Note: Please pay full attention to this part
Council Hall…
The testimonies of Yin Fengxian and the others were heard in full. Lady Duan Shou had long known the secrets of Azhai Rong, yet she had never imagined he could sink to such depths. However, there was also a glint in her eyes.....a reflection of something far older than today's revelations.
For even though Fengxian bore the blood of Lin Chaoyuan.....illegitimate though he might be...his family had proven that poison, too, could be turned into something sweet. Their history was proof enough; in two hundred years, not a single stain had marred the Fengxian name.
And the records said that although Lin Chaoyuan had seized his throne through deceit, the true heir to that legacy, if any, should be… this very man. The Xueyan Huo Sect, she thought, ought to be divided into three rightful parts. For there was one secret she had always known.....a truth she was not merely aware of, but a part of.
It was like this....
Two hundred years ago, the prophecy forged through the soul-sacrifice of a most distinguished Grandmaster had, in truth, been born within the Langshan Sect. Among the few survivors left in the world after the calamity, many too were Langshan natives. And though they lived isolated from the rest of the world, they had received no word of the disaster.....not even when the Gates of Black Heaven had opened for the first time.
The wards surrounding them were so great and unyielding that not a single wisp of Black Heaven's spiritual presence could reach them. At that time, they had no dealings or trade with any other sect.
But then came a message...one that drove them, in secret, to the Xuemo Sect.
The king and queen of the Xueyan Huo Sect had been slain, their infant child stolen. The official assigned to kill that child… could not bring himself to do it. He was, after all, a father to a young daughter himself, and this was a cruelty he could not bear to commit.
That one act of mercy changed everything.
He left the infant at a temple belonging to the Fuzi Xion Clan, and himself spread word to the local orphanage that a child had been found outside the temple. Then, without delay, he made his way to the Langshan Sect.
The leader at that time, Master Men Kio Jin, kept the matter the most closely guarded secret of all. Their task now was only to protect the prince.
Not long after, word reached them of another birth.....one that brought heartfelt joy. In the Nian lineage, a child had been born within the Ming Jing Men Sect. That child was Su Nian.
Tragically, his father had long abandoned the ways and traditions of their line. The court summoned him countless times, but his only remaining right over Su Nian was the bloodline...he was the great grandson of Master Nian, a legacy now on the brink of extinction. No matter what the man wished, he could do nothing.
Time passed, and both children grew. No effort was spared in ensuring their safety. And when news reached them that Su Nian and Duie had fallen in love, their joy knew no bounds. This was revealed by a hidden guardian assigned to watch over them within the academy itself.
Fate, it seemed, had been playing a beautiful game.....Duie was none other than the sole new heir of Master Lan and Master Nian's disciple. Sometimes, destiny reveals its most beautiful cards only after great tragedy.
And then came the day when Yu Sui rescued Lao Duan atop the Butterfly Mountain.....knowing full well he was Lin Chaoyuan's son, yet still understanding the pain the young man bore within.
But after Yu Sui departed, both Lao Duan and Lin Chaoyuan were seized by Langshan Sect officials. They were given a final warning....should they attempt any more dark rituals, the consequences would be dire.
Lao Duan withdrew.
Lin Chaoyuan did not.
Layer after layer of schemes unfolded from him, and in the end, Yu Sui himself captured him by his own designs. When word reached the Langshan Sect that Lin Chaoyuan was being held captive, they prepared to come for him...only to find that by the time they arrived, both Lin Chaoyuan and Lao Duan lay dead by Yu Sui's hand.
Then tragedy after tragedy struck. Betrayals upon betrayals. And finally, a war.....one in which those they most wished to protect were the very first to die.
After Lin Chaoyuan's death came the Zhaio Sko ceremony...a ceremony that even touched the Langshan Sect deeply. They, too, rejoiced at the wedding of High King Mo Yan and Yu Sui. They had never once heard of Yu's misdeeds, and even knowing the darkness that lay within him, they had always placed their trust in him.....albeit from a distance.
During and after the ceremony, all seemed well.
And then.....
The lady they had never suspected revealed her true colors.
Wui Guan...counted among the defenders.....became the devourer.
Thus, to atone for his own failure, the distinguished master had offered his sacrifice. He had always known who Su Nian and Duie truly were. If he had been prophesying for their justice alone, he would have foretold Dude's sister Zuyu's fate as well...but he knew his limits.
Master Men Kio Jin had been waiting for nothing more than the completion of Duie and Su Nian's training and their ceremonies...so that he could grant them their rightful place.
But before that day could come, it all ended.
He was murdered....by his own stepmother. The Nian family was erased forever, and with it, the future of the Xueyan Huo Sect was slain.
From that day until now, the secret had been kept buried...for their sake. He knew exactly who those traveling with Wang Gung and Fui Lon were. And now… the time had come to end the waiting.
The council rose from their seats and stepped outside.....but with a strange sense of relief. This tale had been told from Lady Duan Shou's own lips.
Outside, all was quiet.
The sun had set, as if retreating after a famine of the soul, hiding away once the people could breathe in peace again.
The students had all returned to their rooms. Lady Duan and her family had also been given chambers to rest in.
Snow was falling lightly, and no one could tell when the dark veil of night had drawn across the sky. Su Nian, Duie, Wuzu, Lao Duan, and Wey Xiong had all returned to their quarters.
Wey Xiong, much to his dismay, was forced to share a room with Lao Duan.
But now… they were friends.
And in that room, their voices rolled on like a raging storm.