The guards carried Attendant Wu into the chamber, laying him gently on the floor before stepping back. His eyes darted about wildly, full of fear and confusion, but his body remained limp, unable to move even a finger.
Wei Ji dismissed the guards with a single sharp wave of his hand.
"Leave us," he ordered.
The guards bowed quickly and left without a word, the heavy doors closing with a low thud.
Silence filled the room, broken only by the frantic sound of Attendant Wu's breathing. His eyes rolled toward Wei Ji, as if begging without words.
Wei Ji stepped closer, his presence heavy in the point of view of Attendant Wu, his face hard. He raised his hand, fingers forming into a blade, and pointed it toward Attendant's forehead.
The light in the old man's eyes faltered. He shut them tight, lips trembling, surrendering to what he believed would be his end.
Long moments passed in the darkness of his own vision. There was nothing. He waited but still—nothing.
Attendant Wu's chest heaved. His mind spun. He opened his eyes, blinking, then whispered in disbelief, "Huh? I… I'm still alive?"
His voice cracked with raw shock. Then, as realization set in, he let out a half-laugh, half-cry, clutching at the floor with eyes brimming with tears. "I'm still alive! Heaven hasn't abandoned me! Oh merciful heavens, I thought… I thought today was my death day! My poor wife! My poor children! I already saw the gates of hell! I thought the young master's hand was my end!" His words tumbled out without pause, a mess of laughter and sobbing. "Oh! How could I have doubted you, Lord of the Skies? I'll drink to this day for the rest of my life!"
Wei Ji frowned, clearly impatient, yet he let the torrent run its course. Attendant Wu pounded the ground lightly with his fist, still muttering, "Alive! Alive! Still breathing!"
Finally, Wei Ji cut in, voice calm but firm. "Attendant Wu."
The old man snapped his head up, face still pale. "Y-yes, young master?"
"I want you to assign someone to care for my wife. She is not to be troubled. Not by anyone. And I want you to shout it to every corner of this household if you have to. Make sure it sinks into their skulls."
Attendant Wu froze. His lips parted, but no sound came out. His eyes flickered with disbelief. This—this wasn't what he expected.
Wu was as a soldier and had seen too much killing intent in the battlefield, he's sure that the young master stormed back to the Han Family Residence ready to kill. He was even beaten to a pulp when he tried to stop Wei Ji. But now…
"You… you didn't kill her?" Attendant Wu asked carefully, voice wavering.
Wei Ji's eyes narrowed. "No."
The old man blinked rapidly, as though he couldn't process it. His mouth opened, then closed again. "But then why… why say those things? Why make it seem like…?"
Wei Ji's gaze sharpened, and instead of answering, he barked, "Assign her an attendant. Make sure she is treated as my equal. If anyone dares harm her, it will be over my dead body. Repeat it as many times as it takes for them to believe it."
Attendant Wu swallowed hard. His hands trembled as he pressed his palms together. "Y-young master…" His voice cracked. "I thought you—"
"Enough," Wei Ji cut him off and gave him a shove toward the door. "Now lead me to my room."
The old man stumbled, then caught himself, still muttering under his breath. "Didn't kill her… didn't kill her… By the heavens, maybe he was just testing me. Testing my loyalty, wasn't he? Yes, that must be it…"
Wei Ji's brow twitched. "Stop mumbling nonsense and move." He gave Wu another swift kick to the backside.
"Ow! Yes, yes, young master! Right away!" Attendant Wu scurried forward, rubbing his rear but daring not to complain.
As they walked through the corridors, Wu began to chatter nervously, as if filling the silence would save him from Wei Ji's wrath. "To think young master is skilled at fighting too… I thought only the young master's younger brothers carried the Han Family's sharp edge. But no—you're even more fierce. I believe. Truly, the Han family hides a tiger behind closed doors."
Wei Ji's eyes glinted. "Better than them. What do you think they lack?"
Wu hesitated, but under Wei Ji's heavy gaze, words slipped out of him like water from a cracked jar. He spoke of family politics, jealousies, power struggles—every detail he thought minor spilled into the open. He didn't even realize how much he was revealing, not until Wei Ji's faint smirk made him pause. But by then, the damage was done.
Finally, they stopped before a room. Wu bowed and said, "Here we are, young master."
Wei Ji entered, scanning the space. "Bring me ink and paper."
Wu blinked. "Ink and paper? But… there's already plenty inside. Isn't it enough?"
Wei Ji's brow rose, but he schooled his face into calm as he glanced around. Indeed, stacks of parchment and brushes filled the shelves. The original owner of this body must have been fond of writing. He nodded faintly.
Wu stood by the door, still waiting. Wei Ji added, "Remember what I said, Wu. Treat my wife as you treat me. Assign her a proper attendant. And one more thing…"
Wu leaned closer. "Yes, young master?"
"Send the concubines away. Return them to their homes. Make sure they are well. They have no place here anymore."
Wu froze as if struck by lightning. "What? Young master, you—why? You love them! Everyone knows you've always surrounded yourself with beauties. Why discard them now?"
Wei Ji cleared his throat, his voice steady but sharp. "I have a wife now. Keeping concubines by my side is not fitting. Do you think it proper for a man to keep throwing himself at other women after taking a wife?"
Wu opened and closed his mouth like a fish, then scratched his head. "I… I never thought I'd hear that from you, young master…"
Wei Ji's gaze bored into him. "It is as I said. Do not question it again."
Wu nodded quickly, though inside his mind was spinning. So that was it… Young master was only enjoying himself before marriage, before he had to focus on his real responsibilities. Yes, that must be it. Understanding dawned on him, and he bowed deeply. "As you command."
The door closed behind him, leaving Wei Ji alone.
He exhaled slowly, then turned toward the desk. Taking a sheet of paper, he ripped it into four pieces, spread them out, and dipped the brush into ink. The scent of ink and parchment filled the air, grounding him.
Stroke by stroke, characters bloomed across the page, but these were not mere words.
Each line carried intent, a hidden rhythm of power, a seed of formation waiting to take root. His hand moved steadily, the tip of the brush scratching against the surface, leaving trails of black that seemed to shimmer faintly if one looked too long.
As he worked, his mind sharpened.
"The Celestial Demon Empress…" Wei Ji muttered under his breath, his brush never stopping. "I underestimated her. She doesn't cultivate like the rest of us. She grows stronger without effort, her dark heart feeding on fate itself. She will outpace me if I linger. I cannot let that happen because I won't be able to suppress her power if that happened."
His heart thumped harder with every stroke. He could see it—the path where she rose, unchallenged, until the heavens themselves trembled before her. The path that had already destroyed him once.
Not again.
He dragged the brush across another sheet, layering the foundation of some kind of formation. Then another, weaving protective scripts with killing intent hidden between lines. Each word, each mark, carried his determination.
The room grew heavy, filled with faint pressure as if his will pressed against the very air. Sweat gathered on his brow, yet he didn't pause.
"She rises too fast. If I don't carve my own way quicker, I'll be crushed again. This time, I must be the one ahead. This time, I must not falter."
Hours passed in silence but for the sound of brush to paper. Soon the desk was covered with slips of inked talismans, each one glowing faintly with suppressed energy.
Finally, Wei Ji set down the brush. His gaze swept over the neat rows of characters, the talismans stacked and ready. A faint smile touched his lips.
"Good," he whispered. "The formations are ready. Time to cultivate."