CHAPTER 23 — The One Who Shouldn't Live
Zheng Wen Te could not breathe.
Blood stained the stone beneath him.
His chest burned like it was filled with knives.
He stared at Lian as if seeing a ghost.
Because maybe…
She was.
His voice trembled.
"You said I killed you."
Lian did not move.
Her face was calm.
Too calm.
Like ice that had forgotten how to melt.
Zheng swallowed.
"But you're here."
Lian's eyes flickered.
"I am here."
That answer was wrong.
Not reassurance.
Not denial.
Just… fact.
Zheng's stomach twisted.
"What are you?"
Silence.
The pavilion itself seemed to listen.
Then Lian spoke softly:
"The day you severed the heart bond…"
"The heavens recorded it."
"The Dao recorded it."
"And I…"
Her gaze lowered.
"I stopped being a person."
Zheng's throat tightened.
"…What does that mean?"
Lian stepped closer.
Her shadow did not stretch correctly.
It clung to her feet like ink.
"I became something else."
"A remnant."
"A karmic echo."
"A punishment shaped like a woman."
Zheng's eyes widened.
"No…"
He shook his head violently.
"That's not possible."
Lian crouched in front of him.
Her fingers hovered near his face.
Cold.
Not human cold.
Grave cold.
"You think immortals are alive?"
Her whisper was sharp.
"Most immortals are just… unfinished stories."
Zheng's voice cracked.
"Then why do you exist?"
Lian's expression finally shifted.
A flash of pain.
Gone instantly.
"Because you exist."
The words struck deeper than any blade.
Zheng's hands trembled.
"So this pavilion…"
"This prison…"
Lian nodded.
"This is where Shangdi placed me."
"This is where Shangdi placed you."
"To resolve the debt."
Zheng stared at her, horror blooming.
"If I truly killed you…"
"…Then what happens when the debt is resolved?"
Lian's gaze sharpened.
"Then one of us ends."
Zheng froze.
"…Ends?"
Lian stood.
Her robe fluttered without wind.
"The Dao does not allow unfinished karma."
"Either you repay…"
"Or you break."
Zheng's breath came ragged.
"And if I repay…"
Lian turned her head slightly.
Her voice was almost inaudible.
"Then I can finally disappear."
Zheng's chest tightened painfully.
For the first time…
He saw it.
Not hatred.
Not cruelty.
But exhaustion.
A woman forced to exist as consequence.
Zheng whispered:
"…Do you want to disappear?"
Lian looked at him.
Her eyes were ancient.
"I want peace."
The pavilion trembled.
Outside, distant sect bells rang.
Someone was approaching.
Lian's gaze sharpened instantly.
Cold again.
"Remember this, Zheng Wen Te."
"The fourth rule."
"Karma is not forgiven…"
"…Until it is paid in full."