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Xiulan watched Ren Chun and Feng Yu across the garden. They spoke in hushed tones while her brother Zhang Wei practiced nearby. His wooden sword cut through the air with determined swings.

The sweet scent of jasmine tea wafted from her mother’s cup as she poured. Behind Xiulan, Mei Chen knelt on an embroidered cushion with unnatural stillness—almost perfectly adapting her previous demeanor as her maid.

"The Chao family delivered their demands a few days ago." Lian set down the delicate pot. "They insist we surrender ourselves for trial in their domain regarding Madam Zhang and her children’s deaths."

Xiulan gripped her teacup tighter. "What happened during the attack?"

"Two assassins breached our defenses. They cut down dozens of guards like wheat." Lian ’s hands trembled. "If Ren Chun hadn’t arrived when he did..."

"He helped you escape?"

"Yes. He got Zhang Wei and me to safety, then faced both assassins alone outside the manor walls." Lian ’s eyes drifted to where Ren Chun stood. A subtle flush colored her cheeks.

No. Stop right there. Xiulan forced her thoughts away from that particular path. Her mother was a widow, yes, and Ren Chun... No. Absolutely not.

"What about Cousin Min?" Xiulan asked quickly.

Lian shook her head. "We’ve sent a dozen messengers. None of them have returned. The Chao family must be blocking communications with the prefecture. No reinforcements or word has arrived either."

The tea cooled in Xiulan’s cup, untouched. She studied the rippling surface, thinking.

"We need information from beyond the county borders." Xiulan set her cup down with a sharp clink. "The Chao family wields far more influence than our current resources can match." The admission tasted bitter. "Father understood their reach. He was right to be worried about what they could do, at least."

Her fingernails dug into her palms. Despite everything she’d learned, she couldn’t excuse his choices, though—even if the threats had been real.

"I’ve sealed the manor," Lian said. "But none of my messengers to the city returned either. After that I sent a platoon of soldiers. Like the messangers, they did not return."

"We encountered two of their cultivators yesterday. They were likely responsible." Xiulan straightened. "Feng Yu and I eliminated them. For the soldiers… we cremated their bodies at the crossroads at the bottom of the mountain."

Lian’s teacup froze halfway to her lips. "Then what happened in the city?"

"The manor lies in ashes. Our people scattered—I don’t know where." Xiulan’s jaw tightened. "The magistrate I appointed... they cut him down. The remaining officials hide like rats."

"The Chao family musters an army." Lian’s hands trembled as she set her cup down. "Our soldiers prepare here in the manor, but we lack the numbers to challenge them."

"Ten thousand men march toward us." Xiulan’s words fell like stones. "Plus an unknown force of cultivators."

The color drained from Lian’s face. She glanced between Feng Yu and Ren Chun across the garden. "Perhaps... perhaps we should abandon the county. Even with three cultivators, the Lin family cannot—" Her voice cracked as worry etched deep lines around her eyes.

"Things aren’t hopeless." Xiulan straightened her spine. "Feng Yu and I acquired substantial funds recently. The Chao family’s bounty on m—" She caught herself. "On that rogue cultivator attracted numerous mercenary cultivators to Blackmere. The Treasure Pavilion can help us hire them for battle."

Lian frowned at her teacup. "Mercenary cultivators."

"As long as our spiritual forces outnumber theirs, the number of regular soldiers won’t be decisive." Xiulan traced the rim of her cup. "Even so, with the county seal and a writ from our family head, I can conscript forces from Blackmere City."

She paused, considering the logistics. "Though we’ll need to transport the manor’s armory there first. The city’s weapon stores burned in the attack."

Steam curled from Lian’s cup as she released a pained breath. The jasmine scent couldn’t mask the bitter undertone in her words. "I never expected any of this."

Xiulan reached across the table and squeezed her mother’s hand. The familiar softness of her skin brought back memories of childhood comfort. "We have to be strong now."

"Of course you’re not alone." Ren Chun strode across the garden with confident steps.

"Things aren’t as dire as they appear." Feng Yu followed close behind.

Xiulan jumped at their sudden appearance. The garden’s ambient sounds must have masked their approach. She studied Ren Chun’s relaxed stance. "How did you defeat those two cultivators by yourself? Feng Yu and I struggled against them together."

"Ha! I’m a hero obviously." Ren Chun puffed out his chest. "After completing my bone reinforcement, I experienced an epiphany and broke through. You’re looking at your senior now—I’ve already begun Qi Gathering."

Xiulan blinked rapidly. Such a breakthrough shifted everything. Qi Gathering represented a massive leap in power, especially for someone who achieved it through natural insight.

"It pains me to admit this." Feng Yu crossed her arms and scowled. "But he’s significantly stronger now."

"How did the Chao family present their demands? Did Lord Chao send a message directly?" Xiulan turned to her mother, the steam from her untouched tea swirling between them.

"Yes." Lian turned toward a nearby servant. "Bring the missive."

The servant bowed and hurried away. Within moments, they returned carrying an ornate wooden box inlaid with mother-of-pearl designs.

Lian lifted the lid and extracted a rolled parchment. The broken red wax seal caught the light as she passed it to Xiulan.

Xiulan’s fingers traced the cracked seal’s intricate pattern—definitely authentic. The Chao family’s distinctive mark stood out. She unrolled it, scanning the precise calligraphy.

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Each word twisted like a knife in her gut. Lord Chao laid out his intentions with brutal clarity: Blackmere City would fall. The Lin manor would burn. She and her mother faced death or capture. Only Zhang Wei would be spared—to be molded into a puppet head of the family before the lands transferred to House Chao.

Xiulan rolled the parchment tight. This escalation defied noble tradition. Minor disputes between houses typically resolved through quiet negotiations or careful maneuvering. When conflicts erupted beyond private resolution, they moved to higher courts—the provincial magistrate or, in extreme cases, the royal court itself.

By all normal protocols, this dispute belonged before the prefect for proper arbitration.

Unless they know what really happened to Madam Zhang and her children, Xiulan thought. Unless they have proof of what I did.

She rolled the scroll tighter, her knuckles whitening. Two critical details pierced through her racing thoughts.

The Min family controlled both the provincial court and held the ducal seat. Her mother’s connections should have provided protection, yet those same ties gave House Chao legitimate grounds to bypass local authorities. They could push straight to the imperial courts, where the Min family held no sway.

Those courts worked so much slower, that it gave them plenty of time for the aggressive conquest they were pursuing.

A chill ran down her spine as the second realization struck. The murder of the Chao family members provided them perfect justification. But worse—her patricide of Lord Lin Tian would negate any complaints about their aggressive actions. The revelation twisted in her gut like a poisoned blade.

Who would defend a daughter who murdered her own father?

Steam rose from her abandoned teacup as she stared unseeing at the garden. The rumors they’d spread provided temporary cover, but dozens of drunken witnesses had attended that celebration. The truth lurked beneath a thin veneer of confusion and conflicting accounts. House Chao needed only to produce evidence convincing enough to raise doubt.

Any imperial investigation would cut straight to the truth, regardless. Lying to an imperial court meant death—assuming they survived long enough to face such charges.

The scroll crackled under her tightening grip. Her mother dabbed at her tea with trembling hands while Zhang Wei’s practice sword whistled through the air behind them, each swing marking the passage of precious time.

"So?" Feng Yu brushed a strand of sandy hair from her face. "What’s your plan?"

Xiulan turned toward Ren Chun and Feng Yu. She raised three fingers.

"First, we must secure the manor’s defenses." Xiulan lowered one finger. "Mother and Zhang Wei need constant protection, and the official treasury and government here holds all the critical documents of the county. Those must be preserved."

The wooden practice sword continued to whistle through the air.

"Second." Another finger dropped. "We need a courier to reach House Min. Either to intercept my cousin on the road or go straight to the ducal seat." Xiulan glanced at her mother. "Grandfather might intervene regardless of circumstances. He can apply force to make this go through proper courts rather than allowing armed conquest."

Lian frowned, worry evident on her face. "The Min family name still carries weight."

"Third." Xiulan lowered her final finger. "I’ll return to Blackmere to raise our defense. The mountain pass creates a natural bottleneck—they’ll need to take the city before reaching the manor with their main force. Between the county funds and my recent windfall, we can hire mercenary cultivators."

"A sound strategy." Feng Yu straightened. "If we repel their military advance convincingly, House Chao must pursue official channels instead of force."

Xiulan released a measured breath. "We’ll need to split our cultivators between locations. They might send their spiritual forces over the mountain while their army approaches through the pass."

"So." Feng Yu shifted her amber gaze between them. "That just leaves the question of who does what?" She fixed her stare on Ren Chun.

"I’ll stay here to protect the manor," Ren Chun declared.

Xiulan noticed her mother’s cheeks flush pink as she looked away, suddenly fascinated by the garden’s flowering bushes. No. Absolutely not. I refuse to acknowledge this.

"Perfect." Feng Yu adjusted the saber at her hip. "I believe I can help convince Lord Min to support our position."

Xiulan released a heavy breath. "I don’t know how I can ever repay either of you."

"Don’t be silly." Feng Yu waved dismissively. "You’re my martial sister now—these trials make excellent training."

"What!" Ren Chun’s eyes widened. "Martial sister?"

Mei Chen rose from her cushion in one fluid motion and settled next to Xiulan. "Neither of you get her."

A weak laugh escaped Xiulan’s lips. Ren Chun and her mother stared at Mei Chen with matching expressions of bewilderment—this marked her first words since arriving.

"Didn’t we agree to share?" Feng Yu raised an eyebrow at Mei Chen.

"But now there’s another one." Mei Chen glanced between Ren Chun and Lian. "Auntie doesn’t count though."

Lian pressed her fingers to her mouth, suppressing laughter. "I’m relieved to hear that." She softened her gaze. "And I’m so happy to see you recovering, Mei Chen. I feared the worst."

A puff of frost escaped Mei Chen’s lips as she examined her pale hands. "I’m... different now."

Xiulan wrapped her arms around Mei Chen’s shoulders. "Even if you’ve changed, we still care for you just the same."

A gentle smile spread across Mei Chen’s face. "I’ll stay with Xiulan."

"Yes, that was the plan all along." Feng Yu shifted her weight shaking her head with a smile.

"Good!" Mei Chen’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

Xiulan turned to her mother. "I’ll need an official writ and the family seal to mobilize forces." She rubbed her temples. "The city manor signet might still be in the ruins. Or someone might have managed to salvage it during the evacuation."

"No!" Zhang Wei bounded across the garden, wooden practice sword clutched tight.

Every head turned toward him.

Zhang Wei planted his feet and lifted his chin. "You can’t have it." He pointed the practice sword at Xiulan. "I’m the new lord of the family. Ren Chun should get it instead!"

The practice sword clattered against the stone path as Zhang Wei spun and sprinted away.

Xiulan released a pained breath.

"I’ll speak with him." Lian rose from her cushion, smoothing her robes.

Xiulan nodded. The weight of Zhang Wei’s rejection pressed against her chest. How could he ever forgive what I did to Father and Suyin?

After their footsteps faded, Ren Chun’s boots scraped against stone. "Now that we’re alone..."

Steel whispered against leather as he drew his sword. "We need to have a chat."

Feng Yu’s amber eyes widened. Her hand darted to her saber’s hilt.

"Why have you brought a wrathful spirit here?" Ren Chun’s blade caught the sun. "What karma follows someone who murdered their own family, Lin Xiulan?"

Xiulan pushed to her feet. Every muscle tensed as her qi surged through meridians primed for combat.

A bone-chilling hiss erupted from Mei Chen. Frost crystals swirled through the air around them, transforming the nearby air into winter’s breath.