Ink-Clad Creator

As the morning mist dampened the peach blossoms, Xiao Lingshan packed her bags.

She gently placed the sapling on the table in Qixia Pavilion, with a piece of plain paper beside it, the ink still wet: "Young Master Li: The sapling is temporarily entrusted to you. Lingshan has urgent business to attend to and must return to Han Family Fortress first. Do not look for it."

The handwriting is neat, but there are a few trembling strokes.

She pushed open the door, the morning light blinding her. She squinted, and the candlelight, the overlapping shadows, and the faint sigh from last night resurfaced in her mind.

"Sister Lingshan!" Peng Shitao ran over from the peach grove path, holding a steaming bowl of peach blossom cakes. "It's the art exam today, I brought you breakfast... Oh, are you leaving?"

"Mm." Xiao Lingshan took the pastries and forced a smile. "Please thank your father for taking care of you these past few days."

"But, but Brother Li—"

"It has nothing to do with him," Xiao Lingshan interrupted, her voice unusually calm. "It was my own decision."

She turned and walked towards the dock. The dew on the cobblestone path dampened her skirt, and a chill seeped into her ankles.

Peng Shitao stared blankly at her retreating figure, then turned back to look at the tightly closed window on the second floor of Qixia Pavilion, stomped her foot, and ran away.

Inside the second-floor window, Mr. Li had already woken up.

He leaned against the window, watching Xiao Lingshan's receding figure, the plain note clutched in his hand. He had stood there ever since Bingwei left last night, until dawn.

[Emotional redundancy.] The manager's voice was cold. [Your energy fluctuation has decreased by 3 percentage points. Now, prepare for today's art exam.]

Li Xian didn't move. He recalled Bingwei's last words before she left last night: "Young Master Li, in this world, not everything can be had in the end. Choose a path, walk it, and don't look back."

Her clothes were half-open, and the scar beneath her collarbone grotesquely gleamed in the candlelight. She said, "Before my sister was turned into a medicine man, she also loved a man. That man betrayed his sect to save her, and in the end... he was turned into a puppet slave, the one on the arena yesterday."

She laughed, but tears streamed down her face: "So you see, deep affection doesn't last. It's better to learn from me, put clear prices, and let everyone get what they need."

Footsteps came from the stairs.

Miss Chunmeng changed into a crimson dress, and replaced her golden mask with half a fox mask, revealing red lips that curved into a seductive smile: "Young Master Li, did you enjoy yourself last night?"

Li turned around, the last trace of confusion in his eyes vanished, replaced by an almost indifferent calm: "Has the young lady come today for a new transaction?"

"Smart." Miss Chunmeng sat down at the table and poured herself some tea. "Three things. First, the information Bingwei gave you last night is probably true. Aunt Xiao is indeed planning the Yin-Yang Reversal Formation, and the core of the formation requires the fusion of the essence of Yin and Yang—you and Xiao Lingshan are indeed the best choice."

Li clenched his fist.

"Secondly," Miss Chunmeng took a sip of tea, "the orthodox members of the Demonic Sect have infiltrated Peach Blossom Village, their target also being the altar. But what they want is not the Green Wood Token, but the thing sealed at the bottom of the altar—the remains of the 'Sage from Beyond the Heavens' who descended three hundred years ago."

"Remains?" Li Xian's pupils contracted slightly.

"Yes, physical remains." Miss Chunmeng put down her teacup. "Who do you think created Peach Blossom Village's energy system, those metal spiders, and even the vacuum zero-point energy well in the Cold Pool? It was a living person from beyond the stars. Three hundred years ago, his 'Star Raft' crashed in this area and was rescued by the Peng and Shen ancestors who had taken refuge here. He taught them how to use energy, helped them build this paradise, and finally... died on Star-Picking Island."

She leaned closer, her voice low: "And his remains are still alive. The orthodox sect of the demonic cult wants to use evil magic to refine them into a 'sacred body,' to carry a powerful consciousness—I guess, it's the same kind of being inside you..."

Li Xian's heart pounded. A counterpart to Boltzmann's brain? The administrator had said it had gone missing after being attacked by its own kind…

[Information accuracy 87%.] For the first time, the manager's voice showed a clear emotional fluctuation. [If that is the remains of my own kind… or an enemy… I must obtain it.]

"What's the third thing?" Li Xian suppressed the turmoil in his heart.

Miss Chunmeng smiled, a hint of amusement in her smile: "Thirdly, in today's art exam, you must publicly demonstrate your 'creative' abilities. I will arrange for people to support you and boost your reputation to its highest level. Then... at tonight's marriage contest, choose me."

"Your choice?"

"Yes, choose me." She stood up, walked to the window, and watched Xiao Lingshan board the ship at the dock. "Xiao Lingshan is gone, Bingwei is a pawn of Linghan Palace, and Peng Shutao has Shen Aonan in her heart. Only I can give you real help—the power of the Demonic Sect's remnants, intelligence on the Peach Blossom Village's inside agents, and a way to escape unscathed after entering the altar."

She turned her head, her eyes sparkling: "Besides, Young Master Li, we are both members of the demonic path. The righteous path cannot tolerate us, so why not... join hands and turn this world upside down?"

The allure and danger in these words are like honey wrapped in poison.

After a long silence, Li Xian finally spoke: "Why should I believe you?"

Miss Chunmeng took out a black token from her sleeve, on which was engraved a distorted star map: "This is the 'Star Envoy Token,' which I retrieved from the corpses of the orthodox members of the Demonic Sect when they were hunting me down. The token contains the coordinates of the Starship Remains, as well as... the method to unlock the seal on the remains. Cooperate, and I'll give it to you."

She placed the token on the table: "Give me your answer before the art exam at noon."

The crimson figure disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Li Xian picked up the token. It was cool to the touch, made of neither gold nor wood, with dark silver patterns flowing across its surface. In his mind, the administrator quickly analyzed: [The token is made of interstellar alloy, with accurate star map coordinates. It contains quantum-encrypted information, requiring a specific energy frequency to unlock—the energy of the holy water you created is a perfect match.]

Everything was planned.

Li Xian smiled bitterly. He walked to the table and looked at the small pine tree that Xiao Lingshan had left behind. The pine needles were slightly curled and their luster was dull, as if they too had sensed their owner's departure.

He reached out and gently stroked it, and the pine tree trembled slightly, as if it were actively transferring a faint trace of green into his palm.

It was comforting him.

Li closed his eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, all hesitation had settled into a resolute darkness.

"I'm sorry, Lingshan," he said softly, "this is a path I have to take."

At midday, the number of people on Caixia Island was even greater than the previous two days.

The arts exam has no fixed questions; participants are free to demonstrate any "skill"—music, chess, calligraphy, painting, mechanical ingenuity, medical skills, poison techniques, or even esoteric arts. The final judges are the elders of Peach Blossom Village and the villagers present.

Shen Jiaonan demonstrated the "Wood Spirit Dance". He formed hand seals, and the peach trees around him moved without wind. The petals seemed to be pulled, and in the air they condensed into patterns of flying birds, swimming fish, and even children playing, which were lifelike and drew applause from the audience.

Peng Shutao then demonstrated her skill of "Lotus Blooming in a Cold Pool". She placed a bowl of clear water on the table, pressed her palms lightly, and as the water rippled, an ice crystal lotus flower appeared out of thin air, with a dewdrop rolling in the lotus heart, its light shimmering.

"A creation of the water element! Miss Peng has already touched the threshold of the 'High-Level Heavenly Origin'!" an elder exclaimed in amazement.

When it was Li Xian's turn, all eyes were on him.

He walked onto the display stand, holding only a bowl of ordinary lake water in his hands.

"What does Young Master Li wish to demonstrate?" the presiding elder asked.

"Create water," Li Xian said calmly.

A soft chuckle rippled through the audience. Creating water? What kind of skill is that?

Li Xian didn't explain. He closed his eyes and concentrated, his hands holding the bowl of water in a hollowed-out position. The administrator secretly assisted him, adjusting his consciousness frequency to match the energy of the icy pool—the holy water energy absorbed yesterday was surging through his meridians.

The lake water in the bowl began to swirl.

It started slowly, then sped up, and finally detached from the rim of the bowl, hovering in mid-air, forming a water sphere about a foot in diameter. The water sphere was transparent, with fine filaments of light flowing inside—those were precisely manipulated energy strings.

But this is not enough.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Li Xian's forehead. He tried to weave the energy strings into a more stable structure, imbuing the water with "spirituality" like creating holy water. But his state of mind was off today—Xiao Lingshan's departure, Bingwei's temptation, Miss Chunmeng's deal, all sorts of distracting thoughts entangled his heart like vines.

The water balloon began to tremble violently!

"Oh no, the energy is out of control!" Superman cried out urgently through the mental link, "Mr. Li, stop it immediately!"

But it was too late.

Li Xian felt the dark red energy within his body suddenly go berserk! It wasn't that he was controlling the energy; it was the energy backfiring on him! The administrator issued an urgent warning: [Unknown consciousness interference detected! Someone is creating a reverse resonance with your energy!]

The water balloon exploded with a bang!

But instead of water, it exploded into countless sharp ice crystal shards! The shards rained down on the surrounding audience!

"Protect!"

Chief Peng Huaishan roared and attacked, instantly unleashing a cyan energy wall that blocked most of the ice crystals. However, a dozen or so still slipped through, slashing the arms of several villagers.

Even more terrifying—a blurry image appeared within the bursting water mist!

That was a scene deep within Li Xian's consciousness: a dark red, twenty-sided crystal slowly rotating, with the number 76 jumping beside it. On the surface of the crystal, the outline of a cold, inhuman face was vaguely reflected.

"What...what is that?!" someone screamed.

The image lasted only three breaths before disappearing. But it was enough for many people to see clearly.

The entire room fell silent.

Li Xian knelt on one knee, panting heavily. Just a moment ago, he felt as if the administrator's consciousness was about to burst out of his body! Something was forcibly pulling it, trying to tear it away from his body!

[Warning: Locked on by a higher-dimensional consciousness.] The administrator's voice cracked for the first time. [The other party is in the direction of the altar... a member of their kind... not completely dead...]

Similar to them? Not completely dead? Li Xian's mind was in complete chaos.

Clan Chief Peng Huaishan leaped onto the platform, grabbed Li Xian's wrist, and probed it with his inner force. A moment later, Li Xian's expression changed drastically, he released his grip, and took three steps back.

"You have...two consciousnesses within you?" The clan leader's voice trembled.

These words were like a thunderclap!

"Possession?!"

"Evil magic of a demonic cult!"

An uproar erupted from the audience, their fearful and hostile gazes shooting out like arrows.

Shen Aonan, Peng Shutao, and others also jumped onto the stage, surrounding Li Xian in the middle, their expressions filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Just then—

"Stop it, all of you!"

Miss Chunmeng's voice rang out. She slowly walked onto the stage and looked around the audience: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is not possession by Young Master Li, but 'inheritance'."

"Inheritance?"

"Three hundred years ago, a sage from beyond the heavens descended, and before his death, he sealed all his life's knowledge into a 'Crystal of Wisdom,' leaving it to a destined person," Miss Chunmeng proclaimed, her voice carrying a certain allure. "Young Master Li is that destined person. The extra consciousness within him is precisely the spirit of inheritance left behind by the sage! The strange phenomenon just now was merely a sign that the inheritance had not yet been fully integrated!"

She turned and knelt on one knee before Li Xian, her voice devout: "The descendant of the Star Envoy, Chunmeng, pays homage to the inheritor!"

This performance was superb.

The crowd below exchanged bewildered glances. The legend of the sage from beyond the heavens had been passed down through generations in Peach Blossom Village, but the concept of a "spirit of inheritance" was something they had never heard of before.

Clan Chief Peng Huaishan stared at Miss Chunmeng, then looked at Li Xian with a complicated expression: "Young Master Li, is this true?"

Li Xian slowly stood up. He knew that Miss Chunmeng was paving the way for him—a plausible identity that allowed him to possess extraordinary abilities.

"Yes." He uttered the word, feeling as if some kind of shackle had been completely broken. "I have received the legacy of the sage. Those mechanical creations, energy manipulation, and even the production of holy water all originate from this."

They've admitted it. Their demonic identity and unorthodox abilities are now laid bare for all to see.

Shen Jiaonan opened his mouth, but finally gave a bitter smile: "Brother Li, you've kept this from us for so long."

Peng Shutao frowned: "Even so, the energy outburst just now..."

"Someone is secretly interfering." Miss Chunmeng stood up, her sharp gaze sweeping across the seats in Linghan Palace. "Aunt Xiao, don't you think so?"

Aunt Xiao remained seated, and said calmly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't know?" Miss Chunmeng sneered, tossing out a recording stone. The stone projected an image in the air—the figure of Aunt Xiao setting up an array by the cold pool on Yingyue Island at midnight last night. At the core of the array was a dark red fragment similar to the crystal inside Li Xian's body!

"This is a 'Consciousness Resonance Array,' specifically designed to target the spirit of inheritance!" Miss Chunmeng declared sternly. "You intend to forcibly strip the inheritance from Young Master Li's body and claim it for yourself!"

Ironclad evidence.

Aunt Xiao remained silent for a moment before finally standing up: "Yes, so what? The legacy of the sages from beyond the heavens should not fall into the hands of outsiders. Ling Shan is too soft-hearted to do it, so as her senior sister, I had no choice but to take her place."

She looked at Li Xian, her eyes icy: "Young Master Li, if you willingly hand over the inheritance, I can guarantee your safe departure. Otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?" Li Xian interrupted her, a dark red light flashing in his eyes. "Aunt Xiao, do you think I'm still the same Li Xian you were yesterday, completely at your mercy?"

The oppressive aura was released! The mid-stage Heavenly Origin Realm expert unleashed his full power, mixing with the administrator's icy radiant consciousness, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet!

Aunt Xiao's face paled slightly. She hadn't expected Li Xian to integrate the inheritance so quickly.

"Enough," Clan Chief Peng Huaishan said in a deep voice. "Today is the Peach Blossom Festival, not a battlefield. All grudges can wait until after the festival. Young Master Li's status is special, so his art exam results will not be judged for now; the elders' council will decide. Now—continue the art exam!"

The storm has subsided temporarily, but the rifts have deepened.

As Li Xian stepped down from the stage, he passed by the seats of Linghan Palace. Bingwei lowered her head, not daring to look at him. Aunt Xiao closed her eyes to rest, as if everything was unrelated to her.

Miss Chunmeng followed, chuckling softly, "You did a good job. The marriage proposal event tonight will proceed as planned."

Li Xian didn't answer. He looked towards the dock, where Xiao Lingshan's small boat had long since disappeared into the horizon.

Can not go back.

As night falls, the peach blossom lanterns are lit again.

The marriage contest was held on the largest "Marriage Field" on Caixia Island. A bonfire was lit in the center of the field, and banquets were set up around it. The nine men and women who had advanced to the art test each sat at a table, and eligible young men and women from the village also attended in their finest attire. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, wine, and the restless energy of youth.

According to the rules, each person can give a "peach blossom note" to their crush, and if the other person reciprocates, it is considered a declaration of love. If multiple people choose the same person, the chosen person will make the decision on the spot.

Amidst the sound of drums and music, the young men and women began to move around.

Shen Aonan was the first to stand up, walk to Peng Shutao's table, and hand her a jade peach blossom—a token passed down from the Shen family to the eldest daughter-in-law.

Peng Shutao looked at him, a struggle flashing in her eyes, but in the end, she gently took it.

Shen Jiaonan chuckled and handed a peach blossom note to a round-faced village girl. The girl blushed and returned the favor with a sachet.

Bingwei received three notes, but politely declined them all. Her gaze remained fixed on Li Xian.

Li Xian's table was the most lively—seven peach blossom-patterned stationery sheets were piled on the table. Some were from the village girls, some from the visiting female knights-errant, and even... one of them was sent by Miss Chunmeng, with a star map drawn on it and the words: "Tonight at midnight, Qixia Pavilion, see you there."

He didn't reply to a single one.

It wasn't until Clan Chief Peng Huaishan spoke up: "Young Master Li, according to the rules, you must reciprocate by giving a gift to at least one person."

All eyes were on them.

Li Xian slowly stood up. He looked at Miss Chunmeng, who was raising her glass and smiling; he looked at Bingwei, whose eyes were filled with tears; he looked at the empty seat in the distance—that was Xiao Lingshan's seat.

"Choose the option that maximizes your benefits." The manager's cold instruction.

Li closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he walked to Miss Chunmeng's seat, took out the "Star Envoy Token" from his pocket, and placed it on her table.

"This is the betrothal gift." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the entire hall. "Today, Mr. Li chooses Miss Chunmeng as his partner. Heaven and earth are our witnesses, and peach blossoms are our matchmaker."

Dead silence.

Then, an uproar erupted!

"He's going to marry that witch from the evil cult?!"

"The inheritor has colluded with the demonic path!"

Clan Chief Peng Huaishan's face turned ashen. Shen Aonan frowned, and Peng Shutao shook his head and sighed.

Miss Spring Dream laughed, a laugh that made her tremble. She stood up, took the Star Envoy's token, and then—in front of everyone, removed her golden mask!

Beneath the mask was an exquisitely beautiful face, the scar at the corner of her eye cleverly concealed by peach blossom makeup. She tiptoed and planted a kiss on Li Xian's lips.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

A kiss seals the deal, a marriage between the demons and the immortals.

The campfire crackled and popped, sending sparks into the night sky that mingled with the peach blossom lanterns.

Looking at the smiling face in front of him, Li Xian felt the last bit of warmth in his heart turn to ice.

He knew that from this moment on, he was no longer Li Xian, the science student who had traveled from another time.

He is the inheritor, the new master of the demonic path, and... an evil lord destined to walk the path of creation and destruction.

In the distance, by the cold pool of Yingyue Island.

Xiao Lingshan hadn't actually left. She stood under the peach tree, watching the fireworks rise in the direction of Caixia Island, listening to the faint sounds of commotion.

Tears fell silently.

"Mother..." she murmured, "If you were here, would you tell me how to choose?"

No one answered.

Only peach petals drifted down onto my shoulder, both gentle and cruel.