Chosen One

A warm, amber glow bathed the tall windows of Xiao Feng's study. The evening sun dipped below the horizon, casting elongated shadows across an ornate desk littered with scrolls and ledgers. A manager—an older man with a narrow face and graying temples—stood before Xiao Feng, reading from a thick parchment that summarized the monthly reports. The scent of ink and wax mingled in the still air.

"...and so, the harvest from our Lava Stone Mine this month averaged around four tons per day," the manager was saying, his voice level but tinged with pride. "I suggest allocating more manpower to that site next month. As for the Moon Stone Mine, we suffered a brief delay due to a bandit raid, but our forces reclaimed the stolen stock with no casualties. In addition—"

Suddenly, Xiao Feng lifted a hand, halting the manager's report mid-sentence. A slight frown marred his brow. Inside a hidden compartment of his jade ring, he sensed something shatter—a tiny crystal that meant everything. As realization dawned, his expression darkened.

"Sir?" the manager ventured hesitantly.

"That will be all," Xiao Feng said, his voice tightly controlled. He stood, lifting his hand to reveal a small pile of crystalline dust—remnants of the Red Signal Crystal. Only one existed, paired with another in his daughter Xiao Wen's possession.

The manager paled when he glimpsed the color. He bowed quickly, making a discrete exit. He understood well enough that the red crystal signified an urgent matter of the highest secrecy—and that his rank was nowhere near sufficient to remain in the room.

Once alone, Xiao Feng crushed the crystal's remains in his palm, triggering its hidden function. A faint swirl of scarlet mist formed in the air, coalescing into a three-dimensional projection. Like ghostly figures half-lit by the setting sun, the images shimmered into clarity: four people walking toward a waterfall. Xiao Feng's keen eyes picked out his daughter Xiao Wen immediately, flanked by a young man he recognized as Liu Xuefeng—his posture confident, bearing that hint of burgeoning power.

A small smile tugged at Xiao Feng's lips. "Good girl," he murmured. "She's already found him. She works faster than I expected." Warm pride suffused his face, but it melted away in the next heartbeat. A new scene unfolded in the projection: Xuefeng stepping to the water's edge, only to be seized by some unseen force and yanked underwater. Another woman—he noted her slim figure and worried face—plunged after him, screaming in desperation.

"Something attacked from below?" Xiao Feng muttered, hands tightening on the edge of his desk. "Wen should be able to handle it." Yet his face remained tense, eyes fixed on the unfolding events.

In the display, Xiao Wen flung off her black outfit without a second thought, revealing a lace undergarment that left little to the imagination. Just behind her, a white-haired stranger leered openly, and Xiao Feng's jaw set in fury. "Damn bastard, gawking at my daughter," he growled, slamming a fist on the desk so hard one of the ledgers slid off.

But the projection continued. Xiao Wen dove into the pool, surpassing the other woman, only for Xuefeng to vanish into a rocky tunnel that sealed shut with stone doors etched in strange runes. The final images showed Xiao Wen blasting away at the door, then being hurled out of the water by a fierce retaliation of unknown power.

As soon as the scene ended, the projection flickered and vanished. Xiao Feng stared at the spot, mind racing. He'd glimpsed at the runes on that stone door—a swirl of archaic symbols that triggered an avalanche of old memories.

"What in the..." he breathed, heart pounding. Then comprehension dawned, followed by something akin to wonder. "It's her... it has to be her. I've found her at last."

For a moment, his eyes gleamed with raw excitement. Then he froze, recalling the wife and daughters he loved so dearly—Tianshi among them. A swirl of conflicting emotions scrawled across his features. Memories of a time long past flickered at the edge of his vision, dredging up both longing and guilt.

"It's been twenty-five years," Xiao Feng whispered, exhaling unsteadily. "I already have a family. But... meeting her once more can't hurt, can it?" Almost at once, an image of Xuefeng pried into his thoughts, the young man forcibly dragged into that water passage. "So, he is the chosen one... just like me, back then."

He recalled how he, too, had once been pulled into a mysterious underwater passage—a 'royal passage,' as he later learned—and how it vanished without a trace after he left. "If he returns intact, I'll need to have a... talk with him," Xiao Feng mused. "Perhaps he'll share news about my Queen."

A moment passed in silent reverie, then he squared his shoulders, letting calm return. "To think it reappeared in the far eastern countryside. Maybe it's time I took a little trip outside the capital."

Eyes drifting to the window, Xiao Feng noted the darkening sky. He left the study in a flourish, striding across echoing corridors until he reached another courtyard, wide and open to the twilight.

He materialized in Tianshi's personal training ground with a subtle swirl of Spirit Qi, scanning the scene. There she was: Tianshi, hair bound in a loose bun, slender figure blurred as she danced on conjured clouds in the sky. She managed a dozen steps before the clouds dissolved, sending her dropping lightly to the grass below. From her labored breathing and the sweat glistening on her brow, he could see she'd been at this for hours.

"All right, that's enough for today," Xiao Feng called out, stepping closer.

Tianshi spotted him but didn't cease her practice. "I can still manage a few more tries," she insisted. Determination shone in her large, dark eyes. She wanted to master Heavenly Steps in a month—no less.

Xiao Feng's next words made her freeze mid-motion. "What if I let you meet him sooner?"

She almost tripped over her own feet, spinning around. "Truly?!" Hope surged in her voice. She dashed over to him, disbelief plain on her flushed face.

He nodded, placing a paternal hand on her shoulder. "We'll bring your mother and pay a visit to his family tonight."

Her eyes widened, tears threatening to spill. "Father, what... Why the change of heart?"

He offered a gentle smile. "You've been working so hard, I thought you deserved to see him—no need for you to suffer like this. Let's go."

"Thank you!" Tianshi threw her arms around him in a fierce hug, then rushed off to prepare, black hair swaying in a loose bun that threatened to unravel. Xiao Feng watched her with a quiet sigh.

"Don't disappoint her, boy," he murmured, recalling Liu Xuefeng. You'd better come back safely.

***

In the Liu Clan's leader mansion, a single candle flickered on a polished teak table, throwing restless shadows against the paper walls. Two figures stood in the glow: Clan Leader Liu Xiaobei, whose stern features and neatly braided hair spoke of disciplined authority, and Senior Wang, back straight as a spear, tension visible in every taut line of his aged face.

"The young master," Senior Wang began, his voice hushed yet urgent, "I can sense he's alive—but something's blocking my teleportation token from locating him."

Liu Xiaobei's expression hardened. He set aside the calligraphy brush he'd been using to review clan ledgers, ink still wet on the parchment. "Blocking your token?" he repeated, disbelief flickering in his dark eyes. "A High-tier artifact shouldn't fail. Are you certain?"

Senior Wang offered a tight nod. "Yes, Master Xiaobei. I attempted to teleport directly to his side, but it felt as though the space around him was... sealed. I tracked him as far as that waterfall in the Moon Lake forest—then all traces vanished."

An uneasy silence settled. Liu Xiaobei placed both hands on the table and exhaled slowly. "Xuefeng is safe for the moment, you said?"

Senior Wang's gaze shifted, lines of worry etched around his eyes. "Yes… I can still sense him, faintly. But the interference is beyond anything I've encountered. Something unusual is at play."

Liu Xiaobei stood abruptly, the legs of his chair scraping against the polished floor with a grating sound. Determination flashed across his face, and he turned toward the door, the candlelight catching the edge of his robe's embroidered crest. "I won't sit idle if my son's in danger. We'll go ourselves—now."