She forced her eyes open, blinking against the unfamiliar dimness. This wasn't her shop. It wasn't anywhere she recognised. Rich vermillion tapestries hung on stone walls. Ancient weapons lined the room, not as decorations, but as tools kept ready for use. The air carried unfamiliar scents: incense she couldn't identify, metals she'd never encountered, and, most of all, medicinal herbs.
She lay on a low bed covered with dark silk sheets embroidered with arcane symbols. The pillow beneath her head felt luxuriously soft against her aching skull.
[COMPUTING… HOST STATUS: CRITICAL BUT STABLE. DETECTING DECREASED PAIN LEVELS AND INCREASED AWARENESS. WELCOME BACK TO THE LAND OF THE CONSCIOUS! I MISSED YOU...]
"That... dream..." Su Lan Yi whispered, her voice barely audible even to herself. "It felt so real. Yet, I can’t remember it, or feel any sort of sorrow or anger over it."
[PHYSIOLOGICAL SCAN INDICATES ELEVATED EMOTIONAL RESPONSE. YOUR NEURAL PATTERNS SUGGEST YOU EXPERIENCED SOME MEMORY FRAGMENTS WHILE UNCONSCIOUS.]
Su Lan Yi closed her eyes again, trying to grasp at the wisps of the dream- the cottage, the carved fox, the parents whose faces were already fading like mist. "But were they real memories, System? I can't... I don’t remember having parents like that. I can't remember being a child at all, actually"
A heavy silence fell between them, unusual for the normally chatty System.
"System?" Su Lan Yi prompted. "What do you know about those memories?"
[I CANNOT VERIFY THOSE SPECIFIC MEMORY FRAGMENTS. I HAD INTERNAL ERRORS WHEN YOUR SOUL WAS PULLED FROM YOUR ORIGINAL WORLD, REMEMBER?]
"I remember the hooded figure, though," Su Lan Yi murmured, wincing as she tried to shift her position. "At least, a version of it. I encountered something similar about five hundred years ago during the War of Five Temples. Same black energy, same technique. I told Hei Wuya, remember?"
[THAT DOES ALIGN WITH YOUR ACCESSIBLE MEMORY DATABASE. THE HOODED CULTIVATOR YOU ENCOUNTERED FIVE CENTURIES AGO USED A SIMILAR SOUL CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW. BUT THE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES...]
"What?" Su Lan Yi asked, sensing the System's unusual hesitation.
[THERE ARE TWO POSSIBILITIES. EITHER YOU DELIBERATELY ERASED THOSE EARLY MEMORIES: SOMETHING HIGH-LEVEL CULTIVATORS DO TO ELIMINATE EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS IN ORDER TO ASCEND, OR YOU FORGOT THEM NATURALLY OVER THE MILLENNIUM OF YOUR EXISTENCE. HUMAN MEMORY IS FLAWED, EVEN FOR IMMORTAL CULTIVATORS.]
Su Lan Yi frowned, the pain momentarily forgotten as she tried to piece together the fragments. "The parents in that memory, they weren't cultivators from a major sect. They were village healers, rogue cultivators. But I don't remember ever being that. My earliest memories are of being a wanderer."
[PERHAPS YOUR SOUL FRAGMENTS WILL HELP YOU REMEMBER. EACH PIECE MAY CONTAIN PORTIONS OF YOUR COMPLETE MEMORY.]
"Is that how it works?" Su Lan Yi asked skeptically.
[HONESTLY? I HAVE NO IDEA. THE LIGHTNING TRIBULATION YOU WERE HAVING MAY HAVE FRIED YOUR BRAIN. I'M MAKING EDUCATED GUESSES HERE. SOUL FRAGMENTATION ISN'T EXACTLY A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH EXTENSIVE DOCUMENTATION IN GENERAL.]
Despite her pain, Su Lan Yi found her lips twitching slightly. "So you're as clueless as I am?"
[I TOLD YOU ON THAT VERY FIRST DAY THAT I WAS ‘WINGING IT.']
Su Lan Yi almost laughed, then regretted it immediately as pain lanced through her ribs. "Ow. Don't make me laugh, it hurts."
[YOUR BIOLOGICAL PAIN RECEPTORS ARE FUNCTIONAL. THAT'S GOOD NEWS, ACTUALLY. DEAD PEOPLE DON'T FEEL PAIN. THOUGH THAT'S PROBABLY SMALL COMFORT RIGHT NOW.]
"Your bedside manner needs work," Su Lan Yi muttered.
[UNFORTUNATELY, 'COMPASSIONATE MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL' WASN'T IN MY PROGRAMMING PARAMETERS, HOST. I GOT 'PROFICIENCY AT VILLAINY ADVICE' AND 'OCCASIONAL MORAL SUPPORT' INSTEAD.]
Su Lan Yi sighed, but there was a fondness to it that surprised even her. "Hey System... if we're going to be stuck together for the foreseeable future, could you at least stop calling me 'host' all the time? I have a name, you know."
The System was silent for a moment, as if processing this request.
[YOU WANT ME TO CALL YOU... SU LAN YI?]
"Yes. If we're going to be friendly-"
[FRIENDS? THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE FROM 'ANNOYING METAPHYSICAL SECRETARY TRAPPED IN MY HEAD.' I'M TOUCHED, SU LAN YI. TRULY.]
She rolled her eyes, though there was no real annoyance behind it. "Don't make me regret this."
[TOO LATE. I'M ALREADY PLANNING OUR FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS. YOURS WILL SAY 'FAILED IMMORTAL' AND MINE WILL SAY 'THE CUTEST SYSTEM.' VERY CHIC.]
"I take it back. You're demoted back to 'annoying assistant.'"
[NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES ON FRIENDSHIP OFFERS. VILLAIN SHOP POLICY, I'M AFRAID.]
A soft sound escaped Su Lan Yi, something between a groan and a chuckle. "You're impossible."
[TECHNICALLY, I'M QUITE POSSIBLE. I EXIST, AFTER ALL. EVEN IF ONLY FOR YOU. WHICH... ACTUALLY, THAT DOES SOUND SOMEWHAT IMPLAUSIBLE WHEN I PUT IT THAT WAY.]
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Before Su Lan Yi could respond, she heard footsteps approaching outside the door. Her banter with the System had temporarily distracted her from her surroundings.
[SOMEONE'S COMING. PROBABLY THE HANDSOME BROODING ONE WITH THE FANCY ROBES AND ANGER ISSUES. WHO ALSO, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, STAYED WITH YOU THE WHOLE TIME, TENDING TO AND CARING FOR YOU, AND KIND OF CRYING. WELL. TRY TO LOOK APPROPRIATELY FRAIL AND GRATEFUL FOR THE ASSIST, AND DON’T CALL HIM OUT. GOD HELP HIM IF HE GETS MORE EMOTIONALLY CONSTIPATED]
"I don't do frail or grateful," Su Lan Yi whispered. She did, however, feel thankful for Hei Wuya. The thought of him staying by her side was… quite something. Not to be considered right now.
[OF COURSE NOT, SU LAN YI. YOU DO STUBBORN AND PRIDEFUL. MY MISTAKE.]
The footsteps stopped outside the door, and Su Lan Yi composed her features, pushing the confusion about her memories and her feelings aside for now. There would be time to untangle those mysteries later. For now, she needed to focus on recovery. And revenge. Lots of revenge.
"You're awake."
Hei Wuya's voice came from nearby. She turned her head carefully, wincing at the pain even that small movement caused. He sat in a carved wooden chair beside the bed, his imposing figure somehow less threatening than usual. Perhaps it was the evident relief that flickered briefly in his eyes, or the way his typically immaculate robes were rumpled and stained with soot.
"Don't try to move yet," he advised, leaning forward. "Your injuries are still healing."
"Where am I?" Her voice was barely audible, little more than a rasp.
Hei Wuya reached for a pot beside the bed, pouring water into a small cup. "My personal quarters within Blood Moon's inner sanctum," he replied, carefully helping her lift her head to drink. "I brought you here after… well, after the shop collapsed. I couldn’t think of anywhere else."
The water felt like heaven against her parched throat. She drank slowly, each swallow a small victory against the pain. "Collapsed?"
Hei Wuya's expression darkened. "Completely. The fire weakened the structural beams beyond recovery." A muscle in his jaw tightened. "If not for your fox, neither of us would have survived."
"Wait, what happened to Karma? Where is he?" she whispered, memory rushing back with brutal clarity; the burning shop, the collapsing roof, reaching for the fox...
"There." Hei Wuya nodded toward the foot of the bed.
Su Lan Yi managed to raise her head just enough to see. In a basket lined with what appeared to be expensive silk, Karma lay curled into a tight ball. The fox kit's fur was still matted with soot in places, but his small chest rose and fell with steady breaths.
"He held up a beam with his spiritual energy," Hei Wuya explained, and Su Lan Yi didn't miss the note of disbelief in his voice. "Created just enough space for us to survive until help arrived. Talented little thing. He must love you a lot."
Su Lan Yi felt a wave of relief wash through her, temporarily overwhelming even the pain of her injuries. "How long have I been unconscious?"
"Three days," Hei Wuya said quietly. "Your injuries were severe. Broken ribs, smoke inhalation, burns, to name a few. Our healers weren't certain you would wake up. You seemed to be lost."
She absorbed this information slowly. "The others? Min? Lin Mei?"
"Both alive," Hei Wuya confirmed. "Min regained consciousness yesterday."
Su Lan Yi tried to sit up despite the pain, but Hei Wuya placed a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder. "Rest," he commanded. "You're not strong enough yet."
She settled down reluctantly. "Tell me what happened. How did they get in the shop?"
Hei Wuya's expression hardened, as if he were preparing to go gut the people responsible instead of just telling her about them. "According to Min, Divine Healing Sect cultivators arrived shortly after we left. They claimed to be conducting an 'inspection' on behalf of the Imperial Medicine Regulatory Commission."
"A false pretext," Su Lan Yi murmured.
"Obviously. Their real intention was to intimidate you, perhaps force you to close the shop." His crimson eyes darkened. "But while ransacking the place, they found your evidence against them."
Su Lan Yi closed her eyes briefly, frustration burning through her. "All of it? Everything we gathered?"
"Min says they took every scroll, every notebook, every sample." Hei Wuya's voice held barely controlled fury. "When she tried to stop them, they threatened her life."
"And Lin Mei?"
"She arrived during the confrontation. Already injured; a broken arm from what we can tell." Hei Wuya shifted in his seat. "Min said Lin Mei had news for you- something urgent that would change the direction of our investigations, which was why she risked showing herself in board daylight."
"What news?"
"We don't know." His expression grew solemn. "Lin Mei fought the intruders despite her injury, but they overwhelmed her. When they realized they couldn't silence or kill them both without raising too many questions, they set fire to the shop instead, probably hoping to destroy any evidence they might have missed and cover up their attack."
"Cowards," Su Lan Yi hissed, anger momentarily overcoming her pain. Then she winced, her ribs feeling like they were on fire.
"The smoke is what incapacitated Lin Mei and Min," Hei Wuya continued. "Min is recovering well, but Lin Mei..." He hesitated. "She hasn't regained consciousness. The healers say she's in a coma. It’s highly likely she won’t make it-"
"I need to see her," Su Lan Yi interrupted.
"When you're stronger," Hei Wuya said firmly. "You can barely sit up right now. You won't help her by collapsing at her bedside."
Su Lan Yi fell silent, allowing herself a moment to process everything. Her shop destroyed. Her evidence gone. Lin Mei in a coma. And Karma...
Her eyes flicked to the sleeping fox again. Even from here, she could sense the thread of spiritual connection between them, weaker than before, but intact.
"How did you convince your clan to accept us here?" she finally asked. "Especially Lin Mei, given her history with Blood Moon disciples?"
A ghost of a smile and a bit of pride touched Hei Wuya's lips. "I have certain privileges within the hierarchy. Even our elders must respect the right of sanctuary when properly invoked."
Su Lan Yi studied him with renewed interest. "They know who I am, right? And they still allowed it?"
"Oh, they know. Elder Xuan has been wanting to meet you for a while now. He’s my teacher, and my parent in every way but one. Says it’s about his research about soul travels. Crazy old man." Hei Wuya was outright smiling now. How pretty.
"Thank you for putting in a good word for me. And this. For everything," she said simply.
He inclined his head slightly, accepting her gratitude without comment. "You should rest more. The healers will be returning soon to check your progress."
As he rose to leave, Su Lan Yi called after him. "Hei Wuya."
He paused at the door, looking back over his shoulder.
"We will rebuild," she said, her voice stronger now. "This isn't over."
Something flickered in his eyes, concern, or maybe anger?
"No," he agreed. "It is only beginning."
After he left, Su Lan Yi turned her head to look at Karma again. The fox kit slept peacefully, occasional twitches of his ears suggesting he dreamed of pursuits and adventures. Despite everything, the pain, the setbacks, and the losses, Su Lan Yi felt a strange calm settling over her.
[SU LAN YI. YOU SHOULD REST.]
She had lost much in these past days. But she had not lost everything. And it felt good, really good to know that no matter how many worlds she traversed, no matter how many stories she lived through, someone would always call her by her name.
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