Jiang Tian clenched the parchment so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The name at the bottom burned into his mind like a cursed brand. Xian.
Impossible. The Shao Clan was long dead. He had made sure of it. He had watched their halls burn, their warriors fall, their children butchered. Not a single soul had survived.
And yet…
He turned to his guard, his voice low but sharp. "Where did this come from?"
The man swallowed hard. "It was left in the hands of one of our patrols. No one saw who delivered it."
Jiang Tian exhaled slowly, forcing down the unease creeping up his spine. This was not a ghost. It could not be. Someone was playing tricks. Someone who knew too much.
His fingers uncurled, letting the parchment fall onto the table before him. "Double the security in town. Anyone suspicious—kill them."
The guard hesitated. "And if it really is—"
Jiang Tian's glare silenced him. "It isn't. Now do as I say."
The guard bowed and hurried away, leaving Jiang Tian alone with his thoughts.
His hands trembled as he reached for his cup.
And for the first time in years, the wine tasted bitter.
---
Shao Xian watched from the rooftop of a nearby building, hidden within the shadows. The flickering lanterns in the Jiang estate cast eerie patterns on the courtyard below, where dozens of armed men moved hastily, reinforcing patrols, setting up barriers.
A smirk tugged at his lips. Good. Let them be afraid. Let them scramble.
Fear was a weapon as sharp as any blade.
But fear alone would not bring Jiang Tian to his knees. No, this was only the beginning.
He turned, his robe billowing as he disappeared into the night.
He had other matters to attend to.
---
By the time Shao Xian returned to the secluded grove, the first hints of dawn stretched across the horizon. Lin Feng was awake, sitting cross-legged under the large tree, his face pale but his eyes filled with quiet resolve.
Shao Xian studied him for a moment before speaking. "Do you understand why I let you live?"
Lin Feng looked up, confusion flashing across his face before determination took over. "Because I refused to die."
Shao Xian nodded. "And do you understand what that means?"
Lin Feng hesitated, then clenched his fists. "That I have to be strong."
"More than that." Shao Xian stepped closer. "Weakness is death. Strength alone means nothing if you don't have the will to wield it." He knelt, looking the boy in the eyes. "Tell me, Lin Feng. What do you want?"
Lin Feng's lips parted, but no words came out at first. He struggled, his hands trembling as the memories of the massacre resurfaced.
Finally, his voice came, quiet but unshakable.
"I want revenge."
Shao Xian's smirk was cold. "Good. Then let us begin."
---
For the next few hours, Shao Xian drilled the basics of cultivation into Lin Feng.
The boy had no formal training, only fragmented lessons from his late father. His foundation was weak—fragile, even. But he had a mind sharp enough to grasp concepts quickly and a soul hardened by suffering.
"Breathe," Shao Xian instructed. "Feel the energy in the air. Do not try to control it yet—just recognize it."
Lin Feng obeyed, his small chest rising and falling in slow, measured breaths.
Minutes passed. Then an hour.
Shao Xian watched as the boy's body trembled, his expression twisted in frustration. He knew the feeling well. The struggle of trying to grasp something that felt just out of reach.
"Focus," Shao Xian said. "You are not trying to capture it. You are merely opening the door."
Lin Feng exhaled sharply, sweat beading on his brow. His fingers twitched.
Then—just for a moment—a flicker of energy stirred around him.
Shao Xian's eyes gleamed. There it is.
Lin Feng gasped, eyes flying open. "I felt it."
Shao Xian nodded. "You will feel it again. And again. Until it obeys your will."
Lin Feng swallowed hard, determination burning in his gaze. "I'll do whatever it takes."
Shao Xian smirked. Good. That was the only answer he would accept.
---
As the sun reached its peak, Shao Xian left Lin Feng to continue his training alone. There were still things he needed to prepare.
He ventured deeper into the forest, stopping near a hidden cave carved into the mountainside. It had been abandoned for years—but not forgotten.
Stepping inside, his fingers traced the faded markings on the stone walls. Ancient symbols of power and knowledge, remnants of a time before his fall.
Memories surfaced. The weight of an empire. The arrogance of immortality. The moment it all crumbled beneath betrayal.
Shao Xian's lips curled into a cold smile. Never again.
His hand moved to his chest, where a faint pulse of energy still resided—a fragment of what he once was.
It was not much. But it was enough.
For now.
---
By nightfall, Shao Xian stood once more at the outskirts of Blackwood Town, his gaze locked onto the heart of Jiang Tian's domain.
The estate was now a fortress. Guards patrolled in groups. Torches lined the perimeter. The Jiang Clan's paranoia had set in.
Shao Xian chuckled. They think they are safe. How foolish.
A shadow moved beside him.
Lin Feng had followed, his expression unreadable. "What's next?" he asked.
Shao Xian did not look at him. "You will watch. And you will learn."
Then, without another word, he vanished into the night.
Lin Feng clenched his fists, his heart pounding. One day, I'll be strong enough to do the same.
For now, he would watch.
And soon, he would kill.