Shen Fu propped himself up and sat upright. He gently raised a hand to his chest, feeling the heart beneath his palm beating vigorously—thump, thump—as if celebrating his rebirth.
He slowly lifted his head, but all he could see was still a scene of devastation.
Fine snow drifted down like scattered salt, not as heavy as the snow on the day he died, but enough to blanket the ground in silver white.
A few thatched cottages stood forlornly in the distance, and the silence around him was terrifying.
If not for the clear sensation of his heart beating and his wounds healing, Shen Fu could hardly tell whether he was still in the mortal world or had already descended into the underworld.
Thinking of how he had been so close to slaying his enemy in his previous life, Shen Fu still felt a pang of regret.
But there was nothing to be done. The moment he saw that the person standing on the Ascension Platform was not Yin Zhenyue but Ji Yanzhi, Shen Fu knew this battle was lost before it began.
What a pity—the mountains of gold and silver treasures his senior brothers had hidden away in Xuanji Mountain, and the several carriage-loads of spirit money he had burned for them, were all gone now.
He braced himself and staggered to his feet, instinctively reaching for his sword—but grasped nothing.
Little Jinjin wasn't there.
Shen Fu stood still, letting the cold wind pierce through him. As his robes fluttered, a faint smell of something burnt drifted over with the wind.
Gazing into the distance, he could vaguely make out flames flickering amidst the vast white snow.
In the hundred-plus years since Shen Fu had transmigrated here, aside from Xuanji Mountain, he had visited very few places. But this scene only took a moment of recollection to place—this was his only plot point as an NPC in the book: saving the protagonist Ji Yanzhi when he was being hunted down by the immortal sects and hanging by a thread.
The original novel hadn't devoted much ink to his minor character, not even mentioning a name. Many readers initially speculated about the true identity of this mysterious figure who saved Ji Yanzhi, but as the story progressed, more and more "mysterious strangers" like him began joining the effort to save Ji Yanzhi.
In short, whenever the protagonist encountered someone he couldn't defeat with his current abilities, the author would immediately arrange for an angel investor to come and extend Ji Yanzhi's life.
When the identities of these later angel investors were eventually revealed, they either turned out to be Ji Yanzhi's mentors or destined masters who had taken a liking to his innate talent and wanted to take him as a disciple long ago. Only the first mysterious figure's identity was never revealed.
The novel hadn't been completed before Shen Fu transmigrated, so he initially had no idea who he had become.
All he knew was that from the moment he arrived, a blood-red mark had appeared on his hand. Shen Fu understood this might be the Heavenly Dao's restriction—or perhaps guidance—for an outsider like him, but he waited a long time without the blood mark giving him any indication.
It wasn't until he heard that Ji Yanzhi was being hunted that the blood mark began to stir.
At the time, Ji Yanzhi had just shone brilliantly at the disciple gathering organized by the Immortal Alliance. He had returned to his sect covered in glory, only for word to spread that he had suddenly gone mad, gravely wounded dozens of fellow disciples, stolen the sect's secret manuals, and fled—earning himself a kill order.
In the original text, Ji Yanzhi had indeed nearly been killed by his then-sect at this point, and it was only thanks to the mysterious stranger's help that he managed to escape.
Shen Fu counted on his fingers—all the other characters mentioned in this segment of the plot had already appeared, leaving only the mysterious stranger unaccounted for.
So he naturally assumed the blood mark was telling him that he was that mysterious stranger.
And so, on the night Ji Yanzhi was about to be beaten to death, Shen Fu quietly followed him here—to Li Family Village.
The cold wind that night had blown through his body just the same. Shen Fu slowly raised his hand, and his wide sleeve slipped down, revealing a slender, fair wrist.
Along his thin forearm, a winding, vine-like blood mark stretched from the base of his palm all the way to the crook of his elbow.
"We meet again, Blood Trace." Shen Fu looked at the mark that resembled a tattoo and couldn't help but reach out to touch it.
In his previous life, after he saved Ji Yanzhi, the blood mark had faded away. But later, when he defied the original plot to avenge the people of Xuanji Mountain, the mark had reappeared.
It was also because of this blood mark that his body had grown weaker and weaker, until finally, for that decisive battle, Shen Fu had used a special method to forcibly strip the mark from his body. He hadn't expected to part with it only to see it again so soon.
"This time I haven't defied the plot, so you'd better behave." Shen Fu rubbed the vivid red curve and warned it in a low voice.
The blood mark paid him no respect. The moment he finished speaking, it convulsed violently, and the sudden pain made Shen Fu grimace and hiss through his teeth.
"What now? I'm on my way to save him, aren't I? Can't you love me just a little, the way you love Ji Yanzhi? You're torturing me over a few minutes of delay—how cruel." Shen Fu cursed under his breath, but his body was already three li away.
Because he knew that if he didn't complete the task, or did it too late, the Blood Trace would react. After hundreds of years of research, Shen Fu had also figured out the pattern of the Blood Trace's flare-ups—it depended on the degree to which Shen Fu disrupted the plot.
For example, if he killed someone completely unrelated to the main storyline, the Blood Trace wouldn't flare up. But if he killed someone connected to the main plot—especially someone linked to Ji Yanzhi—the Blood Trace would send him a searing pain as a warning.
Judging by the current situation, the pain being this intense probably meant Ji Yanzhi was about to kick the bucket.
Whenever Shen Fu thought of Ji Yanzhi's face, he always felt a strange discomfort in his chest.
Under the relentless urging of the Blood Trace, Shen Fu quickly found his way by memory to the vicinity where he had saved Ji Yanzhi in his previous life.
But when he arrived there, Shen Fu realized that the plot seemed to be developing differently from his previous life.
From where he had been reborn to Ji Yanzhi's location, he had to pass through a village. Shen Fu clearly remembered that in his previous life, when he passed through the village, he could occasionally hear some signs of human activity.
This time, let alone human sounds, he didn't hear a single dog bark or rooster crow.
Although he found it strange, Shen Fu didn't dwell on it. He simply quickened his pace and made his way toward Ji Yanzhi. He only remembered that in his previous life, Ji Yanzhi had been hiding in a cowshed, but there were many cowsheds in the area, and Shen Fu couldn't determine which one it was for the moment.
Just as he was about to duck into one of the suspicious cowsheds to search, a blindingly bright blaze suddenly lit up the sky in the distance.
Shen Fu's heart tightened. He hastily turned to look back and saw that deep within the dense forest a hundred meters away, flames suddenly shot into the sky. An entire stretch of trees seemed to ignite in an instant. When the cold wind blew, the tongues of fire spread dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.
A wave of heat rushed toward his face, but Shen Fu saw several figures rise from the depths of the forest on flying swords, heading straight in his direction.
Startled, Shen Fu ducked and hid deep inside the cowshed.
The moment his figure vanished, several pairs of cloud-patterned black boots flew over on swords.
The moment Shen Fu saw that cloud pattern, his heart clenched tight.
"Senior Brother, if this fire really burns that Ji guy to death, won't the thing on him be destroyed too?" Someone asked casually, and the leader turned back to glance at them.
"Who told you useless idiots to spend all that time looking for him and still not find him? I've already consulted the Master. That thing can't be burned. Once the fire dies down, we'll go in tomorrow and dig it out."
"But… won't going through all this trouble to use a magic array to burn down the village really attract the Immortal Alliance?"
"Ha, you fool. If you can think of that, do you think the Master can't? A barrier has already been set up here. Before the sun rises tomorrow, not even a fly will be able to fly out of here. What we need to do now is go in and check if there are any survivors left in the village. If you find anyone still breathing, kill them without exception."
The group chatted as they flew over Shen Fu's head, seemingly unaware that someone was hiding there.
Watching their figures gradually disappear into the night, Shen Fu's expression grew increasingly grim.
Why weren't these people following the script? Neither the original novel nor his previous life had any part about slaughtering the village and burning the mountain, right? Shen Fu clearly remembered that here, they had only wanted the thing on Ji Yanzhi and hadn't resorted to killing.
If they really burned Ji Yanzhi to death, wouldn't the red mark on his hand take him down with him?
Just as he was thinking this, the Blood Trace on his hand suddenly began to stir restlessly, as if sensing something.
Shen Fu didn't have time to think. He broke into a run toward the center of the blaze.
To be fair, the Blood Trace really was diligent in its duties. Several times Shen Fu nearly got lost in the forest, and each time the Blood Trace issued a timely warning, allowing him to successfully reach the center of the yard.
Before he could even stop, Shen Fu was shocked by the sight before him.
Under the blazing firelight, a pile of bones burned down to white ash appeared before Shen Fu's eyes.
The bones were stacked layer upon layer, piled up to the height of a person.
The air was thick with the acrid stench of burning corpses, and from the moment he stepped into the range of the flames, Shen Fu sensed something was wrong. This fire was clearly being maintained by someone's mana, so it only grew stronger and showed no sign of stopping.
The rescue conditions here were clearly far more difficult than in his previous life. Could this be heaven's punishment for his rebirth?
Shen Fu silently wept inside as he pushed forward against the waves of heat. Fortunately, he still had a fair amount of mana left—enough to maintain the fire-repelling Magic Incantation. Otherwise, he would have been burned to ash long ago.
After walking for what felt like an eternity, Shen Fu suddenly stepped on something soft underfoot.
He looked down abruptly and found a charred black hand beneath his foot.
Shen Fu practically launched himself away, retreating a full five steps before he caught his breath and apologized to the charred hand: "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to—"
Before he could finish, he saw the charcoal-black hand actually twitch a few times. Only then did Shen Fu notice that it was a living person's hand, and that person was currently buried beneath a pile of glowing red-hot bones!
Who else could survive being burned like this but the protagonist, Ji Yanzhi?
Shen Fu patted his chest to steady his breathing before walking over and digging the person out from the pile of bones.
A lump of something completely bare, like a sweet potato charred to carbon, was dragged out by Shen Fu. Ji Yanzhi at this moment had just turned sixteen, his frame naturally far from the towering, imposing figure he'd been on the Ascension Platform—in fact, burned so badly he resembled a withered tree branch.
It was hard to compare this child to the radiant, dignified man Shen Fu had seen ascend the Ascension Platform not long ago.
Still, it was fortunate that he looked nothing like the Ji Yanzhi from his previous life—otherwise, Shen Fu's heart would have started seizing just looking at him.
He carried the boy out and set him down on a nearby pile of white bones, only then noticing that Ji Yanzhi hadn't just been scorched black—he'd also been slashed several times, fresh blood quickly pooling on the ground.
Even in such a miserable state, when Shen Fu held him in his arms, he could still feel the violent, rampaging Spiritual Qi swirling around Ji Yanzhi's body.
The protagonist really had it good—even like this, he wouldn't die. If it were Shen Fu, he'd have gone straight to hell to enjoy himself by now.
Lowering his gaze to stare at the person lying in the pool of blood for a moment, Shen Fu couldn't help but let out a mournful sigh: "I really owe you one. Rise again, my dragon-proud-heaven lord."
Before he could even finish his line, the Blood Trace on his hand seemed to sense Ji Yanzhi's life hanging by a thread, yanking Shen Fu's hand forward and pressing it against Ji Yanzhi's chest.
Before Shen Fu could even react, the Blood Trace burst through the flesh of his palm, actively drawing mana from his body and channeling it into Ji Yanzhi.
Shen Fu winced in pain, his brows furrowing slightly. He vaguely remembered that in his previous life, the Blood Trace had transferred mana to Ji Yanzhi in the same way.
Except this time, the Blood Trace seemed thicker than before, and the sensation of it pulling out of his body was far more intense.
But—could it not just randomly press someone's hand onto another person's chest? Ji Yanzhi's clothes had all burned off, and it was such a particular spot too. It really didn't look very proper.
Shen Fu quietly glanced at his hand in that awkward position and silently recited two rounds of "Amitabha" in his mind.
As the mana flowed out through the Blood Trace, the temperature of the scorching tree branch in his arms gradually cooled.
The rampaging Spiritual Qi inside Ji Yanzhi, upon sensing Shen Fu's mana, slowly calmed as well—shifting from initial resistance to active acceptance, until finally, without the Blood Trace even needing to exert force, Ji Yanzhi began absorbing the mana on his own.
Shen Fu let him rest his head on his lap, unable to help but marvel that being the protagonist really was something else—even mana that wasn't his own could be absorbed just like that.
When would he ever get to be the protagonist? He wished he could live once as freely as Ji Yanzhi.
After his rebirth, Shen Fu's mana reserves were already nearly depleted. Now that Ji Yanzhi had siphoned some off, Shen Fu was already starting to feel dizzy and lightheaded.
He had no idea when this would finally end. Holding Ji Yanzhi in his arms, Shen Fu began plotting how to get out of here.
Looking up, the fire was fierce but precisely contained within a certain range—no matter how the wind blew, it didn't spread further. This was likely the barrier those people had mentioned.
Since they'd gone out to search for any remaining survivors, who knew if he might run into them when he left.
If the golden light orb were by his side, he'd at least have a chance to fight them. But now, not only was his sword gone, most of his mana had been transferred away—escaping unscathed would be difficult.
This place was only a dozen or so li from Xuanji Mountain. If only he could send word to the senior sect brothers and the others—with them around, he might be able to escape.
As his mana continued to drain, the surrounding heat began to overwhelm Shen Fu, and his consciousness seemed to sink into drowsiness along with the fading mana.
Shen Fu realized something was very wrong, but he couldn't break free.
A powerful sensation of falling dragged Shen Fu down into the depths. Through the haze, he saw a figure in dark robes walking slowly toward him—silver crown binding his hair, tall and elegant like jade. Though his face was impossible to make out, Shen Fu could sense the man was smiling.
"You've finally come." The man spoke, his voice trembling slightly. "I've been looking for you for so long."
As he spoke, he actually reached a hand out toward Shen Fu. The scene felt strangely familiar, yet Shen Fu couldn't recall where he'd seen it before.
"Didn't you say you'd stay with me forever? Why did you leave me? Why?" The man murmured in a low voice, his hoarse, gravelly tone sounding like some ancient incantation.
Hearing this, Shen Fu actually reached out on his own, wanting to grasp the hand offered before him.
The moment his fingertips touched, the Blood Trace erupted in searing pain. Shen Fu's heart clenched—he tried to pull back, but it was too late. The hand seized him violently, nails digging deep into his flesh, faint blood seeping out.
Shen Fu looked up and saw Ji Yanzhi standing before him, drenched in blood, his face like a demon's covered in gore—and Ji Yanzhi's chest was pierced by Shen Fu's own sword.
"Why are you trying to kill me?" The expression on Ji Yanzhi's face twisted into one of unbearable pain. He frowned at Shen Fu, yet the strength in his grip only grew. He clung tightly to Shen Fu, while his other hand slowly, bit by bit, pulled the sword embedded in his chest out.
The blade slid free from his chest, and with blood still dripping from it, it suddenly thrust toward Shen Fu.
Startled, Shen Fu snapped back to reality. Lowering his gaze, he saw the person in his arms slowly opening his eyes.
Before those amber pupils were even half revealed, Shen Fu broke out in a cold sweat.
Without a moment's hesitation, he raised his hand and struck down, knocking the man unconscious, then turned and fled.
Damn it, why open his eyes at a time like this? The original story never had Ji Yanzhi seeing his savior, let alone…
Shen Fu lowered his hand and touched his wildly pounding heart. The wound that had barely healed began to ache faintly just from the sight of those eyes.
He stumbled forward, his steps growing heavier with each stride.
The blazing flames swallowed his figure whole, and Shen Fu completely failed to notice that behind him, those amber eyes were fixed on him with an unrelenting stare.
"Got you." The youth in the firelight curled the corners of his lips, revealing a twisted, dark smile. He raised his charred black hand and gently placed it over the spot Shen Fu had just touched—where the warmth of Shen Fu's fingertips seemed to linger still.