The air in the Spirit Realm was thick with Karma. In the mortal world, cause and effect were
loose concepts. Here, they were tangible forces, like gravity or magnetism.
Li Wei sat in his library within the Floating City. He wasn't reading mortal books anymore. He
was reading the System logs.
[System Diagnostic Running...] [Warning: Beneficiary Karmic Debt Level: Critical.]
[Analysis: The Beneficiary has slaughtered 4,000 sentient beings, betrayed 3 oaths, and
severed ties with her mortal lineage. The Heavens are accumulating a 'Debt Tribulation'.]
Li Wei frowned. "What does that mean, System?"
[It means the Universe demands payment. Usually, a cultivator pays this debt by
suffering a Heart Demon or a physical calamity. However, the Beneficiary possesses the
'Heartless Sword Sutra' (Dormant). She is immune to guilt.]
"So she cheats the system?"
[No. Karma cannot be cheated. It can only be redirected. If she does not pay the price, the
debt will seek the nearest link to her soul.]
The screen flashed red.
[Target Identified: Host (Li Wei).]
Li Wei sat back in his chair. The realization hit him like a cold bucket of water.
"I am the lightning rod," he whispered. "All the people she killed... their grudges can't touch her
because she's too strong and too cold. So they will come for me."
He looked at his hands. They were trembling. It wasn't fear of death—he had accepted death
long ago. It was the irony. He was going to be punished for the sins of the woman he tried to
save from committing them.
"System," Li Wei asked. "How do I survive this?"
[Suggestion: Sever the bond. Leave her. If you are no longer her husband, the Karma
cannot find you.]
"I can't," Li Wei said. "I'm in a floating city surrounded by void beasts. And... she won't let me."
[Alternative: Strengthen the Host. Transform the Host into a 'Karmic Sink'.] [Shop Item:
'Body of the Golden Lotus'. Cost: All remaining Support Points + 50% of Host's max HP.]
Li Wei looked at the cost. 50% of his max HP meant he would be permanently frail. He would
cough blood if he walked too fast. He would feel cold even in summer.
But if he didn't do it, the next time Su Mei killed a sect, the backlash might stop his heart in his
sleep.
"Do it," Li Wei ordered. "Purchase the Body of the Golden Lotus."
[Processing...] [Pain Warning: High.]
Li Wei grit his teeth.
It felt like his blood was boiling. He fell to the floor, convulsing. His veins glowed gold, then
settled into a dull, sickly yellow. He felt a massive chunk of his vitality ripped away, converted
into a metaphysical shield.
When he woke up hours later, he was weak. He tried to stand and collapsed. He had to crawl to
the chair.
Just then, a transmission came through the room's array. It was Su Mei.
"Li Wei," her voice was urgent. "Prepare the medical bay. I am returning. There was... a "I was ambushed by the Venom Lord," Su Mei said. "I killed him. But he used a needle. A
Pre-Epoch artifact."
The transmission cut off.
Li Wei stared at the console. The Venom Lord. A notorious user of curses and uncurable
poisons.
"System," Li Wei coughed, wiping fresh blood from his lips. "What kills the Venom Lord's
poison?"
[Analysis: Nothing in the Spirit Realm. It targets the soul.] [However... The Host now
possesses the 'Body of the Golden Lotus'. Host's blood is a universal panacea for
Karmic and Spiritual poisons.]
Li Wei looked at his wrist. He looked at the pale, sickly vein.
"Of course," he laughed softly. "I bought a shield, and it turns out to be a potion for her."
The docking bay doors rumbled open. Su Mei stumbled in.
She looked horrific. Her skin was turning purple. Black veins were crawling up her neck,
reaching for her face. Her aura was chaotic, flaring and dying like a sputtering candle.
She collapsed on the floor of the main hall.
Li Wei limped toward her. He moved slowly, his new body protesting every step.
"Su Mei!"
She looked up. Her eyes were unfocused. The ice in them was melting, replaced by panic.
"It burns," she gasped. "My Qi... it's eating my Qi. I can't stop it."
She clawed at her throat. "I am dying, Li Wei. The Empress is dying."
Li Wei knelt beside her. He felt the heat radiating from her. The poison was consuming her
existence.
"You're not going to die," Li Wei said.
He pulled a dagger from his belt—a fruit knife he used for apples.
"What... are you doing?" Su Mei wheezed.
"Saving my investment," Li Wei said, a bitter echo of her own words.
He slashed his wrist.
It didn't bleed red. It bled gold. A thick, viscous, glowing liquid.
"Drink," Li Wei commanded, pressing his wrist to her lips.
"Golden... blood?" Su Mei's eyes widened. Her survival instinct overrode her confusion. She
grabbed his arm. Her grip was tight, bruising his fragile skin.
She drank.
She drank greedily.
Li Wei felt his life force draining away. The room spun. He grew colder and colder. He watched
the purple hue fade from her skin. He watched the black veins retreat.
He watched his wife feed on him like a vampire.
This is our marriage now, Li Wei thought as his vision blurred. I bleed, and she grows.
Su Mei finished. She licked the golden drop from her lip. She took a deep breath, and her aura
exploded outward, stronger than before. The poison had been purged, and the Golden Lotus
energy had refined her cultivation even further.
She looked at Li Wei, who was slumped against her knees, pale as a sheet.
She looked at his slit wrist, which was slowly healing thanks to the System, leaving a jagged
white scar.
"You..." Su Mei whispered. She touched the scar. "What are you?"
Li Wei opened his eyes. They were dull.
"I am your husband," he whispered. "And I am tired."
Su Mei looked at him. For a fleeting moment, horror crossed her face. She realized she had just consumed his essence.
But then, the Heartless Sword Sutra (still in the box, but its influence leaking) whispered in her
mind: 'Resource utilized. Efficiency: 100%. Crisis averted.'
The horror faded.
"You have hidden depths, Li Wei," she said, standing up. She felt incredible. Powerful. "Your
blood... it is better than any pill."
She didn't say thank you. She looked at him with a new kind of hunger. Not sexual hunger. The
hunger of a cultivator looking at a rare herb.
"Rest," she said, turning to leave. "I must meditate to assimilate this new energy."
Li Wei lay on the floor, clutching his wrist. He watched her walk away, stronger than ever.
"You're welcome," he whispered to the empty room.