The morning sun over Clearwater City seemed to illuminate the city with a harsh light, casting long shadows that mirrored the chilling news sweeping through the streets.
The Jin Family was massacred.
The rumor started at the city gates, whispered by early morning merchants who had seen the smoke.
It flowed through the market squares like a spilled river, growing louder and more frantic with every passing hour. By mid morning, it was a roar.
"Did you hear?" a noodle vendor whispered to his customer, constantly scanning the street. "Jin Estate gates were open this morning. The milk delivery boy went in... and he came out screaming."
"What did he see?" the customer asked, leaning in, his bowl forgotten.
"Nothing alive," the vendor said, his voice dropping to a terrified hiss. "The guards, the servants, the elders... they say the courtyards are painted red."
"It's a curse," an old woman sweeping the street nearby chimed in, leaning heavily on her broom. "First the Spirit Cauldron Sect, now the Jin Family. The heavens are angry. The Domain is being punished for its sins."
"Nonsense," a passing mercenary scoffed, adjusting the sword on his back. "The heavens don't loot treasuries. This is a targeted strike. And they are strong enough to wipe out a Great Family in a single night without triggering the city's alarm bells."
[Perspective: Arya Chen]
I walked briskly down the corridor toward my father's main office.
The estate was humming with a tense energy.
The news of the Jin Family's eradication had reached us hours ago and the atmosphere was a mix of shock and cautious opportunism.
I knocked once and entered.
My father was standing by the large map of the domain, his hands clasped behind his back. He turned as I entered.
"Arya," he said, his voice low. "You have heard the news from the city."
"I have, Father," I replied, my expression perfectly neutral. "The Jin Family's Patriarch, their Ancestor and their entire household... gone in a single night."
My father studied me for a long moment. His eyes seemed to search for a crack in my facade. "The rumors say Jin Hao killed the Patriarch and the Ancestor in the street."
"A desperate act from a desperate man," I noted calmly. "It seems he possessed a trump card he kept hidden. An internal family dispute that ended in mutual destruction."
"And the massacre at the estate?" my father asked. "The city watch reports that the operation was executed with military precision. It was not the work of a single boy."
I met his gaze without blinking. "A vacuum of power is a dangerous thing, Father. When a great beast falls, the scavengers are quick to descend. Perhaps a rival faction saw an opportunity and took it. The Jin Family had many enemies."
My father held my gaze for a few seconds longer.
He knew that the pristine elimination of our greatest economic rival was not a coincidence.
And I knew that he knew.
It was a mutual understanding.
I had removed a threat, secured unimaginable wealth for my own hidden forces and done it in a way that left the Chen Family completely insulated from the fallout.
My father let out a slow breath and turned back to the map.
"Indeed," he said, his tone shifting back to business. "The scavengers are circling."
He pointed to a green marked territory on the map, far to the north of Clearwater City. "The Verdant River Palace."
"They have reached out?" I asked.
"A formal missive arrived this morning," my father confirmed. "With the Spirit Cauldron Sect destroyed, the Palace is in desperate need of a reliable supplier for their core disciples' cultivation resources and their outer disciples' healing salves. They are proposing a long term contract with the Chen Family."
"A massive undertaking," I observed. "And a highly lucrative one."
"It would secure our dominance over the northern trade routes for a generation," my father agreed. "But the Verdant River Palace is proud. To secure a contract of this magnitude, we must show them the utmost respect."
He turned to face me, his expression serious. "I need you to go to the Palace, Arya. Your presence will demonstrate our sincerity."
"It is a week's journey there, Father," I calculated quickly. "A week back. And the negotiations will likely take weeks."
"A month," he nodded. "Perhaps slightly longer."
I thought of Meira. The thought of being away from her for a month was a physical ache. I had just found her, just secured her by my side and now duty demanded I leave.
"I understand, Father," I said, bowing my head. "I will depart as soon as possible."
"Good," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. "Take a full escort of the elite guard. The roads may be unpredictable with the recent upheavals."
"I will be careful."
I left the study and returned to my own courtyard.
I wrote to Meira. I poured every ounce of the genuine longing and affection I felt into the words, ensuring she knew that this departure was a duty, not a choice.
I opened my storage ring and selected a velvet box. Inside, I placed a Peak Quality Golden Core Advancement Pill.
I sealed the letter and the box in a bamboo tube.
"Ping! Xiao!" I called out.
Two of my personal maids hurried into the room, bowing deeply.
"Take this to the aviary," I instructed, handing the tube to my maid. "Send it immediately via the spiritual carrier pigeon directly to Meira's personal courtyard."
"Yes, Young Master," Ping said, taking the tube reverently and hurrying out.
I turned to Xiao. "Pack my travel trunks. Standard noble attire, three sets of combat robes and enough provisions for a month. I leave in two hours."
"At once, Young Master."
[Perspective: Meira Su]
I sat in the center of my meditation chamber, the calming energy of the Azure Dragon's Genesis Scripture flowing through my newly formed Golden Core.
Knock.
Knock.
I opened my eyes, the blue Qi dissipating instantly. "Enter, Lan."
Lan slipped through the door, her face a mask of panic. She closed the door swiftly behind her, ensuring the latch clicked into place.
"Young Miss," she said, bowing low. Her voice was steady, but her hands were trembling slightly. "The morning reports have arrived. And the city... the city is in an uproar."
"Speak," I commanded.
"It is the Jin Family, Young Miss," Lan said, meeting my gaze. "They have been wiped out. Completely."
"Wiped out? You mean the Patriarch..."
"Everyone," Lan confirmed, her voice a hushed whisper. "The city watch has cordoned off the area, but the news is already everywhere. The Jin Family no longer exists."
I sat perfectly still, my mind racing through a hundred different scenarios.
"And Jin Hao?" I asked, the name tasting like ash. "What of him?"
"His whereabouts are unknown, Young Miss," Lan reported. "However, we received a priority dispatch from the Shadow Watcher assigned to the Second Miss."
Lan pulled a tightly rolled slip of paper from her sleeve and handed it to me. I unrolled it, my eyes scanning the ciphered text.
"The watcher reports that late last night, Patriarch Jin Bolin, along with their Nascent Soul Ancestor and twenty core elders, cornered Jin Hao in an alleyway in the merchant district," Lan summarized, her eyes wide with disbelief. "But the outcome..."
"Jin Hao killed them," I finished, reading the final lines of the report.
"He used... something," Lan continued, her voice trembling. "The watcher could not identify it. An overwhelming burst of power that annihilated the Ancestor and the Patriarch instantly. After that, Jin Hao's aura vanished. He is presumed to have escaped."
I stared at the paper. A power that annihilated a Nascent Soul Ancestor instantly.
This was not the Jin Hao I knew. The Jin Hao of my past life relied on alchemy, on incremental growth, on the 'Master' in his ring. He didn't have access to overwhelming destruction.
"And the massacre at the estate?" I asked, looking up at Lan. "Did he do that too?"
Lan hesitated. "That is... unclear, Young Miss. It is possible he returned to finish the job... but to wipe out hundreds of people and loot the entire treasury so quickly, while injured from the battle with the Patriarch..."
"It would take an army," I murmured, a cold realization settling over me. "Or a very organized force."
I stood up and walked to the window, looking out toward the Chen Estate.
Shi Ran wipes out the Spirit Cauldron Sect. Jin Hao annihilates his own family's leadership. And then, a phantom force slaughters the rest and takes the spoils.
"Lan," I said, turning back to my maid. "Prepare… "
Tap.
Tap.
It was the sound of a beak against the window lattice.
I quickly unlatched the window. A grey pigeon, bearing the Chen Family crest on a small band around its leg, hopped onto the sill.
I took the small bamboo tube from its leg and unrolled the parchment inside. It was written in a familiar hand.
My Dearest Meira,
I trust this letter finds you well and your cultivation stable.
My father has requested that I travel to the Verdant River Palace. With the unfortunate demise of the Spirit Cauldron Sect, the Palace is in need of a new primary supplier for their medicinal needs.
This is an opportunity our family cannot ignore and it requires a personal touch to secure the contract.
The journey is long. A week to travel, a week to return and perhaps two weeks to negotiate terms. I will be gone for a month.
I write this with a heavy heart, for every day spent away from you feels like a year. I will miss the quiet of our mornings and the warmth of your smile. Please, take care of yourself. Do not let the chaos of the city disturb your peace.
I have enclosed a small token.
Yours, always,
Arya.
I reached into the bamboo tube and pulled out a silver ring. It was a spatial storage ring. I slipped it onto my finger and sent a thread of spiritual sense into it.
Inside, resting on a velvet cushion, was a perfectly formed, peak quality Golden Core Advancement Pill.
It was identical to the ones the Chen Family had presented as engagement gifts, but this one radiated a warmth that felt distinctly like his fire Qi.
I closed my eyes, clutching the letter to my chest. He was leaving. For a month. Into the territory of the Verdant River Palace, a sect known for its arrogant disciples and complex politics.
"Be safe, Arya," I whispered to the empty room. "And hurry back to me."
PS: We just need 19 more Power Stones for the bonus chapter. Come on guys, you can do it, haha.
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