CHAPTER 20 — The First Rule
Zheng Wen Te did not sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, the vision returned—
The blood-red sky.
The woman's betrayal.
The sword.
His own trembling hand.
He sat against the pavilion wall, breathing shallowly.
The orb rested in his palm like a silent judge.
At dawn—
Or what passed for dawn inside this cursed place—
The pavilion doors opened.
She entered.
The Heart-Severing Immortal.
Her steps made no sound.
Her presence alone made Zheng's lungs tighten.
He stood quickly.
"You saw something."
It was not a question.
Zheng's voice was rough.
"I saw… a past life."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Karma does not disappear."
"It follows."
"It reincarnates."
"It waits."
Zheng's fists clenched.
"So my suffering now…"
"…Is payment?" he whispered.
She stared at him for a long moment.
Then—
"The first rule of this pavilion."
Her voice dropped, heavy as iron.
"Cultivation is not a gift."
"It is not freedom."
"It is not glory."
Zheng swallowed.
"It is punishment."
The words struck deeper than any slap.
Zheng's face twisted.
"Then why force me?"
Her gaze turned distant.
"Because you asked for eternal sleep."
Zheng froze.
She continued coldly.
"Shangdi denied you."
"Do you know why?"
Zheng's voice trembled.
"…Because of karma."
"Yes."
She stepped closer.
Her aura pressed down like an ocean.
"Your soul carries an unresolved heart-debt."
"A wound you created."
"A fate you abandoned."
Zheng's throat tightened.
"I don't remember abandoning anyone."
Her lips curved faintly.
"That is the second rule."
"The heavens do not care what you remember."
"They only care what you owe."
Zheng's breathing quickened.
"So what am I supposed to do?"
Her voice became sharp.
"Cultivate."
"Reach the Foundation Realm."
"Open your soul sense."
"Then the memories will return."
Zheng's eyes widened.
"And if I refuse?"
The pavilion trembled.
Her eyes turned glacial.
"Then you will remain a mortal."
"A mortal trapped beside an immortal…"
Her voice lowered to a whisper.
"…Until your mind breaks."
Zheng went pale.
This wasn't training.
This was imprisonment.
He stared at her.
Then quietly:
"What are you to me?"
For the first time…
Something flickered in her expression.
Pain.
Gone instantly.
She answered:
"I am the consequence of your past."
"And the gate to your future."
She turned away.
"One month."
"Foundation Realm."
"Or die here."
The doors began to close.
Zheng's voice cracked:
"Immortal… what is your name?"
Silence.
Then—
A single word, spoken like a scar:
"…Lian."