just an emotionally rich person himself. Maybe he has other channels."
Lin Mu remembered the two hearts above Zhou Yuan's head—one grayish-blue, ordinary hatred; one black, containing the original owner's resentment.
The grayish-blue one was his own.
The black one was the one he'd raised for three years.
"Bro Bin."
"Yeah?"
"If that black heart grows up, what happens?"
The trash can was silent for a long time.
"Host, I don't know." Its voice was tense. "But it's definitely nothing good."
Lin Mu didn't ask further.
He pushed open the door and walked out.
Outside, it was already light. The sun warmed him, driving away the night's chill. He took a deep breath and headed toward the cafeteria.
Either way, he needed to eat first.
The cafeteria was crowded—all outer disciples and handymen. Lin Mu took his bowl and crouched in a corner, sipping his porridge while observing the people around him.
Then he saw Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan sat at the other end of the cafeteria, several delicate plates arranged before him, eating slowly. He ate elegantly, chewing each bite thoroughly—the picture of a well-bred young master from a good family.
Above his head floated two hearts.
The grayish-blue one was slightly smaller than yesterday, with fewer cracks on its surface.
The black one—still the same size, still that same black, still beating quietly.
Lin Mu stared at that black heart and suddenly noticed something.
It was looking at him.
That heart had no eyes, but Lin Mu could feel it—it was looking at him.
Across the entire cafeteria, past dozens of people, that black heart was staring right at him.
"Host." The trash can's voice came from his robe, very low. "That heart has spotted you."
Lin Mu looked down and continued drinking his porridge.
Out of the corner of his eye, that black heart was still watching him.
Suddenly Zhou Yuan looked up and glanced in his direction.
The moment their eyes met, Zhou Yuan smiled and gave him a small nod.
Lin Mu smiled back and nodded.
Then he stood up, placed his bowl at the return station, and walked out of the cafeteria.
The moment he stepped outside, a chill ran down his spine.
"Bro Bin."
"Yeah?"
"That heart—is it conscious?"
The trash can was silent for a moment.
"Host, I don't know." It said. "But I felt it too—it really was looking at us."
Lin Mu quickened his pace toward his lodgings.
Halfway there, someone suddenly blocked his path.
"Lin Yuan."
Lin Mu looked up. A stranger in outer disciple robes stood before him—tall and big, wearing an outer sect steward's uniform, his expression stern.
"You're Lin Yuan?"
"That's me."
"Come with me." The man said. "Someone from Enforcement Hall wants to see you."
Lin Mu's heart tightened.
Enforcement Hall?
In his three years at Tianxuan Sect, he'd never set foot in Enforcement Hall. That was where disciples who broke the rules were dealt with. Those who went in—minor offenses got lashes, major ones had their cultivation crippled and were expelled from the sect.
"May I ask, senior brother, what does Enforcement Hall want with me?"
"No idea." The man said. "You'll find out when you get there."
Lin Mu was silent for a second.
"Fine."
He followed the man toward Enforcement Hall.
Along the way, many disciples saw them and registered surprise. Some whispered:
"Isn't that Lin Yuan? Why's he being taken to Enforcement Hall?"
"No idea. Must have done something wrong."
"What could he do? He's a handyman—works all day, never even leaves his place."
"Who knows? Maybe he stole something?"
Lin Mu ignored them and kept walking.
Enforcement Hall stood between the outer and inner sects—a three-story building with two stewards at the entrance, their expressions as stern as temple door gods.
The man led Lin Mu inside, down a long corridor, and finally stopped before a door.
"Go in." He pushed it open.
Lin Mu walked in.
The room was spacious. In the middle sat a table, and behind the table sat a person.
The person wore inner disciple robes. His face was cold, his gaze sharp. He looked to be in his thirties, exuding an aura that said "keep your distance."
But what stunned Lin Mu wasn't his aura.
It was what floated above his head.
Three hearts.
One was ordinary red—medium-sized, beating steadily. Ordinary emotions. Probably the authority befitting an enforcer.
One was grayish-blue—much larger than Zhou Yuan's, its surface covered in cracks, fragments flaking off with every beat. This was hatred accumulated over years and years—deep hatred, long-held.
And the third—
Was gold.
Pure gold, like condensed sunlight, radiating a warm glow. It beat very slowly, and with each beat, the surrounding light grew a shade brighter.
Lin Mu had never seen golden emotions before.
"Sit." The man pointed to the chair across from him.
Lin Mu sat down and looked at the man.
"Do you know why I called you here?"
"No."
The man was silent for a moment, his gaze resting on Lin Mu's face as if assessing something.
"Where were you last night at midnight?"
Lin Mu's heart tightened.
Last night at midnight, he'd been at Reflection Cliff.
"Sleeping in my room." He said.
"Anyone who can attest to that?"
"No."
The man nodded, picked up a paper from the table, and glanced at it.
"Someone reported that last night at midnight, you were lurking suspiciously around Reflection Cliff." He set the paper down. "Reflection Cliff is restricted ground. No one is allowed near it without permission. Did you know that?"
Lin Mu blinked.
Reflection Cliff was restricted?
He didn't know that.
In the original owner's memories, Reflection Cliff was just where disciples were sent for punishment. No one had ever mentioned it being restricted.
"I didn't know." He said.
"You didn't know?" The man laughed coldly. "Three years at Tianxuan Sect, and you didn't know Reflection Cliff is restricted?"
Lin Mu was silent for two seconds.
"I really didn't know."
The man stared at him for a long time.
Then he stood up, walked over to Lin Mu, and loomed over him.
"Lin Yuan, someone told me you've been secretly practicing evil arts." He said. "That you went to Reflection Cliff at midnight to collect yin energy. Do you admit it?"
Lin Mu was stunned.
Evil arts?
Collecting yin energy?
What was all this?
"I don't admit it." He said. "I haven't practiced any evil arts, and I wasn't at Reflection Cliff at midnight."
"Then explain this."
The man reached into his sleeve, pulled something out, and tossed it onto the table.
A jade token.
Lin Mu looked down and froze.
It was his identification token.
Every disciple had one, engraved with their name and number. They usually hung from their belts, needed for entering and exiting gates.
How did his token get here?
He instinctively felt his waist.
Empty.
The token was gone.
"This token was found near Reflection Cliff." The man said. "It has your name on it. Still claiming you weren't there?"
Lin Mu stared at that token, his mind racing.
When had he lost his token?
It was still there yesterday morning. He'd checked it when he went out last night—
Wait.
When he went out last night, he'd indeed checked his token, confirming it was on him. But after returning from Reflection Cliff, he hadn't paid attention.
If he'd dropped it on the way back—
"I wasn't at Reflection Cliff." He said. "Someone must have stolen my token."
"Stolen?" The man laughed. "Who would steal a handyman's token? And what for?"
Lin Mu didn't answer.
He thought of someone.
Zhou Yuan.
Last night, Wang Tiezhu said he'd seen Zhou Yuan lurking around his area.
If Zhou Yuan had stolen his token while he was out, then thrown it near Reflection Cliff—
"I wasn't at Reflection Cliff." Lin Mu repeated. "Believe it or not."
The man stared at him for a long time.
Then he suddenly smiled.
That smile sent a chill down Lin Mu's spine—not kindness, but a knowing amusement.
"Lin Yuan." The man sat back in his chair and spoke slowly. "Do you know who reported you?"
Lin Mu's heart tightened.
Of course.
"Zhou Yuan."
"Zhou Yuan said he personally saw you heading toward Reflection Cliff at midnight." The man continued. "He said you've been acting strangely lately, going out often in the middle of the night, and suggested Enforcement Hall investigate you."
He paused.
"Zhou Yuan is your senior brother, isn't he? Usually quite good to you?"
Lin Mu was silent for two seconds.
"Yes."
"Then why would he report you?"
Lin Mu looked up, meeting the man's eyes.
"That's a question you should ask him."
The man blinked, then laughed.
"Interesting." He stood up. "Alright. You can go."
Lin Mu was stunned.
"Go?"
"Yes." The man waved his hand. "I called you here today just to have a look at you. Now that I've seen you, you can leave."
Lin Mu stood up, staring at him for a few seconds.
"Who are you?"
The man raised an eyebrow.
"Me? I'm Lin Zifan. Inner disciple, Enforcement Hall guest elder." He smiled. "Also your older brother."
Lin Mu's mind went blank.
Lin Zifan.
The original owner's real brother.
The brother who, after the original owner's dantian shattered, said, "The Lin family has no use for waste."
The brother who sent the original owner to Tianxuan Sect as a handyman and ignored him for three years.
"You—"
"What, don't recognize me?" Lin Zifan leaned back in his chair, expression calm. "Three years since we last met. You've gotten thinner."
Lin Mu stared at him.
Stared at the three hearts above his head.
The red one beat steadily—that was the authority of an enforcer.
The grayish-blue one was covered in cracks—that was years of accumulated hatred.
The golden one was warm and bright—
He suddenly wondered what that gold one was.
"You hate me?" Lin Mu asked suddenly.
Lin Zifan blinked.
"What?"
"You hate me." Lin Mu said. "For three years now. You've been hating me."
Lin Zifan's expression changed.
He stared at Lin Mu, his gaze sharpening.
"How do you know?"
Lin Mu didn't answer.
He turned and walked toward the door.
"Stop!"
Lin Zifan's voice came from behind.
Lin Mu stopped but didn't turn around.
"Lin Yuan." Lin Zifan's voice dropped very low. "Some things aren't what they seem."
Lin Mu was silent for two seconds.
"Then what are they?"
Lin Zifan didn't answer.
Lin Mu pushed open the door and walked out.
Outside Enforcement Hall, the sun stung his eyes.
He stood at the entrance and took a deep breath.
"Host." The trash can's voice came from his robe, cautious. "You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"That Lin Zifan—the grayish-blue heart above his head—"
"I know." Lin Mu said. "He hates me."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Lin Mu walked on.
After a dozen paces, he suddenly remembered something and stopped.
"Bro Bin."
"Yeah?"
"That gold one—what was it?"
The trash can was silent for a moment.
"Host, that gold one... I've never seen anything like it either." Its voice was puzzled. "But that aura—it was pure, warm. Didn't feel like a negative emotion."
"Then what was it?"
"I don't know." The trash can said. "But it's definitely not ordinary."
Lin Mu nodded and kept walking.
Back in his room, he closed the door and sat on the edge of his bed.
His mind was a mess.
Zhou Yuan reporting him. Lin Zifan interrogating him. The stolen token. Reflection Cliff being restricted—
And that golden heart above Lin Zifan's head.
Everything was chaos.
He reached into his robe to pull out that black stone.
But the moment his hand went in, he froze.
The stone was gone.
He searched every pocket, turned the whole room upside down. Nothing.
That black stone was lost.
"Host." The trash can's voice was tense. "Could it have been at Enforcement Hall—"
Lin Mu closed his eyes.
Enforcement Hall.
Lin Zifan called him there, interrogated him, let him go.
The whole time—was it just to stall him?
He shot up, pushed open the door, and ran.
By the time he reached Reflection Cliff, the sun was already starting its descent.
Lin Mu followed yesterday's path all the way to where the old man had been fishing.
But there was nothing there.
No old man. No fishing rod. Even the rock was gone.
Only the cliff, and the wind.
Lin Mu stood at the edge, looking down.
Endless depths, shrouded in mist. Nothing visible.
"Host." The trash can's voice was very soft. "The stone might be—"
Lin Mu didn't answer.
He remembered what the old man had said: When it shatters, you'll know everything.
But it hadn't shattered. It was lost.
Stolen by whom?
Lin Zifan?
Or—
He turned and started back.
Halfway there, he suddenly saw someone.
Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan stood in the middle of the path, his back to Lin Mu, as if waiting for someone.
Lin Mu slowed his steps and approached from behind.
"Senior Brother Zhou."
Zhou Yuan turned around, a warm smile on his face.
"Junior Brother Lin. What a coincidence, running into you here."
Lin Mu looked above his head.
Both hearts were still there.
The grayish-blue one was smaller than this morning.
The black one was still beating, still looking at him.
"Yes, quite a coincidence." Lin Mu said. "What brings Senior Brother Zhou to Reflection Cliff?"
Zhou Yuan smiled.
"Just taking a stroll." He said. "And you?"
Lin Mu was silent for two seconds.
"Just taking a stroll."
Zhou Yuan nodded.
They stood facing each other, neither speaking.
Wind blew past, carrying a few fallen leaves.
"Junior Brother Lin." Zhou Yuan suddenly spoke. "Did you know Reflection Cliff is restricted ground?"
"I know." Lin Mu said. "Found out today."
"And yet you still came?"
Lin Mu looked at him.
Looked at the black heart above his head.
That heart was looking back at him.
"Senior Brother Zhou." Lin Mu said. "Were you near my place last night?"
Zhou Yuan blinked.
Then he smiled.
"Yes." He said. "I went to find you, but you weren't there."
"What for?"
"I wanted to give you something." Zhou Yuan reached into his robe and pulled out a small box. "This."
Lin Mu took the box and opened it.
Inside lay a single pill.
Larger than the previous ones, deeper in color, richer in medicinal scent.
"This is—"
"A Spirit Gathering Pill." Zhou Yuan said. "It can help restore your dantian."
Lin Mu was stunned.
Restore his dantian?
"Senior Brother Zhou, you—"
"I've known your dantian was shattered." Zhou Yuan interrupted. "Found out three years ago. I've wanted to help you all this time, but couldn't find a way. A few days ago, I came across a recipe. Tried it, and it worked."
He looked at Lin Mu with eyes so sincere they couldn't be doubted.
"Junior Brother Lin, take it. Once you do, you'll be able to cultivate again."
Lin Mu looked down at the pill.
The pill lay quietly in the box, exuding an enticing medicinal fragrance.
He looked up at Zhou Yuan's head.
The grayish-blue one was very small now—almost no visible cracks.
The black one—
Still looking at him.
Beating faster than before.
"Senior Brother Zhou." Lin Mu closed the box. "Why don't you take this pill yourself?"
Zhou Yuan blinked.
"Me?"
"Yes." Lin Mu said. "You're a cultivator too. It would benefit you, wouldn't it?"
Zhou Yuan laughed.
"My dantian isn't shattered. Taking it would be wasteful." He said. "This was specially refined for you."
Lin Mu nodded.
He put the box away and looked at Zhou Yuan.
"Senior Brother Zhou, you're so good to me."
Zhou Yuan smiled.
"Of course."
Lin Mu smiled too.
"I'll take it when I get back then."
He turned and walked away.
After a few steps, he suddenly heard Zhou Yuan's voice:
"Junior Brother Lin."
He stopped and turned back.
Zhou Yuan stood where he was, the smile fading from his face.
He looked at Lin Mu with a strange expression.
"Do you know why I'm so good to you?"
Lin Mu was silent for two seconds.
"No."
Zhou Yuan smiled.
That smile was different from before.
"Because you owe me." He said. "You owe me a life."
Lin Mu froze.
Zhou Yuan said nothing more and turned to leave.
Lin Mu stood there, watching his figure disappear down the mountain path.
The wind blew past, chilling him.
"Host." The trash can's voice came from his robe. "That black heart—it was beating really fast just now."
Lin Mu looked down at the box in his hand.
"I know."
"That pill—"
"It's problematic." Lin Mu said. "But the problem isn't the pill itself."
"Then what is it?"
Lin Mu was silent for a moment.
"It's about fate."
He put the box away and started back.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long.
At Reflection Cliff, the wind still blew.
In the endless depths below, something was slowly awakening.