ng Hao sat upright, his expression calm and composed as the early morning light spilled gently across the room. The golden sunlight filtered through the half-open windows, casting patterns over the silk bedsheets and reflecting off Li Yao’s smooth skin, which was still flushed from their intense night of dual cultivation.
She had just spoken, agreeing to recount her story.
At that mont, a faint gleam flickered in ng Hao’s eyes—sharp, cold, and fleeting—like the edge of a sword briefly drawn before being sheathed again. His expression, however, remained flawlessly composed—gentle, grateful, and filled with the warmth of a devoted junior.
But within the depths of his mind, storm clouds of calculation rolled with ruthless precision.
"Yes... that’s exactly what I wanted, my dear Li Yao..."
"Through your tale, I’ll weave the right questions—lead you gently, slowly, until you tell what I need. About your mother... her temperant, her cultivation, her weaknesses."
"And when the mont is right... I’ll convince you to introduce to her willingly."
A cold glint sparked in his thoughts, cloaked beneath layers of charm.
"After that... heheheh... one thousand years of cultivation will fall neatly into my hands."
The corners of his lips curled slightly, but he restrained the amusent that tugged at them. Instead, he allowed a soft, sincere smile to surface—his face radiant with innocent excitent.
Then, as if moved by emotion, he leaned slightly closer and said with a voice full of warmth and appreciation, "Thank you, Senior Sister. You truly are the best."
Li Yao gazed at ng Hao, her eyes shimring like autumn dew under morning light—soft and filled with quiet affection. Yet, beneath that tenderness lingered sothing heavier... a shade of sorrow hidden behind her calm facade. Her lips lifted into a gentle smile, but it faltered at the corners, unable to reach the sadness in her eyes.
Within her sea of consciousness, where the tides of her thoughts ebbed and flowed, a sharp voice pierced the stillness like a needle pricking silk.
"So, disciple... are you truly going to reveal those experiences? The ones you’ve experienced and endured all these years?"
It was the voice of Chang Yue, her master—her spiritual pillar, the woman who had picked her up from despair and raised her anew. The tone was stern, not out of harshness, but out of concern, almost maternal.
Li Yao’s heart fluttered.
She hesitated.
Her mind drifted to the pain, the humiliation, the years of enduring silence while burying her grief beneath layers of determination and pride. For a heartbeat, she considered shielding herself again—locking those mories away as she always had.
But then she looked at ng Hao again.
The way he looked at her—so sincere, so gentle.
Her breath trembled as she lowered her eyes and whispered within her heart:
"Master... Junior Brother deserves to know. If I truly want to give myself to him—not just my body, but my heart—then I can’t keep hiding behind the past."
"He should know who I am... what shaped into this person standing beside him."
Resolve blossod in her chest, warm and painful.
She inhaled deeply, preparing to unseal the vault of her mories.
She exhaled slowly, the heaviness in her chest dissipating slightly.
Then, slowly, Li Yao lifted her gaze.
Her eyes, glassy with unspoken mories, t ng Hao’s. Ti seed to still in that mont, as if the surrounding world dared not intrude on the quiet vulnerability hanging in the air. Her expression was soft, open—but beneath it, the weight of years past shimred faintly like moonlight rippling over a frozen lake.
ng Hao’s eyes remained steady, calm, and quietly encouraging. Outwardly, he looked the very image of a patient confidant—but within, his mind sharpened, already sifting through her words for details, clues, and opportunity.
Li Yao inhaled slowly.
A deep, soul-stirring breath—one ant to brace her heart.
And then, her voice broke the silence.
"I was born in the Li Clan of Blazing Sun City..."
Her tone was firm, but there was a subtle strain in her throat, as though each word carried the weight of sothing long suppressed. Her slender fingers curled around the edge of the blanket pooled at her waist, knuckles paling slightly.
"Blazing Sun City is governed by three major clans—the Li Clan, the Wang Clan, and the Chen Clan. Together, they hold dominion over everything: infrastructure, spiritual resource veins, talisman production, even the cultivation academies. It’s a place where lineage dictates your status, and power is the only true law."
Her gaze drifted away from ng Hao’s for a mont, drawn to the faint golden light seeping through the curtain folds. It reminded her of her childhood—once bathed in such radiance, now lost to shadows.
ng Hao nodded slowly, his features calm, reflective.
"Blazing Sun City... three dominant clans, competing powers, interwoven histories."
"Good. This foundation will be useful. The web around her mother is becoming clearer..."
But on the surface, his face showed only empathy.
"I see," he said softly. "Please... continue."
"Good, good... background laid. Now let’s dig into the part that matters..."
Li Yao continued, her gaze drifting to the side as she recalled the mories buried beneath years of pain.
"I was born as the young lady of the Li Clan... and in my early years, I was celebrated. People used to call the genius of Blazing Sun City. I reached the first level of Qi Gathering by age three, and by the ti I was ten, I stood at the peak of Qi Gathering Realm."
Her lips trembled slightly. Her fingers curled around the blanket in her lap, knuckles pale.
"But I suppose the heavens didn’t favor for long..."
Her voice turned cold.
"That sa year, my father died—suddenly, under suspicious circumstances. Before I could even grieve properly, I was targeted in an assassination attempt."
Her voice grew faint, almost numb.
"The culprits... were agents from the other two major clans—Wang and Chen. They feared I would one day lead the Li Clan to dominance. I survived... but I was crippled. My cultivation base shattered. My dantian was ruined."
ng Hao’s brows twitched, but he said nothing.
"If that wasn’t enough, the elders of the Li Clan began pressuring my mother... They wanted her to remarry—have another child. A girl, preferably. Soone they could mold into the next clan leader."
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
"They said it was for the future of the clan... but really, it was all about power. If not that, they urged her to step down and hand leadership to the Grand Elder’s branch—where another girl could be made the new young lady."
"But my mother... she refused both options."
Li Yao’s voice quivered with both pride and pain.
"She was the only Golden Core cultivator in the clan. Despite the pressure, none of the elders dared to openly rebel. Instead, they tried to wear her down with guilt, with whispers, with moral manipulation."
ng Hao listened quietly, his hand gently brushing her back, a look of sympathetic concern on his face.
"At thirteen... my engagent was broken. It was broken by the young master of the chu clan from the neighbouring city clan .When their clan was struggling, we were the ones who supported them. But when their young master was chosen by the sect leader of Ice Embodint Pavilion, they broke the betrothal to seek greater advantages elsewhere."
Her eyes dimd further.
"I rember standing in front of our entire clan, listening to the ssenger from the Chu Clan read out the annulnt... while everyone else turned their eyes away in silence. I was nothing but a cripple, after all."
A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by the chirping of birds outside the window.
"Then... through sheer luck and a fortuitous encounter, I found a broken ancient jade slip hidden deep in one of the clan’s sealed vaults. It contained a fragnt of an ancient Qi Circulation technique. With it, I was able to slowly rebuild my dantian over the course of two years."
Her eyes finally glimred with a faint light.
"And then... I ca here. Away from Blazing Sun City. Away from those who betrayed ."
ng Hao sat silently for a mont, pretending to be deeply moved.
"So that’s her story... tragic, yes, but familiar. Almost cliché. These cultivation worlds love repeating the sa tale over and over."
"Still... now that her heart is laid bare, I just need one final step..."
He exhaled softly, placing a hand on hers and speaking in a tone that was equal parts comfort and admiration.
"Senior Sister... I had no idea your life held such heavy scars. I can’t imagine how much pain you must have endured. But even after all that... you didn’t give up. You persevered. That’s true strength."
Li Yao looked at him, tears forming at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away. She smiled gently.
"Don’t mind it, Junior Brother... the past is behind now."
ng Hao nodded... then, after a mont of quiet contemplation, his tone turned curious.
"Senior Sister... would it be alright if you showed your ho city soday?"
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