CHAPTER 46: REMNANTS

Wei Ji stood there for a moment, his mind still half on what he had planned to do after leaving, but when Lu Shaohua suddenly spoke up, her voice trembling slightly, he turned back.

"What?" he asked, half expecting her to tell him to forget everything he’d said.

Lu Shaohua hesitated. Her eyes wandered to the ground as if she was trying to find the right words. "I... I wanted to ask something," she said quietly.

Wei Ji raised a brow. "What is it?"

"It’s just..." she paused, fiddling with her sleeves. "Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to learn spells. I wanted to learn directly from the beasts. That was my dream. But they couldn’t teach me. And even when I tried once, I was... forced to learn something I didn’t understand. It hurt them."

Her tone was soft, distant, but heavy with something unspoken.

Wei Ji’s sharp eyes softened a little. "Forced?"

She nodded faintly. "Someone tried to use me to cast something unnatural. My body rejected it. It nearly killed one of the beasts that tried to help me."

Wei Ji slowly exhaled and gave a small nod. "I see."

For a few seconds, silence filled the room, broken only by the faint rustle of the wind outside the courtyard. Then Lu Shaohua spoke again, hesitantly. "But now... if you’re too busy, you don’t have to—"

Wei Ji suddenly interrupted. "Okay."

Lu Shaohua blinked. "What?"

"I promised to teach you earlier," Wei Ji said, folding his arms. "It would be rude to go back on my word. I apologized for that..."

She blinked several times, her lips parting slightly. "You... you mean it?"

"Of course." His tone was calm, almost casual, but his eyes were steady.

Lu Shaohua was stunned. She had expected a refusal, an excuse—anything but this. For a moment, she just stood there, completely unsure what to do with her hands or her expression. "If... if you’re busy, you don’t have to force yourself," she said quickly.

Wei Ji didn’t reply. Instead, he asked simply, "What kind of spell would you like to learn?"

Her mind went blank. She hadn’t prepared an answer. "I—I don’t know," she admitted quietly.

Wei Ji looked at her intently. Then, he thought, "Hmm... I shouldn’t tell her an aggressive spell, for the future..."

"Then we start with a beginner’s spell." He stepped closer, his eyes glinting faintly. "You’ll watch closely."

Lu Shaohua swallowed hard and nodded.

Wei Ji lifted his right hand. "This one is called Plum Blossom Blooming."

His fingers formed a hand sign—slow, deliberate, each motion filled with control. The air around them grew faintly warm. Wei Ji spoke softly as he demonstrated. "This spell doesn’t rely on aggression. It’s meant to nurture life energy and guide the flow of spirit through nature. If you can control it, you can stabilize your inner Qi and understand balance."

He lowered his stance, his palm brushing against the air. A faint, greenish light rippled out from his feet. The light pulsed once, twice, and then a small bud appeared at the center of the stone floor.

Lu Shaohua gasped softly.

The bud began to bloom slowly, petal by petal, revealing delicate shades of white and pink. It was so soft, so pure, that even the light in the courtyard seemed to pause to admire it.

Wei Ji continued speaking, his tone steady and calm. "This spell requires harmony, not strength. The key is not to force the energy. Guide it like water. Think of your Qi as a gentle stream. The moment you try to command it, it will resist."

He raised his hand, and the small plum blossom swayed gently before dispersing into motes of light.

Lu Shaohua was in awe. "It’s... beautiful."

Wei Ji nodded slightly. "It’s simple but difficult to master. Most people can’t understand softness. They only understand force."

He straightened up and looked at her. "Are you ready to try?"

Lu Shaohua nodded quickly, her expression serious now. "I’m ready."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she copied his hand signs. Her fingers trembled slightly as she moved, and Wei Ji could immediately see the difference. Her energy was unstable, flickering violently beneath the surface.

"Calm your heart," he said quietly.

"I—I’m trying," she murmured, concentrating.

"Good. Now, let the Qi flow down. Don’t fight it. Let it breathe."

She took another breath. For a moment, it seemed to work—the faint shimmer of green light began to form beneath her hands. The air around her grew warmer, the same as before.

But then, something twisted. Her aura flickered violently, from green to a deep, murky purple.

Wei Ji’s eyes narrowed.

"Wait—" he began, but before he could move, a loud crack sounded.

Boom!

The energy around Lu Shaohua exploded outward, a shockwave rippling through the courtyard. The faintly glowing petals shattered into nothingness, leaving a small scorch mark on the stone floor.

Lu Shaohua gasped, clutching her chest. "I’m sorry... I couldn’t do it..."

Wei Ji frowned deeply. He had noticed it—the faint trace of black energy hidden inside her aura. A dark, corrosive current buried deep within her soul. "No. That wasn’t your fault."

He took a slow step forward, his expression turning serious. "You still have remnants of Celest– I mean a curse of Demonic energy in you. I thought I had already suppressed it, but it’s still there."

Lu Shaohua looked at him in alarm. "I’m sorry... I didn’t mean—"

Wei Ji raised his hand slightly. "Don’t apologize."

He looked down, his brows furrowed. "If you hadn’t asked me to teach you a spell today, I wouldn’t have noticed. That energy was dormant, hiding under your Qi. It would’ve corroded your meridians eventually."

Her eyes widened, panic slowly forming in them. "What... what should I do?"

"Sit," Wei Ji said firmly.

She nodded quickly and sat cross-legged on the floor. Wei Ji walked behind her, his expression sharp and focused. "There’s a curse on your spell pattern. That’s why you couldn’t complete it. I’ll suppress it for now."

Lu Shaohua hesitated only for a moment before slowly lowering her robe from the back of her shoulders. Her soft, pale skin was illuminated by the faint spiritual light in the courtyard.

Wei Ji placed his palm gently against her back. Her skin was warm and smooth, and he could feel the turbulent pulse of her Qi beneath it. "Relax your body," he said quietly.

She nodded, her breathing shallow.

A green glow formed around Wei Ji’s hand. His spiritual energy poured into her, winding through her meridians, seeking out the dark curse. The moment his energy touched it, a sharp burning sensation erupted from his hand.

"Tch..." Wei Ji gritted his teeth. The Celestial Demon energy fought back violently, twisting and writhing like a living thing.

Lu Shaohua winced. "Is... is it working?"

"Don’t move," Wei Ji said tightly.

He forced his Qi deeper, the green light flaring brighter. The resistance grew stronger. Black tendrils of spiritual corruption lashed out at his hand, and Wei Ji coughed, a trace of blood spilling from his lips.

"Han Ji!" Lu Shaohua gasped, starting to turn around.

He pressed his hand harder on her back. "Stay still!"

His voice was sharp, commanding. She froze.

Wei Ji focused, pouring more of his energy. His veins bulged, his face pale. "Almost there..." he muttered. The air trembled around them, a faint hum filling the courtyard. The black energy let out a faint hiss before being swallowed completely by the green light.

Then, with a final push, Wei Ji exhaled sharply, pulling his hand back. The glow faded.

He coughed again, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Okay," he said hoarsely. "You can try the spell now."

Lu Shaohua turned slightly, her eyes wide with concern. "You’re bleeding—"

Wei Ji shook his head and forced a small smile. "Don’t worry about me. Just focus. I’ve cleared the corruption. This time, it should work."

His voice was calm again, but his body trembled slightly.

Lu Shaohua bit her lip, then nodded firmly. She faced forward once more, her hands forming the same signs as before. The green light began to flow again—gentler this time, smoother.

And for the first time, it didn’t resist her.