Completely Bewildered

“Sit?” Di Yao froze for a moment. Following Lin Shao’s gesture, she looked at the chair beside her. Instinctively, a golden light flickered in her eyes as the Emperor’s Pupil activated once more. A mist intertwined with the chair, revealing its essence—it was just an ordinary wooden chair, devoid of any latent danger.

This was the second confirmation.

Di Yao shifted her gaze back to Lin Shao. After observing him repeatedly and confirming there wasn’t a shred of murderous intent, she finally retracted her combat stance. She walked slowly toward the seat, her eyes never leaving Lin Shao for a second to prevent him from launching a sneak attack the moment she looked away.

Lin Shao felt a bit awkward under her intense stare, but he worked hard to maintain a polite smile. Once Di Yao sat down, he initially thought about pouring some tea, but then realized it was too early for boiled water; it would take too long to start a fire and brew a pot. Giving up on the idea, he simply pulled over a chair and sat directly across from her.

“I am Lin Shao. Might I ask how to address you, Miss?” He intended to break the ice first.

Di Yao had initially planned to announce her true name. As the sovereign of Great Shang and the Eternal Empress, she had no reason to hide. But a thought struck her: her identity was quite obvious, yet this man was asking for her name. Did he truly not know, or was he up to something else?

‘Better to give a fake name and see how he reacts.’

“Wang Yao,” she replied, changing the character “Di” (Emperor) to the similar-sounding “Wang” (King). As she spoke, she watched Lin Shao closely, only to see him nod slightly and offer a casual compliment on it being a “good name,” with no further reaction.

Lin Shao smiled gently. “Miss Wang, I believe there might be a misunderstanding between us. I assure you, I harbor no improper thoughts toward you, nor do I have any intention of harming you.”

He had noticed her hostility from the moment she appeared. With such a preconceived notion, anything he said might be interpreted as a lie, making communication nearly impossible. Therefore, breaking down this wall was his highest priority.

But how to do it? Lin Shao couldn’t think of a way immediately, especially since he didn’t know what her younger sister had told her. If he tried to explain too forcefully, he might accidentally make things worse and lose her trust entirely.

‘Better to distract her and change the subject. I’ll learn what kind of person she is first.’

Glancing to the side, an idea came to him. It’s often said that dreams are the truest reflection of one’s inner self—what you think of by day, you dream of by night. It just so happened he had a perfect conversation starter.

“Miss Wang, you’ve arrived at a perfect time. I had a fascinating dream last night that I’ve been eager to share,” Lin Shao said as he stood up.

“A dream?” Di Yao frowned slightly. Since arriving at this shop, she found herself unable to grasp the man’s rhythm. If he were an accomplice of the System, how could he be so calm in the face of her aggression? If he were Master’s reincarnation, why did he treat her like a total stranger?

And a dream? What was there to share about something so ephemeral and empty? It had been a very long time since she had even had a dream.

She watched as Lin Shao handed her a large sheet of white paper. She took it with a hint of indifference and unfolded it. Her eyes fell upon the three long swords and the single coffin.

“This—!”

The moment she saw the drawing—specifically that square, formal coffin—Di Yao bolted upright from her chair. Her hands trembled, her whole body shook as if she were staring at a terrifying demon.

“This coffin…” She stared fixedly at the center of the drawing. She was all too familiar with this coffin. Every year, unless absolutely impossible, she and her fellow disciples would travel to the immortal island across the sea to pay respects to their Master. The object of their worship was this very coffin—the crystal coffin housing their Master’s remains!

With great effort, she shifted her gaze to the three swords surrounding it. She recognized one of them instantly.

The Boundless Sword. An ancient relic passed down from the primordial era, said to be one of the three legendary ancient blades.

The reason she recognized it so quickly was that centuries ago, she had collaborated with its owner, the Boundless Sword Saint. He had helped her conquer all nations and unify the human race. His overwhelming power had left a deep impression on her, and she had memorized the appearance of his blade just as clearly.

‘There are three swords here. If one is the Boundless Sword, the other two must be the Spirit Void Sword and the Netherworld Sword.’

The fact that the three ancient swords and the crystal coffin containing Master’s remains appeared on a single piece of paper—and drawn in such extreme detail—was utterly inconceivable to Di Yao.

She sat back down, her strength seemingly failing her. She placed the drawing on the wooden table, lowering her head with a complex expression.

Ever since her Second Senior Sister mentioned that Lin Shao might be Master’s reincarnation, her heart had known no peace. She was so restless she hadn’t slept a wink all night.

Before coming to the shop, she had warned herself countless times to prepare for the worst—to view Lin Shao as an accomplice of the System and treat him as an enemy. But in the deepest part of her heart, she hoped. She desperately hoped he truly was her Master’s reincarnation.

It was a matter of perspective. When people already have a conclusion in their minds, they subconsciously link any new information back to that conclusion.

Di Yao was no different. Seeing the contents of the drawing, her mind immediately began to connect the dots, weaving countless theories and guesses.

But a guess was just a guess. Until it was confirmed, it meant nothing.

Di Yao let out a heavy breath. She had previously planned to drop hints to fish for clues or find an excuse to fight him to gauge his origins from his techniques. Now, she didn’t want to beat around the bush anymore. She wanted the truth right now.

“Tell me the truth… do you still recognize me?” she asked, looking at Lin Shao.

Still?

Lin Shao keenly caught the keyword in her question.

‘Do you still recognize me…?’

The implication was that this woman named “Wang Yao” knew him from before. But he truly did not know her; someone this beautiful would be impossible to forget if he had ever met her.

Wait. A realization hit Lin Shao. The person she knew might not be him, but the “Lin Shao” who died on the roadside in the winter!

Regarding that deceased local, he only knew his name was Lin Shao. It was to honor that man that he had inherited the name.

Lin Shao closed his eyes and muttered to himself as if he had seen through everything: “I understand now. So that’s how it is.”

Di Yao, still waiting for an answer, looked on with a face full of confusion. She had no idea what he had suddenly “understood.”

“The person you’re looking for isn’t me,” Lin Shao said after a pause. “I died once before, and then I came back to life. It might be hard for you to understand…”

“No need to say more. I understand,” Di Yao interrupted him.

Lin Shao was stunned. He had expected to spend a great deal of effort convincing her of the truth. In fact, he was prepared for her not to believe him at all, given how hard “resurrection” was to swallow.

But before he could even finish his sentence, she said she understood?

‘If I hadn’t experienced it myself, I wouldn’t believe it if someone told me!’

‘How can she just “understand”?!’

‘Understand my foot!’

Di Yao let out a sigh of relief. After such a long period of mental torment, she had finally confirmed the answer she wanted.

She looked at Lin Shao and gave a happy smile. “You are the person I’m looking for.”

Lin Shao froze for a second, his body instinctively leaning back as he tried to put some distance between himself and this woman.

‘This person is out of her mind.’

That was Lin Shao’s assessment of the woman who believed in resurrection without question and was smiling about it.