Chapter 14.2: The Stepmother’s Return

Later that night, they sat on the floor, backs against the bed, breathing in the quiet.

Shi Mo stared at her trembling hands. "She was stronger than before."

Fu Yunshen nodded. "She was waiting for you."

Shi Mo looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"She knew you were like her. Not normal. Dangerous."

Shi Mo didn't respond.

She didn't deny it.

The Gu inside her pulsed slowly now, satisfied.

"Next time, don't wait. Just let me have them."

She ignored it.

Fu Yunshen broke the silence. "You consumed part of her, didn't you?"

Shi Mo looked at him, startled. "What makes you say that?"

"You're stronger now. I can feel it."

She didn't answer.

Because he was right.

Something inside her had shifted.

She could feel it in her blood—in the way the shadows now obeyed when she moved, in how her eyes could see farther into the dark than before.

But it came at a cost.

And she wasn't sure what that would be yet.

The system chimed softly.

[Spirit defeated: Stepmother – Rank: High-level Wraith][Brotherhood Value +80][Current Total: 270 / 1,000,000]

Shi Mo closed her eyes.

Still so far to go.

But for the first time, she didn't feel like a pawn in someone else's story.

She felt like a player.

And tonight, she had survived.