The emptiness from the previous night had not yet faded. The line between "Akin" and "Ling Shan" was still blurred, like mist over snow.
He knew only one thing, this world was watching him. And if he misspoke even a single word, what awaited him might not be questioning… but purification.
The young woman was still standing too close, so close he could hear the rhythm of her breathing.
This body's heart pounded whenever it looked at her. But his own heart… remained still. Or perhaps not still, merely operating in a state of guarded alertness.
He leaned toward her without hesitation, lifting the sleeve of her robe slowly, turning her arm left and right as though inspecting a priceless ancient artifact.
His gaze was overly serious.His fingertip traced from her chin down along the smooth line of her pale neck, examining it carefully.
She froze, like a sculpture sealed in winter ice.
"Exquisite craftsmanship…" he murmured.
Suddenly…..
"Ugh!"
He faltered slightly, clutching his abdomen. Pain surged through him, draining the color from his face. One wrong movement, and this body might split apart.
He let out a soft laugh to cover it.
"My wife is truly beautiful… How many children do we have already?"
He asked with such seriousness that it was impossible to tell whether he was joking.
Her face flushed crimson, nearly matching the embroidered plum blossoms on her silk robe. Confused, embarrassed, overwhelmed, she could barely breathe.
"I… I am not yet your wife… If you so desire…"
Akin let out a long sigh and lay back against the pillow.
"That's a relief. I've been single for thirty-five years. I'm not in a hurry to marry."
He stared at the bamboo ceiling, his expression empty. "You are very beautiful. You should choose someone more suitable. I still have things I must accomplish."
That was true.
But not a truth he could explain.What he had to accomplish was not marriage, but discovering what had been done in a life that was not his.
He closed his eyes briefly.If this world was scrutinizing him, perhaps pretending to be foolish was safer than appearing clever.
Suddenly, he sprang upright again.
She startled.
He stared at her with abnormal seriousness.
"If anyone ever touches you like I just did… you must slap him. Understand? Slap him hard."
He demonstrated with an earnest swing of his hand through the air.
She looked at him, confused and wounded.
"How could I strike you, Brother Ling Shan? Even if we are not yet married… we love one another. Have you truly forgotten?"
The word love stirred something in his chest.
Not desire. Not excitement. But guilt.If the man she loved had already died, , then what was he?
"In that case…" he said too quickly, "why not marry tonight? I think I'm ready. Even just for one night."
"One… night means what, exactly…?" she asked softly.
"Miss!!"
A maid's voice rang from outside the chamber.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. This was no longer about love. The maid dropped to her knees.
"Miss, Elder Chen and the senior disciples are on their way! They said they will test Senior Brother Ling Shan immediately!"
The word test was colder than the snow outside."Because he has already died once."
The calm, icy voice came from the doorway. The wooden door was pushed open.
Elder Chen stepped inside with composed dignity. His black hair streaked with white was tightly bound, and his eyes gleamed like a blade freshly drawn from its sheath.
"One who dies on the night of blood rain and then breathes again is not something the sect can ignore."
The word died struck him squarely in the chest.A towering cliff. Blood.Clashing blades.
"Your karma…"
His heart pounded violently, nearly tearing open his wound. Had he truly died? Or had he been pushed? Or… was he the one who deserved to die?
"Do you remember me, Ling Shan?"
Spiritual pressure spread through the room. The candles flickered violently.
This was not a question. It was judgment.
If he answered wrongly, he would become a foreign presence, and foreign presences were eliminated.
He swallowed slowly and let a faint smile curve his lips.
"Elder Chen…" His voice was slightly hoarse but steady. "What do you believe I ought to remember?"
The elder's eyes narrowed.
"Before you fell from the cliff… what happened?"
A man in a senior disciple's robe. A sword reflecting cold moonlight. A cruel smile. A whisper:
"Your karma… I will deliver it for you."
His breath turned icy. This was betrayal. But… who betrayed whom? Within this thing called karma, was he the victim, or the one who first drew blood?
If Ling Shan had unsheathed his blade first, if the blood spilled was merely the chain of cause and effect, then was he, now inhabiting this body, being forced to repay it?
He lowered his gaze, feigning confusion.Confusion, was the safest answer.
Suddenly…..Elder Chen burst into laughter and seized both his shoulders firmly. The frail body sagged slightly under the force.
"Well done. I was merely joking."
The word joking, was heavier than a blade. Because it meant, he was being weighed. Akin looked up at him. He did not know whether, in this game, he was a chess piece, or karma awaiting judgment.
But he understood one thing.He might not be the original owner of this body. Yet as long as he breathed within it, he would bear its consequences.
Beneath the moonlight last night, he had awakened.
Tonight, he finally understood…
Awakening does not mean immediate liberation.Sometimes, it is simply the awareness that one is standing at the edge of a cliff, and must still laugh, so that no one sees the fear.