The sun was setting on the horizon, leaving a faint glow on the streets of the lower city. This place wasn't bustling with merchants or the sound of luxurious carriages; it was filled with the smell of sweat, hunger, and despair. The walls were cracked, the buildings were dilapidated, and the faces were grim.
In a dark corner behind a junk market, sat Yue Li Ming. His shabby clothes barely covered his thin body. His face was pale, and his eyes were empty of any sense of hope. He was trying to sell an ordinary gem to get enough money for a loaf of bread. Whenever a merchant approached him, their glances were filled with contempt and their words with ridicule. He was just a member of a forgotten clan, a man of no value.
Little did Yue Li Ming know that every step he took, every desperate look from his eyes, was being watched.
From the roof of a tall building, Fang Qing sat quietly. He wore a simple black robe that made him blend perfectly with the shadows. His gaze pierced through the chaos in the street, ignoring everything except for one target: Yue Li Ming.
Fang Qing felt no pity or sympathy. It was like a lab observer seeing a weak creature, on the verge of death, yet possessing a rare genetic makeup. He didn't see Yue Li Ming as a human, but as a pawn, a tool, an entire clan that could be rebuilt from nothing.
"The Fallen Moon clan... a noble lineage with nothing left but this frightened mouse," Fang Qing whispered to himself, his voice as cold as the air on a snowy mountaintop. "Their bloodline holds a great secret that no one can discover but me. It's the key to awakening a great power."
In his hand, he held an ancient book from his previous life, which contained countless secrets, and he knew that this book was his best friend in this game.
"The first step in my great game will be with you, you weak heir," Fang Qing said, as he rose from his spot and left the shadows behind him. "I will make you the hero everyone loves, and I will make the world fall in love with you. And when the time is right, I will reveal the full truth: that their heroism was nothing but a lie, and that I was the mastermind behind everything."
This was the beginning of his legendary game. And with quiet steps, Fang Qing began to descend from the building, heading towards the first pawn on his new chessboard.
Fang Qing stopped a few steps away from Yue Li Ming, who was still kneeling on the ground, shivering from the cold and fear. Yue Li Ming's eyes avoided any visual contact; he was used to being ignored or chased away.
"Heir of the Fallen Moon clan..."
Yue Li Ming suddenly lifted his head, his eyes filled with shock. His name was a secret no one in this city knew.
"Who are you? How do you know...?"
Fang Qing's face was as calm as the surface of a frozen lake, showing no sign of empathy. "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I know everything. I know you carry your clan's gem in your right pocket, and I know it's not just an ordinary stone, but the key to the great power that destroyed your clan."
Yue Li Ming's eyes widened. This was not just a guess, but precise knowledge. It was the secret he believed was the only proof of his identity, which he had hidden from the world.
"What do you want from me?" Yue Li Ming asked in a trembling voice.
Fang Qing smiled a slight smile that didn't reach his cold eyes; it was closer to the expression of a predator seeing its prey.
"I don't want anything from you... rather, I will give you something. I will give you the power you lost, and the greatness that was buried. I will rebuild your clan and make you a king. In return, I will ask for only one thing: that you trust me and follow my commands without hesitation."
Fang Qing took a step forward and extended his hand, as if offering a new destiny. "What do you say, heir? Are you ready to sell your soul to the Devil?"
The words hung in the air, and Fang Qing's offer echoed in Yue Li Ming's ear like a strange resonance. He looked at the extended hand, a hand that seemed ordinary, but held a promise of liberation from his miserable life. He saw Fang Qing's face, cold and distant, and felt a kind of fear seeping into his bones. But, in exchange for this fear, there was something else stronger: despair.
He had spent long years on the run, hiding, eating scraps, and living as a shadow. His clan was gone, his family was dead, and he had nothing to lose. The offer Fang Qing made was insane, but madness was the only thing that could save him from his bitter reality.
"Can you... can you really do that?" Yue Li Ming asked with a shaky voice. "Can you bring my clan back?"
Fang Qing's look was enough of an answer. He said nothing, but his eyes held all the necessary confidence.
Yue Li Ming closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of all the years of torment he had lived, every contemptuous look he received, every loaf of bread he begged for. Then, slowly, he raised his trembling hand and extended it.
"I will trust you..." he said, his words barely audible. "I will sell my soul to the Devil."
Fang Qing took his hand. There was no warm handshake, but a firm and cold grip, like the grip of death.
"A good deal," Fang Qing said, pulling Yue Li Ming into a dark alley.
Once they were in the shadows, Fang Qing's expression changed. His features were no longer calm; his face now reflected a kind of absolute contempt and coldness.
"Your soul?" Fang Qing asked, his tone as sharp as a sword's edge. "You have no soul to sell. All you have is fear, terror, and despair. How can I build an empire on this fragile foundation?"
Yue Li Ming looked at his dark face and felt his heart freeze. "What do you mean?"
"I don't need a weak heir. I need a powerful tool, a perfect pawn," Fang Qing said, and a strange, dark energy appeared in his hand. "The only thing standing in our way is you. The Yue Li Ming who once was, must die."
Yue Li Ming's eyes widened in terror. "No! What are you doing?"
"Don't be afraid," Fang Qing said coldly. "This is not death, but a reshaping. I will refine your soul, remove every weakness, every painful memory, and every useless part of your old personality. I will make you empty, so you can become the perfect vessel for my plans."
The black energy began to wrap around Yue Li Ming, as he screamed in terror, trying to break free from Fang Qing's cold grip. But it was useless. Fang Qing's power was far greater than his resistance.
Meanwhile, in the midst of this terrifying ritual, Fang Qing felt a current of energy flowing from Yue Li Ming's body into his own. Yue Li Ming wasn't just a pawn being refined; he was a source of energy. Fang Qing was absorbing Yue Li Ming's despair, fear, and weakness, and transforming them into his own power. Every scream from Yue Li Ming fed Fang Qing's dark energy and restored a part of its lost power.
Fang Qing was struggling with his own body, which was still weak. The more he absorbed Yue Li Ming's energy, the more he felt his bones groan and his veins swell. But he didn't stop. This was his first chance to regain his power, and he wouldn't waste it.
Yue Li Ming's screams suddenly stopped, and the black energy began to dissipate slowly. Yue Li Ming was still standing, but his eyes were empty. The despair and fear were gone. Everything was gone.
Fang Qing looked at the empty Yue Li Ming, then at his own body, which had become much stronger. "Now, you are ready," he said, his tone filled with satisfaction.