The night sky stretched endlessly above LinJian Sect.
Countless stars glittered in the darkness, while a pale moon hung over the distant mountains. The evening breeze carried the faint fragrance of flowers from the surrounding courtyards, and the sounds of the sect gradually faded as its disciples returned to their residences.
The grand hall had long since emptied.
The Frost Dragon Alliance had been established, its leadership had been decided, and the surviving members of the Lin Clan finally had a path toward rebuilding their future.
Yet Lin Shuan's thoughts remained far from the alliance.
He stood beneath the night sky, his white robes moving gently in the breeze. His dark hair fell over his shoulders, and his gaze wandered across the distant mountain peaks.
Beside him stood Han Qing Li.
She had accompanied him after the meeting, initially intending to discuss a few matters concerning the alliance. However, as the conversation gradually faded, she found herself paying more attention to the young man beside her than to anything else.
Lin Shuan had barely spoken during the past few moments.
Even after the First Elder had left, his expression had remained thoughtful. Sometimes, his eyes would narrow slightly, as though he were examining a problem whose answer continued to elude him.
Han Qing Li knew what occupied his mind.
Yu Long Sect.
More precisely, the warning Lin Shuan had received from Sha Ming.
She could understand why he was concerned. The destruction of Myriad Frost City had not merely cost the Lin Clan its home. It had revealed that a major power was willing to act without regard for the consequences imposed upon ordinary cultivators.
If Sha Ming's words were true, Myriad Frost City would not be the last place to suffer.
But Han Qing Li also knew that thinking about the coming danger would not make its arrival any slower.
Lin Shuan had already accepted too many responsibilities.
He carried the survival of the Lin Clan upon his shoulders, had become the leader of the Frost Dragon Alliance, and was now expected to consider the future of people who had only recently begun trusting him.
For once, she wanted him to think about something other than enemies and responsibilities.
Something about himself.
Something he rarely discussed.
Her eyes gradually shifted toward his face.
Under the moonlight, Lin Shuan's expression appeared calmer than it had during the meeting. The sharpness in his eyes had softened, and for a moment, he seemed less like the Clan Head of a fallen family and more like the young man he truly was.
Han Qing Li's heart stirred.
She quickly lowered her head.
A faint warmth crept across her cheeks.
What am I thinking about?
She pressed her lips together, trying to regain her composure.
After a short silence, she finally spoke.
"Lin Shuan..."
He turned toward her.
"Hm?"
Han Qing Li hesitated.
There was something she had wanted to ask him for a long time, but until now, she had never found an appropriate opportunity.
She raised her eyes slightly, meeting his gaze for a brief moment before looking away again.
"How do you know Protector Yi?"
Lin Shuan's expression changed almost imperceptibly.
Han Qing Li continued, carefully choosing her words.
"Considering the circumstances your clan was in, it should have been extremely difficult for an Empire Protector to become involved with you. An Empire Protector possesses a position that even the major sects must respect. They cannot casually extend their protection to just anyone, especially when doing so might involve the affairs of another powerful force."
She paused.
"And yet, Protector Yi has repeatedly stood beside you."
Her voice became softer.
"How did that happen?"
Lin Shuan did not answer immediately.
The moment he heard the name Protector Yi, a trace of sadness appeared in his eyes.
Han Qing Li noticed it.
She had deliberately brought up the subject because she wanted to divert his attention from Yu Long Sect. But the instant she saw the change in his expression, she realised that she might have touched upon something far more complicated than she had expected.
Lin Shuan looked up at the night sky.
"Protector Yi..."
He repeated the name quietly, as though trying to understand something that had puzzled him for a long time.
"To be honest, I don't know much about her."
Han Qing Li looked at him in surprise.
"You don't?"
Lin Shuan shook his head.
"I met her for the first time during the Empire Warriors Tournament. She came to oversee the tournament, and during that time, she instructed me to kill Hei Luo of the Yue Sha Empire."
He paused briefly, recalling the events.
"Later, she told me that she had visited when I was born."
Han Qing Li's eyes widened slightly.
"When you were born?"
"Yes."
Lin Shuan's expression became more complicated.
"She said she had come at that time, and that she had always been protecting me."
He lowered his gaze toward his hands.
"But I don't understand why."
The breeze passed between them.
Lin Shuan continued, his voice quieter than before.
"She appears whenever I need her. She has helped me on more than one occasion, yet she has never explained the true reason behind her actions."
He frowned slightly.
"I don't even know her real identity beyond her position as an Empire Protector. I don't know what she wants from me, why she has watched over me for so long, or why she seems so determined to keep me safe."
His fingers curled slightly.
"Sometimes, I wonder whether she knows something about me that I don't."
He paused.
"Or perhaps there is something about my existence that I have yet to understand."
Lin Shuan was about to continue when a familiar voice suddenly sounded inside his mind.
"Shut up, you fool!"
Lin Shuan's expression froze.
The voice belonged to Tian Wuchen.
"Do you truly underestimate her that much?"
Lin Shuan's eyes widened slightly.
Tian Wuchen's voice carried an unusual seriousness, entirely different from his usual teasing tone.
"Although I don't know her true identity either, you should consider yourself fortunate that someone like her has taken an interest in you. Such fortune might not come even once in a hundred lifetimes!"
Lin Shuan's heart trembled.
Even Master doesn't know who she really is?
That was the first thing that struck him.
Tian Wuchen had lived through countless years, possessed knowledge far beyond that of ordinary cultivators, and understood matters that Lin Shuan could barely begin to comprehend.
Yet even he could not identify Protector Yi's true origin.
What kind of person was she?
More importantly, why did Tian Wuchen speak as though even he had to exercise caution when discussing her?
Lin Shuan remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke inwardly.
"Master, what exactly is she protecting me from?"
Tian Wuchen did not answer immediately.
Lin Shuan continued, his thoughts becoming increasingly agitated.
"I saw some of her memories through her blood. I saw that she has feelings for me."
He paused, as though even admitting this to his master felt strange.
"But we haven't even met that many times. How could she develop such feelings for me?"
His brows drew together.
"And what does it mean that she keeps standing beside me? Is it simply because she cares about me? Or is there another reason?"
He took a mental breath before asking the question that had troubled him most.
"Master, tell me something. Who—or what—is she protecting me from?"
For a moment, there was no response.
Then Tian Wuchen spoke.
"She has feelings for you?"
His voice rose in disbelief.
"She actually has feelings for you?!"
Lin Shuan's expression darkened.
"Master, do you need to repeat that so loudly?"
"How could I not repeat it?!"
Tian Wuchen sounded as though Lin Shuan had just revealed something that defied all reason.
"Lin Shuan, do you even understand why she continues to stand beside you? Do you know whom she is trying to protect you from?"
He gave a short, disbelieving laugh.
"No. Of course you don't. You saw fragments of her memories through her blood, and now you think you understand her!"
Lin Shuan's expression became serious.
Tian Wuchen's voice lowered.
"Listen carefully. The Frost Divine Heart you possess is not some ordinary treasure that can be used merely to defeat your enemies."
Lin Shuan's heart skipped a beat.
"It belongs among the most dangerous things in this entire universe."
The words fell heavily into his mind.
He had always understood that the Frost Divine Heart was extraordinary. Its existence had already changed his life in ways he could never have anticipated.
But Tian Wuchen's tone suggested something far more terrifying.
"There are ancient monsters in this universe whose understanding of power and existence goes far beyond what you can imagine," Tian Wuchen continued. "If even one of them discovers your existence and learns what you possess, your life may end before you understand what has happened."
Lin Shuan's pupils contracted.
Tian Wuchen did not stop.
"I am only standing near the highest level of this universe's fundamental hierarchy. Before those beings, even I cannot guarantee that I could protect you."
A brief silence followed.
Then Tian Wuchen spoke the final words with unmistakable gravity.
"As long as Protector Yi remains beside you, there is still someone who can stand between you and those monsters."
Lin Shuan's mind went blank.
For several seconds, he could not form a single thought.
The Frost Divine Heart.
The most dangerous things in the universe.
Beings before whom even Tian Wuchen could not guarantee his safety.
And Protector Yi, who had apparently been protecting him since the day he was born.
Suddenly, countless details that had once seemed insignificant began to rearrange themselves in his mind.
Why had she appeared during the Empire Warriors Tournament?
Why had she taken such an interest in him?
Why had she repeatedly stood beside him, even when doing so seemed unnecessary?
Why had she been willing to involve herself in situations where an Empire Protector would ordinarily have no reason to intervene?
He had assumed that she was simply an unusual woman with an unexplained attachment to him.
Now, he could no longer view her actions so casually.
But one revelation hurt more than all the others.
She had feelings for him.
The thought pierced his heart like a sharp needle.
He remembered the young woman who represented fire itself, whose presence could make others feel as though they were standing before a terrifying monster.
She always tried to maintain that frightening image in front of him.
She wanted him to see her as someone dangerous, someone who could not easily be approached or understood.
And yet, whenever she spoke to him, that carefully maintained image would begin to crumble.
Her words would become ordinary.
Her reactions would become strangely human.
Sometimes, she would speak to him with an awkwardness that seemed entirely at odds with the terrifying aura she displayed before others.
She would attempt to appear like a monster, only to end up behaving like an ordinary girl.
Lin Shuan had never fully understood the contradiction.
He had thought she was simply lonely.
He had believed that beneath her intimidating exterior was someone who had spent too long standing apart from other people.
He had never imagined that the reason she kept returning to him might be something so personal.
A wandering girl who had entered the Da Cang Empire at the age of eight.
A girl who had eventually become its protector.
A girl who stood before others like a terrifying flame, yet repeatedly failed to maintain that same distance when she was with him.
She cared for him.
She wanted to protect him.
And now he was learning that the danger she feared might come from beings beyond the Xing Luo Planet itself.
Lin Shuan's eyes gradually filled with tears.
Yet he could not bring himself to cry.
He did not know what to do with the emotions rising inside him.
He had failed to understand her feelings.
Worse, he had never even considered that there might be such feelings to understand.
He had seen her as a mysterious and lonely person who occasionally entered his life, offered help, and then disappeared again.
He had never asked himself what it meant for her to keep returning.
What it meant for someone of her position to stand beside him.
Or what she might have sacrificed simply to ensure that he remained safe.
Why didn't I realise it?
The thought echoed painfully through his mind.
How could I have been so unaware?
He lowered his eyes.
The moonlight reflected faintly in them, making the moisture there almost impossible to conceal.
He did not know whether he should feel grateful, guilty, or afraid.
Perhaps he felt all three.
And beneath those emotions lay a question he could not yet bring himself to ask aloud.
Protector Yi... just how much have you done for me without my knowledge?
Han Qing Li had heard none of the conversation taking place inside Lin Shuan's mind.
She could not hear Tian Wuchen's voice, nor could she know what the two of them were discussing.
Yet she could see Lin Shuan's expression changing.
At first, he had appeared thoughtful.
Then he had become startled.
A moment later, his eyes had widened, and his expression had grown so complicated that Han Qing Li could not help feeling concerned.
Now, tears had gathered in his eyes.
He was not crying, but the sadness in his expression was unmistakable.
Han Qing Li's heart tightened.
She had intended to draw his attention away from Yu Long Sect.
Instead, she had somehow led him toward another painful subject.
She stepped closer.
"Lin Shuan?"
He did not respond immediately.
Her voice became softer.
"Lin Shuan, what happened?"
He finally seemed to return to his surroundings.
His eyes shifted toward her, and he quickly composed his expression.
But Han Qing Li had already seen the tears.
She studied him with concern.
"You were asking someone whom Protector Yi was protecting you from, weren't you?"
Lin Shuan froze.
Han Qing Li frowned slightly.
"Who is she protecting you from?"
For an instant, he almost answered.
The words were already at the edge of his thoughts.
From monsters beyond this planet. From beings who might kill me simply because of what I possess.
But he stopped himself.
How could he explain something he barely understood?
And how could he discuss Protector Yi's feelings when he had not yet understood his own reaction to the revelation?
He drew a slow breath.
Then, rather than answering her question, he turned his gaze toward the distant mountains.
"Qing Li, have I ever told you about the Da Cang Empire's princess?"
Han Qing Li blinked.
The sudden change of subject caught her off guard.
"The princess?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"When I was younger, she used to visit me."
For a moment, Han Qing Li simply stared at him.
Then she asked, "The princess of the Da Cang Empire?"
"Yes."
"The same princess who is said to have disappeared from public view many years ago?"
Lin Shuan gave a faint smile.
"She didn't disappear. She simply stopped appearing before the public."
Han Qing Li's expression became increasingly curious.
She had heard many rumours about the imperial princess.
According to what she knew, the princess had appeared beside the Emperor when she was eight years old. After that occasion, she had rarely, if ever, appeared before the public again.
Some people claimed that she possessed a frail constitution.
Others believed that the royal family was concealing her cultivation.
There were even rumours that she had been sent away to cultivate in a secret location.
No one seemed to know the truth.
Yet Lin Shuan was telling her that the princess had visited him when they were children.
Han Qing Li looked at him carefully.
"Why would the imperial princess visit you?"
Lin Shuan was silent for a moment.
"When the mark on my forehead first became active, people began to avoid me."
His voice grew quieter.
"At the time, I was still young. I didn't understand what was happening, and neither did most of the people around me. Strange things happened whenever the mark's power manifested. Some people died, and others began to believe that I was cursed."
Han Qing Li's expression changed.
She had seen the mark on Lin Shuan's forehead before, but she had never understood the full extent of the suffering it had caused him.
Lin Shuan continued.
"My father arranged for me to stay in a separate place so that I could continue cultivating without putting others at risk. I spent much of my time there."
He paused briefly.
"But the princess still came to see me."
His expression softened.
"She spoke to me without hesitation. She didn't treat me like someone cursed, and she didn't look at me with fear."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Lin Yun was the same."
Han Qing Li looked at him.
"Lin Yun?"
"She was my childhood friend."
Lin Shuan nodded.
"The three of us used to play together whenever the princess visited. She was never afraid of me, and neither was Lin Yun."
He paused.
"At the time, I didn't understand why. Later, I realised that the princess seemed to know more about the limits of my mark than most people did. She had explained some of those things to Lin Yun, which was probably why Lin Yun continued to treat me normally."
Han Qing Li listened in silence.
Something about the story made her heart soften.
While the rest of the world had begun to treat Lin Shuan as a cursed person, two girls had continued to approach him without hesitation.
One was Lin Yun, his childhood friend.
The other was the princess of the Da Cang Empire.
Han Qing Li found herself looking at him with renewed curiosity.
Just what kind of person are you, Lin Shuan?
Protector Yi had taken an interest in him.
The imperial princess had visited him during his childhood.
And now Han Qing Li herself had chosen to stand beside him.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to believe that all these things were merely coincidences.
She tilted her head slightly.
"The Da Cang Empire's princess really played with you?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"Of course."
Han Qing Li's eyes widened.
"But I heard that she appeared before the public only once, when she was eight years old, standing beside the Emperor. After that, nobody seemed to see her again."
Lin Shuan looked at her with an expression that suggested he found the question somewhat amusing.
"If she never appeared before the public again, how could I have played with her?"
Han Qing Li stared at him.
Then she realised what he meant.
A small smile gradually spread across her face.
"You're right."
She lowered her head, trying to suppress her amusement.
"I suppose the rumours about the imperial princess are not entirely accurate."
"They rarely are."
Lin Shuan's expression relaxed slightly.
The tension that had surrounded him moments earlier began to fade.
Han Qing Li watched him for a moment before asking, "Then what is her name?"
Lin Shuan answered without hesitation.
"Her name is Yi."
Han Qing Li's smile paused.
"Yi?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"Yes. Her name is Yi."
For a moment, Han Qing Li seemed to be thinking about something.
Then she raised her eyes toward him.
"Wait a moment."
Her voice carried a trace of disbelief.
"Protector Yi... and the imperial princess Yi?"
Lin Shuan's expression became strange.
Han Qing Li stared at him.
"Are you telling me that the person who has repeatedly protected you and the princess who visited you during your childhood both bear the same name?"
"That's what I said."
Lin Shuan shrugged slightly.
Han Qing Li's lips parted, but no words emerged immediately.
She looked at him as though she were trying to determine whether he was joking.
But his expression remained perfectly serious.
Finally, she let out a soft laugh.
"I see."
She shook her head.
"Your life really is unusual."
Lin Shuan glanced at her.
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Perhaps."
Her smile grew a little warmer.
"Although, considering everything I've learned about you recently, I shouldn't be surprised anymore."
For the first time that evening, Lin Shuan felt some of the heaviness in his chest begin to ease.
Han Qing Li's reaction was so natural that he could not help feeling relieved.
She did not interrogate him further about Protector Yi.
She did not demand to know why the imperial princess had visited him.
Instead, she allowed the conversation to move forward at its own pace.
Yet her curiosity had not disappeared.
If anything, it had grown.
She looked at Lin Shuan for a moment before another question occurred to her.
"Then what about Lin Qing Xue?"
The smile on Lin Shuan's face disappeared.
Han Qing Li noticed the change immediately.
"She was also part of your childhood, wasn't she?" she asked. "You mentioned her name earlier, but we never discussed her."
Lin Shuan's expression became complicated.
For a moment, he seemed to be deciding whether he wanted to answer at all.
Then he let out a short breath.
"Lin Qing Xue..."
He repeated her name as though it had left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Han Qing Li blinked.
She had expected some surprise, perhaps a little embarrassment.
She had not expected such an immediate change in his expression.
Lin Shuan looked away.
"It would have been better if she had never become involved with me."
Han Qing Li's brows rose slightly.
"Was your relationship really that bad?"
Lin Shuan gave a humourless laugh.
"Relationship?"
He shook his head.
"We were betrothed. That was all."
Han Qing Li remained silent, allowing him to continue.
Lin Shuan's eyes grew colder as memories from his childhood surfaced.
"Before the mark on my forehead became active, she was willing to associate with me. At that time, I was the young master of the Lin Clan. People respected my position, and many believed that I had a promising future."
His voice remained calm, but his words carried unmistakable resentment.
"She seemed rather proud of being betrothed to the young master."
Han Qing Li did not interrupt.
"But when the mark appeared, everything changed."
Lin Shuan looked toward the night sky.
"People began calling me cursed. Strange incidents occurred, and some people lost their lives. The clan became afraid of what might happen if I remained among everyone else. My father eventually arranged for me to stay in a separate place so that I could continue cultivating without endangering others."
His fingers tightened slightly.
"My cultivation also stopped progressing. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't advance."
He paused.
"Lin Qing Xue never came to see me."
Han Qing Li's expression softened.
Lin Shuan continued.
"She didn't have to understand the mark. She didn't have to solve the problem. I never expected that much from her."
His voice became colder.
"But she could at least have come to see me once."
The night breeze moved through the trees.
"She never did."
For a moment, Lin Shuan said nothing.
Then he continued.
"My parents visited me. Lin Yun visited me. Princess Yi visited me. They continued speaking to me as though I were still the same person I had always been."
His gaze lowered.
"But the person who was supposed to stand closest to me chose not to appear."
Han Qing Li's heart tightened.
She could understand why Lin Shuan was angry.
The injury was not simply that Lin Qing Xue had failed to help him.
It was that her absence had revealed something about their supposed bond.
When Lin Shuan had possessed status and prospects, she had accepted their engagement.
When his circumstances changed, she had disappeared.
Perhaps she had been afraid.
Perhaps she had been pressured by her family.
Perhaps there were other reasons Lin Shuan did not know.
But none of those possibilities could erase the fact that he had been left alone at a time when even ordinary companionship would have meant something.
Han Qing Li looked at him carefully.
"Do you still intend to honour the engagement?"
Lin Shuan immediately shook his head.
"No."
His answer was firm.
"When I see her again, I will make it clear that the engagement must end."
Han Qing Li was slightly surprised by how decisive he sounded.
Lin Shuan continued.
"She is a talented cultivator, and she belongs to the Lin Clan. I will not deny her abilities merely because I am angry with her. But our engagement is a different matter."
He turned toward Han Qing Li.
"An engagement cannot be sustained by one person's name or status. If there is no trust, no understanding, and no willingness to stand beside each other when circumstances become difficult, then what purpose does it serve?"
Han Qing Li looked at him in silence.
Lin Shuan's expression remained composed.
"I will not force her to remain engaged to me, and I will not allow the clan to force me to maintain an arrangement that no longer has meaning."
He paused.
"But I will make sure that the matter is settled properly. She is still a member of the Lin Clan, and I am its Clan Head. I will not turn a personal grievance into an excuse to mistreat one of our own."
Han Qing Li's gaze softened.
She had been wondering how Lin Shuan would handle this matter.
Now, she understood.
He was angry, but he was not willing to let his anger dictate every decision.
Even when speaking about someone who had hurt him, he was still thinking about the consequences for the clan.
For some reason, that made her feel both relieved and a little sad.
She looked down for a moment.
Even now, he is still thinking about everyone else.
When she raised her head again, Lin Shuan was watching her.
"What is it?"
Han Qing Li quickly shook her head.
"Nothing."
She offered him a faint smile.
"I was just thinking that the Lin Clan's future may be rather troublesome."
Lin Shuan gave her a questioning look.
"Because of Lin Qing Xue?"
"Not only because of her."
Han Qing Li's smile deepened.
"With a Clan Head who has a mysterious protector, a princess as a childhood friend, an engagement he intends to end, and a habit of attracting powerful people wherever he goes, I suspect the Lin Clan will never lack interesting stories."
Lin Shuan stared at her.
Then he sighed.
"You're making it sound as though all of this is my fault."
"Isn't it?"
"Qing Li."
"What?"
He looked at her helplessly.
Han Qing Li finally laughed.
The sound was light and clear, spreading through the quiet courtyard beneath the stars.
Lin Shuan shook his head, but a faint smile appeared on his face.
For a little while, the tension that had followed them since the alliance meeting seemed to disappear.
Han Qing Li watched him smile.
Her own smile gradually softened.
She liked seeing him like this.
Not because he had forgotten his worries, but because, for a brief moment, he had allowed himself to put them aside.
She wanted him to have more moments like this.
Moments when he could speak without calculating the consequences of every word.
Moments when he could laugh without thinking about the next enemy.
Moments when he could simply be Lin Shuan.
Inside the pendant, Tian Wuchen had been listening to the exchange.
At first, he had been preoccupied with Protector Yi and the astonishing revelation that she possessed feelings for Lin Shuan.
But the moment he heard Lin Shuan mention an engagement, his attention shifted.
A long silence followed.
Then Tian Wuchen's voice suddenly erupted inside Lin Shuan's mind.
"You were engaged?!"
Lin Shuan's smile vanished.
Oh, no.
"Lin Shuan! You have an engagement, and you never told your master?!"
Lin Shuan closed his eyes.
This old monster...
"An engagement! An actual engagement!" Tian Wuchen continued, sounding more entertained with every word. "And here I was, believing that you spent all your time cultivating, fighting, and worrying about the future!"
Lin Shuan gritted his teeth.
"Master, is this really important?"
"Of course it's important!"
Tian Wuchen laughed.
"How could something like this not be important? You have been hiding such an interesting matter from me all this time!"
Lin Shuan's expression darkened.
"You old monster, what business is it of yours?"
For a brief moment, Tian Wuchen fell silent.
Then he burst into laughter.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Look at you! You can negotiate with sect elders, establish an alliance, and make decisions concerning the future of an entire clan. Yet you become embarrassed the moment your master asks about your engagement!"
Lin Shuan's face twitched.
"I'm not embarrassed!"
"Of course not!"
Tian Wuchen laughed even harder.
"You're merely standing beneath the night sky with a young woman beside you, discussing your former engagement while pretending that you don't care what your master thinks!"
Lin Shuan nearly lost his composure.
"You—!"
Han Qing Li glanced at him.
"Lin Shuan?"
He immediately stopped speaking.
She tilted her head.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Shuan forced himself to relax.
"Nothing."
Han Qing Li studied him for a moment.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Inside the pendant, Tian Wuchen was still laughing.
Lin Shuan silently clenched his fist.
Just wait, you old monster.
Tian Wuchen seemed to sense his irritation.
"All right, all right. I won't tease you anymore."
His voice gradually became calmer.
"At least, not for now."
Lin Shuan's expression darkened again.