Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
98. The Resting Phoenix — Liu Hua

Yin’er continued using her chopsticks, proudly displaying each piece of food she successfully picked up like a prized treasure.

But her excitement didn’t last long. Soon, she grew bored of showing off and switched to eating at lightspeed.

The feast, which should have been enough to feed dozens, was vanishing at an alarming rate.

Jin Shu wasn’t surprised. Cultivators didn’t need food for sustenance, they could survive entirely on Qi, which was a purer source of energy, and thus could swiftly digest normal food.

However, some foods and drinks, like the tea Aunt Chen had served him before, contained a potency surpassing even Qi. Only the highest-level cultivators had the privilege of indulging in such things regularly.

By the time half the dishes were gone—mostly thanks to Yin’er—there came a knock at the door.

A voice called from the other side.

“Excuse me, esteemed guests. Would you like to order a main course?”

Jin Shu glanced at Tian Li. She was mid-bite and simply motioned for him to answer.

He nodded. “Yes.”

The door slid open, and the hostess—Ying, stepped inside, carefully closing it behind her.

Her head remained bowed as always. However, just as she entered, her face lifted ever so slightly—just for a fleeting moment.

And in that moment, Jin Shu saw it.

He froze.

The reason she had avoided their gaze was painfully clear now.

She had no eyes.

Her sockets were empty, the skin around them scarred.

A sharp thud snapped him out of his shock.

“I’m sorry I showed you something so unsightly!”

She had dropped to her knees, bowing so deeply that her forehead struck the floor.

The others turned to Jin Shu in confusion, clearly unaware of what he had just seen.

Jin Shu took a breath, schooling his expression before speaking.

“It’s okay. Please, stand up. And you don’t have to hide your face—we won’t mind, I promise.”

Ying hesitated, then slowly lifted her head.

Jin Shu studied her again, but now with curiosity rather than suspicion.

Her long white hanfu pooled around her, concealing most of her body. He couldn’t help but wonder—were there more scars beneath the fabric?

As she straightened, her long bangs fell over half her face, obscuring her damaged eyes from view once more.

Biyu frowned. “Jin Shu, what is she talking about?”

He hesitated. “Her eyes—” He stopped himself. It wasn’t his place to expose her. “No, nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

But it was too late.

Biyu caught on immediately. “Her eyes…?” she murmured, her gaze flicking to Ying.

Since she had heard him, so had the others.

“Eyes…?” Tian Li echoed, her brows drawing together.

Then, at the same time—

““Oh!””

They turned to each other, exchanging a glance.

“Is it her?” Biyu asked.

Tian Li nodded. “It should be.”

Before Jin Shu could react, both women shot up from their seats and approached the still-kneeling Ying.

Tian Li reached out a hand. “Junior Sister, please stand. We can’t bear the weight of your bow.”

Biyu gently grasped her arm. “You shouldn’t be serving us. Come sit with us instead.”

“I—I can’t… I have a job to do,” Ying protested, shaking her head.

But they wouldn’t let go. With practiced ease, they pulled her toward the table.

“Jin Shu, move,” Tian Li ordered, shooing him away from his seat.

He blinked. “Huh? Wait, what—”

“Move.”

Sighing, he gave up and stood, watching as they settled Ying into his spot at the table.

“I… I can’t sit here,” Ying murmured, her discomfort evident. “This is the main seat. And I still have work—”

“You’re not working right now,” Biyu interrupted, waving off her concerns.

Jin Shu crossed his arms, baffled. “Okay, seriously. What’s going on?”

Biyu shot him a look, then spoke directly into his ear using a voice transmission technique.

“This girl is the Grand Elder’s second disciple. Her older sister is Liu Hua—the most powerful disciple in the sect. She’s also fiercely protective of her little sister. Whatever you do, do not mess with this girl. Otherwise, not even Sect Master Chen can save you.”

Jin Shu stiffened.

Liu Hua? He had heard the name earlier, the one that ranked above Biyu in contribution points, but he hadn’t realized she was that strong.

He opened his mouth to ask why, but before he could, Biyu sent another voice transmission.

“First of all, Liu Hua is nearly as strong as Master. Last I heard she was at the Fourth Stage of the Spirit Realm. And her master is the strongest cultivator in our sect.”

Jin Shu inhaled sharply.

Nearly as strong as my mother? And the Grand Elder is more powerful than the Sect Master…?

That was a lot to process.

He could maybe understand Liu Hua being as strong as his mother. After all, her cultivation had always been hindered by the nature of her unique spirit. But he hadn’t expected the Sect Leader to not be the most powerful in the sect.

His gaze shifted back to Ying.

So, who exactly was this girl…?

“I… I really need to get back to work,” Ying insisted, stepping away from the table. “Master put Big Sis in charge, but she’s too busy cultivating, so it’s up to me to make sure the restaurant runs smoothly.”

At the mention of her older sister, Biyu and Tian Li hesitated, ceasing their efforts to make her stay.

Ying turned toward the door, about to leave—

Then a commotion erupted outside.

“...Esteemed guest, you really can’t go in there, please—”

“Hmph! I can go where I want!”

Bang!

The door was flung open so forcefully that it slammed against the wall.

A towering figure stood in the doorway. So tall that their head nearly grazed the top. And with muscles bulging beneath their robes, Jin Shu instantly recognized them, even having only seen them once before.

Ling Shi.

She bent down and stepped into the room, her presence dominating the space.

“Tian Li!” she barked. “Tell me who these two are, and what they mean to you!” She jabbed a thick finger toward Li Xue and Jin Shu.

Tian Li’s face darkened with fury. “Ling Shi! What are you doing breaking into our room?!”

Ling Shi folded her arms. “I can’t hold back any longer.”

“That doesn’t concern you. Leave. Now.”

“Of course it concerns me,” Ling Shi scoffed. “You are my woman.”

“I am no such thing!” Tian Li shouted, shaking with anger. “Clearly, I’ve been too civil with you.”

She thrust out her palm.

Fwoosh!

A wall of flames surged forward, roaring toward Ling Shi.

But—

Boom!

With a single punch, Ling Shi scattered the fire with raw force, sending shockwaves through the room.

Crack!

“Ah!”

There was a sharp sound, like glass shattering. Then a pained yelp.

Everyone’s attention snapped toward the corner of the room.

Ying lay sprawled on her back, blood dripping down her cheek. In her trembling hands, she clutched a broken pendant.

Her eyes widened in horror. “Oh no—Everyone, leave! Now!”

No one moved.

Ying’s breathing hitched, panic overtaking her. “I said leave! If you don’t, before Liu Hua—”

Rumble!

The entire pagoda trembled, shaking as though struck by an earthquake.

“—wakes up…” Ying finished in a whisper.

The trembling stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

And then—

She was there.

No one had seen her arrive. No one had sensed her presence until she was already standing in the middle of the room.

A woman.

Her posture was relaxed, almost casual, yet an invisible pressure pressed down on everyone in the room. She stood sideways, taking in the scene before her—if it weren’t for the blindfold covering her eyes.

Her long midnight-black hair billowed around her, untouched by any wind. A deep purple hanfu swayed with the same unnatural movement.

Lightning flickered around her body, not normal lightning, but dense, crackling purple Qi—so thick it distorted the air around her.

"Fiiive seeecoonnds," the woman spoke, her lazy drawl stretching each syllable as if she were still half-asleep. "Teell mee whaat haappeeneed… oor I kiiill… eeveeryoonee."

Ying paled. She hurried to her sister’s side, hands raised in a placating gesture.

"No one needs to die, Big Sis! It was an accident, okay?"

"Fouuur seeecoonnds," Liu Hua continued, undeterred.

Ling Shi suddenly lifted a hand and pointed straight at Jin Shu. “It was her.”

“What?!” Tian Li whirled around. “Ling Shi, don’t lie!”

But before anyone could react—

Liu Hua was there.

One moment she was standing lazily in place, the next, she was directly in front of Jin Shu.

They stood eye to eye, or at least, they would have—if not for the black blindfold covering her face.

Purple lightning crackled in the air between them, a suffocating pressure rolling off her in waves.

"Waaass iiit yoouu?" she asked.

Jin Shu shook his head. "No."

"Lyyiing?" she asked again.

"No."

"Doooesn't maaatter."

Her hand lifted—slowly, lazily—

But before he could blink, her fingers were clamped around his throat.

His breath hitched. His body jolted as he was yanked off the ground.

Yin’er tumbled from his arms with a startled yelp, but Jin Shu had no time to focus on anything but the crushing grip at his neck. He clawed at her hand, trying to pry it off, but it was like trying to bend iron.

A memory surged to the front of his mind—

The first time he arrived at this sect, when a sect elder had tried to strangle him the same way.

He had hesitated then.

He wouldn’t hesitate now.

With a flick of his wrist, a knife slipped from his earring and into his outstretched hand.

Shhkk!

He drove the blade straight into her arm.

Ding!

The sound was like steel striking steel. His knife didn’t even leave a scratch.

His eyes widened.

Even when he activated the runes on the blade and slashed at her a second time—

Ding!

Same sound. Same result.

His lungs burned. His vision blurred at the edges.

There was shouting, voices calling his name, someone crying.

It all blurred together.

Panic clawed at his mind. He needed air.

With a last-ditch effort, he summoned another weapon.

His M110A1 rifle.

He didn’t want to kill this woman. Not yet.

So he aimed at the ceiling—

And pulled the trigger.

BOOOOM!

The gunshot was deafening. The walls shook. Plates rattled off the table.

And finally—

Liu Hua let go.

Jin Shu hit the floor hard, gasping as air rushed back into his lungs.

Only then did he realize she’d been holding him in the air the entire time.

Across from him, Liu Hua stood completely still.

Her head tilted slightly, her blindfold-covered gaze locked onto his rifle. A wry smile curled at the edges of her lips.

For the first time since she entered the room. She looked amused.