Jack_1411

Born without a spiritual root, Liang Xue was destined for a life as a servant in the lowest ranks of society. But when she saves the life of a dying stranger in the mountains, her fate changes forever. That stranger, Yan Wuying, is the last heir of the Scarlet Moon Sect, long thought to be destroyed by the powerful Heavenly Sky Pavilion.

With a secret technique that could shake the balance of power, and enemies hunting them at every turn, Liang Xue and Yan Wuying must rely on each other to survive. As they train, fight, and grow stronger together, love blooms—but in a world where betrayal is common and the strong crush the weak, can their hearts survive the path of cultivation?

HEAVENLY VEIL, CRIMSON HEART

They left the Snowblade shrine in silence. Mei Lian walked behind Shen Liuxian, her fingers still tingling from the moment her hand touched the ancient sword. Though the weapon remained in its stone prison, a fragment of its memory now pulsed within her veins—cold as the mountain, but burning with something older.

"Shen," she said after a long while, "what did they see in me?"

He glanced back, the sunlight catching in his silver eyes. "They saw a soul worthy of remembrance."

"No," he agreed. "It's a warning."

They made camp beneath a cliff overhang, hidden among frost-covered pines. Shen built the fire while Mei Lian laid out their sparse provisions. She'd never felt more tired—body aching, spirit flickering low—but she knew sleep wouldn't come easy tonight.

As darkness settled, Shen finally broke the quiet. "The Snowblade Sect once believed in purity above power. They cultivated not just strength, but silence—clarity. They said the strongest blade was the one never drawn."

"That doesn't sound like the world we live in now."

Mei Lian stared into the flames. "And the girl I saw… the Snowblade Heir. She had the Crimson Flame too?"

"She did," Shen said softly. "But hers consumed her in the end."

The wind outside howled against the rocks, and the fire sputtered. Mei Lian wrapped her cloak tighter. "You knew her?"

Shen looked away. "She was my first master."

Mei Lian's breath caught. "I'm sorry."

"She made the same choice you did," he said. "She touched the flame and believed she could bear it alone."

Mei Lian lowered her gaze. The memory of the shrine's vision still haunted her—how that girl had stood tall against enemies, only to fall to the flame's betrayal.

"I don't want to end up like her."

"You won't." Shen's voice held something rare—certainty. "Because I'm still here. And this time, we do it differently."

They sat in silence, the fire crackling between them. The air was cold, but Mei Lian felt something warm settle beneath her skin—his words, his presence, the quiet trust growing between them like a seed pushing through snow.

Then, without warning, Shen reached into his robes and drew a small jade slip etched with ancient symbols.

"This is a memory pact," he said. "Made by the Snowblade masters."

"If you break this seal, I'll be bound to your soul. Your pain will be mine. Your fire… shared."

Mei Lian hesitated. "Why would you do this?"

"Because your path is no longer yours alone. And because I will not lose another to the Crimson Heart."

Her hand trembled as she held the jade slip. The choice before her was no longer about power or survival—it was about trust. Intimacy deeper than emotion, heavier than love.

Shen met her gaze. "Only if we lie to each other."

She took a breath, then snapped the slip in two.

A pulse of energy surged between them. Golden threads of light coiled from the shards, wrapping around their wrists like soft fire. Mei Lian felt it—his spirit brushing hers, steady and scarred, but full of warmth.

Then Shen whispered, "Now, we rise together… or fall as one."

Outside, the snow began to fall—gentle, soft, unaware that the world had just shifted.

Chapter 5: The Silent Pact