Liu Erlong stirred awake as consciousness returned to her. Her eyelids fluttered open to an unfamiliar ceiling. The soft fragrance of incense lingered in the air, and the decor around her was nothing like Rodia Village.
For a moment, her mind was blank—then the memories hit her all at once.
The wedding.
Yu Xiaogang's retreating figure.
The heartbreak.
Tears welled in her eyes. She whispered his name, brokenly.
"Xiaogang…"
A soft creak at the door interrupted her grief. A young maid entered the room, clad in a simple but dignified uniform. Upon her chest gleamed the sigil of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Liu Erlong's eyes narrowed as she recognized the symbol. However, she still asked with a cold voice.
"Where am I?".
The maid bowed respectfully. "Madam, you are in the Heaven Dou City branch residence of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
Liu Erlong's jaw tightened. She sat up slowly, her voice firm.
"How long have I been unconscious?"
The maid bowed again, avoiding her eyes. "Four days, madam."
At that, the atmosphere in the room turned cold, almost suffocating.
Liu Erlong's expression darkened like a brewing storm. Her eyes glinted with the fury of someone who had suffered both public disgrace and personal betrayal.
"I'm leaving," she declared coldly. "Tell my father, if he even deserves to be called that, he won't be stopping me again."
Without waiting for a response, she threw off the covers and strode toward the wardrobe, yanking it open with force. She began searching for appropriate clothes, her movements sharp and angry.
The maid hesitated, frozen in place. In that brief moment when Liu Erlong's soul power flared, just a wisp of Soul King-level cultivation, sent a chill down the maid's spine.
She was merely a Level 15 soul master, barely above an ordinary servant. There was no way she could stop Liu Erlong, who looked ready to tear through anyone who blocked her path.
Knowing better than to argue, the maid turned and fled from the room, rushing down the corridor.
Her only task now was to inform Vice Clan Leader Master Yu Luomian immediately.
The maid hurried down the hallway, heart pounding as she approached a large, guarded chamber where murmurs of conversation echoed from within. She stopped before the heavy doors, only to be blocked by a guard.
"No one is allowed inside," he said firmly. "Vice Leader Master Yu is currently speaking with important guests."
The maid swallowed her nerves. "This is urgent," she insisted. "It concerns Miss Liu Erlong. Master Yu gave explicit instructions that he be informed the moment she awoke."
The guard furrowed his brow, considering her words. After a brief pause, he relented. "Wait here. I'll request Master Yu's permission."
He slipped through the doors, disappearing into the room beyond. Minutes stretched tensely before he returned and nodded.
"Master Yu has granted you entry."
The maid stepped inside the richly adorned meeting hall. Her eyes immediately fell on Yu Luomian, seated with an air of cold authority. Beside him were three figures, each notable in their own right.
The first was a man of refined grace, dressed in flowing robes, exuding calm wisdom. Ning Fengzhi, unmistakably.
Next to him sat an elder with a sturdy frame was Bone Douluo Gu Rong, whose mere presence sent a chill of reverence through the room.
The third guest, however, was standing silently in the corner. His appearance was unremarkable, his face plain, easily forgettable. Yet something about his posture, his stillness, suggested hidden depth and quiet power. The maid couldn't place him, but now was not the time for curiosity.
She focused and bowed deeply. "Master Yu, Miss Liu Erlong has regained consciousness. She says she intends to leave the residence."
Yu Luomian let out a heavy sigh and leaned back slightly in his chair, weariness flickering in his eyes.
"I cannot keep a grown woman locked away, no matter how misguided her emotions might be," he muttered. "Let her go."
Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong exchanged glances but made no comment. Matters within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were not theirs to interfere in.
Yu Luomian's eyes flicked back to the maid, sharp and direct. "That will be all. You may leave."
Grateful for the dismissal, the maid bowed once more and left swiftly.
--
After the maid left, Liu Erlong stood still in the quiet room for a long moment. Her gaze drifted to the simple wedding dress folded neatly on the bed, soft white silk with crimson embroidery around the sleeves and hem, symbolizing joy and union. Yet now, it mocked her. Her hands clenched tightly by her sides as her jaw tensed.
Not bothering to fix her hair, she left the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's branch hall without a word..
The streets of the city blurred past her as she moved like a shadow through them. Her thoughts were burning, each one more unbearable than the last.
By the time she realized where her feet had taken her, she was far outside the city. The bustle of Heaven Dou faded behind her, replaced by the soft hush of nature, the chirping of birds, the rustling of trees in the breeze, the smell of pine.
But there was no peace in it.
She found herself standing at the edge of a grove, her chest rising and falling with sharp breaths. Her nails dug into her palm. The rage had no outlet. Her fists trembled.
With a single thought, her soul power surged as she completed her Martial Soul possession
Boom!
Crimson flames burst around her as her martial soul manifested, fiery, violent, and wild. Liu Erlong's fire dragon became an extension of her fury.
She raised her hand, and with a scream that tore through the silence, she unleashed it.
Flames erupted across the trees like an inferno had been dropped from the heavens. The trunks cracked and blackened, the leaves curled into ash, and the grove that had once stood so serene was consumed by fire and wrath.
Tears streamed down her face as she stood amidst the growing destruction. Not because of regret. But because despite the fire, despite the power, despite the screams—her heart still hurt.
Her breath heaved as the last of the trees collapsed into smoldering embers. The clearing was silent once more.