The night wind swept gently across the silent ruins. In the middle of what once was the grand courtyard of Silent Stone City, Zhiya stood, her gaze fixed on the swirling energy still shrouding the inheritance chamber where Li Yun had vanished. Two days had passed, and there was still no sign of his return.
But that wasn't what kept Zhiya tense.
From behind the veil of icy violet mist, footsteps emerged—light, almost like the whisper of leaves. A girl appeared from the ruins, her long hair a silver-blue cascade that danced with the cold wind trailing behind her, as if nature itself bowed to her presence. Her eyes were soft, yet carried a resolve that could not be taken lightly.
Zhiya immediately shifted into a guarded stance. "Who are you?"
The girl stopped a few steps away and offered a faint smile. "Relax. I didn't come to fight."
Zhiya narrowed her eyes. She could sense the strength radiating from this girl—an aura nearly equal to the high elders of their sect.
"I'm from the Heavenly Ice Sect," the girl said calmly. "My name is... Lian Xue."
Zhiya stiffened. That name was no ordinary name. The Heavenly Ice Sect was one of the ancient factions that had once clashed directly with the Crimson Sky Clan, the clan Li Yun hailed from. If Lian Xue truly came from there, then her presence here was far from trivial.
"What do you want?" Zhiya asked, still on guard.
"I just wanted to see the child of the Last Ember," Lian Xue replied, her eyes drifting toward the swirling energy. "And… perhaps, to make sure he doesn't become like his father."
Zhiya clenched her fists. "Watch your words."
But Lian Xue merely sighed and smiled gently. "Relax. I don't hate him. In fact… I'm curious—whether he can reunite the flames that were once shattered."
Inside the inheritance chamber, Li Yun lay still, his breath heavy. His body was bloodied, yet his eyes glowed with a soft crimson light. The bloodline legacy had altered his meridians—he could now feel power coursing through him more strongly and steadily than ever before. His body felt lighter, yet burned like a blazing ember.
"This power… it's different. But it feels like… it belongs to me."
As he rose, the swirl of the inheritance began to fade, and the world around him shattered into fragments of light. He returned to the real world, collapsing to his knees before Zhiya.
"Yun!" Zhiya cried, rushing to him.
But before they could speak further, Li Yun sensed another presence. He turned—and saw a strange girl standing calmly, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
Their eyes met.
And for a moment… time slowed.
Li Yun could feel her cold aura, like the first snow falling in the heat of summer. Her calm eyes stood in stark contrast to the bloody world he had just escaped.
"Who are you?" he asked quietly.
"Lian Xue," she answered. "I came… to see if you are truly worthy of your name."
Li Yun let out a bitter smile. "Everyone speaks of my blood, my name, my clan. But what they forget—I never chose any of it."
Lian Xue fell silent, then stepped closer. "Then start choosing now. But remember, the name you carry… could change the path of many."
They stood only one step apart. Strangely, there was no hostility. Only a kind of… silent acknowledgment between two people born from shattered pasts.
That night, the three of them rested inside a cave. Zhiya had fallen asleep first, leaving only Li Yun and Lian Xue awake, sitting across from each other with a small campfire crackling between them.
"Why didn't you kill me?" Li Yun asked softly, breaking the silence.
Lian Xue gave a faint smile. "Because I want to see how you'll change."
"And if I grow into a threat to your clan?"
She gazed into the flames. "Then I'll be the first to face you. But not tonight."
Li Yun chuckled. "You're strange."
Lian Xue looked at him. "And you… are not what they said you were."
Silence returned—but this time, it felt comforting.
Then Lian Xue stood. She walked up to Li Yun, gazing at his still pale face. Her hand gently brushed the wound on his cheek, then she leaned in slowly… and kissed it softly.
Li Yun froze.
"You have to live," Lian Xue whispered. "So I can keep watching where your path leads."
Without another word, she turned and walked toward the cave entrance.
Li Yun watched her back vanish into the darkness, then turned to the campfire. For the first time in his life, he felt… not alone.
But he knew, whatever feelings stirred… they could not interfere with his path.
He clenched his fists and stared into the night beyond the cave.
"This legacy… is only the first step."