The storeroom was enormous inside, clearly expanded with a powerful spatial spell.
But what truly stunned her was what filled the room.
Every wall, from top to bottom, was packed with ribbons.
Only ribbons.
Long ones, short ones, wide ones, narrow ones, thin ones, thick ones... every shape imaginable, yet all of them were ribbon-type artifacts.
There were so many that they seemed endless, at least a thousand from a quick glance, a vast ocean of ribbons.
Their colors were even more dazzling. It felt like the room contained every shade ever created.
Pale moonlight white, icy blue, raven black, deep midnight, soft gold... but the most striking section was the one filled entirely with red ribbons.
From the pale pink of early spring peach buds, to the blazing red gold of midsummer sunlight, to the russet of autumn leaves, all the way to the darkest red that looked like it had been soaked in fresh blood.
That color... Xie Zhaolin knew it too well. It was almost identical to the shade her Shiyue Ribbon took on when she pushed it to its absolute limit in her past life.
Every ribbon had a small tag hanging beneath it. When she swept her gaze across them, she saw neat, elegant handwriting.
"Crimson Flame Ribbon, fire attribute attack, fused with three strands of Earth Core Fire Marrow, excellent burst power, moderate duration…"
"Liuyun Binding Immortal Ribbon, specializes in restraining the enemy, infused with Void Spider Silk, extremely flexible, carries a divine sense slowing effect…"
"Darkwater Ribbon, defense type, woven from ten thousand year Ice Silkworm thread, can form a water curtain shield…"
"Replica, Shi Yue (No. 73), insufficient sharpness…"
In the center of the room, aside from a few wooden racks used to display or adjust the ribbons, nothing else had been placed.
On the open floor, several half-finished ribbons were being woven on specialized frames. The nearby worktable was covered in sheets of beast hide and jade slips, each filled with structure diagrams, energy circuit calculations, and endless material ratio analyses.
On the other side were samples of hundreds of different spirit threads, beast silks, and Sky Spider silks, sorted and labeled with perfect clarity.
This wasn't a storeroom. This was a kingdom built entirely for ribbons, a world where the path of ribbons had been researched to its absolute limit.
A shrine crafted by a fervent believer for her chosen faith.
Xie Zhaolin swept her eyes slowly across the countless ribbons. Her shock went bone deep.
In her past life, she'd fought with ribbons as her primary weapon. Her understanding of them was at the level of a grandmaster. She knew exactly how difficult it was to refine a truly top-tier ribbon artifact.
A ribbon might look soft, but its requirements were far stricter than blades or swords. It needed perfect compatibility of materials, stable structure flow, smooth spiritual conduction, and absolute harmony from end to end.
Everything in this room showed that the creator wasn't simply mass producing them. From the labels and half-finished prototypes, she could tell the maker had systematically studied every possible attribute, attack, defense, restraint, concealment, burst, sustained flow.
The creator's ideas were bold, their experiments daring, their attention to detail astonishing. In some areas, Xie Zhaolin even felt inspired.
Especially the experiments combining baleful qi and demonic qi with ribbon structures. Even though the labels said they failed, it was obvious the creator had glimpsed the right direction. That was exactly the core property her new Shiyue Ribbon needed.
Luo Xinglan…
She'd actually spent two hundred years taking one glance of inspiration from Xie Zhaolin's old Shiyue Ribbon and turned it into her lifelong pursuit. She'd poured all her talent, time, and passion into developing a complete and mature refining system focused solely on ribbons.
This wasn't obsession, it was dedication sharpened into something almost extreme.
Luo Xinglan stood by the door. When she saw Xie Zhaolin's stunned expression, she showed a mixture of shyness, pride, and nervous unease.
She twisted her sleeve and whispered, "These... these are all the things I've worked on over the years. Collecting materials, studying weaving methods, trying again and again to refine them. I… I've always wanted to create a ribbon that can match the power you showed back then. Even though… even though I'm still far from it…"
She looked toward the red-colored sea, her eyes shimmering with longing, admiration, and a faint regret. "It's a pity I'm not talented enough. I've researched for so many years, tested countless materials and arrays, but I'm always missing something. That feeling that burns everything yet moves as gentle as moonlight…"
She pointed to the diagrams and half-finished artifacts on the table, her voice suddenly serious. "What you described earlier, containing both spiritual power and baleful qi, concealment, restraint, one strike to kill… I've already simulated and tested all of that. I actually have some pretty mature ideas. I've just been missing the right core material and… someone who really needs it and understands it, like you, to complete and verify it."
Luo Xinglan's voice faded, but she lifted her head and looked straight at Xie Zhaolin. Her eyes shone with a pure and steady determination. "So… please trust me. The ribbon you want to refine is exactly the direction I've been studying all these years. I'll give everything I have, all my research, all my knowledge, to forge the perfect life-bound artifact for you. A ribbon that won't lose to the brilliance you once showed."
Xie Zhaolin looked around this room filled with the results of two hundred years of Luo Xinglan's devotion.
Those vivid colors, especially that sunset-dark red, blurred into a silent painting in her vision, telling a story of a girl who'd held onto a single moment for two centuries. Such pure focus, such near-religious passion, shone like warm light into the frozen depths of her heart. The ripples were faint, but undeniable.
She suddenly remembered her past life in the Hehuan Sect. She had fought for the Sect, lived and died for it, only to receive betrayal and a siege in return. Hearts could change. Interests always tempted. The loyalty she'd given had been treated like worthless dust.
But this girl, whom she'd saved once almost by accident, had remembered her for two hundred years. She'd turned her gratitude and admiration into action, year after year, weaving this silent monument inside this room for that single glimpse of the Shiyue Ribbon. Every ribbon, every diagram, every failed note was evidence of this unwavering sincerity.
How ironic.
And how precious.
Xie Zhaolin wouldn't grow heart demons from this. She'd long understood that true feelings didn't always earn true feelings in return. Giving and receiving rarely matched perfectly.
She didn't cling to the past betrayals. She could never understand them, but she wouldn't let them hinder her. They were her choices, and she bore the consequences. But when she stood before a heart that had endured two centuries and remained pure and sincere, she couldn't pretend she felt nothing.
This sincerity was heavy.
So heavy she felt she had to treat it with equal seriousness.
She looked at Luo Xinglan's nervous, hopeful eyes, at her flushed, youthful face.
Maybe… fate truly worked in mysterious ways.
Maybe she was meant to meet the one person who understood ribbons best, the one person capable of helping her achieve her vision.
After a long silence, the calm mask Xie Zhaolin had used to protect herself for years slowly melted away. The faintest smile curved her lips.
Her eyes softened, steady and warm.
She stepped forward, looked at the ribbons, then at Luo Xinglan, and in a quiet voice filled with rare gentleness and certainty, she said:
"I trust you."
===
I mean, 200 years. Who wouldn't be moved with this kind of dedication and loyalty?