Li Yuan froze in place, his breath caught in his throat. The woman's sharp, piercing gaze locked onto his hiding spot, her every movement exuding confidence and lethality. His mind raced, weighing his options. Running was pointless—her agility was clear from her graceful dive into the water earlier. Explaining might work, but what could he say that didn't make him sound like a voyeur or a lunatic?
"Show yourself!" her icy voice cut through the silence, each word a blade against his frayed nerves.
Knowing he had no other choice, Li Yuan stood up slowly, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender. He stepped out from behind the thick bushes, his heart pounding like a war drum.
"Wait! I mean no harm!" he called out, his voice cracking slightly.
Her gaze swept over him, noting his tattered robes and disheveled appearance. Her hand went to the hilt of the slender sword at her side, and she drew it with a metallic hiss that sent shivers down his spine.
"You mean no harm?" she repeated coldly. "Yet you skulk in the shadows, watching me like a thief in the night. State your name and sect, or I'll cut you down where you stand."
Li Yuan swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her words. His mind raced through the memories he had inherited from the previous owner of this body. "I-I'm Li Yuan, an outer sect disciple of the Four Seasons Sect. I didn't mean to intrude! I just got lost!"
Her eyes narrowed, and her sword didn't waver. "Lost? The outer sect of the Four Seasons Sect is miles away. How exactly does an 'outer disciple' end up here, dressed in blood-soaked rags?"
Li Yuan glanced down at himself and realized how incriminating he looked. His robes, once white, were stained with the remnants of the strange cocoon and mud from his fall. He opened his mouth to respond but stopped when her gaze shifted to the mark on his forehead.
Her expression changed immediately. Shock, recognition, and something he couldn't quite place flashed across her face. She took a cautious step back, her grip tightening on her weapon.
"That mark…" she muttered, almost to herself. "A sword-shaped imprint of crimson… It can't be."
"What about the mark?" Li Yuan asked, his voice trembling. "What does it mean?"
Instead of answering, she fixed him with a piercing stare. "Take off your robe."
Li Yuan blinked, heat rising to his face. "What?!"
"Do it," she snapped. "I need to see your chest."
Still flustered but unwilling to argue with someone holding a sword, Li Yuan complied, pulling open his robe to reveal his upper body. The moment he did, Lin Xue's eyes widened further.
There, faint but unmistakable, was a glowing pattern etched into his skin, branching out from the base of his neck down to his torso like a network of veins. The lines pulsed faintly, as if alive, and carried the same crimson hue as the mark on his forehead.
"You… You're marked by the Bloodline Ascension Ritual," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"The what?" Li Yuan asked, his confusion mounting.
Before she could explain, a sudden rustling sound erupted from the bushes nearby. Both of them turned sharply, Lin Xue raising her sword defensively. The forest, which had been eerily still moments ago, seemed to come alive with movement.
"Stay behind me," she ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Li Yuan nodded, stepping back as two figures emerged from the shadows. They were men clad in black robes, their faces obscured by masks. Each carried a wickedly curved blade, and their presence radiated danger.
"Hand over the boy," one of them demanded, his voice gravelly.
Lin Xue's lips curled into a smirk, her earlier wariness replaced with confidence. "You think two lowly assassins can take me on? You must be tired of living."
Without waiting for a response, she launched herself forward, her sword a blur of silver. The assassins reacted quickly, splitting up to flank her, but Lin Xue moved like flowing water, her movements precise and deadly.
Li Yuan watched in awe as she parried one blade and countered with a swift strike that left a deep gash in her opponent's side. The second assassin lunged at her back, but she twisted gracefully, her sword catching his weapon mid-strike.
Though Lin Xue held her own, Li Yuan noticed something alarming—one of the assassins was inching toward him, taking advantage of the chaos.
Panic surged through him. He had no weapon, no combat training, and no idea how to defend himself. But just as the assassin closed in, something unexpected happened.
The mark on his forehead began to glow fiercely, and a surge of energy coursed through his body. Before he knew it, his hand moved on its own, forming a strange gesture in the air. A crimson light shot out from the mark, forming a spectral sword that hovered in front of him.
The assassin hesitated, clearly taken aback, but only for a moment. He lunged at Li Yuan, aiming to strike him down before he could act.
Instinct took over. Li Yuan grasped the spectral sword, its weightless yet solid form fitting perfectly in his hand. He swung it clumsily, but the blade seemed to move with a will of its own, slicing through the assassin's weapon and cutting him down in a single stroke.
Li Yuan stared at the fallen man, his hands trembling. The sword vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind a faint crimson glow.
Lin Xue finished off the remaining assassin and turned to him, her expression a mix of astonishment and suspicion. "That… That wasn't ordinary Yuan Qi," she said slowly. "Who are you, really?"
"I told you, I don't know!" Li Yuan replied, his voice shaky. "I don't even understand what's happening!"
Lin Xue studied him for a moment, then sighed, sheathing her sword. "This is more trouble than I signed up for," she muttered. "But if you don't want every sect in the White Continent hunting you down, we need to figure out what that mark and power of yours mean—and fast."
Li Yuan nodded, still dazed. His journey had only just begun, but it was already clear that he was no ordinary cultivator in this world.
"Let's move," Lin Xue said. "There's a place nearby that might have answers. And if we're lucky, it'll also explain why those assassins were after you."
As they made their way deeper into the forest, Li Yuan couldn't shake the feeling that his arrival in this world was no accident—and that his mark was a key to something far greater than he could imagine.