Author's Preface
Suddenly, Mark found himself somewhere else.
People were talking beside him. A wide gate stood ahead, beyond which he could hear rushing water. Off in the distance rose a tall tower marked with the number three.
A long row of wooden crates sat before him. He moved and personally opened one of the long crates with his own hands.
Inside lay an unconscious woman dressed in white robes. She had shoulder-length hair with neat bangs covering her face, pale skin, two tattooed dots beneath each eyelid, and across her upper chest a larger tattoo, a downward-pointing triangle flanked by wings, with an eye at its center.
Then he heard Old Mark speak, and the voice sounded strangely unfamiliar despite coming from the same vocal cords. "What in the world is this... You said it'd be just the usual delivery we always do."
Before he could turn, an arm wrapped around his neck from behind. "You'll do as you're told," a voice whispered beside his ear. "Nothing more, nothing less."
Mark felt the crushing strength in that arm. It locked old Mark's body completely as he stared helplessly at the unconscious woman. Regret flooded him, followed by bitter self-reproach... and finally resolve.
His eyes snapped open, and he found himself sprawled across the floor while Leaf looked down at him from his chair.
"Maybe I should've suggested you sit down first. My mistake." He smiled without the slightest embarrassment. "So... who killed him?"
Mark climbed back to his feet, dusting himself off, though his thoughts remained elsewhere.
"So?" Leaf pressed impatiently. "Who?"
"That..." Mark frowned. "How do I put this? It wasn't even about his death. It was him working with some human traffickers."
"What?" Leaf's brows shot up. "That's not possible."
He immediately handed Mark the Remembrance Tablet. "Here. Show me." Then he remembered what had happened last time. "Actually, just replay the scene in your mind as though you're visualizing it. Focus."
Mark accepted the tablet and sent a thread of Qi into it. Feeling the familiar connection establish itself, he replayed everything he had just witnessed.
"Hmm..." Leaf murmured as he studied the shifting images. "I figured he was corrupt from the way he died... What a pain." He sighed. "And his death must've been quick as well, otherwise that would've been the memory you saw instead. This isn't looking good."
Expecting an answer but receiving only silence, Leaf turned. Mark stood motionless, brows deeply furrowed.
"Don't worry," Leaf began. "We'll just...
"I think it was more complicated than that," Mark interrupted quietly. "I didn't just see what he saw. I felt what he felt. Helplessness. Regret. And by the end... it felt like he'd made some kind of vow."
Leaf's expression turned thoughtful. "That's not really good news. Regret means he did something terrible, and judging by where he was, I'd imagine that something was illegal as well." He paused before another thought occurred to him. "Still, we could destroy any evidence of his past crimes and focus on the present. We already know Old Mark didn't kill his team. That's the important part."
He stood from the chair. "We need more information. I don't think going out will bear much fruit anytime soon. Your best chance is to learn the Soul Essence Conversion technique properly and dig deeper into his memories. In the meantime, I'll make some arrangements on my end."
"Okay."
Mark climbed into a poor lotus position, looking more like a middle-aged man attending his first yoga class.
"No," Leaf laughed. "Get up there."
He pointed toward the crystal platform. "I prepared that specifically for you. It's a one-star Spirit Gathering Array, about the most your body can handle, but it's surrounded by Unique Grade Spirit Stones."
---
Meimei helped Yu Ji into the house. It was modest, but spacious enough for two people to live comfortably.
The front door opened directly into a broad living room. Soft mattresses lined three sides of the space beneath wide windows that overlooked the quiet street outside, each covered in floral-patterned fabric faded by years of use.
A dark red rug stretched across the center of the room, woven with intricate beasts locked in endless pursuit, while two sturdy stone pillars rose from floor to ceiling, subtly dividing the open space without breaking it apart. Low wooden tables stood within easy reach of the mattresses, one holding a clay teapot and two empty cups, another beside a tall polished mirror that reflected the fiery glow of the oil lanterns hung on the walls. Beyond the living room, an open corner led into a small kitchen, from which lingered the faint scent of cooked rice.
It was simple. Comfortable.
Meimei guided Yu Ji across the room with one arm around her waist before carefully lowering her onto the mattress furthest from the entrance.
"Yu Ji... what happened to you?" She eased her down as gently as she could.
"I am fine." The moment her body touched the familiar mattress, every muscle seemed to surrender at once. Gravity took over where determination had carried her this far, and she let herself sink into the soft bedding without resisting. 'I miss this mattress...'
"Fine?" Meimei stared at her in disbelief. "You were just dropped by a stranger in the middle of the night in front of my house, bleeding, after you suddenly stopped talking to me a month ago. This is not fine. What is happening?"
"It's..." Yu Ji hesitated. A weary sigh escaped her lips before she continued. "It's a long story. It is best if you do not know." She closed her eyes. "It's... safer."
Meimei fell silent. She lowered herself onto the mattress beside Yu Ji's head, elbows resting on her knees as she stared blankly at the rug beneath them.
"I can't understand you, Yu Ji." Her voice had lost its edge.
"Sometimes you're passionate, loving, and telling me we should stay together forever. Other times, you're so lost in your job that we barely talk for days. And when we do, you never tell me anything. You always look like you're carrying the whole world on your shoulders."
She swallowed. "I understood that. I supported you."
Her gaze remained fixed on the floor. "But then you disappear for an entire month..."
She finally looked toward Yu Ji. "And tonight you suddenly show up like this... as if nothing happened."
Her voice wavered. "I can't deal with that. It's not good for me."
Yu Ji kept her eyes closed, focusing on the slow rhythm of her breathing. "I'm sorry..."
"Sorry for what exactly?"
A long pause followed.
"Everything..."
Neither of them spoke.
The only sounds were the quiet crackle of the lantern, the wind brushing softly against the shutters, and two birds arguing in the trees outside.
Eventually, Meimei broke the silence. "So... what is happening?" Her expression gradually hardened. "Who turned you into this state?"
A thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Is it that degenerate captain who's always been bothering you?"
Yu Ji hesitated. "Yes."
Meimei shot upright. "Is he crazy? You should report him again. I'll go call the guards, and they'll take you to the department so you can speak directly to the Patrol Chief."
She had barely taken a step before Yu Ji's voice stopped her. "No... wait. It's not as easy as it sounds."
Meimei turned around. "Why?"
Yu Ji opened her mouth. Nothing came out.
"It's..." Her eyes drifted shut again. "Complicated."
"It's always complicated with you." Frustration crept back into Meimei's voice despite herself. "Why can't we just talk?"
Then she saw it.
A single tear slipped quietly from beneath Yu Ji's closed eyelids.
Meimei froze.
The irritation vanished as quickly as it had come, replaced by an immediate wave of guilt. Was this the best time to assign blame?
She slowly returned to the mattress and sat beside her once more, resting her elbows on her knees as her fingers nervously twisted together.
"I'm sorry for yelling." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm just..."
She searched for the words. "Scared...confused, and angry. I don't know what to do."
Yu Ji's breathing faltered. She lifted one hand over her eyes as though hiding behind it might somehow keep herself together. Turning her face toward the wall, she tried to stifle the sob rising in her chest.
"Captain..." Her voice broke. "Captain is dead..." Another sob escaped before she could stop it. "Because of me."
Tears slipped between her fingers. "He tried to help me...and they killed him."
Meimei's expression slowly changed. The confusion disappeared. So did the frustration.
She gently placed a hand upon Yu Ji's shoulder and rubbed it softly, unsure of what comfort she could possibly offer.
"I'm... I'm sorry..." Her voice trembled. "But..." She struggled to comprehend what she had just heard. "How can they just kill him? He's a Guard Captain."
"I don't know..." Yu Ji whispered, her voice breaking between uneven breaths. "They're powerful... and they have connections everywhere."
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to steady herself, but another wave of pain washed through her. The clothes beneath her robes darkened a little more, fresh blood slowly seeping through the fabric.
Meimei noticed it immediately.
"But... your injuries are getting worse." She knelt beside the mattress, lifting the edge of Yu Ji's robe just enough to confirm what she already feared. "We need to go to the infirmary and find you a healer."
"No..." Yu Ji shook her head weakly. "We can't. They'll... they'll find me if we go."
"We can't just stay here and wait for you to die."
"I don't know..." Yu Ji's voice had become little more than a murmur. "I'm tired." She closed her eyes again. "I just want to rest."
Meimei opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came. She rubbed her forehead, pressing hard enough to bunch her brow under her fingertips. For the first time since Yu Ji had arrived, she genuinely had no idea what to say.
A moment later, Yu Ji slowly turned onto her side.
Her movements were sluggish, every shift of her body drawing a quiet breath through clenched teeth. She reached out and gently took Meimei's hand. "I don't want to do this job anymore."
The words were so small they almost disappeared into the silence.
Meimei's fingers instinctively closed around hers. "Yeah..." Her thumb slowly brushed across the back of Yu Ji's hand.
"It's not good for you." She lowered her head. "It always made you so angry... so cold... and so sad."
A faint smile appeared on Yu Ji's lips despite everything. "It hasn't been easy on you." She looked at Meimei for a long moment.
"I love you."
Meimei's eyes trembled. Without a word, she slid closer and carefully gathered Yu Ji's head against her shoulder, holding her as gently as she could.
"We can't stay like this." Her voice remained soft, but there was determination beneath it now. "We need to find a way out of this mess."
She tightened the embrace ever so slightly. "Otherwise, you won't even live to see tomorrow with how much you're bleeding."
Yu Ji said nothing.
Seeing no response, Meimei tried again. "We have to." She hesitated before adding, "For Mark."
Then she gently lifted Yu Ji's chin so their eyes met. "For us."
She searched Yu Ji's weary gaze. "Isn't that worth fighting for?"
Yu Ji looked away. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around Meimei's hand.
"What is it?" Meimei frowned. "I know that look."
She waited. Again, nothing came. A spark of anger suddenly took over her.
"You can't just barge back into my life after I've finally started moving on from all of this..." Her voice remained calm, though the hurt beneath it was unmistakable. "And still lie to me. You owe me the full truth." She held Yu Ji's gaze. "Anything less...and you'll never see me again."
For a long while, Yu Ji simply stared at the rug beneath them.
Finally, barely louder than a breath, she spoke. "There is a way..."
Meimei leaned forward immediately. "I'm listening."
"Before the captain died..." Yu Ji paused to gather enough strength to continue. "He entrusted something to me. I don't actually know what it is."
Meimei glanced toward the satchel resting beside the mattress. "Isn't it in that bag?"
Yu Ji slowly shook her head. "No, there's nothing inside. It was just a tactic."
"So where is it?"
"That's not what's important now."
With visible effort, Yu Ji pushed herself upright. A quiet gasp escaped her as pain shot through her abdomen, but she ignored it, looking at Meimei with a seriousness that hadn't appeared since she entered the house.
"The Chief of the Internal Affairs Division is known to drink tea every night at Quiet Reed Pavilion." She spoke each word carefully. "It's on Willow Walk Street, in Lantern Ward. The place is quite famous."