Her name was Yun Lan, handpicked years ago from the Yun Family's main estate. She ranked among Yun Yao's elite shadows.
"Sister Yun Lan, I have a task for you."
The address struck her like a thunderbolt. Sister? Yun Lan stood frozen, her composure cracking for the first time in years.
When had this Young Master ever spoken with such warmth? He had never called her 'sister'—never shown her anything beyond cold formality or dismissive orders. No one had.
She studied him carefully, searching for some explanation.
What had changed in Ye Qian? Ever since he'd awakened from that catastrophic Qi Deviation, something fundamental had shifted.
His mannerisms, his speech patterns, even the weight of his presence—all transformed.
If she hadn't witnessed his recovery with her own eyes, Yun Lan would have sworn some ancient cultivator had seized his body in reincarnation.
Ye Qian registered her bewilderment but offered no explanation. Some things required no justification.
"Keep your eyes on that boy, Yue Qingshan.
Every meal he touches, every hand he shakes, every word he whispers—I want it all laid bare before me.
Not even a breath he takes will go unnoticed. Nothing is beneath my interest.
Is that clear?"
Authority saturated each word, absolute and unyielding.
The aura radiating from him transcended mere cultivation—this was the innate bearing of one born to command, to stand above all others. It pressed against her like a physical force.
Yun Lan felt that overwhelming presence settle over her and lowered her gaze instinctively, unable to meet his eyes directly.
"Your will is my command, Young Master."
The words had barely left her lips when she vanished, her form dissolving into the shadows without a whisper of displaced air.
Ye Qian had no doubts about her reliability.
His mother's personal bodyguard was no ordinary expert—though he hadn't examined her detailed information yet, her strength was unquestionably at least within the King Realm.
More than sufficient to track Yue Qingshan's movements.
As for Yue Qingshan's mysterious master, Ye Qian had already calculated the variables.
Expelling his Sword Qi would drain the soul considerably, leaving him vulnerable and distracted. Combined with Yun Lan's innate mastery of concealment techniques, even a True God Realm cultivator might overlook her presence.
Unless she encountered a Great Saint Realm expert actively searching for threats—and even then, passive observation would likely escape detection—she would remain unnoticed.
He felt entirely confident in his choice. Capable subordinates deserved meaningful assignments, and the core matter posed no real concern.
At worst, Yun Lan would report his activities to Yun Yao, but his mother learning his plans hardly qualified as a crisis. Let her pass along whatever she wished.
With that settled, Ye Qian turned his attention to a more delicate problem: how to extract additional Luck from Yue Ming without destroying the careful groundwork he'd laid.
One fact remained clear—Yue Ming had become something between an ally and an asset.
He wouldn't bleed her Luck dry and then dispose of her, no matter how tempting the immediate rewards. True, eliminating a Daughter of Heaven would yield a Villain Treasure Chest, but such rewards weren't his only path to power.
More importantly, Yue Ming had the potential to reach the Supreme Realm in the future. If he could secure her complete devotion, he would gain an incomparable tool for his ambitions.
The long game mattered more than short-term gains.
What he needed now was a strategy to siphon her Luck while simultaneously deepening her loyalty. Raising Loyalty proved difficult—it demanded patience, careful cultivation of trust and dependence.
Her current sixty-five points meant she wouldn't betray him under normal circumstances, but 'normal' could shift dramatically under pressure.
"Perhaps... I can consider something else…"
The words emerged as a murmur, his gaze growing distant as possibilities crystallized in his mind.
Yes. There were methods, intimate and binding, that would serve both purposes elegantly.
…
On the border of Spiritual Canal Prefecture—the vast territory ruled by the Ye Family, positioned closest to the Yun Family's domains—an enormous flying ship carved through the sky.
Flying ships existed throughout the Immortal Realm, possessed by every major faction for travel and transport.
But a vessel of this magnitude, radiating such palpable authority, announced the extraordinary status of its passengers long before they came into view.
Even petty bandits and rogue cultivators, upon glimpsing such a ship, would abandon any thoughts of interception.
The ship's construction showcased exquisite craftsmanship, every detail proclaiming it belonged to a supreme power.
At the prow stood a woman draped in the finest silk robes money could commission. Her figure curved with deliberate allure, her features transcendently beautiful.
Smooth black hair cascaded down her back like a midnight waterfall, held in place by a butterfly-shaped hairpin that caught the light.
Immortal Qi wreathed around her naturally, and her flowing white dress enhanced the impression of someone otherworldly—a celestial maiden who had descended from the heavens themselves.
Her delicate, rose-tinted lips parted slightly with each breath, and above her captivating eyes, two willow-leaf brows arched gracefully, completing a face of incomparable beauty.
A maid approached from behind, each step measured and cautious.
"Young Miss, we have entered Spiritual Canal Prefecture. The Ye Family estate lies one day's journey ahead at our current speed."
The ethereal woman acknowledged this with the barest nod, then spoke in a voice like warm honey.
"Understood. Maintain normal cruising speed."
She offered nothing further.
"Yes, Young Miss." The maid bowed and hurried away to relay the command to the helmsman.
Along the ship's hull, a large emblem bore an elegant character carved in sweeping strokes: Yun.
This was indeed a Yun Family vessel, and the celestial woman at its prow was none other than Yun Xi—Ye Qian's older cousin and the daughter of the current Yun Family Patriarch.
A prodigy in her own right, she possessed not only devastating beauty but formidable cultivation strength.
Male geniuses from countless factions pursued her relentlessly; the number of suitors could form a line stretching from here all the way to the Ye Family gates.
A man in dark green robes approached her position. Handsome and tall, with a sturdy build that spoke of martial training, he projected an air of confidence as he drew near.
"Yun Xi, we've already entered Spiritual Canal Prefecture under the Ye Family's rule.
Why don't we descend and explore the region together?
It's rare that we come this far—it would be a genuine pity not to see the sights."
His identity clearly held weight; unlike the maid's deference, his tone suggested familiarity, almost friendship.
Yun Xi spared him only a sideways glance, her expression cooling several degrees.
"Now is not the time for such childish matters. My dear cousin awaits my visit.
He barely survived a catastrophic Qi Deviation—that he recovered at all is remarkably fortunate.
Father specifically dispatched me to visit him, which means I cannot afford negligence of any kind."
She paused, then added with unmistakable dismissal,
"As for sightseeing, Prince Li, please feel free to explore on your own. I won't be joining you."
Her tone carried frost and a thread of impatience that would have silenced most men immediately.
The man before her did indeed possess extraordinary status—Yun Xi had addressed him as Prince Li.
Only royal descendants from established dynasties received such titles, and this particular one was Li Luo, Third Prince of the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty, which operated under the Yun Family's sphere of influence.
The Heavenly Dragon Dynasty stood as the most powerful force allied with the Yun Family—vast population, countless armies, extensive collaborations spanning trade and military affairs.
Yet despite their worldly power, they lacked cultivators of sufficient strength to stand independently.
The Heavenly Dragon Dynasty survived and thrived only through their allegiance to the mighty Yun Family, a relationship both parties understood perfectly.