Chapter 81: THE Truth

...

"We are fighting again tomorrow?" Theo walked into the kitchen with a dazed look in his eyes. This life was unbearable.

"Using the Abyssal Physique takes too much of a toll..."

"Wait, my inner energy?" As he lit the fire to start cooking, Theo noticed a change in his body.

His Inner Scenery energy had actually grown slightly stronger than before the fight. And yet, all he had done was get beaten up.

"Starting to see the benefits, are you not?"

"Most people are not even qualified to get beaten by me."

Vespera’s lazy voice drifted over as she leaned against the doorframe, hands clasped behind her back, back to her usual carefree demeanor.

Theo pondered. Domain?

So his master hadn’t unleashed her domain without reason. Having consumed Spirit Dew for so long, traces of its essence had inevitably lingered in his body, unabsorbed. His master’s domain must have accelerated the refinement of that residual energy. Moreover, his body felt more at ease than ever, and the sharp aura hidden within had been tempered and smoothed.

"Thank you, Master."

"I will treat you to some good wine tonight. Really good wine."

Theo expressed his gratitude sincerely.

"At least you have a conscience." Vespera snorted lightly.

Her hands, hidden behind her back in her sleeves, loosened their grip on a rolling pin.

After some busy work, dinner at the Autumn Water Pavilion was finally served.

True to his word, Theo brought out the fine wine he had promised.

Immortal’s Drunkenness... It was a rare reward the system had dropped in the liquor category. Likely the best of its kind.

"You actually have something this good!"

"I knew you were my best, most obedient disciple."

Vespera hugged the wine jar, her delicate nose twitching as she took in the aroma. Just a couple of whiffs left her face flushed with intoxication.

With a blissful smile, she declared.

"Tonight, I will teach you my signature skill. Drinking a Thousand Cups Without Getting Drunk!"

"..."

Theo wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to learn that.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned.

"Finally decided to come down. Are you alright?"

"I am fine."

Liana shook her head, her eyes flickering with unreadable emotions. Her face was pale, and her voice was slightly hoarse.

Theo poured her some tea, his expression thoughtful.

This was unusual. Too unusual.

The ice block was his top investor. She absolutely couldn’t afford to have anything happen to her.

But if she wouldn’t say anything, how could he...

Wait.

I have a system. Why am I guessing blindly?

Heavenly Mandate Divine Eye, activate.

[Name: Liana]

[Cultivation: Inner Scenery]

[Destiny: Crimson (Bears the Emperor’s Bone. Possesses the bearing of a Heavenly Phoenix.)]

[Evaluation: A life fraught with trials, yet always overcoming adversity. When the winds of change come, she will soar above the domains.]

[Recent Events: Foresaw an existence she could not overcome, leaving her unable to accept defeat. Her heart is flawed. She doubts her path. Aurora Spark energy has run out of control, deeply entrenched in every part of her body, leaving her in a weakened state.]

Made the ice block feel defeated?

Whose general is this, to be so formidable?!

"You... are much stronger than yesterday." Liana’s faint, weak voice reached him.

"Me?" Theo pointed at himself, momentarily stunned.

"Yes."

"Aside from your divine weapon, your inner energy is also unusual."

Liana sat at the stone table, her figure looking frail.

Her heart was truly in turmoil.

The system’s demands had been unexpectedly harsh.

But these weren’t the real reasons for her state.

The most important factor was last night’s dream. A return to the Abyssal Return.

She had begun to doubt her path, the one conviction she held onto.

She wondered if she was still undergoing tribulations on the Ascension Road, never truly reborn.

"...Me?"

Theo was at a loss for words.

The one who had made the ice block doubt herself was him?

Well, this was awkward.

"No way." Theo instinctively waved his hands in denial.

Liana remained silent.

Vespera, after a moment of contemplation, remarked.

"My dear disciple, you are actually quite strong, you know."

"If I suppressed myself to the same realm as you, it would be fifty-fifty. In a life-or-death fight, you would have the upper hand. Seventy-thirty odds."

Coming from the sect’s undisputed combat maniac, this recognition carried weight.

Theo was stunned.

In his past life, he had been content with mediocrity.

But now.

In such a short time, the changes in him were almost too much.

So much that even he found it hard to recognize himself.

If even he struggled to accept sudden success, maybe he could understand Liana’s turmoil. After all, beneath her icy exterior, she was proud and solitary to the bone.

...

"This wine... mmm."

Vespera’s cheeks flushed red. She was getting drunk unusually fast tonight, giggling to herself as she mumbled.

"Reminds me of when I used to wander the martial world. There were storytellers in the taverns, spinning tales of strange happenings and legends."

"The stories were fun, but they always exaggerated and twisted the truth."

Hearing this, Theo’s eyes lit up.

Storytelling.

"Hey, dear disciple, have you ever listened to storytellers?"

Vespera propped her chin on one hand, tilting her head as she asked.

Had he ever?

Theo’s lips curled into a mysterious smile. "I have heard quite a few. And I know plenty you have never heard before."

"Bragging."

Vespera scoffed.

Seeing her disbelief, Theo glanced at Liana and cleared his throat.

"Do not believe me? Then let me tell you one."

"Go on."

Vespera egged him on.

Though still lost in thought, Liana was somewhat intrigued.

Given his extraordinary inheritance, perhaps he knew some long-lost secrets or ancient texts?

Thud.

Theo slapped the table, imitating the flair of a storyteller.

"My throat is parched. How can I spin tales without a drink?"

Theo always had a flair for the dramatic.

"Oho, getting into character, are we not?"

"Tell it well, and there will be a reward."

Vespera giggled as she poured him a cup of Immortal’s Drunkenness.

Theo took a sip and immediately felt warmth spread through his body. His mind sharpened, ideas flowing effortlessly.

"Today, the story I shall tell is called The Return of the Empress."

Liana: "?"

Vespera: "Interesting."

Theo’s clear voice resonated.

"In the Valley of Desolation, the cold wind blows. The Cicada of Ages sings, the maiden returns."

"She was peerless in beauty, ethereal and untainted. A goddess acknowledged by the martial world."

"She was of exalted status, decisive in judgment. A figure whose mere presence made factions across the domains tremble."

"Her name was Leng Qingqiu, an empress. A taboo existence."

With just a few words, Theo painted the vivid image of an aloof and powerful empress.

Vespera pondered, skepticism lacing her voice.

"Is there really such a person? I have never heard of her."

Liana also turned her gaze to Theo, eyes narrowing slightly.

Theo cleared his throat.

"Well, she is called a taboo for a reason, and it was so long ago."

Vespera took a sip of wine. "Fine, go on."

Theo continued.

"As the saying goes, the tallest tree catches the wind. How could a solitary empress not be seen as a thorn?"

"To deal with her, factions joined forces, driving her to the brink of annihilation."

"That day, her palace ran red with blood. Countless experts perished."

"Though formidable, she was pushed to her limits, cornered before a bottomless abyss."

Vespera’s eyes shimmered, clearly engrossed in the tale.

Liana, however, wore an increasingly pensive expression.

Something felt familiar.

Though the empress in the story bore a different name and life, certain trials resonated deeply with her.

In her past life, she too had been ostracized by the world. Not for any wrongdoing, but simply for pursuing her martial path. A being of unmatched power was threat enough to be deemed an enemy.

"With no escape left, she uttered one final vow. ’Even in death, my martial heart remains unbroken.’ And she leaped into the abyss."

"Ah? What happened next?" Vespera pressed eagerly.

Did the protagonist die right at the start?

Theo chuckled softly.

"Patience, Master. If this secret history survived, how could the protagonist truly perish? Truth be told, this tale was left behind by the empress herself."

"At death’s door, she activated a mystical artifact known as the Spring-Autumn Cicada."

"And so! Not only did she survive, but she also returned to the bloom of her youth!"

Theo delivered this revelation with dramatic flair, pulling his listeners deeper into the tale.

Vespera gasped.

Clatter.

For the second time that day, Liana’s chopsticks slipped from her fingers and hit the floor.

Vespera smirked.

"Little Liana, you find this unbelievable too, do you not? How could there be an artifact that revives the dead?"

"Transcending death, reversing time... How could such a thing be possible?" Vespera murmured.

"Perhaps... it exists."

"Hm?" Vespera turned in surprise.

Since when did Liana get so invested?

Seeing Liana engrossed, Theo felt a flicker of satisfaction.

Then he shot Vespera an exasperated look.

"Master, if you keep interrupting, I am stopping here."

"Fine, fine. The storyteller reigns supreme."

Vespera poured him another cup of wine.

Theo took another sip before resuming.

As he spun the tale, the image of a solitary, transcendent woman took shape.

In this new life, she leveraged her past knowledge to rise swiftly.

Yet this same empress, after her rebirth, encountered an ordinary man who had never practiced martial arts.

She began disguising herself as a commoner, interacting with him, growing closer. Until she was moved.

Thus, the peerless empress took a mundane man as her husband.

Many amusing incidents followed. Bizarre yet logical, brimming with sweetness.

And after finding love, her martial arts progressed even further.

Theo, fueled by the immortal’s wine, grew more animated as he narrated.

The plot twisted and turned under his delivery.

"In the end, she retired from the martial world with her family."

"No rain, no rainbow."

Theo hiccuped.

"Though her life was fraught with trials, setbacks, even death."

"She never yielded, and in the end, she gained both martial mastery and love."

Theo capped it off with his own reflection.

His point was clear. If even death could be conquered, then no matter how turbulent life seemed, the clouds would part.

"That is it?" Vespera lamented, craving more.

She was about to coax Theo into another story when she noticed that the storyteller had slumped onto the table, soft snores escaping him.

Having downed a third of the immortal’s wine, he had peacefully drunk himself into slumber.

"...still needs work on his alcohol tolerance," Vespera mused.

With no other choice, she hauled him back to his room, finished the last of the wine, and retired herself.

*******

"Martial mastery and love... both attained?"

Liana lay in bed, the scent of a certain someone lingering in the air, the echoes of his storytelling still fresh in her mind.

As night deepened and she couldn’t train, her thoughts grew restless.

Was what Theo said fabricated, or based on truth?

Wait.

Liana suddenly remembered. She still hadn’t completed her system’s punishment.

But. Sharing a bed?

Her brows knitted tightly.

Did she have to sneak into Theo’s room in the dead of night?

This shouldn’t have been a big deal.

Yet after that story, merely picturing the scene made the strange fluttering in her chest intensify.

Suddenly, the door swung open.

A figure staggered in and collapsed onto the bed.

Liana swiftly dodged, her delicate hand already resting on Frost-Bite.

The young man on the bed squirmed, as if lost in a pleasant dream, his sleeping face still wearing a foolish grin.

It was Theo.