Chapter 6: Shadows in the Aura

The golden rays of dawn pierced the high windows of Tianxia Academy's outer courtyard, but inside Li Wei's room, the air remained heavy — not with sleep, but with suspicion.

Li Wei sat cross-legged, his eyes half-closed.

A single thread of silver light shimmered before him — the spiritual thread he had seen coiled faintly around Lan Xue's aura.

> "This thread... it doesn't belong to her Qi," he murmured.

"It's... planted."

He focused his Divine Eye, the level still marked as [Level 0], but its utility far beyond what its number suggested. The thread vibrated in rhythm to an energy signature he had once encountered in his past life — in the final war, moments before his betrayal.

> "This isn't a surveillance thread," he muttered. "It's a spiritual leash."

A chilling realization bloomed in his heart.

Lan Xue wasn't just a mysterious girl from this life — someone was using her. Or worse, had already used her in the past.

And that same presence might be watching… now.

Suddenly, a System notification blinked in his mind.

---

[Ding! Hidden Task Triggered]

Task Name: Whispers of the Forgotten Chain

Objective: Trace the origin of the spiritual leash on Lan Xue.

Time Limit: 7 days

Reward: Unlock 1 Hidden Memory of Your Death

Penalty: -200 Duty Points | Divine Eye Downgrade

---

> "A memory... of my death?"

"So the System really does know everything. Even the part I never remembered."

The fragments of that fateful night had haunted him since rebirth. But the exact moment of death, the face that dealt the final blow — that was a blank void.

> "This leash... might be the key."

But investigating it would mean getting closer to Lan Xue.

Closer than he wanted.

---

Later that day – Tianxia Academy, Alchemy Garden

The garden bloomed with medicinal herbs, rare grasses, and low humming spiritual insects. Li Wei walked slowly, pretending to browse herbs. But his Divine Eye was active — always scanning.

Lan Xue was there, her hair tied casually, humming a soft tune as she gathered frost lotus petals.

He approached.

"Miss Lan," he said with a respectful nod. "I didn't expect to find you here alone."

She smiled faintly. "Nor did I expect you, Senior Li Wei. Are you interested in alchemy?"

> "Interested in many things," he said, smiling, "but mostly… in truths that hide behind beauty."

She blinked, unsure whether it was flirtation or accusation. Before she could answer, Divine Eye activated again — no command given.

A second thread appeared.

But this one wasn't spiritual.

It was emotional — tethered from her chest to something… beneath the garden soil?

> "Buried object?" Li Wei frowned internally.

He slowly walked near one of the lotus patches, and his eyes flickered. There — a tiny disturbance in Qi flow. Someone had placed a Qi-sealed object underground.

He turned to Lan Xue.

> "This frost lotus has an odd root pattern," he said, kneeling. "Have you noticed anything strange?"

Lan Xue hesitated.

Then:

> "No... but lately... I've had strange dreams after visiting this garden."

Li Wei's fingers grazed the soil — and a surge of spiritual resistance shot up his arm.

He gritted his teeth, smirked, and forced his Qi downward. A spark. A pull. Something clicked.

From beneath the soil, a small jade talisman floated up, glowing faintly.

Lan Xue's eyes widened in horror.

> "T-That's... not mine."

Before she could say more — the jade cracked.

And a voice whispered out — eerie, cold, and unforgettable.

> "The pawn has wandered... Retrieve her… before she remembers."

Li Wei's blood froze.

He recognized that voice.

Not from this life.

Not even from the battlefield.

But from the final echo… just before his death.

---

System Prompt: Memory Fragment Unlocked

Scene: Night of Betrayal – Fragment 1

Dark hall, sacred formation, blood.

Mu Yuelan weeping.

Lan Xue… chained.

A voice in shadows: "Use her, discard her."

---

Li Wei staggered back.

> "So she was... a pawn even back then?"

"Or... was she trying to save me?"

Lan Xue stepped back, confused and frightened. "W-Why do I feel like I've… been here before?"

Li Wei stood up slowly.

> "Because you have. You just don't remember."

He turned, eyes cold as winter.

> "But I will uncover it all. Even if I must rip apart the heavens."

The garden fell into silence.

But somewhere deep beneath Tianxia Academy — something had awakened.

And it knew…

Li Wei had started remembering.