Morning mist clung to the sect like the breath of a dreaming giant.
Jin Nian sat in the center of his half-collapsed meditation platform, sipping stale tea and staring at the words glowing faintly on the stone slab.
Jiang Ru.
The name hadn't faded. In fact, it seemed more real now, as if etched deeper into the very qi of the land. And yet… no one had carved it.
"Have you ever felt like someone else's memory is leaking into your bones?" he murmured.
Zhang Mubo, who was sitting upside down on a nearby tree branch for absolutely no reason, replied, "Only when I eat spirit pickles after midnight."
Jin Nian didn't even blink. "Why are you like this?"
"Genetics."
---
At the Outer Wall
Wu Ling stood in front of the boundary stone—the one that marked the edge of the sect's influence. Her hand hovered just inches from it, fingers trembling slightly.
She remembered the dreams now.
Not fully. Just fragments. Fire. A hand reaching. A voice saying "You said you'd never leave me, Ru'er."
And then… pain. A different kind. Not the pain of death. The pain of failing someone you loved.
"I don't even know who you are," she whispered. "So why does your sorrow feel like mine?"
Behind her, a voice broke the silence.
"You feel it too, huh?"
She turned. It was Bai Duyi—the quiet disciple who rarely spoke unless he was mid-spar or mid-breakfast.
"I've been having dreams too," he said, rubbing his chest. "About a girl with green eyes. She was crying. She kept saying she never got to say goodbye."
Wu Ling blinked. "You think it's… a Guardian?"
"I think it's someone waiting. For us. For something."
They stood in silence, the mist curling around them like the breath of forgotten ghosts.
---
At the Sect Core
Jin Nian's System chirped to life again.
> Guardian Vein Resonance: 6.3%
Proximity echoes detected within three disciples.
Mental burden acceptable. Suggest preparation of spiritual anchors.
He groaned. "What the hell is a spiritual anchor? A paperweight that's been to therapy?"
Then, another ping.
> Emotion detected: unresolved grief.
Guardian attempting partial bond with Disciple Wu Ling.
Warning: Emotional sync may lead to shared trauma. Prepare mental boundary protocol.
Jin Nian froze.
"Shared trauma…? That can't be good."
He ran toward Wu Ling's peak.
---
At Wu Ling's Peak
Wu Ling wasn't alone anymore.
The mist had gathered into a faint silhouette. Eyes like lanterns, flickering and full of regret.
Jin Nian arrived just in time to see it place a hand on Wu Ling's shoulder.
She didn't flinch. Instead, her eyes softened. Her whole body relaxed—as if she'd been holding her breath for years and finally exhaled.
"I remember…" she whispered.
And then she collapsed.
---
Dream Sequence – Wu Ling's Memory
The flames were everywhere.
Screams. Steel clashing. The gates of a small sect crumbling under the assault of invaders.
A girl with twin swords stood atop a blood-soaked stair, shielding a boy with a wounded arm.
"Run, Ru'er!" she yelled.
"But—!"
"No buts! You swore you'd live for the both of us!"
The boy turned, stumbling into the smoke.
The girl screamed as a spear pierced her back.
Wu Ling's heart stopped.
Not because it was terrifying.
But because… she recognized the boy's eyes.
They were her own.
---
Back in Reality
Jin Nian knelt beside her, placing two fingers to her temple. She was alive—but barely responsive. Her mind was somewhere else.
He looked up—and the silhouette was gone. But he could still feel its sadness.
And worse—its hope.
"Damn it," he whispered. "This isn't just ghosts. This is… unfinished stories."
---
That Evening – Sect Meeting
Jin Nian stood before all six of his disciples in the courtyard, each holding tea that tasted like regret and smelled like Zhang Mubo's cooking.
"We need to talk," Jin Nian began. "About Guardians. About why some of you are hearing voices, dreaming strange things, or writing names in your sleep."
Zhang Mubo raised his hand. "What if my dreams are about being chased by giant noodles? Is that related?"
"No."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Okay."
Wu Ling remained silent, wrapped in a blanket, her eyes focused on the horizon.
"I've read the scrolls," Jin Nian continued. "Some people who die with unfinished business don't pass on. They become what we call Guardians—echoes of powerful cultivators whose souls latch onto strong minds."
"You mean like… ghosts?" Bai Duyi asked.
"Not quite. They're more like… partners. But also… emotional bombs."
That got their attention.
"If a Guardian bonds to you," Jin Nian said, "you get access to their knowledge, skills… even protection. But to fully bond, you must endure their trauma. Share it. Help resolve it."
"And if we don't?" asked Lei Yao, the youngest disciple.
"They fade. Or go mad. Or worse—pull you with them."
Silence.
Then, Zhang Mubo whispered, "...What if they liked noodles in their past life?"
Jin Nian tossed a scroll at his face.
---
The System Speaks Again – Privately
> Sect Core is evolving. Guardian Zone initiated.
Maximum spiritual boundary expansion: 50 meters beyond current peak limits.
New passive skill unlocked: Soul Sanctuary (Stage 1).
Allows temporary mental recovery for disciples affected by trauma-based resonance.
Jin Nian sighed. "So we're ghost therapists now."
> Correction: Spirit inheritance cultivators with co-dependent trauma-bonding triggers.
"...Ghost therapists."
---
A New Discovery
At midnight, while Jin Nian was pretending to meditate but actually napping under the stars, Lei Yao came running with wide eyes.
"Sect Master! There's… there's another name!"
They rushed to the slab.
Sure enough—beneath Jiang Ru, a second name had appeared.
Lian Mei.
Not etched.
Grown.
As if the stone itself had remembered her.
---
Meanwhile… In Another Sect
Far away, in the Iron Serpent Sect, a hooded figure stared into a cracked mirror. "They've begun awakening."
A black-robed elder appeared behind them. "Then the Guardians… will choose again?"
The hooded one smiled. "Let them. This time, we'll intercept. A soul on the edge of awakening is also a soul on the edge of corruption."
They raised a hand.
And in the mirror, the image of Wu Ling sleeping beside the stone flickered… then faded.
---
End of Chapter
Reader Question:
If you knew accepting a Guardian meant reliving their most painful memory, would you still form the bond… or would you reject their sorrow to protect your own?
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