Chapter 28 :Fires Beneath the Surface

Five days had passed since the survivors of Valeria had returned under Jin's protection.

During that time, the city—once a broken ruin of scorched stone and shattered dreams—began to breathe again.

Walls were reinforced with Earth Qi. Roofs patched by Wood element cultivators. Cracks sealed, weeds cleared. A field had even been cleared, and green sprouts now peeked cautiously from the ash-grey soil.

Rudimentary homes rose like skeletons of rebirth. Smoke curled gently from new chimneys.

Jin stood at the heart of it all, power emanating from his very presence.

The City Lord's token gleamed on his belt like a challenge to fate.

He stood atop a stone pedestal, eyes scanning the gathered crowd of townsfolk. Old warriors with weary backs. Young cultivators still learning to channel Qi. Women who had lost children, and children too young to remember their fathers.

Yet now, they all looked at him with hope.

"Wood element users," Jin called, his voice steady, resonant.

"You'll be in charge of regrowing the perimeter forests. Create natural defenses. Timber as well. Controlled growth, not chaos."

A group nodded, stepping forward.

"Earth types: reinforce the foundations of homes, dig irrigation channels. Build us water wells. Ensure drainage works before rain season.

"Fire and metal cultivators: restore the forges. Create tools, reinforce support beams. I want two blades and one hammer ready for every working unit.

"Wind elementals—you'll move between work zones. Scouts, messengers, aerial checks. Report anything strange beyond the ruins."

He turned his gaze to the rest.

"Everyone else, check the task board. Find your slot. If you don't have magic? Doesn't matter. Your hands and heart are enough."

A beat of silence passed—then murmurs of approval followed.

Some clapped. Others bowed. For the first time in years, they felt like citizens again—not survivors.

Far away, the capital burned—if not with fire, then with rage.

The Grand Council Hall had become a battlefield.

Two princes—both legitimate sons of the dying king—faced one another like rabid beasts.

The First Prince stood clad in gold-trimmed crimson armor, his blade wet with blood. A fresh wound cut across his cheek, but he didn't flinch.

Across from him, the Second Prince, garbed in flowing violet robes with a serpent crest at his chest, raised his hand wreathed in lightning.

"Coward," the First Prince spat, pacing. "You always hid behind tutors and court masks. Come face me like a man!"

"I'd rather hide behind books than slit the throat of a half-brother while he slept," the Second Prince retorted.

Guards on both sides shifted uneasily. Two bodies already lay between them—attendants, cut down in the argument turned duel.

From the high balcony above, Queen Molana sipped from a cracked teacup, face calm but eyes glowing with cold wrath.

She crushed the cup slowly in her gloved hand, ceramic splinters cutting into her palm.

"They dare quarrel here?" she whispered. "Before I've finished placing my pieces?"

Blood trickled down her wrist. She didn't notice.

She stood. Her robes—black and crimson silk—swirled around her like a cloak of war.

"No matter," she murmured. "Time to correct the board myself."

Elsewhere in the palace, serenity reigned in contrast.

The Princesses' Education Hall—lavish and sunlit—was filled with the soft rustle of silk and muted chatter.

Daughters of noble birth stitched phoenix embroidery onto scrolls, tutored in etiquette and courtly charm. They sat on cushions of gold-threaded velvet.

"I think the First Prince will win," a young girl said confidently.

"But the Second has a phoenix bond," another murmured. "He's clever."

"What about the forgotten one?" one asked. "Prince Jin. The lowborn? He left with his mother years ago."

Molana's daughter, seated near the front, snapped her thread with a loud pop.

"Don't speak of him," she hissed. "He's a disgrace. A peasant in royal robes."

"Or maybe… he escaped worse," another girl whispered.

The tension broke only when the door creaked open.

The Matron entered—tall, severe, and terrifying despite her servant robes.

She raised one brow. "Too much chatter."

Everyone froze.

"Finish your Phoenix Embroidery by dusk," she ordered. "Those who fail will clean the courtyard… barefoot."

Silence followed.

Back in Valeria, Jin finally took a break.

The pressure of leading a forgotten city while bearing a Dragon's inheritance and demonic bloodline weighed heavily on even his monstrous physique.

So he wandered.

And found it: a naturally heated spring between the stones at the base of a slope. Steam drifted lazily upward, and spiritual energy gently infused the air.

After a system scan confirmed it was safe, he shed his shirt and eased into the water.

The heat bit at his skin, then melted tension from his overworked muscles. He leaned back against a smooth rock, eyes half-lidded.

"Finally," he murmured.

A moment of peace.

[System Notification: Aura stabilized. Qi flow circulating at 93% efficiency. Bloodline suppression: balanced. Recovery state optimal.]

He sighed, his voice muffled by the steam.

Then—he heard it.

"Where did he go?"

Lila.

Jin blinked.

The steam was thick, veiling his form. But her voice was unmistakable.

She appeared at the edge of the spring, clad in fitted light armor. It hugged her figure closely, but didn't hide her toned curves.

Her golden hair was tied into a practical warrior's tail, damp from sweat.

Jin remained silent, waiting.

She looked around, eyes narrowing. "Huh. Can't sense anything inside…"

She stepped closer. Steam swirled around her. She paused at the edge.

"Well, I'm not waiting for him," she muttered.

Then—she began to undress.

Jin tensed. His jaw clenched. Muscles involuntarily flexed.

The towel fell.

Her form was flawless. Hardened by war, softened by grace. Strong arms, wide hips, curves that defied the life she'd endured.

She dipped a toe into the water.

"I know you're here," she said softly.

Jin didn't move.

She stepped in.

Steam danced around them. She approached slowly, until her face emerged through the mist.

"Most men would've run by now," she said, impressed.

"I'm not most men," he answered.

Their eyes locked. Something shifted.

She moved closer, until their knees nearly brushed beneath the water. "So what are you, then?"

He didn't flinch. "Someone who knows exactly what he wants."

Lila smiled. But it wasn't playful anymore—it was genuine.

"I'll get changed," she said softly, and turned. The mist curled around her like a living thing as she stepped from the spring.

Jin let out a breath only when she disappeared into the trees.

"System," he muttered, "please drop my blood pressure before I explode."

[System: No. Suffer.]

Back in the city, Lana was coordinating supplies. Sarah tended to the sick. Arielle trained local Wind users in ranged Qi projection.

The city pulsed with life.

Until a horn blared.

A sound from the woods.

Jin's senses snapped to attention.

Moments later, Wind element scouts appeared at the gate.

"Lord Jin! There's a beast—burning red, massive—it's pursuing refugees!"

He shot forward.

Qi surged beneath his feet.

He reached the forest clearing in seconds.

The scene: a bloodied man collapsed beside a young girl in his arms. Behind them, a red-scaled horned beast emerged.

Jin's eyes narrowed.

The beast roared, claws like axes tearing trees apart.

Tyrant Body—Activate.

Qi exploded. Earth cracked. Jin's skin shimmered with hardened silver.

He met the beast mid-charge. Fist against claw. The shockwave flattened the forest.

Dragon Might—Unleashed.

The beast staggered, overwhelmed by the aura.

Jin delivered a spinning strike to its throat. It fell.

He slit it cleanly. The body vanished in smoke.

[Beast Core Compatible: Ancient Technique—Beast Weapon Forging Available]

"Take it," he muttered.

[Absorbing Core… Complete. Blueprint Stored.]

Behind him, the girls arrived.

Jin stood calm. Clean. No wounds.

But there was blood on his blade.

And no body.

Their eyes narrowed.

Lana stepped closer. "Where is it?"

Jin turned slowly. "It's handled."

Sarah squinted. "The body?"

"Gone."

Arielle crossed her arms.

Lila tilted her head. "You're not… hiding something, are you?"

[System: WARNING – Suspicion Level: HIGH]

Jin raised his hands.

"Ladies," he said calmly, "I can explain."

They didn't speak. Their glares said enough.

The beast wasn't the scariest thing he'd face today.

Not even close.