The Bai clan’s great hall was filled with oppressive silence. Tall pillars of black jade reflected the light of golden lamps, and the crest of the Bai family—a soaring crow clutching a fla—lood high above.
Lady Bai Gu stood in the center, head lowered, her silken robe clinging to her tense fra. Her brother Bai Rui was to the side, his face flushed with righteous anger as he recounted his complaint.
"Father! Our Bai family’s prestige is already being questioned because of Mo Han daring to draw his sword at in the streets. And now, Gu... my own sister, a daughter of the Bai family, was seen chasing him in half-clothed sha, begging him for his touch! How can we endure this humiliation? If word spreads further, where will my face go?" Rui’s voice cracked with fury.
The elders shifted uneasily. A daughter of the Bai family begging? Even a rumor like that could shake the city’s perception.
But the patriarch of the Bai family, Bai Hongyuan, did not thunder with anger as Rui expected. Instead, the old man sat tall on his seat of carved bone and fla-gold silk, his hawk-like eyes narrowing as he studied his daughter.
"Gu," he said at last, his voice deep, steady. "Raise your head."
Lady Bai Gu trembled, then lifted her chin. For once, her proud face looked vulnerable, as though she truly was a culprit waiting for punishnt.
"Tell ," Hongyuan continued, "is that man truly worth the dignity you cast aside?"
The hall buzzed at his words—none expected the patriarch to ask that instead of condemning her.
Gu bit her lip, her pride burning, but she forced herself to answer. "Yes, Father. Mo Han... is not ordinary. His healing touch is divine, unmatched. I felt it with my own body. And beyond that, his will—unyielding, sharp as a sword. He refused , even when I lowered myself. He refused wealth. He refused my body. A man who resists such things... is not common. Such a man... could change the tides of this city."
The patriarch’s eyes glead faintly, and the murmurs in the hall fell silent.
"So," Hongyuan said slowly, "you say he is worth it."
"Yes," Gu whispered, her fists clenched.
For a mont, no one breathed. Rui was the first to burst out: "Father! You believe her? She has been bewitched! He is nothing but a cunning dog from the Pink Blossom tree sect! How dare—"
"Silence," Hongyuan cut him off. The old man’s aura pressed down like a mountain, shutting Rui’s mouth instantly. Then the patriarch leaned forward.
"If he is truly what you say, then he must be bound to us. If he refuses wealth, if he refuses won, then bind him with fate itself. Gu, Rui—listen carefully. From today, your duty is to make Mo Han bend. Slave or lower servant, it matters not. He must kneel under the Bai family na."
The declaration rang out like a decree. The elders nodded grimly. Rui’s jaw tightened, reluctant, but even he bowed in acknowledgnt. He could not disobey the patriarch.
Gu’s eyes widened slightly. Slave? She had wanted him as hers, but if her father ordered this, then that was the path. She clenched her teeth and lowered her head. "Yes, Father."
The matter was settled. But a storm was already brewing in her heart.
---
Far from the Bai clan’s oppressive hall, under the softer glow of moonlight, Mo Han sat cross-legged in the courtyard of Elder i’s garden. Beside him, Fatty Lambu clumsily swung the massive golden mace. Every strike echoed with dull thuds against the practice stone, his round body shaking like jelly with each effort.
"Haaaah!" Lambu grunted, sweat pouring down his face as he barely lifted the weapon again.
Mo Han watched with faint amusent, his eyes calm, lips tugging into a sly smile. "You improve, fatty... but not with the mace. You’ve improved in standing straight under the stares of won. Tell honestly, do you want to beco a dual cultivator or what?"
Lambu froze mid-swing, nearly dropping the mace. He turned with horror, puffing his cheeks. "No! I swear, never! I only want to master the mace, nothing else. Do you know how hard it is for when I go out at night to test myself? The temptations, the—ugh!" He shook his head dramatically. "They were everywhere! I thought I would die from sha before I even fought anyone!"
Mo Han chuckled. "Oh? So what saved you? Did you run away?"
Lambu scratched his head, face reddening. "Not... not exactly. That night, I survived a storm of pleasures and seductions. Won trying to pull into their chambers, whispering things into my ears that I shouldn’t repeat." He shivered, puffing out his chest proudly. "But I survived. I walked past all of them."
Mo Han raised a brow. "You? Survived all of that? Without tripping once?"
"I did!" Lambu said, thumping his chest. "And... soone helped too. A lady."
Mo Han’s eyes narrowed with interest. "A lady?"
"Yes." Lambu’s voice lowered, almost reverent. "When I was about to break down, she stopped . She gave a small talisman and said, ’This will keep your heart calm when the demons of desire whisper.’ I don’t know who she was, but she looked like... like soone important. Her eyes... sharp, but soft too."
Mo Han’s gaze deepened. "A woman handing out talismans in the night to protect you from seduction? Interesting. And you didn’t even ask her na?"
"I—I was too scared!" Lambu admitted, scratching his round belly. "I just took the talisman and ran before another lady could grab ."
Mo Han laughed lightly, shaking his head. "You truly are sothing, fatty. Even fate has to send help to protect your innocence."
But inside, his thoughts grew sharper. Who was this woman? Was it chance... or deliberate?
He leaned back, staring at the night sky, while Lambu went back to swinging the mace. The dull thuds echoed again, but now Mo Han’s mind wasn’t on the sound.
The Bai clan, the mysterious lady he saved, and now so unknown figure giving Lambu protection. Threads of fate were weaving tighter around him.
And Mo Han, with his calm smile, was already preparing to pull them together.
Reviews
All reviews (0)