The jade sky dimmed further, its color deepening into a muted emerald as the Realm of Hidden Origins entered another of its silent cycles. The gravity-warped valley grew calmer, the violent distortions settling into slow, predictable ripples. Floating stones drifted lazily now, no longer snapping back with lethal force.
It was time.
Li Chen dismantled the outermost layer of the formation with careful precision. One wrong adjustment and the spatial anchor would collapse inward, crushing everything within a dozen steps. His movements were steady, practiced, and utterly devoid of hesitation.
The woman watched quietly.
Her breathing was no longer shallow. The pallor had faded from her face, replaced by a faint but healthy warmth. Though her injury was far from healed, she could now sit upright without the surrounding space tearing at her meridians.
"You can stand," Li Chen said without looking at her. "Slowly. Don't circulate qi yet."
She obeyed.
As she rose from the crystal slab, her feet touched the ground lightly, testing reality itself before committing her weight. The valley accepted her presence without protest.
A success.
Li Chen stepped back immediately, increasing the distance between them.
"Good," he said. "That's as far as I help."
She studied him for a long moment, eyes unreadable.
"You never once asked who I am," she said.
Li Chen shook his head. "Knowing makes things complicated."
"And you dislike complications."
"I dislike dying," Li Chen corrected calmly.
A faint smile touched her lips. "Then you should avoid me in the future."
"That was already the plan."
She laughed softly, then winced and steadied herself. The sound echoed strangely in the valley, swallowed quickly by the warped air.
Silence followed.
Not awkward.
Not heavy.
Just… inevitable.
Li Chen retrieved several small items from his sleeve and placed them carefully on a flat stone between them: two defensive talismans, a low-grade spatial escape seal, and a thin jade plate etched with a single-use concealment array.
"These will last you a few days," he said. "Use them sparingly. Don't stay in one place."
Her brows furrowed. "You're giving these to me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Li Chen paused.
He considered several answers—and discarded all of them.
"Because I don't want to feel responsible if you die immediately after we part," he said finally.
She stared at him.
Then laughed again—this time openly.
"You're terrible at lying," she said.
Li Chen did not deny it.
She reached out, hesitated, then picked up the jade plate. "Then I'll accept them. On one condition."
Li Chen's body tensed slightly. "I don't agree to conditions."
She met his gaze steadily. "Then consider it advice."
"…Go on."
"If you survive this realm," she said softly, "and one day encounter someone who bends space as easily as breathing—run first. Ask questions later."
Li Chen nodded slowly. "Duly noted."
She slipped the items into her sleeve, then straightened. Despite her injury, her posture was elegant, composed—someone accustomed to standing above others.
"You saved my life," she said. "That creates karma."
Li Chen took another step back. "I don't collect karma."
"Too bad," she replied gently. "It collects you."
The air between them stirred faintly.
Li Chen felt it—a subtle pull, intangible yet real. A thread forming where none should exist.
He frowned.
Without another word, he turned and began walking toward the edge of the valley, choosing a route that twisted sharply into unstable terrain. Dangerous. Chaotic.
Perfect for disappearing.
"Li Chen," she called suddenly.
He stopped—but did not turn.
"…Thank you," she said. No flirtation. No hidden intent. Just sincerity.
Li Chen exhaled slowly.
"You're welcome," he replied.
Then he activated a concealment talisman and stepped forward.
Space blurred.
His figure dissolved into the warped landscape, leaving no trace of his passage.
The woman stood alone in the valley, watching the place where he had vanished. After a long moment, she smiled faintly.
"Cautious, timid, afraid of death…" she murmured. "And yet you walk straight into danger when you choose to leave."
She shook her head softly.
"Strange man."
She turned in the opposite direction, activating one of the talismans Li Chen had left behind. A protective barrier flickered to life around her as she disappeared into the mist.
Two paths.
Two survivals.
No promises of reunion.
Yet somewhere deep within the Realm of Hidden Origins, the land shifted subtly—as if acknowledging that two lives had brushed against fate, only to separate before becoming entangled.
Far away, moving through collapsing terrain and distorted space, Li Chen did not slow his pace.
He did not look back.
Good, he thought firmly. Clean separation.
And yet—
For reasons he refused to examine, he found himself checking his surroundings more carefully than before, as if expecting trouble to come not from enemies…
…but from connections he had tried very hard to leave behind.