Lin Yue's POV
"Actually," I said quickly, forcing my voice to stay steady, "I was checking the locks on the windows. There's been so many break-ins lately with those bandits around."
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but Madam Qin's cold smile didn't change. She glanced at the demon wolf hair on my windowsill, then back at me.
My mouth went dry. Say something. Anything.
"Some animal must have brushed against the window," I added, reaching over to flick the black hair away like it was nothing. Like my heart wasn't trying to pound out of my chest. "Probably just a stray dog."
Mei Ling's eyes narrowed, but before she could speak, Father's voice boomed from downstairs.
"Lin Yue! Breakfast! We have reports to review!"
I'd never been so grateful to hear my father's voice in my entire life.
"Coming, Father!" I called out, then looked straight at Madam Qin. "Excuse me. Father needs me."
I walked past them with my head high, even though every instinct screamed at me to run. Behind me, I heard Mei Ling whisper, "Mother, that was definitely—"
"Later," Madam Qin cut her off. "We'll discuss this later."
Those words followed me down the stairs like a death sentence.
The breakfast table was set with rice porridge, steamed buns, and pickled vegetables. Father sat at the head of the table with papers spread everywhere, his officer's uniform already dusty from an early morning patrol.
"There you are!" He smiled when he saw me, the same warm smile that made me feel safe since I was little. "Good news—the demon wolf attacks stopped. No dead livestock last night for the first time in two weeks."
I nearly choked on my own spit. "Really? That's... that's wonderful."
"The village elders think it moved to another territory," Father continued, completely oblivious to my panic. "I told them my daughter's bandit traps probably scared it off. You did set those rope snares near the Chen farm yesterday, right?"
"Yes, Father," I lied smoothly, sitting down across from him. At least I was good at lying now. Five years of hiding my cultivation had taught me that skill well.
Madam Qin and Mei Ling entered the dining room, both wearing sweet smiles that didn't reach their eyes.
"Husband, you praise Lin Yue too much," Madam Qin said, settling into her seat with practiced grace. "She's just a girl. How could she possibly scare away a demon beast with simple rope traps?"
"My Lin Yue is clever," Father said proudly, completely missing the insult. "She caught three bandits last month using those same traps."
Mei Ling picked at her rice porridge, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Sister is so talented. But Father, don't you ever worry about where she goes at night? I sometimes hear her window opening very late."
My chopsticks froze halfway to my mouth.
Father looked up, concerned. "Lin Yue? You're not sneaking out, are you?"
"Of course not," I said quickly. "I just open the window for fresh air sometimes. It gets stuffy in my room."
"At midnight?" Mei Ling pressed, tilting her head innocently. "That's quite late for fresh air, sister."
The little snake. She was testing me, seeing how I'd react.
"I have trouble sleeping sometimes," I said, meeting her eyes directly. "Thinking about Mother. You wouldn't understand—you still have yours."
That shut her up. Mei Ling's face flushed red, and Madam Qin's jaw tightened. It was a low blow, but I was fighting for my life here.
Father reached over and squeezed my hand. "Your mother would be proud of how you help protect the village, Yue'er. These bandit reports—" he shuffled through his papers—"show that crime has dropped thirty percent since you started helping me set patrol routes."
"Thank you, Father." Guilt twisted in my stomach. He had no idea his daughter was a cultivator, the very thing he'd been taught to fear and report to the sects.
"Speaking of patrols," Madam Qin said casually, "I heard the Heavenly Sword Sect is sending disciples to our province next week. Something about investigating rogue cultivators in the area."
My blood turned to ice.
"Rogue cultivators?" Father frowned. "Here? That's ridiculous. This is a small village. What would cultivators want here?"
"Who knows?" Mei Ling shrugged, but her eyes were locked on me. "Maybe they're hunting someone who's been stealing demon cores. I heard that's a serious crime."
The room felt too small suddenly. Too hot. I forced myself to take a sip of tea, even though my hands wanted to shake.
"Well, if there are any rogue cultivators here, they'll be caught and dealt with," Father said firmly. "The sects keep us safe from those dangerous criminals."
Each word stabbed into my chest. Dangerous criminals. That's what Father thought people like me were.
"Exactly," Madam Qin agreed, her smile growing wider. "The sects have ways of identifying hidden cultivators. Special detection arrays. Very accurate. They say you can't hide spiritual energy from them, no matter how careful you are."
She was threatening me. Right here at the breakfast table, in front of Father, she was threatening me.
"How fascinating," I said coolly. "Where did you learn so much about cultivation detection, Stepmother? I didn't know you were interested in such things."
Her smile faltered for just a second. "Oh, just gossip at the market. You know how people talk."
Liar. She'd been researching. Planning.
Father stood up, oblivious to the silent war happening across his breakfast table. "I need to go check the northern farms. Lin Yue, can you organize these incident reports for me while I'm gone?"
"Of course, Father."
He kissed the top of my head and left, his boots heavy on the wooden floor.
The moment the door closed behind him, the pretense dropped.
"You can't hide forever," Mei Ling hissed, leaning across the table. "I know what you are."
"You know nothing," I shot back.
"I know you sneak out at night. I know that demon wolf disappeared the same night you were gone. And I know—"
"Girls!" Madam Qin's sharp voice cut through the tension. She stood up slowly, her eyes calculating. "Mei Ling, come with me. We have... shopping to do in town."
Shopping. Right. More like planning how to expose me.
They left together, whispering, and I sat alone at the table with my father's papers and my racing heart.
I had maybe a day, maybe two, before they made their move. I needed to hide my demon cores better. Destroy the evidence. Maybe even run—
A knock at the door made me jump.
I opened it to find Zhang Wei, my betrothed, standing there with flowers and that charming smile I used to love.
"Good morning, my beautiful Yue," he said warmly. "I have something important to ask you. Can we take a walk?"
Relief flooded through me. Zhang Wei. The one person who actually cared about me in this nightmare house.
"Yes," I said gratefully. "Please. Let's go somewhere quiet."
We walked to the river in silence. The morning sun made the water sparkle, and birds sang in the trees. It should have been peaceful.
But Zhang Wei's hand was sweaty when he held mine. And he kept glancing around nervously, like he was looking for someone.
"Yue," he finally said, stopping by the old willow tree. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me."
"Of course. What is it?"
He took a deep breath. "Are you a cultivator?"
The world stopped spinning.
"What?" I tried to laugh, but it came out wrong. "Zhang Wei, why would you—"
"Because Mei Ling came to see me this morning," he said quietly. "Before dawn. She told me everything. About you sneaking out. About the demon wolf. About the spiritual energy she sensed from your room."
No. No, no, no.
"She's lying," I whispered. "She's always been jealous of me, you know that—"
"Show me your hands," Zhang Wei said.
"What?"
"Your hands. Show me." His voice was harder now. "Cultivators have calluses in specific places from handling spiritual weapons. Show me your hands, Yue, and prove me wrong."
My hands were hidden in my sleeves. The calluses from my sword were exactly where he said they'd be.
I didn't move.
Zhang Wei's face crumbled. "Oh gods. It's true. You're really a rogue cultivator."
"Zhang Wei, please—"
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" He stepped back from me like I was poisonous. "What you've made me? If I don't report you, I'm guilty too. They'll execute me for helping you hide."
"I never asked you to hide anything! You didn't even know!"
"But I know now." His voice broke. "And I have a choice to make."
He pulled something from his pocket—a white jade communication talisman. The kind that connected directly to the cultivation sects.
"I'm sorry," Zhang Wei whispered, and I saw tears in his eyes. "I love you. I really do. But I love my life more."
He activated the talisman before I could stop him.
The jade lit up with golden light, sending a signal straight to the Heavenly Sword Sect.
My betrothed. The man I thought loved me. Had just sold me out to save himself.
"Zhang Wei," I breathed. "What have you done?"