The Lian estate gleamed with lantern light as carriages rolled into its courtyards. Silk banners bearing the Jia Clan's sigil—two interlocked blades—fluttered in the night breeze. Musicians played soft notes, but beneath the civility, a storm raged.
Inside the Hall of Nine Lanterns, the patriarch of the Jia Clan, Jia Wenshan, sat across from the Lian elders. His lips curled with practiced smiles, but his eyes gleamed with hunger.
"Your Zhe'er," Jia Wenshan said smoothly, "is famed for her beauty and talent. My son, Jia Rong, is destined for greatness. Together, they will bring prosperity and stability to both clans."
Lian Yuanzhi's staff tapped the floor, the sound echoing. "This alliance will safeguard us against enemies." His voice was stern, but beneath it trembled the weight of desperation.
Lian Zhe sat quietly behind the elders, her face veiled. Outwardly serene, but her heart pounded. Each word chained her future, turning her into currency in a game of power. Her gaze dropped, hiding the flicker of pain in her eyes. Yu… where are you?
---
Meanwhile, in a quiet courtyard far from the politics of clans, Feng Xieyun opened his eyes from meditation. The faint warmth of the Chaos Goddess' touch still lingered in his veins, battling the cold iron of the System.
> [Forget her.]
[Love is weakness. Hatred is strength.]
The System's voice hissed in his mind, sharper than ever. Yet he remembered her silver gaze, her whispered promise, her defiance against the Unknown God. The memory burned brighter than the System's commands.
"No," he murmured, voice low but resolute. "If hatred is all you offer, then I'll forge my own strength. Power to break your chains. Power to reach her."
At that vow, his Heavenly Demon Dao Bone pulsed, releasing a surge of Qi that rippled across the courtyard. The night air trembled. Birds scattered. For an instant, his shadow twisted into something vast, something divine.
---
Back in the Hall of Nine Lanterns, Jia Wenshan's voice carried like a blade.
"Then it is settled. Three months from now, the engagement will be sealed."
The elders nodded. The decision was made.
But Lian Zhe's heart shattered in silence. She bowed, concealing her trembling hands, her voice calm though her soul screamed. "As the clan wills."
Yet deep within her, chaos stirred. A faint memory she did not fully understand, a yearning for a man whose name she did not yet remember, whispered in defiance.
The Chaos Goddess was not meant to bow.
---
Far away, Feng Xieyun raised his head toward the moon, his fists clenched. The marriage alliance rumors had already reached his ears. He closed his eyes, and the Immortal Plane's light flashed within his mind.
"Three months…" he whispered, his voice sharp as steel. "If they think they can chain her, they've forgotten one truth—"
His Qi surged again, rattling the earth beneath him.
"—chains are made to be broken."
And far above, in the Immortal Plane, the shadow upon the throne stirred once more, its laughter echoing like thunder.
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