Chapter 8: Beneath the Blossoms, A Name Remembered
The peach blossoms were in bloom again.
Each petal that fell from the trees drifted like a whisper of spring, settling softly across the sect's stone paths. Beneath that blooming canopy, she waited—silent, nervous, and clutching the scroll tighter to her chest.
She still hadn't spoken to him. Not once.
But today felt different.
Luo Qingshen stepped into the clearing, his eyes distant, unreadable. His black-and-silver robes swayed with each quiet step, the air around him unnaturally still—as if the world held its breath when he passed.
The girl, pale-haired and delicate in her sky-blue robe, bowed.
"Senior Luo… I—"She hesitated."This scroll… it bears your name."
He stopped. Turned slowly.His eyes met hers. They shimmered like starlight reflected in ice.
"That name… doesn't exist anymore," he said.
She unrolled the ancient scroll anyway. On the parchment, ink faded with time, was written:
"Qingshen, the God who defied the Divine Mandate."
Luo's gaze dropped to the scroll. Just for a second, something flickered across his face. Memory? Pain? A ghost?
But then—it was gone.
"You shouldn't have read that," he said quietly."Some names invite ruin."
Meanwhile, far above, in the highest chamber of the sect's library tower, Elder Zhen stood before an old mural. Dust had gathered over it for generations.
He brushed it away slowly… revealing nine heavenly figures, crowned in divine light. And beneath them—cast out—was a tenth.
"Luo Qingshen…" the elder murmured."Or should I call you… the Tenth Divine?"
At that same moment, thunder rolled across the sky. But no storm came.
Instead, at the sect's southern gates, a second figure in dark robes arrived. He bore a strange mark upon his neck—a coiling brand of divine punishment.
"I've found you, brother," the figure whispered."And this time… there will be no escape."