Lixuan's body kept sinking deeper into the dark waters. The river looked calm from the outside, but inside, the fierce currents were carrying him away with them. As if the world above had rejected him, and the deep water wanted to quietly hide him in its embrace.
His eyes were closed, his body completely still, but he was not dead. His breaths were faint, yet they were still there — as if life had refused to let him go… as if somewhere, somehow, there was still a reason left for him to live.
On the shore above, everything seemed to be over, but inside someone, the storm was still raging. Mingzhao was kneeling beside the river. His fists were clenched tight, his eyes red — with anger, with pain. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, as if every breath was piercing him. In a slow, broken voice, he said,
"Father… what have you done? He was your son…"
Chen Yu looked at him, but there was no movement in his eyes — only coldness. As if he had turned every feeling in his heart into stone.
"He had become a threat to all of us," he replied firmly.
Mingzhao stood up immediately and said,
"A threat? The one who saved everyone… the one who put his life on the line… he was a threat?"
His voice was breaking. There wasn't just a question in his words — there was an accusation.
A little distance away, Zhichen stood silently. His gaze was still fixed on the river, as if he hoped the water would return him… as if in the next moment Lixuan would rise from the waves and say — "I'm here." He said softly,
"Moyan was lying. Lixuan did not have any fragment."
Then Liyuan looked at him and asked,
"How can you be so sure?"
Zhichen's voice was very soft, but it did not tremble.
"Because… I know him."
In those three words lived years of trust. Friendship. And the kind of pain that only truth understands.
Xiangu turned toward the clan leaders and said,
"Lixuan would never hide anything from us. He cannot be a traitor."
For a few moments, silence spread there. Even the jungle air seemed to have stopped. But Chen Yu's harsh voice shattered it.
"Enough. The war is not over yet. We cannot stop for someone's weakness. What is done is done. Forget it."
Looking directly at Zhichen, he added,
"This is an order."
But he did not know — some orders can never be enforced upon the heart.
After that, everyone slowly began to leave. The shine of their swords now felt like a burden. There was no pride left in the sound of their footsteps — only silence. No one turned back to look. Mingzhao tried to stop once, but his father pulled his hand and forced him to walk away. Tears would not stop flowing from his eyes, yet he had to keep walking… because warriors do not stop walking, even when they cry.
Zhichen was the last to leave. Before going, he looked at the river once more. In his eyes were questions, and a vow — but no words. In his heart he said, "If you are alive… I will find you."
The night kept growing deeper. The silence in the forest became heavier. The wind blew slowly, as if nature itself was mourning. The leaves of the trees rustled softly — as if they were quietly weeping.
Then suddenly, the same plant upon whose leaves Zhichen and Lixuan's drops of blood had fallen began to glow faintly. At first, the light was very gentle, like the flame of a firefly, but gradually it began to grow — as if the door to a hidden fate was opening.
The leaves of the plant started trembling, as if life was beating inside them. The light turned from white to moonlike silver, and then a faint blue hue began to mix into it. Within moments, the glow became so bright that the ground, trees, and stones around it were swallowed by the radiance. The darkness of the forest began to retreat.
Then from the center of the plant, a small shadow began to emerge. The light slowly took shape, and from the tender vines of that very plant, a tiny baby girl was born — as if nature had given birth to a new life from its own pain.
She slowly descended to the ground, like a flower petal falling.
The baby girl was extraordinarily beautiful… but within that beauty was a strange calmness. Her skin was soft like milk, and a faint glow shimmered upon it — as if moonlight lived inside her. The most unusual thing was that there was no mark on her body — no birthmark, no stain, no wound. Completely pure… completely untouched… as if pain had never brushed against her.
But in her tiny hand, there was something. Around her wrist was a delicate bracelet — silver-like, yet emitting a soft light, as if it were not made of any ordinary metal. The beads of the bracelet pulsed with a faint blue and white glow, as if they were alive with the baby's breaths… as if they were a part of her.
For a few moments, the baby remained completely quiet. The forest seemed to hold its breath.
Then suddenly, she began to cry loudly. Her cry was soft, yet it carried a strange echo — as if the sound was striking against the air, the trees, and the earth, spreading far and wide… as if announcing her arrival to the world.
The waves of the distant river suddenly surged and struck the shore more fiercely for a moment, as if answering her cry.
The moon hid behind the clouds, occasionally revealing itself. The forest paths were deserted, but cutting through that silence, two shadows slowly moved forward. Their footsteps made soft thudding sounds against the damp earth.
They were a husband and wife. The husband's name was Bao Lin — thin, sharp-eyed, with a face that always carried calculating thoughts. There was less humanity and more greed in his eyes. And his wife, Mei Lian… whose lips held less gentleness and more cunning. Even in the darkness, her eyes gleamed — as if she was always searching for opportunity.
The two were returning to their village in the darkness of the night. Fatigue weighed on their steps, but their conversations always revolved around money and comfort.
Just then, a faint sound of crying reached them with the wind.
Both stopped at once.
"Did you hear that?" Mei Lian asked softly. There was less fear and more curiosity in her voice.
Bao Lin frowned. "It sounds like a child…"
The sound came again — clearer this time. And this time, it wasn't just a sound… it felt like a heartfelt call.
They began walking in the direction of the cry, pushing aside trees and bushes. With every step, the forest seemed darker. The air grew colder, as if trying to stop them from moving forward.
Slowly, they reached the place where the plant was still faintly glowing, and beside it, the tiny baby was crying.
For a moment, they stood stunned.
"So beautiful…" Mei Lian murmured. But there was no motherly love in her voice… only astonishment.
Bao Lin bent down to look at the baby. "How is she here? In the middle of the forest?" He quickly looked around. "Someone must have left her… or maybe…"
His sentence trailed off.
Then his eyes fell upon the bracelet on the baby's wrist.
Greed instantly flashed in his eyes.
"Look at this…" he said softly to Mei Lian. "It looks very valuable."
Mei Lian's breathing quickened. There were no dreams in her eyes… only the shine of coins. "If this is real, our lives could change…"
Without delay, Bao Lin grabbed the baby's hand and tried to remove the bracelet. But as soon as he tried to pull it off, it did not move at all. As if it were not metal… but a bond of some vow.
He pulled harder, but it still did not come off.
Mei Lian tried as well. "It's so thin… then why won't it come off?"
Both of them tried pulling together, but it was as if the bracelet had fused into the baby's wrist — as if it were part of her, a piece of her soul.
Suddenly, the baby began crying loudly.
There was pain in her voice… but also a strange strength. As if she was not merely crying — but warning them.
Mei Lian stepped back slightly. "Leave it… it won't come off."
Then another thought flashed in her eyes. Slowly, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Why don't we… take her with us?" she said softly.
Bao Lin looked at her. "The baby?"
"Yes. Think about it… such a beautiful child. And the bracelet will stay with her. When she grows up, we can sell it. By then, maybe it will come off."
She looked at the baby again — not with love. Only with greed.
Bao Lin thought for a few moments. The wind in the forest began to blow harder. The leaves shook violently — as if nature itself disagreed with their decision.
Then he slowly smiled.
"You're not wrong…"
He bent down and lifted the baby. She immediately settled into his arms. Her crying slowly began to fade… but the corners of her eyes were still wet. As if she had felt the first turn of her fate.
Bao Lin glanced once more at the bracelet. "Whatever it is," he said quietly, "this child is not ordinary."
Mei Lian let out a cold breath. "Ordinary or not… she is ours now."
In the darkness of the night, the two walked out of the forest carrying the baby. Behind them, the glowing plant slowly gathered its light and sank back into darkness — as if it had completed its purpose… as if it had handed its trust into the hands of the world.
Mei Lian held the baby tightly in her arms, while Bao Lin walked ahead with a torch. The night had grown very deep. The forest paths felt even more deserted.
The baby would sometimes cry softly, sometimes fall silent… but her tiny fist still clutched Mei Lian's clothes. As if even in the darkness, she wanted to hold onto some light.
Without turning back, they kept walking slowly… and after some time, they left the darkness of the forest and reached their village.
From there, a new story in that tiny life was about to begin.
But they did not know…
That the tiny soul sleeping in their arms would one day write the greatest destiny of the coming time…
And the greed with which they had picked her up would one day become their greatest punishment.