Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

Jin Shu flipped the library pass between his fingers like a coin as he waited for Liu Hua. She had left him alone on a remote mountain, claiming she'd forgotten something at home and needed to retrieve it.

It was the last day of their week-long time together. Since receiving the library pass from Feng Lian, Jin Shu had spent the past six days exclusively with Liu Hua, doing whatever she wanted—which, for the most part, meant simply talking. She didn't seem to have many people to talk to beyond her master and sister. So, for this final day, Jin Shu had decided they would do something he wanted: have Liu Hua teach him how to wield the lightning element.

That was why she had brought him to this barren mountaintop—to practice in peace, far from the sect's main area, where their training wouldn't disturb anyone.

He continued mindlessly flipping the jade token when, in the distance, he heard the low rumble of thunder.

Glancing up from the token, he froze.

For a moment, he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. A lightning-clad goddess? A modern woman summoned from Earth in a flash of light?

No. It was Liu Hua.

But she wasn't in her usual robes. Instead, she wore a short, blue babydoll dress—one he recognized immediately. He'd worn it the day they first met. Red ribbons and phoenix embroidery adorned the hem, and her face was touched with makeup: dark red lipstick, a soft blush across her cheeks, and smoky shadow around her eyes, deepening the glow of the crackling purple lightning within them. Her midnight-black hair was pulled into a messy bun, tied with a crimson ribbon, while two long strands framed her pale, delicate face.

"Uhum… ah… um…" Jin Shu felt like he'd swallowed his own tongue, completely unable to form a coherent word.

She wasn't just beautiful—she was drop-dead gorgeous. As in, Jin Shu might literally drop dead unless he remembered to breathe.

"Am… I very pretty?" she asked, tilting her head down to hide a shy blush.

He nodded mutely. She'd always been pretty, but this new look? It was something else. Otherworldly. She looked like she'd just come back from a trip to Earth. Deep in his soul, Gold whispered something about a "goth beauty." Jin Shu had no idea what that was, but somehow, it felt right.

"Tian Li helped with my makeup. She said you would like it…"

That didn't sound quite right.

"Tian Li did your makeup? Are you sure?"

Liu Hua shook her head, still keeping her gaze lowered.

"No. She drew a sketch of what it should look like. Fan Biyu and Li Xue helped me apply it."

"Oh, yeah… that makes more sense. Tian Li's makeup skills… uh, leave much to be desired. Like, say, eyes."

Tian Li was great at everything—cultivation, design, fashion, even beauty itself. But for whatever reason, when it came to applying makeup, she was hopeless. Jin Shu suspected it was because she was so naturally beautiful that she'd never needed it—so she'd never learned how to use it. Certainly not on herself, and definitely not on others.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking about Tian Li. Not when a stunning woman stood in front of him—one who had clearly dressed up for him. He had two paths ahead: keep pretending indifference… or take action.

It should've been an easy choice—or it would have been, a week ago. Before he got to know Liu Hua. Before he saw the sides of her he hadn't known—the quiet vulnerability hidden in her heart, the innocent love she held for her sister. Back then, she was just the insane woman who had tried to kill him.

But now?

Now he saw her for what she really was. A pure-hearted young woman who only wanted to protect her sister. A fierce cultivator who would stop at nothing to find the man who had hurt that sister… and killed her parents.

Still, what action was he supposed to take in this situation? Confess his love?

No. He didn't even love her. Not yet. Sure, he liked her more now. A lot more. But he still hadn't forgotten the whole "trying to murder him" thing. So then… what else?

"A date?" Shuang suggested.

Jin Shu tilted his head. Would that work?

Yes. Yes, it actually might.

But first, he still wanted to learn how to wield lightning. Priorities. Training now, date later. Besides, it'd give him a chance to try something he'd been meaning to do with the other three girls too—this could be a trial run.

First things first, though. He snapped back to reality.

"So, what made you dress up so… gorgeously?"

"It's our final day together, so…" She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, eyes averted shyly. "I just wanted you to see me looking pretty."

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She hesitated, then whispered something so faint he almost missed it.

"I wanted to make you fall in love with me…"

He was pretty sure he wasn't meant to hear that. But thanks to his recent training with the elements, the wind carried it right to his ears—along with a soft ache in his chest.

"Right, well… let's get to the training, yeah?"

She looked a little disappointed but nodded, quickly shifting into explanation mode.

"Lightning is a very tricky element to wield. You said your water, wind, and fire elements came from epiphanies, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, lightning won't come to you like that. You need to combine those same three elements within yourself—create a miniature thunderstorm in your soul space."

He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"I'm sure you want to ask what a soul space is, and how to combine elements. I'll get to that now."

Uh… that wasn't what I was going to ask, he thought.

He'd actually been about to say it sounded easier than he'd expected. But, judging from what she said next, maybe it wasn't so simple after all.

"First off: soul space. What is it?" she asked rhetorically. "It's a special space within your mind. It houses your connection to the elements. Once you reach the Spirit Realm, it's where your spirit will reside. But you can't see it until you reach the Master Realm. You should, however, be able to feel it now."

He shook his head slightly. That can't be right.

He had full access to exactly what she was describing. He always had—ever since Gold's soul awakened inside him, back when he'd first bought that bullet from a peddler.

"It'll be difficult," she continued, "maybe even deadly, to combine elements in your soul space if you can't see it. Do you still feel like trying?"

"Yes."

He didn't feel the need to mention his ability to perceive the soul space. That would only raise questions—ones he either didn't have answers to, or wasn't ready to give. It was easier to let her believe he couldn't see it.

"If you're sure," she said, locking eyes with him as if to confirm his sincerity. "Then here's what you need to do: feel the elements inside your body and extract a tiny portion of each. Combine them into a circle with three equal parts. Try it now."

He nodded and closed his eyes, reaching inward to his soul space.

He started with the lake-sized pool of water, drawing out a single strand no longer than his forearm and half as thick. He wasn't sure if that was too much or not enough—she hadn't given a measurement—so he just hoped it was close. Next, he turned to the element of wind, pulling an identical strand from the whirling tornado and guiding it to meet the water. Finally, he took a thread of fire from the small campfire burning in the corner. It was still underdeveloped compared to the others, but it would have to do.

The three strands joined, forming a ring split into three distinct colors: deep blue water, near-transparent white wind, and bright red fire. It took him maybe three seconds to form the circle, but he didn't want to seem too quick about it—so he deliberately waited, occasionally scrunching his face like he was struggling.

He kept it up for ten full minutes, making progressively more ridiculous expressions, until he couldn't take the embarrassment anymore and finally opened his eyes.

"I've done it."

Liu Hua was staring at him with a hard-to-read expression.

"Was that… fast or slow?" he asked cautiously.

"It took me about ten seconds the first time I did it," she said. "So… I'd say that was beyond slow."

"I see…" he coughed, face warm with embarrassment.

Tried too hard again.

"Anyway, what's next?"

"Next is the dangerous part," she warned, her expression serious now. "If you're not up for it, this is where you stop."

He shook his head. He wasn't going to give up.

"Then you need to spin the circle until you feel a piercing pain behind your eyes," she said. "Keep going for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Then, stop at the exact moment it feels like your head's going to explode… or it will explode."

He blinked. Well, that's grim.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

He could stop.

He just… wouldn't.

I used these images as reference while I was writing this chapter, and figured I'd share. 😊

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