63. An Heir

(A few days later, On the mountain top)

The night wind howled through the half-built halls of the sect, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and steel. The war had reached a stalemate. The Bai Family was bleeding, the Jian Family crippled, and the Zheng and Jing Families grasping at crumbling power. Yet Mo Tian, seated alone atop the highest peak of his sect, felt none of the satisfaction such victories should bring.

Before him lay reports. Each one detailing the chaos in the central region, the shifting alliances, the mercenaries bought and sold like livestock. The battle was no longer about raw strength. It had become a game of influence, and while others struggled to maintain their footing, Mo Tian had already positioned himself above them all.

And yet, something was missing.

He had lost his wife more than 10 years ago. It made him lose his will to live, his emotions faded. However he was given another chance.

He had spent years rebuilding what was lost. The sect, the power, the foundation for an empire that would not crumble like it had in his past life. But as he stared out at the cold, moonlit mountains, he felt the weight of solitude press against him.

A sect without a leader was weak. A ruler without an heir was temporary.

His grip tightened on the jade cup in his hand, fingers brushing over the fine cracks along its surface. Legacy. That was what had been stripped from him before. He had once been a leader for mere moments before death had stolen his fate. This time, he would not be so careless. This time, he would leave behind something permanent.

He needed an heir. A successor strong enough to continue what he started.

And yet, his thoughts did not go toward faceless women or political arrangements. Instead, a single figure came to mind. One he had tested, one he had watched with growing interest.

Li Xue.

She had never once asked for his approval, yet always sought to exceed his expectations, just to get him to praise her or take just one more look at her. She had fought, schemed, and carved her way through the blood-soaked battlefield he had thrown her into, not merely surviving, but thriving.

A smirk ghosted his lips. She thought she had won freedom when he removed the slave mark. Yet, her every action since then had been proof that she was already bound to him, not by force, but by choice.

Still, strength alone was not enough. He needed to be certain.

Mo Tian placed his cup down and leaned back, his dark eyes narrowing as he stared into the vast mountain range below. If she was truly worthy, if she was the one meant to stand beside him, then she would not merely endure what was to come.

She would seize it.

And if she failed?

Then she was never meant to be his wife.

…

(At the Same Time, Somewhere on the base of the mountain.)

The candlelight flickered violently, casting jagged shadows along the walls of Li Xue's temporary residence. Her fingers tightened around the thin parchment in her hands, Mo Tian's decree, the words etched in clean, decisive strokes. Her slavemark was gone.

She had read it a dozen times already, yet the words still burned.

"You can protect Golden Prosperity City, but from this moment on, you are free. Do as you wish."

Li Xue's lips curled, but there was no amusement in her expression. Her grip on the parchment tightened until it crumpled beneath her fingers.

That bastard.

She should have felt relieved. She should have celebrated. This was what she had wanted, wasn't it? To move beyond his control, to be more than just his tool? But no, she knew better. Mo Tian was forcing her hand.

If he had continued to hold her with the slavemark, she could have resented him. She could have played the role of the unwilling servant, following him while quietly proving herself. But now, he had taken that excuse away. He was leaving the choice to her.

Her anger simmered beneath the surface. Did he think she was weak? That without chains binding her, she would simply walk away?

Her hands slammed against the wooden table, sending the flickering candle swaying. "Coward," she muttered, barely loud enough to hear herself.

Mo Tian never acted without purpose. He wasn't the type to give people what they wanted, he forced them to struggle for it. This was just another test. A provocation. He was waiting to see if she would leave or stay.

Her heart pounded, frustration gnawing at her insides. It was infuriating because she already knew the answer.

She would never leave.

Not because she was bound by loyalty. Not because she owed him anything.

But because Mo Tian was the only person worth proving herself to.

And now, he would know it.

She tore the parchment in half and tossed it onto the flame. It curled and blackened instantly, swallowed by the fire.

Fine. If he thought she would hesitate, she would prove him wrong.

…

(4 Months later, Somewhere in the wilderness.)

The scent of damp earth and pine filled the air as Li Xue exhaled slowly, her breath misting in the cold morning air. The wilderness stretched endlessly around her, towering trees, jagged cliffs, and the distant rush of a hidden stream. Here, there were no walls, no sect politics, no eyes watching her every move. Only the raw, untamed land and the endless pursuit of strength.

She gripped her twin daggers, their edges glinting like slivers of moonlight. Her body was already drenched in sweat, her muscles burning from hours of relentless practice, but she wasn't finished. Not yet.

With a single step, she disappeared into motion.

Her daggers became a blur, slicing through the air with lethal precision. She moved like a phantom, weaving between the trees, her strikes swift and merciless. Each movement was measured, controlled, too controlled.

Li Xue gritted her teeth and pushed herself harder. Faster. Sharper. She wasn't just practicing techniques; she was breaking past her limits. If she wanted to stand beside Mo Tian, not as a subordinate, but as his equal. She couldn't afford stagnation.

A fallen leaf drifted through the air. She lunged.

A flash of silver, one dagger severed the leaf in two. Before the halves could touch the ground, her second blade flickered, reducing them to nothing but dust in the wind.

Still not enough.

She leapt onto a nearby boulder, her legs coiling like a spring. With a sharp inhale, she kicked off, soaring toward a jagged cliffside. Mid-air, she twisted, embedding her daggers into the stone to slow her fall. One second. Two seconds. Then, with sheer force, she propelled herself backward, flipping onto solid ground.

The moment she landed, her senses screamed. Something moved.

A shadow lunged from the underbrush. Claws, teeth, and red eyes, a beast.

Li Xue didn't hesitate.

Her body dropped low as the beast pounced, and in the same instant, her daggers lashed out. A spray of dark blood splattered across the ground as she rolled away, her breath steady despite the near miss. The beast staggered, its throat sliced open, but still it growled, refusing to fall.

Li Xue narrowed her eyes. Good.

She darted forward. A single, fluid motion, her blade pierced through the beast's skull. It let out a final, gurgled snarl before crumpling at her feet.

Silence returned to the wilderness, broken only by the rustling leaves and her measured breathing.

Li Xue wiped her blade clean and stood tall, her gaze lifting to the sky. The sun had begun to rise, painting the clouds in hues of crimson and gold.

This was only the beginning.

If Mo Tian thought he had given her a choice, he was wrong.

She was never going to choose him. She was going to catch up to him and make him acknowledge that she belonged by his side.

---

(At the same time, all over the central region.)

The night was supposed to be quiet. A thin mist rolled over the estate grounds, cloaking the sprawling manor in an eerie stillness. Guards patrolled the walls, their torches flickering against the darkness. For the nobles inside, this was just another evening, safe behind their fortified walls.

Then the first scream tore through the night.

A shadowed figure vaulted over the wall, his blade flashing as he slit a guard's throat mid-air. Before the body even hit the ground, more figures followed, mercenaries clad in dark leathers, faces obscured by scarves and hoods.

They moved fast. Too fast.

The alarm bell barely had a chance to ring before an arrow silenced the man pulling the rope. Another mercenary surged forward, kicking down the side door where the servants' quarters lay. Within moments, the estate was in flames, bright tongues of fire licking at wooden beams, sending waves of smoke into the sky.

Inside the manor, the nobles had barely woken before death greeted them at their doorsteps.

A nobleman stumbled into the hallway, his night robe hanging loose from his shoulders. His hands trembled as he reached for the sword mounted on the wall, too late. A dagger buried itself in his chest.

One of the mercenaries grabbed a cowering servant, shoving him against the wall. "Where is the master of the estate?"

The servant stammered, eyes darting toward the grand hall. The mercenary didn't even wait, he plunged his sword forward, leaving the body to slump to the ground as he moved toward his target.

In the grand hall, the city lord stood his ground.

He was an aging man but no fool. His sword gleamed under the chandelier's light, his stance steady. His personal guards had already formed a desperate last line of defense.

"You think I don't know who sent you?" the lord spat, his eyes sharp with fury. "You think mercenaries can decide the fate of this region?!"

One of the mercenaries chuckled, twirling his bloodstained blade. "Your fate was sealed the moment you thought you could hold this land."

With a single step, the mercenaries rushed forward.

Steel clashed against steel. The guards fought desperately, but they were outnumbered, outmatched. One by one, they fell, their blood painting the marble floors.

The City Lord fought valiantly, cutting down two mercenaries before a blade found his side. He gasped, sinking to one knee, his grip on his sword weakening.

A final figure stepped forward, a man larger than the rest, with a cruel smirk beneath his hood.

"Times are changing, old man," he murmured before driving his blade deep into the lord's heart.

The estate fell into silence, the only sound the crackling flames consuming what was once a noble's home.

And in the shadows beyond the burning walls, unseen hands moved the pieces of the game forward.