Nora sits rigid in the Weston carriage, hands knotted in her lap, heart pounding against her ribs.
Across from her, Lin Yu rests with his eyes closed, as though the world outside—and she herself—do not exist.
Silence fills the carriage, heavy and suffocating, broken only by the steady rhythm of wheels rolling over stone.
Her gaze lingers on him, searching for even the slightest crack in his calm, but his expression remains as still as carved stone.
Why him? she thinks bitterly. Of all people, why did Father choose him?
Her mind churns with fragments of protest left unsaid at home, each one drowned beneath her parents' resolve.
She recalls what the station chief had whispered—that her father draws closer to the Weston family for a cultivation method of an extraordinary path.
So to gain an extraordinary path, her family has chosen to sell her.
A sigh escapes her. She cannot deny the importance of an extraordinary path to the family.
She knows how vital it is: the extraordinary power may be returning, but it has not yet fully returned. Their family still has time.
If the extraordinary era returns completely and they have not become an extraordinary family, they will not be destroyed outright, but survival will cost all their accumulated wealth.
So she cannot say no to this marriage—not until she secures an extraordinary path for her family.
Hundreds of extraordinary techniques cannot match the value of one extraordinary path, even a Tier One.
She lifts her head and stares at Lin Yu.
I am helpless against this marriage arrangement and cannot refuse it. But he is not. He could cancel it with a single word.
Then why is he allowing it to move forward?
Her face warms as a sudden thought stirs—could it be that he likes her? No… impossible.
At that moment, Lin Yu opens his eyes and looks outside the carriage.
The carriage slows, wheels grinding over the gravel.
Nora leans toward the window. "A line has formed to reach Ravensworth estate."
Lin Yu gazes at the estate beyond the carriage window, its towers catching the glow of lantern light, his eyes calm and detached.
He turns his head toward Nora. "The police department decided to turn your team into an extraordinary team."
Nora blinks, then nods faintly.
The carriage rolls forward, halts again, the line creeping toward the gates.
Her cheeks flush, words trembling out. "Why are you… Why are you okay with the marriage arrangement?"
Isolde's voice curls in Lin Yu's mind. The girl thinks you like her.
Lin Yu answers inwardly, Then I should burst her bubble.
His gaze shifts to Nora. "Are you thinking I liked you, so I agreed to the marriage arrangement?"
Nora's face flames hotter. "I didn't say anything about you liking me."
"Your face says it," Lin Yu replies evenly.
Nora presses, her voice sharper now. "Then why are you okay with it? I don't believe your father can make you marry."
"I have to marry anyway," Lin Yu says with indifference. "So I didn't bother to refuse the arrangement."
Nora freezes, breath catching—of all answers she had imagined, not this.
It feels like a blade across her pride, humiliation burning inside.
"So you mean," she says through clenched teeth, "you would have said yes if the candidate was someone else?"
Lin Yu shrugs lightly. "Yes. I don't care who I marry."
"Even if she was ugly?"
"There are many ways to make someone beautiful."
Nora stares at him, eyes trembling. "Then I will not marry you."
Lin Yu only shrugs again, leans back, and closes his eyes.
Silence falls between them until the carriage stops before the Ravenworth estate's grand front doors.
Nora's heart burns with a storm of emotions as the carriage door opens.
Lin Yu extends a hand, steady and indifferent, and she places hers in his, her fingers trembling though she hides it.
They step down together, their movements smooth, practised, yet her chest tightens with every breath.
Her parents descend ahead, Baron Allan Weston beside them, their posture proud as though the night already belongs to them.
Nora and Lin Yu follow hand in hand, the weight of his calm grip pressing like iron against her skin.
Crossing the threshold of the Ravenworth estate, the air thickens.
Every head turns, whispers ripple, and curious eyes fix upon them.
The sight of her hand in Lin Yu's is no longer private—it is a public declaration, an announcement of engagement before the most powerful family in the region.
Heat floods her cheeks, humiliation clashing with helplessness.
Amidst the glittering nobles, her gaze snags on Charlotte and Charles, their faces pale, their disbelief raw.
Their wide eyes strike her like accusations, and guilt churns in her chest.
Then the Ravenworth matriarch herself appears, radiant and commanding, her presence eclipsing all others.
She smiles with measured warmth.
"Welcome. I am pleased you could attend."
Nora lowers her head respectfully, voice steady despite the knot in her throat.
"Happy birthday, Matriarch."
The older woman's eyes linger on her hand still touching Lin Yu's, and Nora feels the weight of judgment in that silent glance.
As soon as courtesy is satisfied, she releases Lin Yu's hand, her chest easing with the space that opens between them.
Without looking back, she turns and walks toward Charlotte and Charles.
They stand stiff, shock carved into their faces, eyes demanding an explanation.
Nora steels herself, whispers under her breath, "I have to make them understand."
She stops before them, her voice low but resolute.
"This engagement means nothing. I will never marry Lin Yu."
Lin Yu stands on the balcony, a glass of wine in hand, his gaze distant as it drifts over the Ravenworth gardens and the sprawling forest beyond.
The night air is cool, carrying faint music and laughter from the hall behind, yet he remains still, untouched by the revelry.
Moments later, footsteps approach.
Elise arrives, her smile poised, followed by several other sons and daughters of old noble families.
They greet him with polished grace, their words formal yet softened by familiarity.
"Congratulations on your engagement," Elise says first, eyes sharp despite her pleasant tone.
Lin Yu only inclines his head, a simple nod, his silence filling the space where others might gush.
The group lingers, the weight of unasked questions pressing until one of them finally speaks.
"The stone tablet… the one you recovered. We've heard you deciphered parts of it."
Their posture remains polite, voices careful, but beneath their courtesy lies eagerness thinly veiled.
They request what they truly desire—that he sell them the knowledge he has gleaned.
Lin Yu studies their faces one by one, indifferent to their hunger.
He gives the smallest of nods.
"Fine."
Relief and excitement ripple through them, though they school their expressions to remain composed.
The music swells from within the hall, and soon the first dance is announced.
Lin Yu leaves the balcony, offering his hand to Nora.
They step into the hall, the eyes of nobles following them as they move in measured rhythm across the polished floor.
He dances with her first, the gesture an unspoken statement, before taking Elise's hand, then others among the noble daughters, his expression unchanged throughout.
When the music ends, the banquet begins.
Lin Yu dines without rush, answering conversation with short words, never straying from calm detachment.
Later, when the feast draws to a close, servants guide the guests to their rooms.
The Ravenworth estate, vast enough to house dozens, will shelter them all for the three-day celebration.
Lin Yu accepts his key, follows the servant, and enters his chamber without a word.
Tomorrow's event is already decided—hunting.
He closes the door, his expression unchanged, as the murmur of the estate fades into silence.
Under the pale morning sun, with autumn winds stirring the dried leaves across the forest path, Lin Yu rides with Nora, Charlotte, and Charles.
Their horses' hooves beat a steady rhythm as the group follows the winding trail through towering oaks and maples. The air carries the sharp scent of fallen foliage, while distant horns and dogs mark other hunting parties scattered deeper in the woods.
Charles raises his bow in one fluid motion, the string snapping with a crisp twang. A startled cry follows as his arrow strikes true, burying itself in the flank of a deer. The beast staggers and collapses while the rest of the herd vanishes into the underbrush. Behind them, servants break into a run, eager to retrieve the kill.
Charlotte's proud voice rings out, her eyes shining with delight. "My brother has already hunted a deer, three rabbits, and two birds. Yet you are still at zero."
Her words hang sharp in the cool morning air, meant to sting.
Lin Yu does not answer. His gaze remains calm, detached, as though her voice is nothing more than wind rustling through the branches.
Inwardly, his focus remains on the shifting runes of the Giant Knight extraordinary part, each fragment sliding into place with demanding precision. Yet a sudden dissonance ripples through him.
Lin Yu reins his horse to a stop. The animal snorts uneasily, ears twitching. He inhales, and a scent foreign to the world stabs through the autumn air, sharp and alien.
His eyes lift to the sky. Clear blue fills his vision, yet his pupils deepen into storm-grey, and within them an energy dome manifests faintly, unseen by others. The truth reveals itself—this forest is caged.
The trail ahead darkens as five men step from between the trees, blocking the path.
Charlotte, Charles, and Nora jerk their horses to a halt, startled by the sudden ambush. Hooves scrape earth, breaths come heavy.
"Do you guys want to die?" Charlotte snaps, her voice shrill with anger.
But neither her defiance nor the autumn sun softens the oppressive air. Charles's face hardens, his hand trembling near his weapon. Beside him, Nora stiffens, her gaze sharp with dread. Both feel it—the undeniable weight of danger rolling from the intruders.
The five men raise their palms in unison, voices overlapping as they roar. Violet orbs of energy pulse into existence, sizzling with destructive force, then hurtle forward like comets.
Charlotte freezes, her expression more confused than terror, as though her mind cannot reconcile what her eyes see.
Nora and Charles, however, understand. They are only at the very beginning of extraordinary training—barely brushing the first step. Their eyes widen, horror spilling through them. They shut their eyes, surrendering to what feels inevitable death.
But death does not come.
A dull crackle fills the air instead. When their eyes flicker open, a black curtain arcs around them, shimmering faintly, holding the purple orbs at bay until they dissolve into smoke.
Nora's breath catches. She knows instantly whose power this is. Her head turns sharply, finding Lin Yu. His right arm is extended, fingers open, palm aglow with coiling black light.
Her gaze whips back to the five men. Shadows beneath their feet stretch unnaturally, writhing like living things, then lash upward. Black ropes, woven from their very own darkness, coil tight around their throats, pinning them in silence and terror.