Disturbed Karmic Ties

Listening to the occasional rumbles coming from outside, Li Yuan, who was wiping a teacup in the teahouse, couldn't help but sigh. “Can't the people here just stay quiet for a while? Fighting and killing all day long... It's far less interesting than drinking a cup of tea and reading a book. Harmony brings wealth...”

The Blood Moon Cult's unrest, which had only ended a little over two months ago, was starting up again. Although it had not spread to too many places yet, they were not causing widespread destruction like before.

However, chaos was still inevitable, and at this rate, his little shop would soon be unable to make ends meet.

Though he wasn't short on money now, he couldn't get so arrogant as to think he had too much of it, right?

“Sigh... I wonder when it will end this time.”

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the teacup he was wiping suddenly made a sharp sound, and a tiny crack appeared near the rim.

“Hmm? It's broken?”

Feeling a bit puzzled, he brought the teacup closer to his eyes to examine it carefully. He confirmed it was indeed damaged, but that shouldn't be the case.

These teacups were all recently replaced. For the sake of quality, he had even spent a fortune to buy high-end goods, so there was absolutely no way there could be a quality issue.

So... a customer must have accidentally bumped it while using it. After all, there had been quite a few new customers lately, so minor bumps and scrapes were normal.

Without thinking much more about it, he discarded the teacup, placing it in the compartment beneath the bar counter, before picking up another one to continue wiping.

But the exact same thing happened again, and this time, the sound was louder and the crack was even more noticeable.

The crisp sound of shattering froze Li Yuan in his tracks. A visible crack immediately spread across the body of the cup, growing larger and multiplying by the second.

A few seconds later, the entire teacup shattered with a loud pop, scattering fragments all over the floor.

Not only that, but the various tea sets waiting to be wiped on the side also began to crack to varying degrees, with the sounds of snapping and splitting echoing continuously.

“This is...”

Li Yuan frowned slightly at this unusual and sudden turn of events. He set down his cleaning cloth, closed his eyes, and quickly formed several hand seals.

A few seconds later, his eyes snapped open, and he muttered in disbelief, “The thread of karmic ties... is breaking? What on earth—”

He closed his eyes once more, his hand seals moving faster and faster until they became a blur of afterimages. When he opened his eyes again, his aura had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.

His spiritual energy, which had been completely restrained like an ordinary human's, surged upward step by step, and a faint golden light flickered around his body.

His butler suit vanished, replaced by his ancient cyan robe, which rustled and billowed even without any wind.

Between his brows, a golden wheel of Daoist charm emerged.

Then, he took a step forward. The space in front of him shattered inch by inch, torn open to reveal a rift. He stepped through, and the rift closed instantly, leaving the room as if nothing had ever happened.

...

Inside the Duke's estate, on the second floor, in Setis's bedroom.

Several healers were continuously channeling recovery magic into Setis, who lay on the bed. However, their efforts yielded little result, and her wounds showed absolutely no signs of healing.

Reinhardt and his mother stood by the door, anxiously peering inside, their faces filled with worry and grief.

At this moment, the Duke had not yet returned, and Duchess Sebas had already broken down in tears several times. Reinhardt had to put on a brave face and do his best to comfort his mother. “Don't worry, Mother. Setis will be fine... She—she has always been strong. This time... she will definitely make it through.”

As he spoke, his own voice trembled uncontrollably.

After all, this time was different from before. From the very beginning, the healers had declared Setis dead. Had it not been for the insistent demands of the Duchess and Reinhardt, the healers would not have even attempted resuscitation.

In their eyes, Setis was already gone. There were no vital signs, no mana fluctuations, and even her heartbeat had stopped minutes ago.

After several minutes of resuscitation, the healers finally stopped before their mana was completely depleted. They had truly done everything they could.

Seeing them stop, the Duchess rushed in frantically. Looking at her motionless daughter on the bed, she turned to the silent healers who stood with bowed heads and asked blankly, “What's wrong? Why did you stop?! Is—is she cured?”

“We are sorry, Your Grace... We have done our best.”

The healers kept their heads down, not daring to meet her gaze.

“But my daughter isn't dead! She is still alive! When she went out tonight, she even said—”

“Mother!”

Reinhardt pulled his mother into his arms, tears streaming down his face. Looking at Setis, who seemed to be fast asleep on the bed, he choked back a sob. “Little Sister, she—”

“She isn't dead yet.”

A sudden voice interrupted Reinhardt, drawing everyone's attention.

No one knew how he had arrived. It was as if he had always belonged there; there was no explanation, and no one could even harbor any doubt.

Everything was completely natural, as if it were meant to be.

Reinhardt and the Duchess stared at Li Yuan. They felt something different about him, but they couldn't put their finger on what it was, nor did they know how to speak.

They could only stare at him in a daze.

Standing by the door, Li Yuan glanced at Setis and came to a definitive conclusion. She was indeed not dead, because she still carried a Soul-Soothing Talisman on her person.

Although her physical body had lost its vitality, her soul was completely intact.

He walked through the crowd to the bedside, his gaze sweeping over Setis's peaceful face, the wound on her chest, and... the peace talisman clenched tightly in her hand.

His long-sealed human emotions actually showed signs of returning once more.

Li Yuan stood quietly by the bed. Placing a hand gently over his chest, he felt his heart beating once more within his chest cavity. With a bitter smile, he shook his head and muttered to himself, “It seems my cultivation is still far from enough...”

As his voice faded, his and Setis's figures gradually turned translucent and then vanished completely.

Only a single sentence was left behind for the crowd: “I will be taking Setis with me. Please do not worry.”

After Li Yuan left, everything returned to normal. The Duchess cried out to the empty bed, “Mr. Li! Please, you must save her—”

There was no response, but the Duchess managed to find a sliver of hope amidst her grief. Reinhardt stepped forward, wrapping his arm around his mother's shoulders, and spoke with determination in his eyes. “Mother, Mr. Li will definitely be able to save Little Sister. He is someone even the Lord Royal Preceptor admits is superior to him! He will definitely have a way... definitely!”

...

Within the small world, Li Yuan landed on an isolated island with Setis.

On the island stood a simple thatched cottage.

Just as he stepped into the front yard, an incredibly seductive female voice echoed from inside the cottage. “What wind blew you here today?”

Li Yuan remained silent. Carrying Setis in his arms, he slowly walked forward.

Standing at the doorway, he took a deep breath and spoke softly, “I want to save her.”

“Then save her. What's the matter? Don't tell me you can't even handle a trivial thing like reconstructing a physical body? Are you really up to it or what?”

Facing her scolding, he didn't make any excuses. After a long silence, he continued, “It is not her body, but her karmic ties... That is why I have come to ask for your help.”

As soon as his voice fell, the door of the thatched cottage burst open, and a white blur flashed before Li Yuan's eyes.

Immediately following it was a violent hurricane. Even in his current state, Li Yuan was forcefully blown back quite a distance, his feet carving two deep trenches into the ground.

But he knew this was merely the cottage's owner venting her displeasure.

As the hurricane dissipated, a massive white fox appeared before him. Its fur was as white as snow, standing several meters tall with a slender body. However, the most striking feature was the nine tails swaying constantly behind it.

Furthermore... a tenth tail was faintly beginning to show signs of forming.

This was the absolute ruler of the demon race on the Kyushu Continent, and the only demon fox capable of growing ten tails—Hui.

For certain reasons, she was currently residing in Li Yuan's small world.

The demon fox circled Li Yuan several times, but her gaze remained fixed on Setis. After looking her over and failing to find anything special about her, she stopped beside Li Yuan and asked, “What is so special about this little girl? To think you would actually come beg me for her sake?”

Hearing this, Li Yuan let out a helpless sigh. “There is indeed nothing special... but this particular karmic tie is one I do not wish to end like this.”

Reconstructing a physical body was simple, but reconnecting karmic ties... he knew he didn't possess such capability.

“Hmm? That does sound like something you would say...”

The white fox nodded in agreement. She recalled the first time this guy had begged her; it was also for an insignificant disciple, pestering her shamelessly.

And now he was doing it again... Her tails were very precious, alright? Re-cultivating one took many years.

However...

The white fox glanced at Li Yuan, and unable to harden her heart, she conceded with a helpless shake of her head. “Fine, I must have owed you in a past life. How did I end up with such an unreliable partner?”

“Thank you. In exchange, I can grant you one request.”

“Save it, you haven't even fulfilled my previous request yet.”

Hui retorted huffily. Extending a tail, she gently wrapped it around Setis's body, placed her onto her back, and turned to walk back inside.

But after taking two steps, she noticed Li Yuan was still standing in place. Puzzled, she asked, “Aren't you coming?”

“No, it is fine with just you. I still have other things to do.”

Li Yuan revealed a rare, genuine smile. Seeing him in this state, Hui's eyes narrowed slightly. Leaving behind the words, “Don't go too far,” she carried Setis back into the cottage.