"I am sorry..." Wen Xue muttered.
Gu Jin was about to leave when Wen Xue said,
"And as much as I don’t want to stop you, I do want to tell you sothing. Your Gu family has ties with the Prophet clan. And they are planning to attack the Gu Family soon."
Gu Jin paused in her steps, her hand still on the door.
"...What did you just say?" she asked, her voice low and calm, but dangerous.
Wen Xue t her gaze. "I said your Gu family has ties with the Prophet Clan. And soon, the Prophet Clan is going to take action against them."
Gu Jin turned around fully, frowning deeply. "Why? What’s the reason?"
Wen Xue’s expression darkened.
"I don’t know the full story. But what I heard is that the second young master of the Gu family... offended one of the Prophets. Badly."
Gu Jin’s brows furrowed. "What do you an by ’offended’? Do you know what happened?"
He shook his head slowly.
"No. Just rumors. All I know is that your family is going to face the wrath of the Prophet Clan. And when they strike, they won’t be kind."
Gu Jin stood silent for a mont. Her eyes searched his face, trying to read him. Then she slowly walked over to the sofa and sat down.
"Are you lying to again?" she asked coldly.
Wen Xue didn’t move. "No. You can investigate it yourself if you don’t believe ."
Gu Jin stared at him for a long second before pulling out her phone. She dialed a number.
"i Lin," she said as soon as it connected.
"I need you to look into sothing for . Check if there’s any conflict between the Prophet Clan and the Gu family.
Especially anything involving my second brother, Gu Jihu. Get the full report by 7 p.m. today."
She hung up the call without another word.
Wen Xue stood and bowed slightly. His voice was soft but sincere.
"I know I’ve hurt you, Gu Jin. That was never my intention. I hid things from you, but I never ant to put you in pain."
He turned toward the door.
"If you believe —if your investigation confirms what I said—then et at Qingxiu Pavilion at 8 p.m. tonight." He paused in the doorway. "I’ll be waiting."
Then he left.
....................
Later, Gu Jin sat alone in her room, the silence pressing in on her.
She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before grabbing her phone again and scrolling through her contacts.
Her fingers hovered for a second, then she tapped on the na: Gu Jihu.
The call connected after two rings.
"Hello?" a familiar voice answered.
"Jihu," she said. "Are you in the hospital right now?"
A light chuckle ca from the other side. "Of course I am. Sister, you really are smart. You rember the schedule better than I do."
Gu Jin rolled her eyes. "Everyone in the family knows your schedule."
"Still. It’s impressive," he teased.
She ignored his joke. Her voice turned serious.
"Do you have any connections with the Prophet Clan?"
The line went quiet.
"...Why are you asking about them?" Jihu asked carefully.
"I heard sothing," she said slowly. "Soone told you offended the Prophet Clan. Is it true?"
There was another pause. Then, quietly, Jihu said, "...Yes. I did."
Gu Jin’s frown deepened. "Why didn’t you tell ?"
"It wasn’t a big deal at first," Jihu replied. "And I didn’t want to worry you. But yeah... I’ve known for a while that they’re planning to retaliate."
"Do you have a plan?" Gu Jin asked, her voice low.
"Yes. I’ve already made preparations. Don’t worry," he said confidently.
She was silent for a mont.
Then she said softly, "If you need help... I’m here."
Jihu was silent for a mont, touched by her words.
"...Thank you, Gu Jin."
She nodded, though he couldn’t see it.
The sun had dipped below the horizon by the ti Gu Jin reached Qingxiu Pavilion, a quiet, open hall nestled between tall trees and stone paths.
The place was old but well-maintained, with red lanterns gently swinging in the breeze and faint incense smoke curling through the air.
She stepped onto the stone platform and looked around.
The place was empty. Silent.
Just as she was about to check her phone, footsteps echoed across the courtyard. Wen Xue appeared, dressed in dark robes, his expression tense—until he saw her.
"You ca," he breathed, his eyes lighting up.
"Thank you, Gu Jin," he said again and again, bowing slightly in relief. "I thought you wouldn’t co. Thank you—really."
But Gu Jin didn’t respond to his words.
Instead, she looked at him coldly and said, "We’re changing the terms of our deal."
Wen Xue blinked in surprise, straightening up quickly. "What terms?"
"There are three conditions," she said firmly.
Wen Xue nodded without hesitation. "Alright. Na them."
"First," she said, "You must pledge your loyalty to . Fully."
Wen Xue’s smile faded slightly. His eyes searched hers for a mont before he lowered his gaze, thinking deeply. After a long pause, he nodded.
"Alright," he said slowly. "I pledge it. My loyalty... is yours."
"Good," Gu Jin said with a nod. "Second, whenever I call you, you have to co. No matter what. And you must perform a divination for whenever I ask."
Wen Xue’s expression grew a bit awkward. "Gu Jin... I can’t control when the visions co. Divination doesn’t always work like that. Sotis I see things, sotis I don’t—"
"Then try," she interrupted. Her tone was firm. "If you won’t even try, I won’t go any further with this."
Wen Xue stared at her for a mont, then let out a long sigh.
"...Fine. I’ll do my best," he said.
Gu Jin gave a single nod of approval.
"And the third," she continued, her voice calm but sharp. "You will serve . For the next four hundred years."
Wen Xue’s eyes widened.
"Four... hundred?" he echoed, stunned. "That’s... ridiculous!"
"I don’t think so," Gu Jin said coolly. "In return, I’ll help you. You can request my help once a year."
Wen Xue opened his mouth to protest, but stopped. He looked down at the ground, deep in thought. The silence stretched.
Finally, he let out a breath.
"...Alright. Deal."
Gu Jin smiled faintly, satisfied. "Good. Then let’s make it official."
Wen Xue raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
A scroll of enchanted paper appeared in mid-air, glowing faintly with golden runes. With a flick of his hand, ink ford across the paper, writing down every condition Gu Jin had listed.
He read it once to make sure it was all correct. Then he looked at her and nodded.
They each pricked their fingers.
A drop of blood from each of them fell onto the paper, and it glowed with a soft flash of light before sealing itself.
The magic contract had been made.
Gu Jin rolled her shoulders and looked toward the entrance.
"Now we can go in."
Just as she was about to step forward, Wen Xue reached into his robe and pulled out a dark mask.
"Wait," he said gently. "Can you wear this? I don’t want them to recognize your face."
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow.
"They know my identity anyway."
Wen Xue smiled nervously when Gu Jin raised an eyebrow.
"They may know your identity," he said, holding the mask out to her again, "but I can’t let them lust over your face."
Gu Jin stared at him, unimpressed.
Wen Xue scratched his neck awkwardly. "Especially Long Yifan. What if he finds out I asked you to pretend to be my girlfriend?"
Gu Jin crossed her arms. "He’s going to beat you up either way."
Wen Xue groaned. "Exactly. That’s why I need so kind of shield. Let at least protect my dignity a little."
Gu Jin tilted her head. "Didn’t know you had any."
Wen Xue gave her a wounded look. "I just don’t let others look at my fiancée like that."
Gu Jin rolled her eyes. "I’m not Long Yifan’s fiancée."
He muttered under his breath, "That’s between you two. I don’t want to interfere in your romantic banter."
Gu Jin shot him a sharp glare, but she didn’t argue further. Instead, she took the mask and fixed it over her face.
It fit perfectly, cool and light, with silver patterns curling along the edges. Only her sharp, unreadable eyes remained visible.
Without another word, the two of them stepped through the carved wooden doors into the inner hall.
Inside was a large, open chamber lit with glowing crystals and softly burning lanterns.
The walls were lined with ancient tapestries showing scenes of stars, moons, and forgotten beasts.
At the far end of the room stood four thrones, each carved from a different kind of stone — obsidian, jade, white marble, and dark wood.
On them sat four elders, their presence heavy and commanding.
Two were won: one with long silver hair braided down her front and cold eyes that seed to see through shadows; the other with sharp features and a feathered robe, her aura strong like the wind before a storm.
The two n were no less impressive — one with a long beard and a gaze like a mountain unmoving, the other younger, with gold-rimd eyes and a quiet danger in the way he sat.
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