Chapter 13: Web of Shadows
The night sky over Blackflame City was thick with storm clouds, their weight pressing down as though the heavens themselves feared what was about to unfold. The moon, pale and veiled, offered no light. It was a fitting omen for what Lian Zhen was about to do.
After he triumphed over the Crimson Fang bandits, whispers of his growing strength spread like wildfire through the clan. But unlike the praise a righteous cultivator might receive, the words that followed Lian Zhen were mixed with awe, unease, and a growing thread of fear. The clan elders began to watch him with keener eyes, and rival families in the city started to take note of the Patriarch's son who had suddenly leapt from obscurity to power.
And yet, beneath the surface, Lian Zhen knew the truth.
It wasn't power alone that had earned him respect. It was the way he wielded fear.
The System had not been idle since the Crimson Fang's subjugation. The moment Lian Zhen returned, it had whispered its next directive.
[Main Quest: Establish the Villain's Web]
Objective: Create a network of loyal agents through coercion, fear, or manipulation. At least three key figures must be brought under your influence.
Reward: Unlock Villain Technique – Shadow Binding Seal.
When Zhen first read it, his pulse quickened. A network. Control. Influence. Not through strength alone, but through subtlety—the very thing that separated villains from heroes.
And so, as the storm clouds gathered, Lian Zhen began weaving his web.
The first thread came from within his clan.
Elder Lian Wu was a man of sharp words and sharper greed. His control over the clan's treasury made him a powerful figure, though his cowardice was well known. Zhen had noticed the way Wu's eyes lingered too long on treasures, how his fingers twitched whenever valuable items were mentioned. Such weakness was ripe for exploitation.
That night, Zhen appeared in Wu's private chambers unannounced. The elder startled, nearly choking on the wine he had been drinking.
"Y-you! What are you doing here, barging into—" Wu's words faltered when he saw the shadows writhe unnaturally around Zhen's form, a subtle trick borrowed from Shadow Maiden Yue.
Zhen smiled faintly, though his eyes were cold. "Elder Wu, you've lived long enough to know the scent of change when it fills the air. Tell me… would you prefer to resist it, or profit from it?"
The elder's face paled. "What do you mean?"
Zhen leaned close, his words a whisper that seemed to seep directly into Wu's bones. "Your greed is your weakness. But it can also be your strength. Serve me. Channel resources my way. And in return… you will have access to opportunities far beyond mere clan coffers. Refuse…"
The shadows tightened around Wu's throat, enough to cut off his breath for a single, terrifying moment. "And your name will be forgotten."
When Zhen finally released him, Wu gasped for air, his face drenched in sweat. He did not hesitate.
"I-I will serve! Whatever you wish, Young Master!"
Zhen's smile widened. The first strand of the web was secured.
The second thread was outside the clan.
Blackflame City was ruled by rival factions, each clawing for influence. Among them, the Iron Serpent Syndicate thrived in the shadows—smugglers, killers, and extortionists who ruled the city's underworld. Their leader, Hu Zhen, was a cunning man, feared as much as he was hated.
Zhen knew he couldn't confront the syndicate directly, not yet. Instead, he targeted one of its lieutenants: Ma Rong, a cruel but ambitious man whose resentment toward Hu Zhen was no secret.
The meeting took place in a dimly lit gambling den, the air thick with smoke. Zhen sat calmly at a table, a glass of untouched wine before him. When Ma Rong arrived, sneering at the 'clan brat,' Zhen merely waited.
"I don't have time for this," Ma Rong spat. "What does a pampered heir want from me?"
Zhen's fingers tapped once on the table. The system whispered in his mind, guiding his words.
"You hate your leader. You want his throne. But you lack the strength to seize it. I can give you that strength. In exchange, you will serve me."
Ma Rong laughed, his voice booming through the hall. "And why would I serve you, little boy?"
The laughter ended abruptly when a dagger of pure shadow pierced the wood between his fingers, missing flesh by a hair's breadth. The shadows clung to the blade, writhing as though alive.
Zhen's gaze was sharp as steel. "Because unlike Hu Zhen, I don't tolerate betrayal. Serve me, and you will rise. Refuse… and you will not live long enough to regret it."
For a long moment, silence reigned. Then Ma Rong's smirk faltered into something else—respect, tinged with fear.
"…Very well. I'll play your game, young master."
Another strand of the web tightened.
The third was the most dangerous.
Within the Lian Clan was a genius: Lian Xue, daughter of an elder, known for her icy temperament and unrivaled talent in cultivation. She was the kind of person destined to rise high in the righteous path, a potential heroine in another story.
But Zhen saw opportunity.
Approaching her was not about threats. It was about subtle manipulation. He began by helping her during training sessions, lending insight drawn from the countless villains in his archive. Slowly, she began to respect his knowledge, though her trust remained cautious.
Then came the turning point.
During a clan hunting expedition, Xue was ambushed by rival disciples who sought to cripple her. Zhen intervened—not as a savior, but as a shadow. He manipulated the villains' teachings to orchestrate the enemies' downfall in a way that seemed coincidental, ensuring that Xue believed she had barely escaped through her own skill.
When she looked at him afterward, her icy eyes softened. "You're… different from before."
Zhen only smiled faintly. "Perhaps I've finally found my purpose."
It wasn't loyalty. Not yet. But a seed had been planted.
The third strand awaited its full tightening.
When Zhen returned to his chambers, the System's chime echoed like a bell tolling in his mind.
[Main Quest Completed: Establish the Villain's Web]
[Reward Unlocked: Shadow Binding Seal]
Information flooded his mind: a forbidden technique that could bind the loyalty of subordinates through fear, oath, or desire. A villain's leash, invisible yet unbreakable.
Zhen's breath shuddered. This was it—the foundation of power not built on strength alone, but on control.
As he stood at his window, watching the storm clouds scatter over Blackflame City, Zhen's reflection in the glass looked back at him.
No longer a lost soul from Earth.
No longer a boy fumbling in the shadows of giants.
But the heir of villains.
And soon, their master.
The web had been cast. The first threads were in place. And as every villain knew, once a web began to grow… there was no escaping it.