The road to Embergrave Fortress wound through the Ashen Hollow Wilds — a vast, forested range where spirit beasts outnumbered cultivators ten to one.
According to Zhao Feng, it was the "perfect place for bonding."
According to Lan Ruo, it was a "death trap lined with scenic regret."
According to me?
It was loud, humid, and smelled faintly of burnt mushrooms and spirit beast dung.
But we had no choice. The map etched into the Flame Scroll pointed us toward the Embergrave. It had once been a hidden research sect that specialized in ancient flame artifacts. Now? A ruin buried in moss and bones.
And apparently, my past self had left something behind there.
---
By midday, we stopped at a roadside merchant cart made of floating wood and phoenix feathers. An old man with skin like dried bark greeted us with a smile too wide for comfort.
"Travelers! You look cursed and curious. Just the kind of customers I adore."
I narrowed my eyes. "That's not how normal merchants greet people."
"Ah," he said, "but I am no normal merchant."
Lan Ruo groaned.
Zhao Feng perked up. "Do you sell weapons?"
"No."
"Poison?"
"No."
"Dual cultivation incense?"
"Why would—?"
"Yes."
"...How many?"
"Three for ten spirit stones."
Zhao handed over fifteen.
---
While he tried not to look guilty, I stepped closer to inspect the merchant's wares. Among the nonsense — lucky talismans, fish that screamed when touched, a pair of boots that walked by themselves — one item caught my attention.
A pendant. Black stone. Familiar flame symbol etched on the back.
"Where did you get this?" I asked, picking it up.
The merchant's grin vanished.
"Oh. That. Hmm."
He scratched his chin.
"Belonged to someone called the Void Flame Prophet."
I froze.
Lan Ruo and Qing'er leaned closer.
"Repeat that," I said.
"He sold it to me years ago," the merchant said. "Before disappearing into the Embergrave. Said he'd return after 'meeting himself.' Never did."
My grip on the pendant tightened.
Qing'er touched my arm.
"Li Xian... are you alright?"
"Yeah," I said, staring at the relic. "I think my past self just gave me a breadcrumb."
---
We bought the pendant, declined the self-cooking noodles, and moved on.
The forest thickened.
The silence deepened.
Zhao Feng whistled.
A tree exploded.
---
From the treeline, a Crimson-Horned Panther leapt out — massive, with spikes of fire jutting from its back.
"Spirit Beast!" Lan Ruo shouted, drawing her blade.
"No," Qing'er said, suddenly pale. "That's... not wild."
She stepped forward and raised her hand.
The panther froze mid-lunge.
Everyone stared.
"You can control beasts?" I asked.
"I can calm them," she whispered. "I... trained them."
She looked up at us, guilt swimming in her eyes.
"This one's from my clan."
---
The panther blinked, growled... and ran.
We regrouped under a fallen tree.
"Alright," Zhao said, "anyone else want to reveal they trained spirit beasts that randomly attack people?"
Qing'er sighed.
"I wasn't supposed to leave the clan. I escaped. Took TroubleMaker with me. That panther... was one of my father's war beasts."
"So someone from your past found you," Lan Ruo said. "And sent a reminder."
"Or a warning," I added.
Qing'er looked down.
"I didn't want to tell you. I thought if I stayed quiet, my past wouldn't matter."
I sat beside her.
"Trust me," I said. "That never works."
---
Later that evening, after camp was set and Zhao Feng was showing TroubleMaker how to juggle glowing rocks, I pulled Qing'er aside.
"What aren't you telling me?"
She hesitated.
Then reached into her robe and pulled out a small jade ring.
"I found this in your bag two nights ago," she said. "It's not mine. But it responded to my Qi."
I examined it.
Flame-etched. Soul-linked. Ancient.
The ring pulsed when I touched it.
And suddenly — visions.
Not like before.
This time, I saw Qing'er — younger, standing beside someone cloaked in black flames. They spoke in whispers. She smiled at him.
The figure... was Ashen Fang.
---
I gasped and dropped the ring.
Qing'er caught me.
"You saw it too?" she asked softly.
"You knew him."
She nodded.
"When I was a child. He saved my life once. Gave me that ring."
I stared at her.
"You never mentioned this."
"Because I forgot. Until now."
Her eyes shimmered.
"I didn't connect it. I didn't want to. But the closer we get to these fragments… the more I remember him."
"And?"
"I think I was his student. Or... something else."
Lan Ruo stood nearby, arms crossed.
"How many of us did you charm in your last life?"
"I don't know!" I shouted.
Zhao Feng held up a sign he painted: "Current Harem Threat Level: Medium-High."
I set it on fire.
---
We slept uneasily that night.
Dreams twisted.
Whispers circled me again.
> You're getting closer, the scroll hissed. But can you handle the truth?
---
In the morning, we reached the edge of Embergrave Fortress.
Jagged towers. Ruined bridges. Fire still flickering along cracks in the stone.
The gates opened with a groan.
The pendant the merchant sold us glowed faintly.
> Quest Updated: Enter the Inner Archive
Warning: Residual soul energy detected
I drew my sword.
"Everyone stay close," I said.
"Define close," Zhao said.
"If I die, avenge me."
"Do I get your boots?"
"Try it and I'll haunt your bathhouse dreams."
---
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
> New Location: Embergrave Fortress
Memory Proximity: HIGH
Void Flame Stirring...
Qing'er Emotional State: Unstable
Lan Ruo Jealousy Index: 37%
Zhao Feng Romantic Status: Negative Infinity
---
To be continued...
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