Now, upon the bed lay Maria, her now frail form sunk into the soft sheets, submerged in a deep slumber.
Her breathing was steady, but her complexion remained pale, her lips drained of color. Jian stood by her side, his gaze locked on her face, his chest tightening with every shallow breath she took.
His heart ached— felt like a knife carving into his own flesh. And though Yun Ji had assured him she would live, guilt clawed at him. He blamed himself.
replaying Yun Ji's earlier words in his mind over and over, each repetition sinking deeper into his thoughts like a branding iron burning into flesh.
That moment, Jian's heart hardened. His jaw clenched as his hands balled into fists. I will never be trampled upon… never again, he swore silently.
His resolve sharpened into steel, and deep within his core. something even his past life never had.
But before the thought could settle, it came—like a storm ripping through the night.
A suffocating wave of spiritual pressure descended upon the Lou Mansion, heavier than before, thick with a sinister and twisted malice. It coiled through the halls, pressing against the walls as though darkness itself sought to crush the life within. The air grew heavy, making it difficult to breathe.
Jian's eyes narrowed, every instinct screaming danger.
Without hesitation, Mo Heng appeared at his side, spiritual qi surging from his core in a torrent. He forced every shred of his strength into blocking the crushing, unseen currents of spiritual force that swept through the room. Without a word, he stepped in front of Jian, his body glowing faintly under the strain, a protective aura wrapping them like a fragile barrier.
The pressure grew heavier, rattling the windows, making the floorboards groan. Even while holding back the attack, Mo Heng's face twisted in pain.
Seeing this, Jian acted on pure instinct—he scooped Maria into his arms, holding her close to shield her from the oppressive force. Her breathing was soft against his chest, yet every pulse of pressure felt as though it might snuff her out.
Then, without warning, a middle-aged man in blood-red robes stepped into existence, his grim face lit by the faint gleam of killing intent.
His spiritual sense swept across the Lou Mansion like a blade through silk. In the blink of an eye, he vanished—only to reappear in front of Jian chambers, holding the two guards stationed outside the room by the neck he immediately twisted their neck ending their life before they could struggle. with a thunderous bang, the door to Jian's chamber splintering under his kick.
"Well, if it isn't Lou Jian of the Lou Mansion," the man sneered. His hand lifted, fingers curling into a choking stance. With a vicious twist of his wrist, the sound of snapping bone filled the room.
Mo Heng's head jerked unnaturally to the side—then his body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
"You've cost me my life today," the red-robed man snarled, his eyes wild. "The master will kill me for failing… for letting two of the finest of the younger generation be killed in such fashion.
And since I know who the cause of my death is, I will not—"
Shhk!
The man froze, a blade erupting from his chest, the cold steel piercing his heart. Blood bubbled at his lips.
"Fool," Yun Ji's voice cut through the air as he withdrew the sword, his expression cold. "You won't be killing him today."
The corpse fell forward with a dull thud.
The middle-aged man who had sent Bao Ren and Jin Wuye to their early graves had made a fatal miscalculation.
Lacking proper intel, he had assumed Jian was the one who tipped off the royal guards to eliminate them. When rumors spread that the guards had captured an ally of the Blood Mist Assassins, he concluded—wrongly—that the Lou Mansion was left unprotected.
That false confidence had led to his reckless intrusion… and to his death.
Jian stood frozen, his gaze locked on the now stiffened body of Mo Heng—his most trusted guard. His voice was low, dazed, almost unwilling to believe what he saw.
"What about the others? I hope… no one else is hurt."
"They're all fine," Yun Ji answered. "The spiritual pressure was pinpointed directly at you."
He knelt briefly beside the fallen intruder, confirming the man's death beyond any doubt. After a pause, his expression hardened. "Jian… you'll be in greater danger soon. And I might not be able to save you from whoever comes next."
Jian's head turned sharply, his voice a snap of frustration. "Then how do I protect myself if you can't protect me?"
Yun Ji's gaze darkened. "There are places… not impossible to breach, but dangerous enough to make even assassins hesitate—unless they've already planted insiders there."
He stepped closer, his tone dropping to a weighty murmur. "The Crystal Province. Assassins avoid it whenever they can. Too many sects. Too many powerful figures watching from the shadows. One wrong move there, and they'd vanish without a trace."
Jian's jaw tightened as understanding sank in. The Crystal Province was the only remotely safe place as—nowhere truly was—but for the moment, it was the one place his enemies wouldn't dare tread so openly.
Even as Yu Jian, he had never acted so openly in the Crystal Province—perhaps because his targets there were often far more influential, and drawing attention was unwise.
Thinking back, Jian recalled his old sect. The thought of returning to dual cultivation stirred something in him. Once, he had been a prodigy in the art. If he truly wanted to grow stronger, taking that path again would be far less gruesome than others… at least for him.
His gaze drifted to Maria, still fast asleep, blissfully unaware of the danger she had narrowly escaped.
With slow, deliberate steps, Jian approached Mo Heng's lifeless form. He knelt and gently closed the man's eyes with his hand. Rising, he walked out into the corridor, repeating the gesture for the two guards stationed outside. As he did, a bitter question twisted in his mind.
"Was my life worth the lives of these three?"
Even during his wildest escapades as Yu Jian, he had never once witnessed the death of someone he considered close. The feeling of loss was foreign to him, sitting heavy in his chest.
"Is anyone there?!" Jian's voice cut through the hallway.
Almost immediately, guards appeared. One glance at the scene, at Jian's expression—and they understood why they had been summoned.
As they began to move the bodies, Jian stopped them.
"Make sure they are buried properly," he said,
his tone leaving no room for debate as he signaled Yun Ji to accompany him.
Author note:
like it, then add it to library. And don't forget to leave a power stone, I will be motivated and happy if you do that.