In our pursuit of power, we often forget that the greatest wounds are not those inflicted by de or spell, but by the severing of bonds between those we hold dear. A child’s trust, once broken, bes harder to mend than any physical injury.


    — Master Yan Hui, Teacher of Common Wisdom


    Spring air whipped through the training grounds as Xin adjusted her grip on the horse’s reins. The dappled mare shifted beneath her, muscles tensing. Bncing required precise control of her newfound strength—too much pressure from her thighs would crush the poor beast.


    "More speed, Miss Lin! Keep your back straight!" Instructor Han’s voice cut through the morning air.


    "On it!" Xin leaned forward and gave the reins a gentle snap. The mare responded instantly, hooves thundering against the packed earth as they elerated around the pen’s perimeter.


    "Now halt!"


    Xin pulled back smoothly. The mare slowed to a trot before stopping at the pen’s center, snorting softly.


    "A natural talent for horsemanship, Miss Lin." Instructor Han nodded approvingly.


    "Thank you." Xin patted the mare’s neck. "Should we venture outside?"


    Instructor Han studied them for a moment before striding to the gate. The wooden barrier creaked open, and Xin guided her mount through.


    The connection between rider and horse felt oddly natural, though Xin couldn’t determine if her cultivator abilities enhanced the bond. Her memories provided no reference—Li Mei had only seen horses in pictures and videos, while the original Xin remained confined to carriages.


    Freedom tasted sweeter from horseback. Her ck martial dress split perfectly along hidden seams, the dark fabric stark against the mare’s light coat.


    Instructor Han appeared at her side, taking hold of the lead rein. They proceeded through the manor’s western sector, circling the military grounds where soldiers snapped to attention, saluting as they passed.


    "I need to visit the Lord’s Pavilion." Xin patted the mare’s neck. "We can head to the pavilion, then you can return her to the stables."


    "Of course, Miss Lin." Instructor Han adjusted his grip on the lead rein.


    They steered away from the military grounds toward Lord Lin’s former residence. The spring breeze carried whispers and shuffling feet as merchants and officials scattered from their path.


    Xin’s qi rippled through her meridians, disrupted by their obvious avoidance. She drew a steadying breath, focusing inward to smooth the energy flow coursing through her body. She still hadn’t mastered making such thingspletely reflexive, and her roiling emotions made the process much more difficult.


    The rising pavilion emerged ahead, its curved roof stretching toward the sky. Xin swung down from the saddle, bootsnding softly on the packed earth.


    "Thank you for the lesson." She straightened her martial dress. "Remember, we depart for ckmere tomorrow. The men should be prepared."


    "They will be ready, Miss Lin." Instructor Han saluted crisply before leading the mare back toward the stables.


    The gate guards snapped to attention as Xin approached. She passed through the entrance—a boundary that once marked forbidden territory now opened freely before her. The courtyard opened wide, decorated with carefully arranged stone paths and flowering shrubs.


    "Miss Lin." An elderly servant bowed low. "How may I assist you?"


    "I wish to see my mother."


    "This way, please." The servant guided her to a sheltered gazebo where a tea service awaited. "She will join you shortly."


    The gentle rustle of silk announced Zhao Lian’s arrival. Xin stood and bowed deeply. The familiar scent of jasmine wafted through the air as Lian approached.


    "Mother." Xin straightened from her bow.


    "Sit with me, daughter." Lian settled onto the cushion across the table. "How are you faring?"


    Xin sank down onto her own cushion, studying the intricate patterns on the teacups. "My heart wavers these past days. Each step feels uncertain, like walking through mist without antern."


    A weak smile crossed Lian’s face. "You chose a harsh river to navigate. The current runs swift—toote now to turn back to calmer waters."


    The words struck deep. Xin released a pained breath. "What I did... it wasn’t evil. They tried to destroy us first. Would have killed us both without hesitation."


    Lian lifted her teacup, steam curling around her fingers. "And yet you feel clouded?"


    "Yes." Xin traced the rim of her cup. "Sometimes I imagine a different path. One where we might have found peace. Zhang Wei..." She swallowed hard.


    "Your actions carried meaning." Lian set down her cup with precise grace. "Stay firm in your resolve. Remember what drove you to fight—what you sought to protect. Hold fast to those treasures in your heart. That is a woman’s strength before all else."


    Xin lifted the porcin cup to her lips. The jasmine tea spread warmth through her chest, its subtle floral notes dancing across her tongue.


    Lian released a measured breath. "The rumors build outside our walls. They spread through the province like autumn leaves in the wind—yet things might turn to our favor."


    "What do you mean?" Xin set her cup down with practiced grace.


    "House Chao posted bounties across the region." Lian traced the rim of her cup. "They seek a ’ruthless cultivator’ who massacred the hall over some unnamed grudge. Your name remains absent from their promations. The deception shields us, for now."


    "Have there been any other developments?" Xin straightened her spine, qi flowing steadier through her meridians.


    "Your grandfather agreed to send aid from Aeris." A ghost of a smile crossed Lian’s face. "He dispatches your Cousin Min to assist us. He’s a martial expert, though not an immortal."


    Xin blinked. "Cousin Min? I don’t recall meeting anyone on your mother’s side of the family."


    "They never ventured to our humble ckmere." Lian shook her head. "And your father avoided the provincial capital’s celebrations. Such gatherings held little appeal for him."


    "I hope they can help," Xin said. "Managing the manor will require more hands while I’m away. He’sing as an official investigator for the prefect?"


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    Lian nodded. "You know that your great grandfather holds the ducal title, and his son and my uncle is the provincial prefect. Your cousin wille to sort matters and discuss the recement for the county magistrate position. Zhang Wei is too young for the position."


    Xin frowned. "I won’t be able to teach him. I’ll have to be away too often."


    "I’m not so decrepit that I can’t guide another child." Lian poured more tea with practiced grace. "Zhang Wei shows both promise and talent."


    Xin traced the rim of her cup. "I n to leave tomorrow with Instructor Han and Mei Chen. We need answers about her condition in ckmere."


    "I have several official documents for you to carry to the city magistrate." Lian withdrew a small sealed scroll from her sleeve. "The edicts require someone of rank to announce them. That duty falls to you now."


    "I’ll handle it." Xin epted the scroll, making sure the metal binding was bronze and not gold. Not that she didn’t trust her mother. It was just a mistake she’d never make again. Ever.


    "House Chao will cause more trouble." Lian set her cup down with precise movements. "Their current silence merely indicates confusion, not surrender."


    "Their county is nearly a province away," Xin said. "The distance provides some buffer."


    "Distance only dys their response." Lian’s fingers tightened around her cup. "Losing the stream of wealth from our family so suddenly will strike like a p to the face."


    Xin clenched her fist. "They never deserved that ie."


    "Obviously." Lian released a measured sigh. "But facts won’t soften the blow. I’m recruiting more soldiers with our recovered funds. Their retaliation could prove harsh."


    "Invasion?" Xin frowned. "Provincialw—"


    "They can’t justify annexation or invasion." Lian cut in sharply. "But raids? Kidnapping Zhang Wei to seize control? Such schemes might seed without proper preparation."


    Xin exhaled slowly. "Regardless of what they believe on the massacre, the rumors about a cultivator in the Lin family will make them cautious. They’ll likely seek something to bnce that."


    "It’s worse than that. The Chao family reportedly sent someone to the Whispering Shadows Sect in theirst generation." Lian’s brow furrowed. "They likely maintain that connection."


    Anxiety coiled in Xin’s stomach. She leaned back and set her tea down, the porcin clicking against wood.


    The four major schools and sects in Arinthia flickered through her mind like a well-rehearsed strategy game.


    The schools, formal institutions of learning, each offered distinct advantages. Skyward Institute’s mastery of Qi Control and Air Maniption, Earth’s Embrace Academy’s focus on physical strength, meheart Sanctum’s fire affinity and alchemical prowess, and Aqua Seraph Academy’s water maniption and healing arts.


    These were ces where young cultivators went to learn the foundations of their arts, typically spending years in structured education. Independents flocked to them and formed loosely bound alliances that sprawled across the entire kingdom.


    But the sects were different beasts entirely.


    While schools taught, sects lived their philosophies. The Celestial Lotus Sect with their pursuit of enlightenment, the Iron Fist Sect’s dedication to martial supremacy, the secretive Whispering Shadows Sect, and the fearsome Ember Dream Sect—they were not mere ces of learning but lifelongmitments to a way of cultivation.


    Aligning with any of them would bolster a family’s standing, but it would mean pledging loyalty to their cause.


    Her gaze drifted to the scroll in her hand. Lord Lin’s actions began to make a twisted kind of sense.


    Offending Zhang’s family, with their ties to the Whispering Shadows Sect, would have been disastrous. Xin’s eyes narrowed. Why had he let them sink their ws into the family in the first ce?


    She let out a sigh. The Whispering Shadows Sect posed the gravest threat. Their expertise in stealth, assassination, and espionage meant Zhang Wei’s safety hung by a thread. It would be difficult to protect him. Whether from assassination or kidnapping.


    She couldn’t always be by his side. Even if she tried, it would weaken her ability to confrontrger threats. She had crossed into a new realm of power, but maintaining that power required continuous cultivation.


    Stagnation invited predation.


    She’d learned that well, in her first attempts to form her own settlement in the game. It wasn’t until she had built up several characters to a pinnacle of power and used them to shepherd her lower level ones that she had actually made progress on her long-term goals to build her own settlement in a hidden valley.


    Xin stared into her teacup, thoughts churning.


    The kingdom’s guardian spiritual deities might enforce boundaries between mortal and Wulinmunities, but those lines blurred easily near the roots.


    A sect could dispatch a dozen body refinement disciples without drawing notice. The real question was Chao’s connection to Whispering Shadows. One family member might prove manageable, but deeper ties...


    "Xin?" Lian tapped the table. "Are you well?"


    "Things feelplicated." Xin released a tense breath. "Just thinking through possibilities."


    Lian drained thest drops from her cup and set it down with a soft clink. "Visit Zhang Wei while you’re here. He needs his sister. The brightness has left his eyes these past days."


    "Of course." Xin nodded.


    "I’ll send updates when possible." Lian straightened the teapot. "Consider purchasing messenger birds in ckmere. The Treasure Pavilion should amodate someone with your... connection."


    "You knew about that?" Xin’s eyes widened.


    "A cart full of cultivation goods arrived at our door." Lian’s lips curved upward. "I’m not blind. Though I still wonder how you established such a rtionship."


    "Fate." Xin offered a weak smile.


    She stood and wrapped her arms around her mother. "I’ll find Zhang Wei now. Try to lift his spirits." Lian squeezed Xin tight before releasing her.


    Xin stepped away and headed toward the main building. She looked to a servant for guidance.


    "Young Master Wei takes his writing lessons in the east wing," the servant said, bowing deeply.


    The indicated room sat empty, scrolls scattered across the low table. Fresh ink stained the bamboo brush holder. Xin traced the still-damp characters on an abandoned practice sheet. The strokes showed promise butcked confidence.


    Spring sunlight filtered through the corridors as Xin searched. She checked the kitchens, the living areas, and even the storerooms. Each location yielded nothing but worried servants and guards.


    A sh of movement caught her attention near the back gardens. Through gaps in the ornamental fence, she spotted Zhang Wei huddled beside a fishpond. He clutched his knees to his chest, staring at the rippling water where koi fish darted beneath lily pads.


    Xin crept forward across the moss-covered stones. In one swift motion, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind.


    "Sister Xin!" Zhang Wei yelped, jumping beneath her embrace.


    "Thinking about catching dinner?" Xin chuckled softly.


    Zhang Wei opened his mouth to respond, but deted instead. His gaze drifted back to the pond, where golden scales flickered beneath the surface.


    Xin held him close but remained silent, letting him process his thoughts. The spring breeze rustled through bamboo leaves overhead.


    "Why did you kill them?" His small voice cracked.


    The question hit like a physical blow.


    Xin tightened her arms around him as he gripped her sleeve. He leaned back against her chest, trembling slightly.


    "They..." Xin swallowed hard, searching for the right words. "They tried to kill me. They tried to kill Mei Chen. They wouldn’t have stopped until they seeded."


    "Even Father and Suyin?"