"I am diffrent!"
Gu Fan stood from the throne, descending the first two steps of the staircase so he towered over the kneeling captives.
"Hear my mandate clearly," he ordered, his eyes sweeping across the loyalists and the rebels. "The era of the Nether Orchid acting as a glorified trafficking ring ends today. No woman in this sect will ever be sold, traded, or offered as a dual-cultivation furnace again. We are not a brothel for righteous hypocrites, and we are not a breeding ground for Blood Fiend dogs."
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the rebel ranks.
Zi Yue looked up, her dark eyes widening as fresh tears blurred her vision. Her hands trembled at her sides, her knuckles turning white.
This was the exact promise they had starved and bled for in the damp caves. Song Yan, standing near the throne, offered a faint, respectful smile, recognizing the empowering manipulation her master was weaving.
