Spring passed quietly within the Xuan estate, yet not all was calm.
Since the night Li Tian spoke a full sentence, the air around the second courtyard grew heavier. Servants bowed lower. Guards stood straighter. Everyone had begun to realize that the silent child was not ordinary.
But none knew how unnatural he truly was.
Li Tian had grown stronger in secret. His steps were firm. His mind processed language at terrifying speed. And more than anything, his system began unlocking fragments hidden deep within his being.
> [God System - Sync Progress: 20.3%]
Skill: Soul Thread Sense - Active
Allows perception of karmic bonds and emotional tethers.
He first tested it on the one person who never treated him like a threat—Ru'er.
She was the daughter of Lady Shen, the third wife. A soft girl with wide eyes, always giggling, always curious. She followed Li Tian like a shadow, never fearing him.
On a quiet afternoon, they sat beneath the old magnolia tree.
"Tiantian," she chirped, handing him a ribbon, "help me tie a wish charm?"
He looked at her and blinked.
Then… he saw it.
A thread. Faint but shimmering—pure silver running from her heart toward his.
> [Soul Thread Match: 38% - Heavenly Bond Detected]
> Entity: Ru'er
Status: Half-Reincarnated Spirit
Past Connection: Unknown
Sync Available
For a moment, the mortal world faded.
Li Tian saw another time… a golden garden, a girl laughing beside a silver-haired god. She called him "gege" in a voice full of stars.
He gasped.
That soul… it was her.
> [System Notification: Soul Sync Initiated - 1.0% Linked]
Ru'er tilted her head. "Tiantian, are you sleepy?"
He blinked and nodded slowly. "I just… remembered a dream."
Ru'er smiled and leaned on his shoulder.
"You're weird," she giggled, "but I like weird."
That night, Li Tian sat by his window as moonlight poured in. His thoughts churned.
Ru'er was not just his sister by household. She was bound to him by fate itself. Whether she had once been divine, celestial, or something else entirely—he didn't know. But the connection was real.
> "They cast me down… but they couldn't erase everything."
In the hallway beyond his chamber, Lady Shen stood quietly, watching through the half-open door.
"He's special," she whispered. "He brings peace to my daughter's heart."
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the estate, Lady Hong sharpened her gaze. "He's worming his way into everyone's hearts," she muttered to her maid. "We'll see how long that lasts."
The political tension in the estate deepened. Allies formed silently. Servants aligned themselves with power.
And the child at the center of it all… simply watched.
Not yet ready to strike.
But no longer helpless.
---