After confirming the guest rooms had fallen dark, Flint crept through the shadows toward the storage room behind the dining hall. Her heart sank as she examined the dismantled puppets scattered across the floor - each one had been stripped of its central processing module, leaving nothing but hollow wooden shells.

She ran her fingers along the empty cavity where a CPM should have been, knowing the Mystic Enigma Pavilion members had taken them all. While she was confident they wouldn't trace her tampering, the failure of her plan left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Do I really have to leave my past life's remains in this wretched place? The thought of Sage Mortius Crane's smug face made her fingers curl into fists. She could feel anger bubbling up inside her - not the explosive kind, but a slow-burning determination that made her even more resolved to find another way.

The moonlight filtering through the high windows cast strange shadows among the broken puppets, making their crystal eyes seem to stare at her accusingly. Flint knew she needed a new plan - and soon.

As Flint closed her eyes in the darkened warehouse, she recalled Raven's words from dinner, accompanied only by the soft chirping of crickets outside.

"We brought a batch of new puppets," Raven had said between mouthfuls of rice. "Apparently we're doing a firmware upgrade for all the Celestial Sword Sect puppets this time."

Flint had kept her expression carefully neutral, though her heart had leaped at this information. "Oh? That sounds like a lot of work," she'd commented casually, as if only making polite conversation.

"Tell me about it!" Raven had groaned, gesturing with her chopsticks. "I always say if the code works, don't touch it. But they're going on about 'compatibility issues' and 'security vulnerabilities' and 'standardizing the communication protocols.' Such a pain."

"Such a hassle," she'd muttered sympathetically, maintaining her facade of ignorance.

"The new puppets will be running around transmitting firmware updates to all the others," Raven had explained, waving her chopsticks for emphasis. "Then we have to manually scan everywhere to check for any that missed the update."

Flint had simply nodded, keeping her expression deliberately vacant. "That must take ages."

"Not really," Raven had mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Once we configure the new puppets, the transmission process is automatic."

Now, standing among the deactivated puppets, Flint felt a smile tugging at her lips. If the new firmware would be distributed automatically through puppet-to-puppet transmission, perhaps there was a way to intercept it. She just needed to be patient and watch for the right moment.

A cool breeze rustled through the storage room, making the puppets' joints creak softly. Flint pulled her robes tighter and slipped back toward the door. She had planning to do.

Returning to her room, Flint placed the lone CPM on her desk and opened her notes. The crystalline core still pulsed with a faint blue glow as she connected it to her Mystic Terminal.

Let's see how these firmware updates actually work, she thought, inputting the update request command she'd found in the documentation.

The CPM responded immediately, transmitting a stream of data that made her eyes widen. Device parameters, model number, unique identification code - everything a genuine puppet would need to validate itself for an update. Most importantly, it showed its current state as "Ready for firmware transmission."

But when she tried to send her own code, the CPM rejected it instantly. "Invalid verification signature," the error message read. Of course - the Mystic Enigma Pavilion would have cryptographic safeguards in place.

Flint leaned back, studying the waiting-for-update data packet on her screen. The structure was clear: a handshake protocol, followed by device authentication, then the actual firmware transfer. If she could make her Terminal emulate these exact packet formats...

"What if," she murmured, fingers hovering over the interface, "my Terminal pretended to be just another puppet?" She could capture the genuine update when it was transmitted, analyze its verification signature, then use that same format to distribute her own code as a secondary "update."

The CPM's blue glow seemed to pulse in response, like a silent conspirator. Flint allowed herself a small smile. She just needed to be in position when the mass update began.

I won't get a second chance at this, she thought, already mentally mapping out the code she would need. But if it works...

She glanced at the window, where the first hints of dawn were beginning to appear. There was much to do before the maintenance team began their work.

———

A branch suddenly snagged Seedling's tail as she walked past a holly tree. She paused, glancing up with puzzlement. Something seemed off about how the branch had moved - almost deliberately, like a tendril reaching out to catch her.

Before she could process this thought, the branch coiled around her tail with surprising strength. As she tried to untangle herself, it yanked her upward in one fluid motion, pulling her into the dense holly canopy. A leaf pressed gently but firmly against her lips just as she opened her mouth to cry out.

Seedling’s tail was pulled, with her legs drapping over a branch. Her white long ponytail hanging like a ribbon between the tree canopy. She adjusted her uncomfortable position with hands as much as possible.

Hanging upside down, Seedling found herself face-to-face with a man whose long sage-colored hair blended perfectly with the holly leaves. His eyes, almost the exact shade of the foliage, sparkled with mysterious intent as he raised a finger to his lips in a hushing gesture.

"Beautiful fox lady," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the rustling leaves, "do you know Flint?"

The casual grace with which he dangled from the branches, completely at ease in this peculiar position, suggested this was no ordinary encounter. Seedling's tail remained firmly wrapped in what she now realized was more than just a simple tree branch.

The leaf drifted away from Seedling's mouth like any ordinary fallen leaf, though she knew it had been anything but ordinary. She hadn't seen Flint in days - her friend had been holed up in her room, not even coming out to eat. Something about this strange man set her instincts on edge despite his gentle demeanor.

"What do you want with her?" Seedling's purple fox-eyes narrowed, her vertical pupils fixed on the sage-haired stranger with unmistakable warning.

"Ah, so you do know Flint." The man's smile was disarmingly gentle, almost tender, yet something about it made her fur stand on end. "Would you be so kind as to bring her to this tree?"

"Why are you looking for her?" Seedling asked warily, still hanging upside down with her white hair swaying in the breeze.

"Why indeed..." The sage-haired man stroked his chin thoughtfully, his smile turning playful. "Perhaps because Flint would be delighted to see me too!"

What? The response left Seedling thoroughly confused. She had never seen this person around Flint before. What did he mean by 'Flint would be delighted'? Could he be Flint's... boyfriend? Wait - boyfriend?

"Oh!" Seedling's eyes widened with sudden realization. "You're Lenient Pine?"

"You know me?" Lenient's eyes lit up with delight, though a flicker of concern crossed his face. "I didn't think I was on the Immortal Alliance's wanted list yet..." he muttered under his breath.

"Of course! Flint told me you were her lover in her past life!" Seedling's expression was openly curious as she studied him. Not bad looking at all. Flint has good taste.

"Really? Flint's been telling her friends about me?" Lenient's face broke into a radiant smile. "She must love me so much!"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"You're from the Abyssal Pavilion, right? It's dangerous for you to be here..." Seedling lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. "I'll bring Flint to the hillside behind the Heaven-Piercing Grand Hall. There are fewer people there."

"Yes, yes!" Lenient nodded enthusiastically. "Let me help you down then."

The branch slowly extended, allowing Seedling to touch the ground with her hands and knees before gently withdrawing. A row of trees swayed slightly, and when Seedling looked up again, Lenient had vanished without a trace.

Seedling raced up the dormitory stairs and knocked on Flint's door. The moment it opened, she exclaimed excitedly, "Flint! Your boyfriend is here to see you!"

"Since when did I have a boyfriend?" Flint managed a weary smile. She had spent the entire day studying the Mystic Enigma Pavilion's firmware documentation. Why would Spark need Seedling to find me?

But after a moment's silence, realization dawned on her face - in Seedling's context, "boyfriend" was no longer referring to Spark. Yet why would Lenient suddenly appear at the Celestial Sword Sect?

"Is it... Lenient Pine?" Flint asked with a hint of concern.

"Yes! Lucky for him he found me - anyone else would have had him arrested on sight!" Seedling declared with a touch of pride. "He's waiting at the hillside behind the Heaven-Piercing Grand Hall. Let's go meet him."

How did he get in here? It's so dangerous. Flint sighed helplessly, furrowing her brow as she jogged with Seedling to the back of the Heaven-Piercing Grand Hall. They found Lenient sitting on the cliff's edge behind a large rock.

Hearing their footsteps, Lenient sprang up and wrapped Flint in a tight embrace. "Little stone! I've missed you so much!"

Flint sighed again, pushing him away. "Couldn't you have contacted me through a jade tablet? What if you'd been caught sneaking in here?"

"Exactly!" Seedling chimed in. "If you'd found anyone else, they would've had you arrested on the spot!"

"Oh, I had some special plans for anyone else I might have encountered," Lenient gave them a gentle smile, absently twirling a holly leaf between his fingers. "But fortunately, I found our delightful fox friend instead."

"Special plans?" Seedling's tail swished nervously, but her voice remained cheerful. "Like what?"

"Oh, just some fun little forest games," Lenient's smile brightened as he continued twirling the leaf, watching how it caught the sunlight. "The trees do enjoy playing with visitors."

Flint suppressed a shiver. She understood the darker meaning beneath his playful words - the Abyssal Pavilion's approach to "problem-solving" was probably not a friendly one. But seeing Seedling's still-curious expression, she decided it was better to let her friend maintain her innocence about certain matters.

Lenient continued smiling gently: "I didn't just grab anyone, you know. I thought since Flint is close to a certain wolf, she might get along well with other spiritual beasts too."

Seedling asked with confusion: "Close to a wolf? Isn't Flint herself an Inferno Wolf?"

"What?" The confused expression shifted to Flint's face. "When did I ever say I was an Inferno Wolf?"

"Huh? I wanted to befriend you in the first place because you're a spiritual beast too!" Seedling looked bewildered. "I always thought you Inferno Wolves were just reserved about showing your beast forms."

Lenient pouted: "Inferno Wolves are all a pack of traitors. How could little stone be one of them?"

She probably assumed I was a wolf since I arrived with one. Flint rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Actually, I'm not a wolf... and possibly not human either..."

"Then what are you?" Seedling looked even more confused.

"Little stone is a stone!" Lenient chimed in cheerfully. "I have a piece of her past life's remains in my abdomen. Want me to dig it out and show you?"

"Please don't," Flint quickly held up her hand to stop him. "I actually don't remember where I came from or what I originally was. But Lenient is probably right - I think I was a piece of obsidian."

"Oh..." Seedling bit her lip as she processed this information. "I've seen lots of spiritual beasts transform into humans before, but stones becoming human is rare... No, actually, I've never even heard of it."

"Oh?" Lenient raised eyebrows. "Have you heard of plants becoming human?"

"That I have," Seedling nodded. "The Abyssal Pavilion's founder, The Bamboo Sovereign! He was transformed from a bamboo!"

It seems The Bamboo Sovereign was much more famous than Obsidian... Flint thought quietly.

"Wow, impressive! You're quite knowledgeable!" Lenient praised. "I'm his reincarnation, transformed from a pine tree now."

"The Bamboo Sovereign's reincarnation? That's amazing!" Seedling seemed to have forgotten Lenient's earlier frightening words, her eyes full of curiosity and admiration.

"Yes, and you're welcome to join the Abyssal Pavilion anytime." Lenient said with a smile.

"What's fun about the Abyssal Pavilion?" Seedling asked, her purple eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Oh, many things," Lenient's smile held a touch of mystery. "But that's something you'll have to discover for yourself."

"By the way," Lenient turned to Flint, pulling out a jade tablet identical to hers. "I couldn't contact you because I didn't have your details."

Flint took out her jade tablet and tapped it against Lenient's. Then she remembered that Lenient's previous 'tablet' had been different from her faintly green jade one - it had been completely black. Though similar in size, both were shaped like elongated trapezoids, about half a palm at their widest point and tapering slightly toward the bottom, with a blunt triangular protrusion at the top.

"We have our own 'tablets' to avoid the Mystic Enigma Pavilion's monitoring," Lenient explained, pulling out his onyx tablet. "Made of onyx - the two types can't communicate. I had to buy this new one specially, which is why it took me longer to get here. Otherwise, I would have come to find you sooner..."

Lenient paused, gazing at Flint tenderly. "I've missed you so much, little stone."

Ugh, so mushy, Seedling thought to herself.

Flint shifted uncomfortably under the weight of Lenient's emotions, which she could sense radiating through her mental barrier - pure joy and romantic bliss. She wasn't even sure if they were actually in a relationship, or if their past life connection was real. The uncertainty made this moment feel even more awkward.

"Um, Seedling," she said, turning to her friend, "you should head back now. We need to discuss some things."

Seedling's tail swished knowingly. This scene felt strangely familiar - hadn't she witnessed something similar when Flint and Spark would steal private moments together? "Alright, alright," she grinned, backing away. "Enjoy your romantic time together!"

Flint watched until Seedling disappeared from view before turning to Lenient, lowering her voice. "Did you get the glove?"

"Of course." Lenient pulled a white glove from the emerald pendant on his necklace. "Felicity only gave me one though. She was worried about losing both. Should I go steal it now?"

"Not yet," Flint shook her head. "Wait for my signal."

"Little stone!" Lenient gripped her forearm, his lips forming a pout. "That wolf hasn't betrayed you, has he?"

"No, actually he's helping me with cleaning duties. It's my punishment from the sect for the theft attempt."

"Punishment?" Lenient's emotions flared with sudden anger that Flint could feel radiating through her mental barrier, followed by a wave of sadness. "If only I had my past life's power level. When I reach Deity, I'll wipe this sect off the map to avenge you."

Flint was rendered speechless. In some strange way, Spark and Lenient were oddly similar.

"Should I spare that little fox lady's life when that time comes?" Lenient asked with complete seriousness.

Flint stared at him in disbelief, deeply unsettled by how earnest he seemed about this proposal. "It...won't be necessary...to wipe all the sect."

"Oh? Then who should we kill? That wolf must die, right?" Lenient interpreted Flint's words as meaning they should only kill specific people, his gentle smile unchanged as he discussed murder.

An image of Sage Mortius Crane's face flashed unbidden through Flint's mind. She furrowed her brow and shook her head, disturbed by how easily she'd considered it. Lenient's casual attitude toward killing was starting to affect her own thoughts.

"Let's not kill anyone," Flint sighed. "Once we retrieve Obsidian's remains, we'll just leave this place behind."

"Flint," Lenient spoke her current life's name with sudden gravity, his sage-colored eyes filled with an ancient sadness. "You're too merciful to our enemies."

He gave her a smile that was both tender and mournful. "This is where you were executed in your past life, after all."

Flint listened as melancholy seeped into Lenient's voice, like autumn leaves drifting onto a still lake - beautiful, yet carrying the first whispers of winter's chill. The depth of his sorrow resonated through her mental barrier, each ripple of emotion as clear as moonlight on water.

Looking into Lenient's sage-green eyes, she felt time itself bend between them, stretching across centuries. In that moment, she remembered how Obsidian must have felt in those final hours - the bone-deep weariness, the crushing weight of farewell as they parted from The Bamboo Sovereign for the last time.

Lenient's playful demeanor shifted, his expression turning serious as he dropped the childish nickname. "Flint, how much do you remember?"

Flint fell silent for a moment, considering her fragmented memories. "Not much, I think. I remember founding the Abyssal Pavilion together, saving Sage South Rain, and... Blaze Mighty."

At that name, Lenient's eyes grew cold. "It's that wolf, isn't it?"

"What?" Flint looked puzzled by his sudden change in tone.

"Blaze Mighty's reincarnation - it's that wolf, right?"

"Well... maybe. What's wrong?" Flint sensed his emotions darkening through her mental barrier.

"So he found you first again." Lenient let out a self-deprecating laugh, his face taking on an unsettling playful expression. "Are you sure you haven't fallen in love with him?"

Flint stared into Lenient's eyes, which held an ocean of sadness beneath their sage-colored surface. She swallowed hard, remembering her response to Spark's "Do you really like me a little?" - that hesitant "Maybe... a little." But she couldn't bring herself to admit this to Lenient. A wave of guilt washed over her, as if she had betrayed him somehow. She steadied herself before answering casually: "No, I haven't."

"It's alright," Lenient's voice was gentle but carried an icy edge. "Whether you love him or not, since he's Blaze Mighty's reincarnation, I will kill him."

The smile he gave Flint was both tender and chilling - like frost forming on spring flowers.

"Why does it have to be life and death..." Flint protested quietly. "Besides, he's helping us retrieve Obsidian's remains..."

Lenient stroked her head affectionately, his touch gentle but his words razor-sharp: "Then I'll wait until he's done helping before I kill him."

Flint realized both Lenient and Spark wanted to kill each other, but given their power levels, Lenient would undoubtedly succeed. While Spark could only make threats, Lenient would actually follow through. She needed to dissuade him from this path.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Actually, I don't think Spark is Blaze Mighty's reincarnation after all."

"Oh?" Lenient's interest was piqued. "Then who do you think it is?"

"Um, maybe, possibly, perhaps..." Flint made a gesture of emptiness, turning both hands palm-up and rotating them to show nothing there. "He hasn't reincarnated yet?"

The feeble suggestion hung in the air as awkwardly as her uncertain gestures. Through her mental barrier, she could sense Lenient's skepticism mixing with amusement at her obvious deception.

Lenient gently lifted Flint's hand, studying the ring. "This ring," he mused softly, "looks like it's made with gems from Inferno Wolves territory."

Flint swallowed hard, watching Lenient nervously.

"The wolf gave it to you, didn't he?" Lenient's voice was calm, but his words cut through the air like a blade.

Flint found herself unable to fabricate a convincing lie. "Yes," she admitted quietly.

"So you'd be heartbroken if I killed him, wouldn't you?" Lenient sighed, his gentle tone belying the weight of his words.

Flint fell into a panicked silence. Yes, she would be heartbroken if Spark died - but why did that condition have to exist at all? Why did either of them have to die? The questions swirled in her mind like autumn leaves caught in a whirlwind, leaving her speechless and desperate.

Through her mental barrier, she could feel Lenient's emotions shifting like shadows at twilight - jealousy, resignation, and beneath it all, a deep, ancient pain that seemed to transcend lifetimes. The cool evening air felt thick with unspoken words.

Lenient's sigh broke the heavy silence. "I don't want to see little stone sad," he said softly, the earlier murderous intent draining from his voice.

"And I just realized," Lenient forced a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Spark hasn't betrayed you in this life, so perhaps he can live... for now."

He reached out to ruffle Flint's hair gently, though his next words carried a subtle warning. "But the Inferno Wolves are a pack of traitors. If Spark ever betrays you, little stone, I will kill him. Try not to be too sad when that happens."

Relief washed over Flint's face. "Thank you," she breathed, grateful for this temporary reprieve.

Lenient's expression shifted into an exaggerated pout, his tone becoming childlike and wheedling. "Why so formal with the 'thank you'? It makes me feel like we're strangers."

Through her mental barrier, Flint could sense his emotions shifting rapidly - from jealous possessiveness to childish affection, underlaid with a deep current of determination. She realized that while he might postpone his plans for Spark's sake, he hadn't truly abandoned them.

Lenient brightened suddenly, holding up his new jade tablet with childlike enthusiasm. "This tablet will only have little stone's contact information! Remember to message me!" His smile was radiant, though it couldn't quite mask the loneliness in his eyes.

After bidding farewell to Flint, he watched her figure fade into the distance, his own shadow stretching long and thin in the setting sun.

He resumed his solitary perch on the cliff's edge, pulling out his onyx tablet. As the screen lit up and the call connected, his composure finally cracked. "Senior Mountain," he choked out between sudden sobs, "my little stone has fallen for someone else. Can we go drinking together?"