The dawn crept over the tiled roofs of the Chu compound, turning every glazed edge into a thin blade of gold. Inside the Great Hall, lanterns hissed with coiling fire-qi, the smell of sandalwood clinging to the air. Beneath the soaring chandeliers, elders in crimson robes stood like pillars of living flame.
At the center sat Patriarch Chu Liang, his beard shimmering with faint sparks. To his right waited the clan's younger generation among them the so-called Burning Sun Body prodigy, Chu chen, whose anger burnt brighter than the brazier behind him. At the far side stood a woman in pale blue silk, serene as winter water: lan Yuexin, the Ice Lotus Saintess, and his fiancee her eyes calm yet calculating.
The marble doors opened with a sigh. Imperial guards stepped through in formation black armor glinting like obsidian mirrors then parted for a blindfolded youth whose white hair caught the rising light. Yue Zihan's expression held that effortless stillness that comes from never needing to prove anything.
"Yue zihan," Patriarch Chu Liang intoned, voice polite but tight, "it honors the Chu can for you to come after … recent events."
Zihan inclined his head, tone smooth. "Honor, yes. That must be what this heat is." He raised a finger slightly. "Forgive me. I almost mistook it for hostility."
A few elders stiffened. Chu Chen sneered under his breath. This blindfolded boy dares mock us in our own hall after murdering my sworn brother.
Then a cool voice cut through the tension. Lan Yuexin spoke, her gaze unreadable. "Young Lord Yue, rumor says you left killed Han feng , a Chu Chen sworn brother and the Chu family disciple."
He turned his covered eyes toward her, her soul glowed a light blue. "murder? No. Defense yes. A lunatic he was shouting all about humiliating the Chu can heir before everyone that I deserve to be killed"
He turned his covered eyes towards Chu Chen then the patriarch
At that moment, a faint hum filled the hall. Behind the blindfold, golden-silver runes spiraled around.
[Resonant Gaze — Activated]
[ 30 Cp deducted]
Ancient characters drifted across his mind's eye:
[Chu Ming :Patriarch | Power: Spirit severing. (early) | Likeness: –64 | Emotion: Smoldering Pride]
[Lan Yuexin :Saintess | Power: Foundation establishment (late) | Likeness: +3 | Emotion: Cautious Curiosity]
[Chu Chen : Successor | Power: Foundation establishment (peak) | Likeness: –91 | Emotion: Inflated Ego approaching critical mass]
[System Note: Congratulations. You've entered a nest of peacocks that think they're phoenixes.]
Zihan's smile barely moved his lips. "Patriarch Chu," he said quietly, "is it custom in your clan to measure courtesy in temperature? If so, you're rather… overheated."
A hush fell. The brazier flames trembled; the very qi of the hall seemed to bow away from him. The Patriarch opened his mouth, then closed as he looked toward Chu Chen.
Lan Yuexin's fan paused mid-motion. Her pupils contracted slightly. He's suppressing them without releasing a shred of qi…
"Perhaps," Zihan continued, "we should save ceremony for another day. My guards dislike smoke."
No one dared answer. Even Chu chen sneer froze halfway.
Zihan turned to leave. The click of his boots against marble echoed three times before the entire line of elders bent their heads, not commanded but compelled. Han feng forgotten just as it started. No one wanted to make an enemy of the royal family. Justice was only served with one was strong enough.The Patriarch followed, murmuring something that sounded like apology.
As sunlight caught his hair in a halo of white and gold, the system's runes flickered once more:
[System Update: Event Complete 'Dawn of Embers.' Reward: +1 Hidden Authority, +5 Sin Points.]
[System Comment: You just made a clan bow before breakfast. Efficient as always. Maybe try toast next time?]
Yue Zihan smirked faintly beneath the blindfold. "Maybe later," he murmured, stepping into the rising sun mist lingering
. ...…..
Beyond the Chu Clan's stone courtyards, a narrow path wound through a grove of bamboo that whispered like silk in the faint wind. At the end of it stood a small pavilion roofed in green tiles, half-hidden in drifting fog. It was quiet there no servants, no guards, only the rustle of leaves and the steady rhythm of Yue Zihan's footsteps.
He stopped beneath the pavilion's eaves and exhaled once. The events in the great hall still echoed faintly behind his blindfold. The sightless cloth fluttered with the breeze, and the soft gleam of the rune lines embroidered along its edges caught the light.
[System Alert: Heart rate steady. Expression unreadable. Congratulations, you've officially terrified an entire clan before tea.]
Zihan smiled faintly. "It was… adequate."
[System: Adequate? You reduced an elder to silence just by breathing in his direction. I'd call that at least above average intimidation.]
He ignored the comment and settled onto the stone bench inside the pavilion. The faint scent of bamboo and dew hung in the air, cool against his skin. For a long moment he simply listened to the forest, to the whisper of qi around him, to the pulse of something new and waiting beneath his ribs.
[System Notice: Reward from previous event 'Hidden Authority' awaiting integration.]
[Description: A resonance of will. The world listens when you speak, provided you don't mumble. Can only be used to those below your level]
The system's tone was teasing, but the weight beneath the words was real. He closed his eyes beneath the blindfold and let his awareness sink inward. A thread of chaotic qi stirred, rising from his core like a serpent tasting the air. The earth answered. The mist thickened, curling into faint rings of light beneath his feet runic patterns, silver-blue and ancient, pulsing in rhythm with his breath.
The bamboo outside leaned slightly, as if bowing to an unseen wind.
[System Comment: Oh, that's pretty. Try not to redecorate the countryside.]
Footsteps scraped softly at the edge of the path. A minor servant had wandered too close, arms full of folded banners. The boy stopped when he saw the runes spreading from the pavilion floor. His eyes widened; the banners slipped from his grasp.
Zihan's voice was calm, almost pleasant. "Pick them up."
The command carried no threat, yet the air itself seemed to vibrate. The servant obeyed instantly, movements stiff, reverent, as if some instinct far older than fear had seized him. When Zihan released the intent, the light faded; the servant stumbled back, Zihan laughed.
He looked towards the lake and then to the servant.
" walk to the middle of the lake," he said with a smile.
The servant moved his body not listening to his command as he tried to stop himself. He walked into the lake disappeared with out a sound.
[ System comment: That was unnecessary." ]
He just smiled . He had to know the limits of it's command.
[ Sin point+30, madness points+14]
[System Analysis: Success. Hidden Authority recognized by lower-order spirit network. Translation: mortals now find you irresistibly convincing.]
[System Aside: You're smiling, aren't you? I can feel it. Try to look at least modestly pleased.]
Zihan chuckled under his breath. "Why bother hiding it? Obedience is… efficient."
He extended a hand; threads of light curled between his fingers like tame lightning before dissolving into mist. Power answered thought, silence commanded response. The balance felt perfect, controlled, effortless.
[System Comment: Wonderful. You've achieved peak management technique 'talk softly, and the universe files your orders.']
[System Warning: Caution prolonged use may inflate ego beyond structural capacity.]
Zihan rose, the blindfold glinting faintly. "Let it," he said, amusement threading through his tone. "If the world bends this easily, it was never stable to begin with."
He stepped from the pavilion. The bamboo straightened in his wake, and the mist parted around him like curtains before a stage. Each footfall left a fading ripple of light on the stone path proof of the new power quietly settling into his veins.
[System Note: Integration complete. Hidden Authority stable. New directive available when you're bored enough to cause trouble again.]
Yue Zihan lifted his face toward the pale sky, feeling the morning breeze curl around the faint glow of runes at his ankles. For the first time since awakening the Primordial Body, he allowed himself a genuine smile. The world had begun to listen.