The room remained silent—oppressive and lifeless.
Cracked stone walls enclosed the space, stained by time and neglect. A single oil lamp hung from an iron hook, its weak flame barely pushing back the darkness, casting long, distorted shadows across the floor.
On the cold stone surface sat two figures, bound by thick iron chains.
They were seated back to back, their wrists locked behind them, chains biting into their skin. Though neither appeared gravely injured, their state told a different story—exhausted, unkempt, and stripped of dignity.
Both wore tattered black robes, once perhaps identical, now reduced to rags.
One of them had messy green hair, his face thin and sunken, eyes dull like someone who had begged on the streets for survival. Dirt clung to his skin, and his breathing was shallow but steady.
The other had black hair, rough and uneven, his posture sharper despite the chains. His gaze was low and dangerous, carrying the unmistakable aura of a criminal—someone accustomed to violence, not fear.
Yan Ruocheng broke the silence first, his voice low but edged with irritation.
"Oh, Liang Yun… tell me this—why didn't that servant take you away?"
He let out a dry chuckle. "He dragged away those two brothers, didn't he? Or did he let them go?"
Liang Yun clenched the iron chain around his wrists, the metal biting into his skin as anger surged.
"How could that be?" he snapped. "If anyone was to be spared first, it should have been me. I am the Young Lord of the Lin Family—not them."
He paused, then sneered. "They were probably moved to another room. That servant must have thought it improper to keep a mere servant's sons in the same place as the young lords of two great families."
Yan Ruocheng slowly turned his face toward the flickering lamp, the yellow light cutting sharp shadows across his expression.
"Forget that for now," he said coldly.
"What I don't understand is this—how does Fang Lin dare to imprison us like this?"
His eyes narrowed. "Fine, I admit we tried to kill him. But deciding who is a criminal and where they are kept—that authority belongs to the patriarchs."
A trace of confusion crept into his tone. "What are our families even doing right now?"
Liang Yun laughed bitterly.
"I don't know either. I don't understand why the other families fear the Fang Family so much."
His gaze hardened. "If it were me, I would have already launched a direct attack on them."
Yan Ruocheng stiffened instantly, his voice dropping to a warning whisper.
"Lower your voice. If a guard hears you, we're finished."
After a brief pause, he spoke again, this time more serious.
"Tell me something… don't you think Fang Lin has changed far too much?"
His eyes darkened. "The boy who couldn't even meet our gaze now keeps us imprisoned. Not only that—he even forgave his own brother."
Yan Ruocheng shook his head slowly. "How can someone forgive the person who started all of this? If it were my brother—even then—I wouldn't have let him go so easily."
A strange chill passed through his voice. "When I looked into Fang Lin's eyes today, it felt as if he didn't even remember what had been done to him in the past."
Liang Yun scoffed.
"I don't care whether he's changed or not," he said coldly.
"If that artifact hadn't existed, we wouldn't be sitting here right now."
The lamp flickered once more.
**************
Inside the Fang Family Head Chamber, a single lamp cast a dim, steady glow.
Two figures faced each other in silence.
One sat calmly on a high-backed chair, his posture relaxed yet dignified.
The other stood before him, straight and composed.
The room was utterly silent.
There was no pressure, no oppressive aura—only an unusual sense of familiarity, as if neither of them felt the need to guard against the other.
Then—
The silence was broken.
The chamber doors creaked open.
A third figure stepped inside.
The third figure was none other than Wei Shun.
He stepped forward, cupped his fists respectfully, and spoke toward Fang Lin.
"Young Lord Fang Lin, I have done exactly as you instructed."
Fang Lin did not turn his head.
It was as if he already knew how things would unfold.
Fang Qinxian shifted his gaze toward Wei Shun, his voice steady.
"There were no complications, I hope?"
Wei Shun shook his head lightly.
"No. Everything went smoothly. There was a bit of resistance… but before absolute effort, all resistance eventually fails."
The lamp's flame flickered once, casting shifting shadows across the chamber.
Fang Qinxian looked at Fang Lin and said evenly,
"I noticed this morning at the banquet that Tian Xueya was unusually close to you. So… everything at the market went smoothly, didn't it?"
Fang Lin replied in a calm, composed manner, as if the matter held no special weight in his heart.
"Yes. Everything was fine. Though I do not know why she chose to approach me so closely, I did not offend her. I understand very well what the Tian Family represents, and I know the Family Head would never wish for me to waste such an opportunity."
He lowered his head slightly in a restrained bow.
"That is why I made every effort to deepen our friendship. I even asked for her help… and used the golden token granted by her Patriarch—twice."
Fang Qinxian's eyes widened instantly.
"You used the Patriarch's golden token?" he murmured.
Inside, his thoughts churned.
So the Patriarch truly gave him a token… What exactly does the Tian Family intend to do?
No matter. If these two can form a good relationship, it will only benefit me in the future—especially when pressure must be applied.
Fang Lin continued calmly,
"And I also promised that I would help her in the future… as a friend."
The lamp flickered softly, but the balance within the room had already shifted.
***************
Inside the same wasted room, the chains rattled softly as Yan Ruocheng spoke again.
"Liang… did you notice something unusual about her?"
Liang Yun frowned, irritation flashing across his face.
"Who are you talking about now?"
Yan Ruocheng's eyes narrowed, his voice lowering as if piecing together clues.
"Tian Xueya."
Liang Yun scoffed.
"What about her? Girls like her naturally move toward those with a bright future. Why would she ever look at people like us—C and B grade trash? And Fang Qing… his heart must have shattered when he saw his so-called childhood crush in someone else's arms."
Yan Ruocheng tugged at the chain around his wrist, metal scraping against stone.
"That's not what I mean. I'm not talking about why she's no longer with us. I'm talking about who she was."
He paused, then continued slowly.
"The Tian Xueya we knew never stepped outside her family. Whenever we went to see her, she was quiet… distant… always lost in her thoughts. She was never lively. Even when we invited her to play, she never came."
His gaze darkened.
"But today—she stood beside Fang Lin as if they had grown up together. And she had never even seen him before. More than that, her entire presence felt different. Those cold eyes… that calm, noble air—like someone born far above us."
Liang Yun sneered.
"Sounds like jealousy to you. I knew it. You and Fang Qing both liked her since childhood. After all, she's one of the top three beauties in the entire Southern Wildlands."
Yan Ruocheng's face flushed red.
"What nonsense are you spouting?! How could I—"
Before he could finish, his expression twisted. A devilish smile crept onto his lips.
"And I don't even know why you like that psycho."
Liang Yun snapped back immediately,
"She's not a psycho."
He intertwined his fingers nervously.
"She may not be as beautiful as Tian Xueya, but she's more than enough for me."
Yan Ruocheng burst into laughter.
"What did you say? Not a psycho?"
He leaned forward, voice sharp.
"She was the one who kept feeding Fang Lin those strange pills—the ones that made him suffer endlessly. He used to vomit blood, collapse, lose his mind…"
His smile deepened.
"And you're telling me she's normal?"
The candle flickered.
The room felt colder than before.
*************
Fang Qinxian spoke after a brief hesitation, his tone carefully restrained.
"Fang Lin… there is one more thing I wish to ask. Why did you spare your brother—Fang Qing? You could have punished him for his mistakes. You healed everyone's injuries… except his."
His gaze lingered on Fang Lin, thoughts echoing silently in his mind.
Did you truly forgive the one who treated your life as nothing more than trash?
Wei Shun could no longer hold back. He stepped forward slightly and said with respect,
"Young Master Fang Lin… please tell us now."
Even Lingyi's voice rang out from within, sharp and impatient.
"Enough already, Fang Lin. Say it. If I had control back then, I would've repaid every bit of humiliation from our childhood."
Fang Lin did not answer immediately.
Instead, he fell silent.
His thoughts flowed like a cold tide.
Power… power changes everything.
The mute finds a voice, the cripple dares to walk, the blind raises their gaze… All because of it. All because of power. And yet, the same power that gives life, erases it just as easily. It bends reality, reshapes morality, swallows conscience.
I see them all—the weak and the proud—forgetting who they were the moment strength touches them. The world molds them, but me? I am the shadow that watches, untouched by the delusions of strength.
I hold power now. Enough to end a life with a thought, enough to crush anyone who dares cross me… and the world would call it natural, inevitable. An animal fell. That is all they would see.
But this power is a lie. Temporary. A borrowed mask. I do not belong here; I am a dream wandering through a borrowed skin.
Even if I had all the strength of my original body, what would it matter? Kill one, kill ten… nothing changes. Their world spins on, blind to the truth. Only when they disturb the emptiness that is mine… only then does the line between dream and reality matter.
Only then did Fang Lin slowly raise his eyes—
Fang Lin spoke calmly—
"I let him go because there was no longer any reason to bind him.
No reason to chain him.
No reason to waste my pills to heal his injuries.
The others were chained so that the entire clan would understand one thing clearly—
the Fang family is not weak.
We do not merely endure.
We are capable of making decisions."
His eyes were emotionless, carrying only cold reason.
"But Fang Qing is different.
He is the son of the Fang family head.
I cannot offend him—because I will not be the one who creates a fracture inside the very family that gave me everything.
An internal crack…
is far more dangerous than any external enemy.
A weakened family does not need enemies to collapse—it destroys itself."
He paused briefly before continuing—
"As for the pill…
his family can provide it themselves.
There was no need for me to spend my resources at that moment."
Fang Lin thought in mind:
Good. By saying this, I have proven that I am not chasing power for myself.
I want to stand with them—
and make that power grow.
The only thing I hope for now…
is that they see me as a tool,
not an obstacle.
Fang Qinxian gently placed his hand on Fang Lin's shoulder and said,
"Fang Lin, the way you think, speak, and plan… even many elders cannot compare to you.
Now all that remains is to see whether what you said will work tomorrow or not."
His voice softened.
"If you need anything else, tell me. I will do everything in my power to help you grow stronger—so that our Fang family can stand at the very top."
Fang Qinxian (thoughts):
I don't know how he acquired such a mind, nor who taught him…
but I know one thing clearly—
I will need him to achieve my goal.
I cannot afford to lose him.
Wei Shun looked at Fang Lin silently, shock flickering in his eyes.
Wei Shun (thoughts):
Looking at him… it's hard to believe he's only fifteen.
From his words alone, he feels more like an experienced elder than a young master.
Fang Lin bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for trusting me. I will do my best to ensure tomorrow goes smoothly."
He paused for a moment, then added calmly,
"However… there is something I need right now.
I require a personal servant."