"These two things…"
Shi Yi's Heavy Pupils were bleeding profusely, a ghastly sight. It was a clear sign that the beast bone and hide were of a caliber far beyond what he could casually probe at his current level.
Though all things in the world held no secrets before a Double Pupil bearer, that was contingent on Shi Yi being strong enough. As he was now, he couldn't fully unleash the divine might of his Double Pupils.
"I've secretly examined the Rain Clan's Rain God Decree and the Martial King Manor's treasures with my Heavy Pupils before, and I never felt such overwhelming pressure. Just what level of supreme treasures are this beast bone and hide?"
Shi Yi leaned against the bedframe, his head throbbing with excruciating pain. With effort, he raised a hand to wipe the bloodstains from beneath his eyes, refraining from using his Heavy Pupils to probe the artifacts further.
After a long pause, he called out tentatively into the air, "Liu Shen?"
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes.
No response came from Liu Shen. Shi Yi let out a soft sigh, his body slumping powerlessly onto the bed. His gaze grew hollow, evoking an inexplicable pang of pity in anyone who might have seen him.
It was at that moment that Liu Shen's voice finally sounded, tinged with a trace of helplessness. "Shi Yi, those two items hail from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands of the Upper Realm. They're extraordinary, far beyond what you can probe at your current level. In the future, don't recklessly use your Double Pupils to examine things beyond your capacity."
She hadn't wanted to respond. She didn't want Shi Yi to grow too reliant on her. But seeing him in such a pitiful state stirred a flicker of compassion in her.
By all rights, a being of her caliber shouldn't have such superfluous empathy. She had witnessed countless deaths, seen worlds crumble and universes fall silent more times than she could count.
Yet Shi Yi was different to her. Though they'd known each other for only three years, this boy with his unsteady Dao heart had left an indelible mark on her.
In her immeasurable lifespan, countless beings had come and gone, and few had left enough of an impression for her to remember their names. But Shi Yi had made her remember him—not just his name, but who he was.
"Liu Shen, what secrets is Stone Village hiding? Why are these two ancestral artifacts so terrifying? Even my Double Pupils…"
It wasn't that Shi Yi was ignorant.
In his previous life, his knowledge of Perfect World was patchy at best. Some details he knew with crystal clarity, while others left him utterly clueless.
Ask him about the female leads and supporting female characters?
He could rattle them off with ease: Yun Xi, Qing Yi, Liu Shen, the Witch, Yue Chan, A'Man, Hu Niu, Red Phoenix, the Heavy Pupil Girl, Qin Yining, Rain Moon Immortal, Rain Zi Mo. He could even analyze their figures frame by frame.
Ask about the male leads and supporting male characters?
Desolate Heavenly Emperor Shi Hao.
His brother, Shi Yi.
Everyone else? Mere background figures.
But ask about the intricate details of Perfect World?
His mind turned to mush, with no recollection whatsoever.
It wasn't his fault.
He hadn't known he'd be reincarnated into another world, let alone into the body of someone with his exact name. So, he had only a vague sense of the future's trajectory.
Worse still, due to the global nuclear war that had pushed his world toward annihilation, Holy Ruin, one of the Perfect World trilogy, had ended abruptly with the line, "I've always been here."
"Don't ask, Shi Yi. You don't need to know too much right now. All you need to understand is that, in the eyes of those in the Upper Realm's Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, the people of the Lower Realm's Eight Domains are all deemed guilty."
With that, Liu Shen fell completely silent. She understood Shi Yi's curiosity but couldn't reveal everything to him. He was far from ready to know the truth.
Shi Yi accepted her silence. It was just her nature—when she didn't want to talk, she didn't.
Time slipped by quietly.
After a short while, having made no progress with the beast bone and hide, Shi Yi summoned his six Heavenly Passages. He tossed the artifacts beside the rune-covered bone fragment, then began pulling out various items.
He retrieved several wooden barrels filled with vibrant, fresh red beef, the muscles still twitching, a testament to their freshness.
Next, he brought out the black cauldron gifted by Patriarch Shi Yunfeng. With a snap of his fingers, one of the Heavenly Passages hovering behind him released a stream of clean water.
The water flushed out the dust caked inside the cauldron. Who knew how long it had sat unused? The dust was thick enough to scrape off as mud.
But that was no issue. Shi Yi had stored vast amounts of water, firewood, and other supplies in his six Heavenly Passages. Cleaning a cauldron was well within his means.
As for the wastewater, there was no need to worry. His house was near a stream, and he'd dug a drainage channel, allowing the water to flow back into it.
Once the cauldron was thoroughly cleaned, Shi Yi reached into his Heavenly Passage again. After rummaging for a bit, he pulled out a heap of bright red chili peppers and some fresh, edible vegetables.
Truthfully, he didn't need to reach in physically—he could extract items with a thought, as he had with the water. But there was no denying it.
Heavenly Passages were incredibly convenient.
Not only could they absorb the energy of heaven and earth to replenish one's strength, but they also served as portable storage spaces. Whoever had first developed the Heavenly Passage Realm was undoubtedly a genius.
To Shi Yi, cultivation wasn't just about fighting. It was about living better—protecting oneself and those close to him. He didn't cultivate solely for battle or slaughter.
Perhaps this was one reason his Dao heart wavered. His Dao was too small, too selfish, lacking the grand courage to sacrifice himself for the salvation of all realms.
Take, for example, a Dark Turmoil.
If Shi Yi had the power to protect those he cared about and keep himself safe, what did the darkness matter to him? Unless he could effortlessly crush those causing trouble, he wouldn't risk his life for strangers.
An old saying from China put it well: When poor, focus on self-preservation; when prosperous, aid the world.
Without the ability, there was no need to shoulder every burden.
This home, this nation, this world—it wasn't his alone. It belonged to others, too.
As for other matters, Shi Yi's knowledge was limited. But he knew a bit about Liu Shen's past—that she had been betrayed by her own kind, leading to her fall to this state.
Even a being of her caliber was forced to eke out an existence in the Lower Realm's Eight Domains, in the tiny Stone Village.
If even someone like her could be betrayed by her own, the so-called Upper Realm, the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, was no bastion of virtue.
___
Half an hour later.
Burgle, Burgle! The sound of bursting bubbles.
The water in the black cauldron came to a boil, oil splattering as an enticing aroma wafted through the window, reaching even Hu Shen's house next door. Unfortunately, Hu Niu wouldn't get to enjoy it today.
Though she hadn't eaten much the night before, the meat of an ancient species, even in small amounts, contained immense energy. She was still digesting it.
Add to that today's true blood baptism, and her small body was brimming with energy waiting to be absorbed. For now, she couldn't share a meal with Shi Yi.
It was a matter of physical constitution. Shi Yi, who possessed the strength of 100,000 jin in the Blood Transformation Realm, rivaled the mightiest pureblood beast cubs. His ability to absorb and digest far surpassed Hu Niu's.
"Liu Shen, care to join me for a bite?"
Shi Yi set out two pairs of bowls and chopsticks, issuing an invitation into the void. He doubted she'd accept, but the gesture was non-negotiable.
Since she'd agreed to join him last time and eaten his food, it proved she wasn't entirely aloof from mortal pleasures—not some untouchable figure standing atop the Nine Heavens.
In short, Liu Shen could choose not to come, but Shi Yi couldn't skip inviting her.
At that moment, Liu Shen found his invitation mildly irritating, yet not entirely unwelcome. The feeling of being constantly remembered was, in its own way, gratifying.
If Shi Yi had forgotten her, treating her as a mere tool, she might not feel annoyance, but her heart would grow distant from him.
Once, she had fought tirelessly for this world, for the beings behind her, bathing in blood and striking fear into the foreign kings until none dared set foot in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. But who had cared about her sacrifices?
Now, a boy with an unsteady Dao heart, harboring unrealistic fantasies about her, showed gratitude in his own way. It stirred ripples in the tranquil lake of her heart, an unfamiliar sensation.
A few breaths later, the great willow tree at the center of Stone Village shimmered. A faint emerald glow flickered at the heart of its canopy. Soon, the tree stood empty, leaving only a hollow trunk.
"Less chili next time!"
Without fanfare or knocking, Liu Shen's humanoid form appeared beside Shi Yi. She calmly picked up her bowl and chopsticks, dipping beef into the cauldron to cook in the hotpot.
"Got it!"
Shi Yi glanced at Liu Shen beside him, sensing a profound loneliness in her.
Has she always been alone, all this time?
_
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