"Young Master Wu, are you sure you want to do this?"
The man in shadow seemed to hesitate, yet he continued, his voice devoid of the concern his words carried.
"You have been chasing Lan Yue for a long time. If she disappears—especially according to your plan—you will be the main suspect."
"The Lan Family will definitely retaliate. And then, not even the Wu Family's Guest Elder will be able to save you."
The man paused, letting his words sink into the rock-hard, hollow mind of Wu Qiong.
"I suggest we stick to the plan and keep our heads low for now."
His tone was firm, brooking no argument.
Wu Qiong scoffed, brushing a lock of hair from his face with exaggerated grace.
"You think I'm scared of the Lan Family?" he sneered, stepping from the darkness.
"They wouldn't dare lay a finger on me," Wu Qiong said with a grin, "After all, I am the great Heir of the Wu Family."
The man in the shadows remained still.
"Still," Wu Qiong added, narrowing his eyes, "Just to be safe… make your man attack me too."
The man in shadow finally reacted, even if minutely.
The dumb Young Master, who couldn't think two steps ahead, had actually managed to conjure the idea of playing the victim.
If not for the stoic persona he maintained before Wu Qiong—and the sheer stupidity of the plan—he might have applauded the boy for finally developing the brain of an ape.
"Your plan," the shadowed man said slowly.
Then, he disappeared, leaving Wu Qiong alone.
Suddenly, Wu Qiong kicked the chair, rage erupting in his chest.
"That bastard!"
The chair splintered under the force of his kick, but he didn't stop. Wu Qiong kept stomping the broken remains again and again.
The facade he wore before the mysterious man in shadow shattered completely.
"How dare he talk to me like that?! They haven't even told me the plan, and they want me to follow it?"
"Me? The Young Master of the Wu Clan?!"
"Just wait until I get my hands on Lan Yue—then I'll kill all of you with my own hands!"
Wu Qiong raged like a child throwing a tantrum. Only after exhausting himself did he storm out of the room.
Unknown to him, the events in this secret room were anything but.
***
'No. No. No.'
Yuan's heart raced. His breath came in ragged gasps. His body trembled slightly.
He wasn't as stupid as Wu Qiong. He knew from the start—the plan was doomed.
Convince Lan Yue to follow him, the most notorious man in the city, into a dark alleyway?
Impossible.
Avoid everyone's eyes during an auction?
Impossible.
Fight Lan Yue and avoid attention?
Impossible.
And finally—kidnap Lan Yue and not be the main suspect?
Absolutely impossible.
'Just how stupid was Wu Qiong to think this could ever work?'
'He'd have failed in the first step!'
Yuan shook his head.
Now that he was here in Wu Qiong's place, things would not unfold as they had before.
That thought brought a small sense of relief. At least he had arrived before the situation became irreversible.
But another, more pressing concern loomed in his mind.
'What am I supposed to do with that man in the shadows?'
The man's intentions were clearly sinister. He was using Wu Qiong for his own benefit. His motives remained unclear, but one thing was certain—Yuan refused to become the sacrifice.
If anything, he intended to be the one who profited.
As if on cue, a glowing panel appeared before him.
[Name]: [Wu Qiong]
[Calling]: [Thief of Destiny]
[Status]: [Heavenly Dao's Curse]{Sealed}
[Attribute]: [Sacred Crucible Physique] [Heavenly Calamity Body] [Eye of Omen]
'…'
Yuan stared at the panel, momentarily stunned. His eyes blanked.
Seconds passed. Silence lingered like a fog.
Then—joy. Pure, unfiltered joy.
'Are you a system?!' he thought with elation.
But no answer came.
'…'
'Do I have to speak out loud?'
He recalled how, in novels, systems often required verbal prompts to activate. His gaze flicked to Lan Yue.
Though she didn't seem to be paying him any attention, she would surely hear even the softest whisper.
Yuan shook his head and pretended to look down—at a slave being sold, it would seem.
In truth, he kept his attention on the panel, mentally testing different queries.
'Can you talk?'
'How do you help?'
'Why do I have this curse?'
'What does this physique do?'
Still nothing. No blinking. No sound. No response.
Yuan sighed.
'Later, I'll try saying it out loud.'
His initial excitement plummeted. The soaring hope had crashed.
Still—at the very least—it showed him things even Wu Qiong's memories couldn't reveal.
That alone was worth something.
Without this panel, he might never have learned these things about himself. Not in time, anyway.
For that, Yuan allowed himself a brief moment of renewed joy.
'Just what is this [Thief of Destiny]? What is the [Heavenly Dao's Curse]? The [Sacred Crucible Physique]? The [Heavenly Calamity Body]? And the [Eye of Omen]?'
Suddenly, a blinding white light engulfed his vision, like a flashbang going off in his face.
Yuan was momentarily blind.
In the void of white, a single golden thread came into view—floating before his eyes.
He instinctively reached out to grasp it.
But the golden thread slipped through his fingers and spiraled downward.
'Where's it going?'
Yuan stood from his chair, drawing a few surprised glances—Lan Yue's included.
But he didn't notice.
His attention was fully locked on the golden thread, now winding its way downward… toward the auction platform.
When it reached its destination, the golden glow began to dissipate.
At the end of the thread was a girl—a slave about to be sold.
Yuan's focus zeroed in.
And her beauty wasn't what seized Yuan's attention.
Not even close.
It was the sheer intensity of her...
...Hatred. Disgust. Malice. Fury.
All of it—directed at him.