Contrary to what most would assume, seeing as it was usually a very special and joyous day, Yu Ziyuan's wedding day was extremely dreary, filled with pounding rain and flashing lightning. The happy atmosphere, pre-wedding jitters and smiling faces of close family members that she had heard were a common appearance on wedding days were miraculously absent during hers. Though the walls of Lotus Pier were fancily decorated, and maids and disciples hustled and bustled about, an empty feeling of loneliness and dejectedness lingered everywhere Yu Ziyuan laid her eyes.

It had been two years since Jiang Fengmian had begun officially courting her, five in total since they had been engaged to each other by their parents, and now they were finally to be wed, as agreed upon in the details of their arranged marriage. Their union was meant to represent the alliance between the Yunmeng Jiang sect and the Meishan Yu sect. Nothing more, nothing less.

Despite the arranged marriage not being favourable for either of the persons involved, Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian both did what they could, which was honestly the bare minimum, to somehow make their engagement work, for both themselves and for their sects. Yu Ziyuan had expected their relationship to stay that way. Manageable, with little emotions attached. What she didn't expect however, was to fall for him, the man whom she had been bound to via a contract between their sects.

Jiang Fengmian was a calm, gentle person who she had known since her pre-teenage years. They had never been close. You could hardly even call them acquaintances. She had only ever felt such emotions towards one other man in her life before, and they had been forcibly separated long before the arrangement of the marriage between the Yu and Jiang sects.

Not wanting to have to let go of someone else she had come to hold so closely to her heart, Yu Ziyuan whole-heartedly accepted Jiang Fengmian as a part of her life and integrated herself deeply within the Yunmeng Jiang sect's affairs, using the excuse that it was her job as his future wife and that she'd need to learn eventually, to try to become closer to him. She gradually replaced many of her own personal items that were related to Meishan Yu with items strictly related to Yunmeng Jiang and began wearing accessories that highlighted the symbol of the Jiang sect: A lotus.

She had become so deeply enthralled by her fiancé that she was sent hurtling backwards with a cold whiplash, at the sight of him gently embracing another woman in one of the most isolated sections of Lotus Pier, just a week before their wedding day. It had been in the dead of night when all the disciples and servants had gone to sleep. She had been feeling restless and had gone for a walk around the pier.

Naturally, being raised as a woman in the Meishan Yu Sect, a sect ruled only by women, meant she knew all about the wayward and twisted ways of men. Cheating or being unfaithful was one of the most common crimes that Meishan Yu sect disciples were taught about in their sect that men committed, so she shouldn't have been as surprised as she was to witness the scene before her. It hadn't taken her much time at all, throughout the entire duration of their engagement, to realize that Jiang Fengmian did not love her as she did him. She had already come to accept that, or so she thought.

A hot jealousy ravaged Yu Ziyuan's mind violently as she recognized the face of the woman who Jiang Fengmian had been hugging. Of course! Of course it could be no one else but Cangse Sanren. That wretched woman who, despite being married already, still held the heart of her fiancé tightly in the palm of her hands, and likely had been holding onto it for years.

She watched silently as her fiance moved from simply hugging her to kissing her softly on her cheeks and forehead, a look of complete adoration overtaking his features. Not once had he ever showed her such affection. Not once had he ever embraced or kissed her so softly, and if he did, it was simply out of forced propriety. Not once had he ever looked at her as he looked at Cangse Sanren. It shattered her heart into pieces to watch the scene in front of her. Even if Jiang Fengmian did not love her, could he not at least grant her some kind of marital loyalty? Could he not at least be faithful?

Were her efforts of trying to make their marriage work despite the circumstances they were given so worthless to Jiang Fengmian that he did not even see it necessary to do the same? She had already let go of her former love to make way for Jiang Fengmian and his people, yet the other couldn't even spare her an inkling of the same kindness? How revolting.

Ironically, Cangse Sanren was married to Jiang Fengmian's best friend, Wei Changze. Though she knew it was petty, she felt a light spark of satisfaction at knowing Fengmian had lost his love to someone he saw as a best friend or even a brother; at the fact that he let his first love slip through his fingers just as she had her own first love.

The next day, she confronted her fiance about his interaction with Cangse Sanren. The interaction went just as horribly as she had expected it to. She hadn't even needed to prepare herself for the messy conversation as she had already predicted exactly how it was going to go.

"Jiang Fengmian, how dare you!!! Our wedding is a week away and you're already out there prancing around with other women?! How do you think that will reflect on us, on our sects, if people were to find out!?!?!?!" she screamed at the older.

Her fiance's eyes widened in shock and slight horror before his face returned to its normal peaceful expression.

"My lady, what were you doing outside so late at night?" he asked her in response.

A dangerous anger coursed through her veins at hearing her fiance's terrible attempt to divert her attention away from the topic at hand. She seethed in pure rage, but surprisingly, did not blow up as she usually did. What she did next surprised even herself.

Her expression turned ice cold as she stared death at her fiance. All evidence of her anger drained from her face as she plastered a serene smile, the carbon copy of the one regularly worn by her husband, onto it instead. Mix everything together, and she was sure it was so much more horrifying to witness than her usual bouts of rage. She was proven correct as fear plastered itself onto the other's face.

"Do you take me for a fool Jiang Fengmian? Do you think that I am brainless or slow witted? Do you think that I do not hold any common sense or basic intelligence? Because if so, I regret to inform you that I do not need any kind of intelligence to recognize your blatant lies and attempts at changing the topic."

"My lady, I- "

"Don't you dare 'My lady' me Jiang Fengmian. It impresses me how insolent people from the great sects can be. Answer me and answer me now. What were you doing with Cangse Sanren?"

Her voice was calm, and instead of carrying its usual heat, made to burn and insult those that upset her, it was ice cold, freezing over her intended target with every syllable that left her lips.

Jiang Fengmian gaped at her with a frightened look on his face.

"She only came to wish me well for the upcoming wedding. She and her husband will be unable to attend so she rushed here to tell me congratulations and to give me some gifts. S-she even told me to t-tell you congratulations for our union, a-as well," he tried to explain to her.

Did he think she couldn't hear his stuttering? Ironic how he only stuttered over the part where she was mentioned. What a foolish response as well. This man truly did think lowly of her, didn't he? Or did he just think lowly of women in general, with the only exception being Cangse Sanren? How on earth could she have fallen for such a sorry excuse of a man?

"Is that so? Then why did she come late at night? She has sent official letters for much less important things like simply asking you how your day or week has been or to give you a souvenir from her travelling. All of those times she came during the day and sent an official notice for her arrival. If she had wanted to visit Lotus Pier to do something as important as congratulating you and giving you gifts for your upcoming wedding, why did she come only after all the servants and disciples were asleep? Also, how did she even get passed the guards? The Jiang sect security is not so poor that one mere person can break through it. She would not have been here unless you personally let her in. If not, then you probably already knew she was coming and instructed the guards to let her in. Either way, I've had enough of your excuses. Do you hate me so much that you can't even do the simple task of remaining a loyal fiance? Even if you don't love me, can't you do something as simple as that for me after everything I've done for you and your sect? Have my efforts to support you and your sect not been enough for you?"

Jiang Fengmian gave no response. Just as she expected.

With that their conversation ended.

A week passed quickly and their wedding day finally arrived. It was a horrid day, despite all of Yu Ziyuan's hopes that it would at least be decent. Storm clouds thundered outside, filled with flashing lightning and deafening claps of thunder. The maids and disciples, though slightly disturbed by the unfortunate change of weather on what was supposed to be a happy day, continued their work and final preparations diligently. They rushed around, talking and whispering amongst themselves with voices drenched in a somber happiness. It was as if they knew that that day would not be a jovial one, yet kept smiles on their faces and joy in their voices in hopes that it would somehow still turn out well. 

Yu Ziyuan couldn't find it in herself to feel happy or even just feel anything at all, even with all of the efforts of the disciples and the maids to keep the atmosphere within Lotus Pier lighthearted. As a seamstress, along with a few maids helped her put on her red robes and organize her hair in intricate braids, she felt her anger softly rumble beneath her skin. Soon enough she was walking through a crowd of unfamiliar people with a red veil covering her face. Knowing that her anger would only spike if she saw the face of the man she was walking towards, she didn't bother looking at Jiang Fengmian, avoiding any contact with him and ignoring his attempts to interact with her.

The wedding itself felt more like a sour political meeting than an actual ceremony. The bride and groom made their three kowtows to the heavens and said their vows before the wedding ended and they were left to their own devices. As per custom, they were to spend the night together. However, the frozen atmosphere between the two newlyweds only seemed to frost over more the closer they got to each other. They ended up going straight to bed, with no words spoken between them, facing back to back. The next morning, Yu Ziyuan's things were moved to the private quarters she had personally ordered to be custom built on the other side of Lotus Pier, far away from the sect leader's quarters.

After officially becoming the Lady of Yunmeng Jiang, she was given a Jiang family heirloom as a gift. The spiritual weapon Zidian to be exact. When handed to her, the ring sparked with purple lightning before attaching itself to her right index finger. The spiritual weapon had chosen her as its master. It shocked the Jiang elders who had simply planned for her to wear the ring as an accessory, since it had been generations since zidian had chosen a master. Never before had it reacted to someone who wasn't of Jiang blood. Immediately, she got to work on training and mastering the spiritual weapon. As the ring had chosen Yu Ziyuan as its new wielder, it took the form of the weapon she was most familiar with, the weapon that would bring out her fullest potential. A long, sturdy and powerful whip, flowing intimately with spiritual power in the form of a gorgeous purple lightning. Yu Ziyuan was genuinely surprised by the form the weapon had taken, but did not let the brief feeling deter her. She trained with zidian vigorously alongside her two spiders, Yinzhu and Jinzhu, easily falling into familiar martial movements and patterns, as whips were weapons used often by cultivators of the Meishan Yu sect.

As such, it did not take Yu Ziyuan long to earn herself the title of the "Violet Spider" and become a major figure in the cultivation world, for the Yunmeng Jiang sect, the Meishan Yu sect and female cultivators as a whole. Her title was uttered in fear from the people and begrudged respect from other sect leaders, whether minor or major. Any man who thought that it wasn't a woman's place to be such a powerful figure in the cultivation world was given a sharp taste of zidian that they'd never forget.

Yu Ziyuan wasn't just known for her high cultivation level however. She was also known for her strikingly gorgeous looks that outshone any other woman of importance, even within the great sects, as well as her silver tongue that could be as sharp as the blade of her sword and as painful as the lighting of her whip when it ruthlessly struck down on its appointed target. No one dared speak ill of her again, after she gave Jin Guangshan quite the tongue lashing, in the middle of a discussion conference hosted by Yunmeng Jiang and in front of all the other sect leaders and their disciples at that, for insulting her by telling her a woman's only place was giving birth and taking care of children or at a man's side as his plaything. The man had even had the audacity to try to coax her to leave the business of the discussion conference to her husband. The resulting backlash the Jin Sect Leader received was so harsh it left everyone in the room speechless with varying expressions of horror, shock and even a hint of smugness for the fact that it was a woman who put the arrogant peacock in his place. To say the man's pride and ego were broken into bits and then burnt to nothingness would be a massive understatement. It was the first and last time Jin Guangshan ever spoke against the Violet Spider.

After that specific incident, Yu Ziyuan became acquainted with Madam Jin, who thanked her profusely for putting her whore of a husband in his place. She even laughed light heartedly and offered to have tea privately with her. It didn't take as long as she had thought for the two of them to become best friends and later on, after careful consideration, sworn sisters.

Before anyone new it, three years had gone by. 

*****

Sunlight beamed through the partially open windows, spreading warmth and illuminating the dark room, chasing the shadows away. The wind blew softly, stirring up dust and air particles as the birds chirped happily at the warming atmosphere and brightening sky. Yu Ziyuan gradually arose from her slumber as a cool breeze wafted through the air, lightly brushing her hair out of her face and making the smooth, slightly parted drapes in front of her window wave from side to side. The light noise the drapes made when dragging against the walls of her room fully roused her from her slumber. 

With a soft yawn, she slid off of her bed, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes before going over to her mirror to look at her appearance in the reflection on the small wood framed panel. She scowled at the appearance of her unruly bed hair. She reached her arm over the top of her dresser, grabbed a comb and brushed through the tangled mess on top of her head, smoothing out the dark curls to get rid of all the knots. 

Once she was satisfied, she opened one of her larger drawers and pulled out a fresh set of purple robes. Peeling her night inner robe off of her body, she pulled on a white under shirt and then a new set of lilac inner robes over them, before pulling on a white trousers and a violet outer robe. Lastly, she tied her sash onto her waist and then her belt on top of it, carefully attaching her clarity bell to the left side of her belt. She fussed with the collar for a few moments, straightening out any ruffles or wrinkles in her clothes, before deeming her appearance decent enough. Next she pulled on her boots and grabbed a golden headpiece from her jewellery basket. 

She separated her freshly brushed hair into sections, pinning two small buns to the sides of her head with short purple ribbons and pulling a large section of her hair in a bun at the top of her head. She placed a small golden clip on the top of each of her long bangs, before looping the hair underneath her ears and adding them to the large bun on top of her head. She then picked up the golden headpiece and carefully placing it onto her head, letting the golden hoop in the centre hold the large bun in place while letting the outer hoop, which was shaped like a crown, rest comfortably on her head just above the two smaller buns. Once the headpiece was in place, she let the rest of her hair trail down her back.

Yu Ziyuan walked back over to the mirror and swiftly scanned her appearance for any imperfections. When she found none, she deemed herself ready to leave her quarters. She twisted zidian around on her finger for a moment before picking up her sword and walking out of her room. As soon as she exited her room, she was immediately joined by her two spiders, Jinzhu and Yinzhu, walking slightly behind her on her left and right side in full Yunmeng Jiang attire with their swords and whips attached to their waists.

They walked together in silence, the two spiders only speaking when Yu Ziyuan requested that they give her a report of their mandatory patrol around Lotus Pier before sunrise. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped in front of the dining hall. Jinzhu and Yinzhu stayed outside while Madam Yu sat at the table. Seconds later, two servants rushed in with a tray filled with food and a separate tray carrying tea. The dishes were set delicately onto the table and arranged carefully in front of Madam Yu. The servants bowed before leaving. 

Yu Ziyuan looked over the food for a few minutes before beginning to eat. It took her a total of ten minutes to finish eating and drinking her tea. However, she waited a few extra minutes, wondering whether or not her husband would appear and come to sit with her at the table so they could eat together. Her answer was swiftly given to her as the dining hall remained suffocatingly silent, the only sounds echoing being the clinking of her tea cup and eating utensils. A soft scoff of disappointment left her lips before she dusted herself off, shoving her feelings of irritation to the backburner of her mind, and stood up to head to the training fields. It was time to start the morning training.

*****

"WHAT KIND OF FORM IS THAT?! ARE YOU A WRIGGLING WORM OR A HUMAN BEING?!?!"

"WHAT ARE THOSE ARMS?! THEY LOOK LIKE A CHILD COULD BREAK THEM JUST BY PUTTING SOME OF THEIR WEIGHT ON THEM!!! ONLY GOD KNOWS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO YOUR ARMS IF YOU WERE TO HOLD AN ACTUAL SWORD AND ATTACK A FIERCE CORPSE!!!"

"MAGGOTS!!! ALL OF YOU!!!! WHERE IS YOUR DIGNITY?!?! YOU WOULD BE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE JIANG SECT IF WE WERE TO DARE TO HOST ANY GUEST WHO WOULD WISH TO LAY THEIR EYES UPON YOU!!!"

"WHAT IS THIS?!?! A GAME OF BLOODY TAG??!?!! MOVE FASTER!!!"

"YOU WILL ALL HAVE TO DO TEN EXTRA LAPS AFTER TRAINING TODAY IF I DON'T SEE YOU MOVING!!! ARE JIANG SECT DISCIPLES SO WEAK AND PATHETIC?!?! WHAT WOULD THE OTHER SECT LEADERS AND DISCIPLES THINK?!?!"

Lotus Pier was once again full of endless noise as Yu Ziyuan shouted insults over the disciples in the training grounds. The disciples were sweating literal buckets and looked dead tired and ready to drop from exhaustion, but kept going, unwilling to give into the words of their furen, unwilling to let her down and prove her harsh words true. Though some were slower than others, none lagged behind or held back their peers. They were jiang disciples after all. Their motto was 'Attempt the Impossible', and doing their best to impress their furen, and make her proud of them, was definitely their most impossible task.

Ziyuan watched on with a blank expression as the disciples continued training. They had all improved immensely in the past two and a half years since she began to take over the training of all the disciples in Lotus Pier, though they still had a long way to go. Their progress was gradual and fluid. She could see the disciples' stubbornness and hard working nature displayed on their faces every time they came onto the training grounds. They seemed genuinely happy to be trained by her and never stopped working hard to prove their worth to her. Although she would never admit it out loud, she was very satisfied with all of their hard work and discipline. She had never had disciples who were so blatantly loyal and hard working before and was genuinely excited to see how far their potential could take them.

Her lips twitched upwards slightly as her eyes continued to rake over her breathtaking disciples.

"WHAT ARE YOU STOPPING FOR?! AGAIN!!!"

"YES MA'AM!!!"

*****

Four years had now officially passed since Yu Ziyuan married Jiang Fengmian. 

Their relationship seemed to never have gotten any better since the day the two of them had gotten married. In fact, it only seemed to have gotten worse. There was never a day in Lotus Pier where the two of them could be seen in the same room together without a cold feeling enveloping the room. Most people, both within and outside of Yunmeng Jiang, assumed the two hated each other.

The married couple would always find something to argue about no matter how small. From night hunts, to paperwork, to training schedules, to village repairs, to simply how many uniforms were needed for new disciples and more. Yu Ziyuan's voice was always the loudest, her enraged yelling reaching even the most secluded places in Lotus Pier. Jiang Fengmian's voice was much quieter, if he even spoke at all, though his tone was usually more full of disappointment and disinterest than anger.

It was no secret, to be honest, that Jiang Fengmian's cold passiveness did not mix well with Yu Ziyuan's heated temper. Many speculated about what a child made between the two would be like. Would the child inherit Yu Ziyuan's temper or Jiang Fengmian's impassiveness? Either way, people wondered whether or not any children they had would even be treated as family. Would the two sect heads treat their children fairly or simply as an extension of the husband or wife they whole-heartedly despised?

No one could really tell.

*****

"Jiang Fengmian."

"Yu Ziyuan."

The two adults stared at each other as they sat on opposite ends of the low table in their private dining hall. 

This was not the first time a situation like this occurred. Shockingly, to outsiders at least, these encounters happened fairly often, though their frequency had been steadily increasing over the four years they had both been married. At that point, it would have been better for the two to start anticipating the encounters, instead of always being surprised when they ended up seeing each other. 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at the situations, it may have been better for the two to not have to meet each other at all. The atmosphere between them was always either tense and hot or rigid and cold. Despite the increasing frequency of their interactions with each other, the interactions themselves seemed to be span over shorter and shorter amounts of time. No matter what the situation or topic was about or related to, they almost always ended up in heated arguements that ended up with Yu Ziyuan storming out of the room, zidian sparking in response to her rage on her finger, or Jiang Fengmian walking out with a tense figure and a blank and unmoving expression on his face.

Today though, seemed to be one of those rare days where neither of them had the energy to fight or argue.

They sat in silence as the servants brought a platter with two teacups and a small teapot full of simple green tea, and other smaller platters full of different intricately cooked meals containing rice, vegetables, meat and other foods, all set up prettily along their low table. The servants clasped their hands together and bowed respectfully to their Jiang zhongzu and Yu furen, before exiting the room to give the two their privacy. 

The awkward silence between the male and female occupants of the room continued even after the servants left. Both Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan silently sipped their green tea, each waiting for the other to make a move to communicate first. It was Jiang Fengmian who broke the tense silence first by pulling a small, rectangular shaped wooden box, out of his sleeve and sliding it across the table towards Yu Ziyuan.

Yu Ziyuan looked at the box skeptically before shifting her gaze to the older man, her famous scowl painted all over her face.

"What's this?" she asked, voice low with uncertainty.

Jiang Fengmian paused for a moment before answering.

"I bought a gift for you from my travels to the market this morning," he replied calmly.

Yu Ziyuan's scowl deepened.

"What for? Why would you of all people buy me jewellery from the market?" she asked him, irritation tingeing her voice a slight, and almost unnoticeable tone lower. 

"I simply saw it from the window of the shop and thought it was beautiful. I would have left it, but I felt nostalgic when I looked at it and I thought my beloved would look nice while wearing it."

Yu Ziyuan huffed.

She carefully took the box into her hands and slid open the lid. Inside was a thin necklace with a chain made of silver and a large lily pendant on the end made of red jade. As Yu Ziyuan watched the necklace, her initial curiosity faded into a deep, seething anger. Jiang Fengmian's lips twitched upward slightly at the other's expression. 

"What is wrong Ziyuan? Is my gift not to your standards?" Jiang Fengmian asked. The voice he spoke with carried its usual disinterested tone, but now there was something more condescending beneath it.

Yu Ziyuan seethed in silent rage, her glare once again turning ice cold.

"I am not as foolish as you seem to think Jiang Fengmian. Your insult has been well received. Unfortunately, I am in no mood to trade petty words with you over a matter such as this," she stated coldly.

Yu Ziyuan picked up the necklace out of the box and stood up. She glared death itself at Jiang Fengmian, satisfaction running up her spine as he flinched and moved his gaze away from her. 

"Good night Sect Leader Jiang," she stated with one last glare before calmly leaving the dining hall, uneaten meal forgotten on the table. 

As Yu Ziyuan walked back to her resting quarters, she uncaringly tossed the jade necklace into the Lotus Pier lake, continuing on her journey without stopping to see if the necklace had sunk to the bottom.

Why should she care about it?

Lilies were Cangse Sanren's favourite flower. So what?

Red was also Cangse Sanren's favourite colour. So what?

None of those things really mattered in the grand scheme of things, did they?

*****

Things seemed to be at a stand still for a bit after that conversation, though it felt more like the calm before the storm than a calm, still lake. The disciples and servants were constantly on edge at the lack of yelling echoing through Lotus Pier. They hoped that their two leaders had finally managed to sort their issues out. It seemed however, that the calmness resting over the couple was too good to be true. It ended less than a week later with an argument, soon turned physical altercation, that ended up, much to everyone's shock, being initiated by Jiang Fengmian. 

The Jiang sect leader stormed into the dining hall where Yu Ziyuan was eating dinner, infuriated about something that he refused to elaborate on at the beginning. After realizing that Yu Ziyuan had no idea what was wrong, an unfamiliar scowl enveloped his usually passive face.

"How dare you Yu Ziyuan! How dare you feel you have the right to ban a sword skill created by this sect's former head disciple just because you felt like it!" he yelled.

'Ah. So that was what this was about,' Yu Ziyuan thought. She immediately looked her spouse dead in the eye, annoyance making it's way into her features.

"Jiang Fengmian don't you dare raise your voice at me! I only banned the skill for the junior disciples so calm yourself and actually think about why that is with that useless brain of yours! The skill, while quite useful, leaves a very large opening for a counter or surprise attack from an enemy or fierce corpse. Currently, only the senior disciples have the skill sets to make up for that flaw! If a junior disciple were to use it in battle they might as well be sentencing themselves to a quick death!" she shouted at him.

"LIES! You only removed the skill because it was created by Wei Changze! Do you have neither pride nor shame? Are you seriously trying to spite my disciples by limiting their use of the jiang sword style!?" he yelled back.

"YOU SMALL MINDED DIMWIT!!! DID YOU HEAR NOTHING OF THE EXPLANATION I JUST GAVE YOU?! ARE YOUR EARS SO FULL OF THE PRATTLE OF OTHER SMALLER SECT LEADERS THAT YOUR BRAIN HAS BEGUN ROTTING AND GROWING MOLD?! THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WEI CHANGZE!! MIND YOUR MANNERS AND DON'T FORGET WHO THE FUCK YOU'RE TALKING TO!!!" came Yu Ziyuan's reply, her voice raised louder than before.

They continued shouting back and forth before swords were drawn, hair ribbons and clothes were pulled and spiritual energy was being blasted in waves. The current Jiang Sect head disciple and both of Yu Ziyuan's spiders had to come and break up the fight, as neither the disciples nor the servants had the courage to try and intervene in the ongoing war between their sect leader and his wife. 

"Fine," Yu Ziyuan finally declared after the fight had been successfully broken up, voice going soft and cold, "Keep the move. Let the juniors use it in the next night hunt you're scheduled to lead and see what happens."

She walked out of the room, passing a Jiang family heirloom that had been caught up in her fight with Jiang Fengmian. It laid motionless on the ground, shattered to pieces like any of the remaining shards love she might have felt for Jiang Fengmian. Jiang Fengmian also exited the dining hall almost immediately after, passing the heirloom straight as if it wasn't even there, and ordering the servants to clean the mess made during the fight. 

On the next night hunt, whether out of spite or simply because he wanted to, Jiang Fengmian heavily incorporated that specific sword skill into the disciples' formations and headed off into the night with fifteen junior disciples and three senior disciples. Evidently, the night hunt went horribly wrong. All of the remaining disciples were injured in some way and out of the fifteen juniors that went on the night hunt, only eight returned to Lotus Pier later that night.

Soon enough, five years passed. And with those five years up, came the final part of the alliance made between Yunmeng Jiang and Meishan Yu.

*****

"A-Yuan! How are you doing today?" Madam Jin said excitedly as her sworn sister took a seat at their normal tea slot in her private quarters in Koi Tower. The lady dressed in intricate golden robes brought a tray with tea and set it on the low table Yu Ziyuan sat at on her private pavilion, before taking a seat herself.

"I am doing well. How are you Jin-furen?" She responded in kind, a small smile on her face.

"No need to be so formal with me A-Yuan. We're sworn sisters you know," the woman in gold retorted, kindly.

Yu Ziyuan huffed, a small smile briefly spreading across her face, "Sure, sure A-Jun."

Madam Jin smiled brightly in return, before changing her expression to one a bit more serious.

"A-yuan, the five years are up. It is now time for you to bring an heir to Yunmeng Jiang. I wish you the best of luck my dear. Remember, if you have any troubles or questions, any at all, feel free to come visit me. Don't let the men walk all over you. And especially, especially, do not let their treatment of you affect how you treat your own children. Promise me that A-yuan. Promise me that you will not, under any circumstances, allow yourself to mistreat your children. It's the worst crime any parent, whether they are a mother or a father, can commit," she spoke softly.

Yu Ziyuan nodded in reply and sipped at her tea. "I promise on my ancestors A-Jun,"

They needed each other in times like these, even though she would never admit it to anyone but herself. They were both women who fell for and dedicated themselves to men that didn't love them, after all. However, they were also women who overtime, had come to see the true side of said men, and realized that they were not worth any of the feelings or effort that they had originally put into their marriages. These men were also, unironically, the most pathetic men of their generation after all. Despite all of the time Yu Ziyuan had spent in Lotus Pier with her husband and his disciples, she found herself falling more and more out of love as the five years went on. She was no longer enchanted by Jiang Fengmian's smiles or calm demeanor and more often than not found herself filled with an irritational feeling of rage and disgust towards him whenever she saw them. 

Later that evening, Yu Ziyuan returned to Lotus Pier on her sword. As soon as she landed on the pier, she was greeted by senior disciples and then escorted inside by her spiders. Yu Ziyuan's spiders were always at her side. She usually refused to go anywhere without the two of them, but had requested that they stay in Lotus Pier to overlook her responsibilities while she visited her sworn sister in Koi Tower. Now that she had returned, they once again stood at her sides. They gave her a detailed report of the day's events while she'd been away and told her of the minimal tasks she had left to do for the day.

Nodding in thanks, she set off to finish the remaining tasks. It took a surprisingly short amount of time to complete the tasks. She cleaned up her office before dismissing Yinzhu and Jinzhu and heading to her husband's private quarters. She knocked on the door to his room and waited only a few seconds before the door opened.

"Jiang Fengmian," she greeted him in a flat voice.

"Yu Ziyuan," he greeted in response with his usual calm tone.

"What are you doing here my lady? Is there something wrong?"

"It is about time for Yunmeng Jiang to gain an heir is it not?" She responded.

Jiang Fengmian's eyes widened slightly, before his eyes dimmed and his face returned to its usual poker expression. He nodded his head in response. Yu Ziyuan immediately set up protection talismans outside of the sect leader's room before entering and closing the door.

Two weeks later, she began feeling bouts of nausea and dizziness. She threw up every morning for the following three weeks and ended up collapsing in the training grounds at the end of a particularly vigorous training session with the junior disciples at the end of the third week. She was rushed to their healer by worried disciples. The disciples immediately grew anxious, hoping that their Lady's condition was in no way dire, and rushed to call Sect Leader Jiang. 

Jiang Fengmian arrived in a calm stride, nothing of the rushed run of worry that the disciples had expected. He calmly tried to reassure the young jiang disciples, until the door to the med bay opened and the head healer, Jiang Maiyu walked out with a neutral but slightly excited expression.

"How is Madam Yu's condition, Head Healer Maiyu? Is she going to be alright?" the Jiang sect leader inquired.

The head healer's lips twitched upwards slightly before she responded.

"Do not worry Sect Leader, Yu furen will be alright. She is simply a bit exhausted from all the training. She does have another little person to take care of after all."

A shocked silence ran throughout the crowd of worried disciples. Their worry instantly melted away at the statement and turned into surprised whispers.

"Doesn't that mean..."

"Is it true..."

"Could it be..."

"Is head healer Maiyu serious..."

A small smile spread across Jiang Maiyu's face.

"Congratulations Sect Leader Jiang. Madam Yu is currently five weeks pregnant."

Shouts and yells of praise and excitement rang through the whispering crowd of disciples. Some of the juniors ran off to inform the other disciples and servants of the exciting news. A blank smile plastered itself on Jiang Fengmian's face as he thanked Jiang Maiyu and told her to watch over Yu Ziyuan to ensure her health remained stable, before leaving the crowd of excited disciples and heading back to his office.

Jiang Fengmian thought deeply of the news of Yu Ziyuan being with child. If the pregnancy was successful, the elders would surely be pleased by the results. Jiang Fengmian couldn't hold back the shiver of disgust that ran through him at the thought of his blood running through the offspring of such a violent and abrasive woman. What if the child developed some of Yu Ziyuan's traits? For as pretty as she was, her good looks were the only positive thing Jiang Fengmian could describe about her. He prayed to the Gods in hopes that the child would at least come out with his personality and looks, so he would not have to deal with two loud and violent people in Lotus Pier.

Jiang Fengmian's mind soon drifted from his wife and future children to his best friend and his best friend's wife. Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren. He couldn't help but wonder what a child with their blood would turn out like as well. The child would surely be greater than any mediocre offspring he could end up producing in his lifetime. They would be powerful, having the most divine combination of Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren in both looks and personality. They would have Wei Changze's intelligence and Cangse Sanren's wild and adventurous personality. The child would likely be a prodigy. As a passing thought, Jiang Fengmian wished that he could hold their child in his own arms and embrace them as his own. He paused and let the though linger in his mind for a while before shoving it down to the back of his mind. With a deep sigh, he shook his head to remove any other such thoughts from his head and shifted his gaze forward, focusing on heading back to his office to respond to trade route deals from other minor sects.

*****

It was a few months into the pregnancy and things were going as well as anyone would hope. Yu Ziyuan was much more irritable than before and often found herself hugging the edge of the waste basket or dropping into bushes due to her horrid morning sickness. Despite it's name, she would feel the nausea of morning sickness all throughout the day. It was extremely annoying and prevented her from doing as many tasks as she would normally have done. 

The disciples had also become more annoying. They clung to her and followed her around everywhere as if she was a fragile piece of glass just waiting to be shattered at the slightest gust of wind. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that they were just worried for her and were trying to ensure her safety, but she refused to acknowledge it. Instead she focused on the fact that they were lucky she was too nauseous and out of balance to swat them out of her way like flies.

Her stomach was getting bigger by the day, showing the undeniable proof that she was with a child. Though she had initially been overflowing with happiness that she was to give birth to a child, that fire inside her had eventually died down and gone cold. She could no longer feel any sort of happiness at her pregnancy at all in fact. With the elders constantly congratulating Jiang Fengmian on his new heir yet not having a word to say to her except to berate her on not helping around Lotus Pier enough, the disciples constantly following her around, the gossip of the people not just in Yunmeng but all throughout the cultivation world speculating whether or not her child would be a good person and her own sickness, nausea and out of control emotion, Yu Ziyuan just could not bring herself to find any extra space in herself to care for the well being of the child within her womb any more was than necessary. 

It didn't help that Jiang Fengmian did nothing to help throughout the pregnancy so far, leaving everything up to her nursemaids and herself. It was as if he was simply a sperm donor and nothing more. He was really showing off his true colours as a person, and in no way could he ever be considered any sort of 'father' figure. He simply donated to her what was necessary to continue his family bloodline and then continued on with his life. How disappointing.

Currently, Yu Ziyuan was sitting at one of the most popular piers in Lotus Pier, used almost all the time by all of the disciples. It was a free day and her nausea hadn't acted up as yet so she sat down calmly with her feet dipping into the lake water and watched as the juniors swam about having their fun. Even the senior disciples were in the water, supervising the other children while also having fun themselves. They looked more relaxed and at ease than she had seen them in a good while. Yu Ziyuan allowed a small smile to play on her lips as she rubbed her stomach gently and watched over her disciples and wondered what it would be like to have her own children join them. 

She abruptly startled and almost fell forward however, at a sudden feeling of pressure against her hand. She stared at her stomach with wide surprised eyes and rubbed it again, only to feel another sharp pressure against her hand. The small smile on her face twitched minutely and she let out a soft sigh. Her baby was starting to kick huh? She continued to rub her belly some more, feeling more and more enthusiastic kicks against her hand.

*****

A few more months had passed and Yu Ziyuan was just about done with being pregnant. Her morning sickness had ceased, but instead she gained backaches, pain in the soles of her feet, constant headaches and a decreased appetite. Not to mention her out of control temper and cravings. Her stomach had only grown over the past few months and she looked about ready to burst. 

She could hardly move anywhere without her disciples there to steady her, though her stubbornness and pride didn't allow her to willingly ask them for help. Yu Ziyuan honestly wondered how it was possible for her stomach to be so large despite carrying only one child. The head healer had confirmed that she only had one child but she still couldn't bring herself to believe it. 

Yu Ziyuan was ultimately fed up with the entire situation. She dreaded the day she might have to get pregnant again. At least this pregnancy was almost over. It was already days past the healer's original due date and she was due to give birth at any point in time. As if reading her thoughts, a sharp pain suddenly ripped through her abdomen and crawled up her spine. Yu Ziyuan felt a thin liquid run down her legs and immediately knew what had happened. She loudly called for Yinzhu and Jinzhu, who hurriedly rushed to her side and helped walk her to the infirmary, holding most of her weight while doing so. 

When the healers saw the three women heading their way, they immediately rushed to help Yu Ziyuan, taking her from Yinzhu and Jinzhu and laying her down on a cot placed in the middle of the infirmary. Servants rushed around frantically, preparing everything that would be needed to help Yu Ziyuan through her pregnancy. Yinzhu and Jinzhu stayed to help with as much of the preparation as they could before being put out of the infirmary by the healers. They then quietly stood guard outside the door. 

The birth lasted about eleven hours before a shrill cry was heard from beyond the infirmary doors. Yu Ziyuan breathed a sigh of relief when the entire process was over. She closed her eyes periodically as the servants cleaned up both her and her baby. She opened her eyes after a moment to see the head healer carrying her baby to her. She took her baby into her arms gently as the healer began to speak. 

"Congratulations Madam Yu. You have a healthy baby girl," the healer announced, a proud smile on her face. 

Yu Ziyuan nodded to her in return, a small smile on her face. She carefully parted the folds of cloth surrounding her daughter so she could see her baby's face properly. Her daughter shifted slightly, letting out a small yawn before opening her tiny eyes. Yu Ziyuan gasped softly as her sharp purple eyes met with her daughters gentle brown ones. She gently caressed the side of her daughters face with the back of her index finger, a smile on her face. 

"Aren't you beautiful little one," Yu Ziyuan cooed softly. 

Her daughter made a grab for her finger, holding it tightly in her tiny grip, that was surprisingly strong, before falling back asleep. Yu Ziyuan looked at her daughter's sleeping face before dozing off into sleep herself. 

*****

Yu Ziyuan named her daughter Yanli, Jiang Yanli being her full birth name. For the first three years of her life, Jiang Yanli was raised only by her mother, her mother's spiders and a handful of Jiang Sect maids. Jiang Fengmian put little to no effort into raising his daughter, leaving her care whole-heartedly in the hands of Yu Ziyuan and the people she hand picked to care for their child. Yu Ziyuan, on the other hand, went all in in terms of caring for her daughter. She pulled no stops, even taking her daughter with her to sect meetings when her spiders or maids weren't available. On the rare times that she truly was unable to take care of her daughter, Jiang Yanli was left in the care of either Jinzhu and Yinzhu, or a handful of maids Madam Yu had personally hand picked. 

Unfortunately, just a few weeks after Jiang Yanli's 3rd birthday, the young girl suddenly fell terribly ill. She began having terrible fevers, was throwing up constantly, barely able to keep food down, and had a terrible rash all over her body that caused her muscles to lock up and her throat to swell. To top it all off, she even began to have vicious night terrors. The young child was so sick that she couldn't barely move on her own, other than to wiggle her fingers a little bit.

The sudden deterioration of her daughter's health sent Yu Ziyuan into a panicked frenzy. She immediately sent her spiders out to do an investigation on what had happened to make Jiang Yanli so sick. She herself, after leaving the head healer, a few maids and two senior disciples to guard and take care of her daughter, set out to travel back to her home sect in order to do her own research and investigation.

Meishan Yu wasn't only known for being an all female cultivation sect after all. It was also well known for its highly effective medicines, its deadly poisons and its ruthless assassins that never missed their target. All disciples of Meishan Yu were given extensive lessons on poisons, medicines, and herbs and plants. Especially the main family. And although the lessons had never quite piqued Yu Ziyuan's interest, she was still very knowledgeable on those topics. She had a sneaking suspicion that the illness that her daughter had contracted wasn't as simple as it's symptoms made it seem. And if she was right...

God bless the poor unfortunate souls whose heads wouldn't be attached to their bodies for much longer. For she would do anything to save her daughter's life.

*****

"Mother," Yu Ziyuan greeted her mother, the Sect Leader of Meishan Yu.

"A-Yuan," her mother greeted her drearily, "What brings you back to our doors after these few years?"

"Mother, A-Li has fallen deathly ill. I have returned in order to use the expertise of the other members of our sect to investigate the cause of her illness, and how to cure it," Yu Ziyuan explained.

Sect Leader Yu hummed.

"You know where the library is A-Yuan. Go, and take Yu Ximei with you."

"Thank you mother," she replied before briskly leaving the throne room to head to the library, Yu Ximei quickly following behind her as per Sect Leander Yu's request.

As the two women walked along the corridor adjacent to the inner courtyard, Yu Ximei, who is the current head healer of the Meishan Yu Sect, began asking Yu Ziyuan about her daughter's condition.

"She has very high fevers, is throwing up constantly, is barely able to keep food down, and has a terrible rash all over her body. Her muscles have also started to lock up and her throat is swelling. To top it all off, she even has night terrors now." Madam Yu explained. 

Yu Ximei abruptly froze as soon as the other woman finished her explanation.

"Night terrors?" she said, voice trembling and face contorted with shock and confusion.

"Yes.... What about it?"

"Did your daughter ever have them before she fell ill?"

"No. She has always slept soundly through the night before this."

"..."

Yu Ziyuan felt her worry increase when Yu Ximei then took off running, quickly following after her. They passed the communal library straight and headed to the census room. After entering the census room, Yu Ximei immediately scanned the walls, brushing her hands lightly along the wall as she hurried along until she found a loose brick in the wall. She pushed the brick further into the wall, and then a human sized portion of the wall gave way to reveal a secret passage way.

The two women rushed down the secret passageway, not bothering to check on the opening which was slowly closing behind them. Yu Ziyuan immediately knew where they were headed at the sight of the discreet carvings on the walls of the passageway. 

"Why are we heading to the secret archives?" she asked, panicked.

Yu Ximei did not answer her, and only began walking faster. The pair quickly reached a large pair of intricately carved wooden doors. Yu Ximei roughly slammed the doors open and took off into the rows of books, hurriedly coming back with her hands full of different coloured books and scrolls. She slammed them down onto the table resting in the middle of the large room, and immediately began sifting through them.

"The first of Jiang Yanli's symptoms can be boiled down regular symptoms that come with illnesses like a stomach flu, an allergic reaction to something like an insect bite or even food, and worst case, a poisoning of some sort, for example food poisoning. However, none of those things cause night terrors, and a three year old who has no history of sleeping problems isn't going to suddenly become plagued by night terrors, just because they got sick," Yu Ximei began. 

She quickly closed the scroll she'd been skimming through before throwing it behind her, reaching for another one and beginning to read it through. 

"I've only ever seen this mix of symptoms one time before, and it was in an old scroll here in the secret archives," She hurriedly stated, tossing that scroll away and pulling a bunch more towards her, "These symptoms were from a deadly disease with a 99% death rate, that one could only contract through ingesting the sap of an Alora tree. The disease is named "Alorionara". Initially, the symptoms of this disease appear as the symptoms of more common diseases. However, that is only a disguise for the true horror of this disease, which begins with the appearance of night terrors. If she's already having night terrors, she may only have just about a month to live."

Yu Ziyuan's heart constricted tightly at this, body going rigid as dread and fear for her daughter's life spread through her.

"The strange thing about this, though, is that Alora trees are extremely rare, and hard to find, especially in our region. The conditions needed to grow them are exceptionally harsh, and difficult to maintain, or even create in the first place if you don't live in, or near, their natural habitat. They are said to only be abundant in the coldest corners of faraway lands across the sea. There is no possibility that Yanli-guniang somehow accidentally ingested the Alora tree sap, seeing as she has never been anywhere close to where they naturally grow. Seeing how rare this tree is, she, just like almost everyone in the cultivation and non-cultivation world, most likely doesn't even know it exists, much less know its properties and appearance. The only way she would have contracted Alionara is if-"

"-Is if someone purposefully poisoned her with the sap of the Alora tree," Yu Ziyuan finished.

"...Yes, that is the case."

Yu Ximei finally seemed to find the scroll she was looking for, for as soon as she opened it, she immediately shoved everything else that was on the table onto the floor, and spread the scroll over the expanse of the table, brushing off any dust and straightening out the creases in order to make sure that the entirety of the scroll's contents could be seen. 

Taking up the top half of the wide scroll, was a beautiful painting of a tree, growing amongst piles of thick snow. Its leaves were a pure, gleaming white, and its bark seemed to be glistening in the sunlight of the painting. Vines, with glistening yet tiny flowers, hung from the branches of the tree, so white in colour they seemed almost transparent, like an endless curtain of crystals hanging from the tree. 

Below the stunning painting, were detailed descriptions of the tree and lists of the tree's attributes. Yu Ximei began reading through the detailed notes, before speaking again.

"The Alora Tree is a bit of a contradiction, in a sense. On one hand, its sap in its natural form, straight from the tree, is fatally poisonous to humans. On the other hand, if you mix the sap from the tree with a few of the tree's leaves and flower petals, along with four other ingredients that are just as rare as the tree itself, you get a very potent cure for the poison that runs through its sap."

Yu Ziyuan sighed at that, relaxing minutely. At least a cure exists. 

"Unfortunately, the method needed to brew the cure, is not written here. The death rate is so high because people either can't find the ingredients for the cure in time or they find the ingredients, but aren't able to find someone who knows how to brew them. If Yanli-guniang has already started having night terrors, then at maximum you have about one month to find not only the ingredients, but the method of brewing the cure, in order to save her," Yu Ximei finished.

Yu Ziyuan nodded grimly. She read through the information on the map herself, quickly memorizing the appearance of the tree before speaking up again.

"Do you mind if I make notes from this scroll Yu Ximei? Once I have finished using them I will ensure that they are burned so that they will not get into the wrong hands," she explained, "I will be journeying to find this tree and get the cure to heal my daughter."

"Make as many notes as you please, Madam Yu. But make sure that you use them wisely. I wish you luck in whatever direction your journey may take you," Yu Ximei responds, clasping her hands together into a deep bow, before leaving the table to begin cleaning up the census room and repacking the scrolls she had taken from their original places. 

Yu Ziyuan quickly took and empty scroll and began making detailed notes about the Alora Tree from what was printed on the scroll, making a few notes of her own on the side as well. Once she was finished, she told Yu Ximei, who was still cleaning up, of her departure and took her leave. She quickly spoke to her mother, Sect Leader Yu, thanking her for her generosity, before informing her of her departure as well. Her mother gave her a knowing look, before nodding her head in acknowledgement.

"Before you leave though Ziyuan, I would like to give you something," Sect Leader Yu called to her as she was about to turn around to leave.

Yu Ziyuan, though confused, returned to her previous stance of facing her mother's throne, as the other stood and made her way over to her. Her mother looked her dead in the eyes, holding her gaze for a few moments, before leaning down to reach for something in her sleeve. Her hand emerged holding a small brown parcel that looked like a money pouch, which she then held out to her daughter. 

"Take it," she said calmly. Yu Ziyuan took the pouch from her mother's hands and opened it to inspect what was inside. Her eyes immediately widened as she laid eyes on the contents of the pouch. She quickly snapped her head up to look at the woman in front of her.

"Mother..? I don't-"

"Take your leave Ziyuan. Your daughter awaits you." Sect Leader Yu stated.

Yu Ziyuan bowed deeply to her mother before turning and walking out of her mother's office, a small, grateful smile on her face. For inside the small pouch was a collection of Bloodmoon Stones, an extremely rare crystal known widely by many for it's extraordinary healing capabilities, and one of the four other ingredients she would need to find to brew the cure that would save her daughter's life. She softly closed the pouch and held it gently to her chest.

However her mother knew about it, she would be eternally grateful for these rare crystals.

*****

Yu Ziyuan quickly began her journey back to Lotus Pier by sword. She sent a qi butterfly to Qinzhu and Yinzhu, with a message telling them to return to Lotus Pier as soon as possible, as she flew further and further way from the Meishan Yu Sect's compound. By the time she arrived at the entrance, the moon had long risen in the sky. The disciples on night patrol at the entrance quickly rushed to greet her.

"Welcome back Madam Yu! We hope your journey was fruitful," they exclaimed. 

Yu Ziyuan nodded her head at them in greeting, before swiftly heading to her daughter's room. Before she could make her way there however, she bumped into her husband. Jiang Fengmian let out a soft sigh at the sight of her, making Yu Ziyuan scoff at him, a scowl growing on her once calm face.

"My Lady, where were you today? Elder Liu had to take on your training classes with the junior disciples today, since you left so suddenly. Please ensure to make prior arrangements if you plan to leave without telling anyone," He spoke evenly to her.

Yu Ziyuan scoffed at him, immediately growing agitated at his calm demeanor.

"You'd surely know where I went, Fengmian, if you bothered to pay any attention to the daughter you sired, who is currently the heir to your sect."

Jiang Fengmian let out what sounded like a sigh of disappointment, disposition growing less calm and more annoyed. 

"What do I have to pay attention to? It's your duty as her mother to raise her into an upstanding young woman. It would be the same if we had any sons. As their father, I will teach her what she needs to know when the time is right."

Yu Ziyuan growled in downright disbelief. 

"So what, will you teach her that her only worth is to be married off to someone else's family once she comes of age? Will you teach her that she must stay in the kitchen and be a slave to her new husband? Will you teach her to be a quiet and polite little broodmare to whatever abusive cretin you send her off to? Well good for you Fengmian, because soon you won't have to worry about the pitiful thing your sperm has created. She's somehow been poisoned by a rare poison that comes from a tree that can usually only be found in the lands across the sea. She's only got about a month to live, so you won't have to waste anymore of your limited braincells thinking about how to get rid of her."

With that Yu Ziyuan stormed off to her daughter's room, not even bothering to look behind her and take in the shocked expression that had enveloped Jiang Fengmian's face. She grabbed the side panel of the door and slammed it open, before closing it just as roughly behind her as she walked through the doorway. She slowed her pacing as she neared her daughter, who was laying in bed, face red as the robes of the Qishan Wen Sect, breath coming out in weak and short spurts.

Looking at her daughter, the words of her husband still ringing through her head, she couldn't help but feel pity for her poor child. She gently rested her hand against her daughter's forehead, nothing but heat meeting the palm of her hand. She sighed softly at this,  gently caressing her hair before moving her hand lower. As her hand reached her daughter's neck, Yu Ziyuan's hands stopped. She gently rubbed her thumb along Jiang Yanli's windpipe, her other four fingers wrapped carefully around the back of her neck. 

She stared unblinkingly at the neck of the infant in front of her. So soft. So weak. So breakable. It was almost as if she was in a trance, as she softly gripped the neck of the three year old in her two hands. I would be so easy for her to put her daughter out of her misery. To cease all of her suffering. For what room was there in the world for an unloved child? If her own father could not love her, then what purpose did she have to continue living?

As these thoughts flooded Yu Ziyuan's mind, her hands unconsciously began tightening around Yanli's neck, strangling her. There was no need to feel sorry for doing this. She was simply doing right by her daughter, and taking all of her pain away. Just as her duty required. No need to prance around the cultivation world looking for rare herbs and ingredients. She would simply end the suffering of both her and her daughter, end the suffering of her husband, by taking Yanli's life. At the end of the day, she could simply birth another child to take her daughter's place. With seemingly no remorse, Yu Ziyuan's hands continued to tighten and tighten until Jiang Yanli's lips began turning blue. A piercing yell suddenly shot through the air, breaking Yu Ziyuan out of her thoughts. 

"MADAM YU!"

Immediately  she let go of her daughter's neck, shoving herself back and into the far wall, away from the cot where her now crying child was laying. Jiang Yanli shrieked and cried, chest rising and falling rapidly as she fought to get air back into her lungs. Madam Yu crumpled into the wall behind her, shoulders hunching as she slowly became aware of what she had just done. Of what she had been about to do. Before she could even think to look around for the person who had just yelled out her name, two hands were grabbing her by her shoulders and whipped her around to face their owner. Jinzhu stared her directly in the eye, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed tightly in a frown. Yinzhu stood a few steps behind her, face blank, not betraying any of the emotions she may be feeling. 

"Stop this. Remember you planned to go out and search for the antidote to cure Yanli-guniang's illness? You have to start making preparations for the journey now. Yinzhu and I will stay behind to ensure the wellbeing of Yanli-guniang while you go on your journey. Please calm down and think things through," Jinzhu spoke to her calmly. 

Yu Ziyuan inhaled shakily, taking a moment to compose herself, before brushing her spider's hands off of her shoulders and standing at her full height.

"You're right Jinzhu. You have my apologies for disrupting you both with my momentary lapse of judgement. It won't happen again," Yu Ziyuan states to her two spiders, voice dull and emotionless, before leaving her daughter's room to head to her study. She would follow Jinzhu's advice and begin making the proper preparations, before confirming her departure with the sect elders and her husband.

*****

It took Yu Ziyuan the entirety of the following day in order to clear her schedule and re-delegate all of her work in order for her to be able to make the journey to find the cure to heal her daughter. 

She didn't bother trying to find her husband to inform him of her departure. She simply left a formal letter, informing him of her absence, on his desk, and left a verbal reiteration of that message with his Head Disciple. 

With her head held high, Yu Ziyuan hurriedly made her way out of Lotus Pier, and began her journey out of Yunmeng.  The first place she would need to go to was Lanling Jin. 

Unbeknownst to most of the cultivation world, there was an underground market located in Lanling Jin's territory, that hosted merchants from across the cultivation world, and even from across the sea, who wanted to sell extremely rare herbs, spices, minerals and precious stones from their various territories. The chances of finding at least one of the remaining three extra ingredients needed to brew the cure in that underground market were quite high. 

She took out her little booklet of notes that she had made when visiting the Meishan Yu Sect. She had gotten the Bloodmoon Stones from her mother, so that was ticked off of the list. 

The next three ingredients she needed were the fruits of an Ashwagandha plant, the petals of a June Pye flower and the egg of a Giant Checkered River Serpent. The first two on that list were ingredients, while rare, were not impossible to find, and were often in high demand from overseas buyers. 

She placed a mark next to the fruits of the Ashwagandha plant, before closing back her notes and returning them to her qiankun pouch, as she approached a nearby salesman who was trying to sell a few horses, her mind made up and her resolve hardened.

*****

Lanling Jin's black market was another world in and of itself, a sprawling labyrinth of narrow alleyways and hidden stalls full of vibrant chaos. The market seemed alive, the cacophony of voices filling the winding space like a song, and the air thick with the smell of exotic spices and incense. Merchants hawked their wares with loud, boastful claims, their stalls overflowing with strange and rare items.

Yu Ziyuan moved through the crowd with a practiced ease, her senses alert for any sign of danger. She wore a simple cloak and hood to blend in, concealing her identity from prying eyes, for this market was a maze of temptation and deceit, with some merchants offering false promises and counterfeit goods.

Her search for the Ashwagandha fruits led her to a particularly shady dealer, whose stall was tucked away in a dimly lit corner of the market. She approached the dealer whose eyes held a shrewd, calculating gaze,  rare herbs in glass jars hanging carefully on the walls of his stall.

"What can I get for you, mistress?" the dealer asked, his tone slick and oily.

"I'm looking for Ashwagandha fruits," Yu Ziyuan replied, her eyes scanning the jars on display.

The dealer's eyes gleamed. "Ah, a discerning buyer. I have just what you need."

He presented a glass jar of the fruits to her, but Yu Ziyuan could immediately sense something was off. She reached out and closely inspected the jar, feeling a miniscule pattern carved lightly into the glass at the bottom of the jar. 

"These are not genuine," she said coolly, her voice laced with authority. "I can feel the deception talisman inscribed into the bottom of the jar ."

The dealer's face paled, and he tried to bluff. "You're mistaken. These are the finest."

Yu Ziyuan's gaze was unyielding. "If you don't want to test my patience, you'll give me the real ones. Now."

The dealer hesitated but eventually produced a genuine batch. With her goods collected, Yu Ziyuan made to briskly leave the market. As she was about to leave however, a group of thugs approached, their menacing demeanor suggesting trouble.

"By your jewellery, it seems that you're not just the average buyer," one thug sneered. "Let's see what you've got."

Yu Ziyuan's eyes narrowed. "I'm not in the mood for games."

A brief skirmish ensued, with Yu Ziyuan easily dispatching the thugs with precise, efficient moves. The dealer, now visibly frightened, hastily made his escape. Yu Ziyuan, her heart pounding, clutched the genuine Ashwagandha fruits and continued her quest. 

*****

The poisonous cave, where the June Pye flowers were located, was an oppressive environment The air inside was thick with toxic fumes that stung Yu Ziyuan's eyes and made her throat burn. The walls were slick with a slimy, greenish substance that seemed to pulsate with a dark, unnatural energy and the ground was covered with strange, green plants and shrubbery that painted the cave with ghastly designs that reminded Yu Ziyuan of demonic talismans she had once seen on a night hunt, created by mysterious cultivators to manipulate malevolent energy. 

Yu Ziyuan's protective barrier shimmered around her, struggling against the heavy miasma. She used what was left of her scattered senses to detect the presence of the June Pye flowers, spiritual flowers known for their exceptional healing qualities, their delicate fragrance faint but discernible amidst the overpowering stench of decay.

As Yu Ziyuan continued her journey, the cave seemed as though it was closing in around her, the darkness so intense that it felt almost tangible. Shadows shifted and seemed to whisper of ancient curses as she inched closer to her goal. Each step was a battle against both the physical dangers of the cave and the mental strain of the oppressive darkness surrounding her.

Suddenly, a low, rumbling growl echoed through the cave. Yu Ziyuan turned to see a massive, ogre like creature with glowing eyes emerging from the shadows. It had scales that were a dark, iridescent green, and its fangs dripped with venom.

The creature hissed, its voice a rasping growl. "You shall not pass!" It seemed to howl at her.

Yu Ziyuan stood her ground, her voice firm. "I seek only the June Pye petals. I mean no harm to this cave."

The creature lunged, its body twisting and striking with lightning speed. Yu Ziyuan dodged and countered with quick, precise movements, zidian flaring to life. The battle was a dance of skill and survival, the cave's oppressive atmosphere making each move a struggle.

After one too many strikes from zidian however, the creature fell. Yu Ziyuan's gaze fell upon the June Pye petals, their delicate glow a rare moment of beauty in the grim surroundings. With painstaking care, she harvested the petals, her hands trembling from the strain of the toxic environment. Exhausted but determined, she made her way out of the cave, her senses alert for any further dangers.

*****

The lair of the Checkered River Serpent was a desolate, rocky expanse beside a turbulent river, its surface shimmering with an unsettling, translucent sheen. The serpent itself was a colossal creature, its scales a mesmerizing pattern of black and white that made it nearly invisible against the river's surface.

Yu Ziyuan approached with caution, her eyes locking onto the serpent's molten-gold gaze. The creature's hiss was a deafening roar, and its massive body twisted with a grace that belied its size. The battle began with a fierce clash. 

The serpent lashed out with terrifying speed, its fangs dripping with venom. Yu Ziyuan deflected the attacks with Zidian, her movements fluid and precise. The serpent's immense size made it a formidable opponent, and each strike from its tail sent shockwaves through the ground that threatened to knock Yu Ziyuan off her feet..

"You dare challenge me?" the serpent roared, its voice echoing across the river, "You are but a mere mortal!"

Yu Ziyuan's voice was steady, even as she fought. "I fight for a greater cause than my own survival. You are the last obstacle in my way."

She fought with every ounce of her strength, her movements a deadly dance as she used Zidian to strike at the serpent's vulnerable points. The battle was a grueling test of endurance and strategy. The serpent's attacks were relentless, and each strike left Yu Ziyuan more exhausted and injured.

In a climactic moment, she managed to land a decisive blow, piercing the serpent's heart with a final, powerful strike. The creature let out a deafening roar before collapsing, its massive body thrashing in a final, convulsive spasm and sending waves crashing against the shore, before finally lying still. 

Yu Ziyuan stood over the fallen serpent, her body trembling with exhaustion. She retrieved the precious egg from the serpent's nest, her heart racing with both relief and trepidation.

*****

After escaping from the Checkered River Serpent's lair, Yu Ziyuan began to head east. Her journey through the dense forests just north of Qishan Wen was arduous, the humidity clinging to her skin as she pushed through the undergrowth. As she ventured deeper into the heart of the forest, the sunlight filtering through the canopy in fractured beams, the air grew cooler as cool winds began to swerve through the branches and leaves of the dense foliage. The path became less distinct, winding between towering trees draped with moss. 

After about an hour of navigating the dense forest, Yu Ziyuan spotted a faint glow through the trees. As she approached, the glow intensified, revealing a small clearing. In the center of the clearing stood a quaint hut, its structure weathered yet welcoming, with wooden beams entwined with creeping ivy and delicate wildflowers sprouting around its foundation.

Yu Ziyuan approached the hut cautiously, her senses alert. The air was filled with the fragrant aroma of herbs and pollen, a soothing contrast to the forest's damp scent. She raised her hand and knocked gently on the wooden door, which creaked open almost immediately.

Inside, the hut was a haven of tranquility. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with jars of dried herbs, ancient scrolls, and strange, glowing crystals. A small fire burned in a stone hearth, casting a warm, flickering light. Seated at a low wooden table was the old man, his presence commanding despite his frail appearance. He was wrapped in a simple robe of muted colors, and his long, white beard cascaded down to his chest.

His eyes, a piercing shade of blue, were sharp and alert as he regarded Yu Ziyuan with a calm, inscrutable expression. He appeared to be in his seventies, though his presence seemed timeless, as if he had witnessed the rise and fall of countless ages.

"Welcome, traveler," he said, his voice deep and resonant. It was both a greeting and an acknowledgment of her presence. "What brings you to this secluded corner of the world?"

Yu Ziyuan took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I seek the flowers and leaves of the Alora tree. My daughter is gravely ill, and I have been told that these flowers and their leaves are vital for her cure."

The old man's eyes softened with understanding, and he gestured for Yu Ziyuan to sit at the table. "Parts of the Alora tree are not easily obtained," he said, his tone thoughtful. "It is a rare and powerful tree, imbued with ancient energy."

Yu Ziyuan sat down, her posture reflecting both her weariness and her resolve. "I have faced many trials to obtain these flowers. I have fought spirits, battled fierce creatures, and navigated treacherous terrain. I am prepared to do whatever it takes."

The old man studied her with a penetrating gaze, as if assessing the very essence of her being. "It is not just the flowers you seek," he said slowly. "You seek to heal your daughter, but there is more to this journey than you realize. The flowers will come with their own burdens."

Yu Ziyuan's eyes narrowed slightly, a mix of confusion and concern. "What do you mean by 'burdens'?"

The old man rose from his seat with surprising agility for his age and walked to a small wooden chest in the corner of the room. He opened it, revealing a jar of shimmering, ivory flowers. The flowers of the Alora tree. He took the jar and held it up to the light, the petals and leaves glowing with a soft, ethereal radiance.

"These flowers are not just a remedy but a pact," the old man explained, his voice steady. "To obtain them, you must be willing to accept the responsibility that comes with them. The price of this favour is a debt that will be yours to repay. Are you willing to bear this burden?"

Yu Ziyuan's heart raced as she considered his words. Her mind raced, the thoughts of her daughter's suffering and the urgency of her mission driving her to make a decision. 

"I am willing," she declared, her voice firm. "I will do whatever it takes to save my daughter."

The old man nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. "Very well. Take these flowers, and use them wisely. Remember, every gift carries a cost, and the future may hold challenges that test your resolve."

He handed the jar to Yu Ziyuan, who accepted it with reverence. As her fingers touched the cool, smooth surface of the jar, she felt a surge of energy, as though the flowers themselves were alive with a potent force.

"Thank you," Yu Ziyuan said, her voice tinged with gratitude and determination. "I will not forget your kindness."

The old man gave a slight bow, his eyes twinkling with a mysterious glint. "Safe travels, and may you find the strength you need."

As Yu Ziyuan left the hut, the air seemed to grow lighter, and the oppressive forest felt a bit less daunting. She clutched the jar close, her mind racing with thoughts of the future. The encounter with the mysterious old man had provided her with both hope and a reminder of the complexities of her journey.

*****

The month was just about up and Yu Ziyuan had yet to find someone who could brew the cure with the ingredients she had collected. As she searched and searched and kept coming back with nothing, she couldn't help but wonder if this journey would even be worth it. There would be no point to this trying journey if she couldn't save her daughter.

Heart growing more anxious as her time almost ran out, Yu Ziyuan abandoned looking for the cure and threw herself into the nearest shrine she could find, not caring who it belonged to.

The shrine was a place of serene beauty, nestled in a tranquil glade surrounded by ancient, towering trees. The air was filled with the soft, melodious sound of chimes and the faint rustling of leaves. The shrine itself was adorned with intricate carvings and glowing lanterns, casting the entire settlement in a warm, golden light. 

Yu Ziyuan missed the subtle carvings of the owner of the shrine's name as she ran passed the gates.

Exhausted and desperate, she fell to her knees before the shrine's altar. Her voice broke with emotion as she pleaded for the life of her daughter, tears streaming down her face. 

"Please! Whoever you are as the owner of this shrine, immortal, god or goddess. Please save my daughter. She is my greatest gift." 

The air remained silent.

"Please, please! I  will do anything! Anything at all! Please save my daughter!" She sobbed in despair. 

The air around the shrine suddenly started to shimmer with spiritual energy. A woman then appeared, an ethereal figure bathed in a gentle, radiant light. Her presence was both comforting and awe-inspiring and her gaze was both compassionate and inscrutable, as if weighing the depth of Yu Ziyuan's plea against the cosmic balance. 

"My name is Boashan Sanren, and I shall grant your plea," Baoshan Sanren said, her voice a melodious echo. "But remember, every favor has its price. The debt you incur will be yours to repay in time."

As the immortal agreed to heal Jiang Yanli, Yu Ziyuan could not help but hear the voice of the old man echoing in her head, giving her an enigmatic warning of a future debt.

Yu Ziyuan's heart pounded as she accepted the terms. "I will do whatever is necessary," she vowed, her voice steady despite her emotional turmoil.

The shrine was then enveloped in a blinding light, and when it faded, Baoshan Sanren was gone. Yu Ziyuan remained in the tranquil space, her heart heavy with both relief and the weight of the promise she had made.

*****

The journey back to Lotus Pier was a blur of fatigue and anticipation. The familiar sight of her home, once a source of comfort, now felt like a beacon of hope and fear.

As Yu Ziyuan arrived, she rushed to her daughter's room, by passing the disciples stationed out front to greet her. Her heart leapt at the sight of Jiang Yanli, her once pale face now flushed and full of life. She was awake and sitting up, though it didn't seem like she could get up as yet. The relief that washed over Yu Ziyuan was overwhelming.

Jiang Yanli, looked up at her mother with tearful eyes. "Mother..."

Yu Ziyuan's voice trembled as she knelt beside her daughter. "Yes, A-Li. I'm here. You're going to be alright."

At the reassurance from her mother, Jiang Yanli closed her eyes, allowing her breathing to even out as she quickly drifted to sleep. The sight of her daughter's improvement brought tears to Yu Ziyuan's eyes. She embraced Jiang Yanli, her heart swelling with a profound sense of relief and gratitude.

As the relief began to settle in, however, the door to the chamber creaked open. Yu Ziyuan turned to see Jiang Fengmian standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable. He had heard of their daughter's recovery but had not been present for the agonizing weeks when she was fighting for her life. His absence, his neglect, had cut deeper than any blade, once Yu Ziyuan heard of it from her spiders.

"She's awake?" Jiang Fengmian's voice was quiet, almost tentative, as he stepped into the room.

"Yes," Yu Ziyuan replied, her tone clipped, though she tried to keep her voice neutral. "She's recovering."

Jiang Fengmian approached the bed, his gaze lingering on his daughter's face. There was a flicker of emotion in his eyes, relief perhaps, but it was quickly masked by his usual reserved demeanor. He reached out to touch Jiang Yanli's hand, but hesitated, as if unsure of how to express the care he so rarely showed.

"Yanli is strong," he said after a moment, his voice distant. "She'll be fine."

Yu Ziyuan's eyes narrowed, her hand instinctively tightening around her daughter's. "She's strong because she had to be," she replied, her voice edged with a bitterness she could no longer suppress. "She's had to fight for herself when her father couldn't be bothered to do so for her."

Jiang Fengmian's eyes flicked to her, a hint of surprise at the open accusation in her tone. "I've been busy with the affairs of the clan, Ziyuan. You know this."

"And yet you had time to visit the Wen clan in Qishan," Yu Ziyuan shot back, her eyes flashing with a barely contained fury. "You had the time to entertain their requests and to cultivate alliances that serve your ambitions. But somehow, you did not have the time for your own daughter?"

Her words hung in the air like a sharp blade, the tension between them palpable. Jiang Fengmian's face hardened, his jaw tightening as he regarded her with a cold detachment. "My duties to the clan are paramount. Our survival, our standing among the other sects, depends on the relationships we maintain."

"Relationships?" Yu Ziyuan's voice rose, her composure threatening to break. "You speak of relationships, yet you ignore the ones that matter most. You've neglected, and continue to neglect, your very own daughter, Fengmian. She needed you, and where were you?"

Jiang Fengmian's expression darkened, a mix of frustration and disdain crossing his features. "Yanli is a child. She needs to learn that life is harsh. Coddling her won't prepare her for the real world."

"She's a child!" Yu Ziyuan's voice trembled with emotion, a rare crack in her usual stoic demeanor. "And she needed her father. But you were too busy trying to prove what little of yourself that you have left to the rest of the world. Too busy pursuing your "ideals" and hiding, to see what's right in front of you."

Jiang Fengmian said nothing, his silence more damning than any words he could have spoken. His gaze shifted away from Yu Ziyuan, as if her words had struck a chord he did not want to acknowledge. But instead of responding, he turned and left the room, the door closing behind him with a finality that seemed to echo the growing distance between them. 

Yu Ziyuan stared at the closed door, a bitter ache settling in her chest. She had truly not anticipated the extent to which Jiang Fengmian would prioritize his futile "ambitions" over his own family. The man she had married, the man she had once hoped to find some semblance of companionship with, continued to become even more of a stranger to her than before.

She turned her attention back to Jiang Yanli, the anger and frustration not ebbing away as quickly as she wished, as she looked at her daughter's peaceful face. Yu Ziyuan stroked her hair as she whispered, "I will protect you, A-Li. No matter what it takes. I will be there for you, even if no one else will."

In that moment, Yu Ziyuan vowed to be the strength her daughter needed, to shield her from the harshness of a world that had already proven to be unforgiving. But the strain between her and Jiang Fengmian was now a chasm that could not be easily bridged, a wound that might never heal.

*****

It took two months for Jiang Yanli to fully recover from the physical effects of having Alionara. The healers however, were able to determine after only one month that permanent damage had been done to the sect heir's meridians. 

With the amount of irreversible damage done to her spiritual veins, the Jiang Sect healers determined that she would be unable to cultivate a golden core. If Jiang Yanli ever did somehow manage to cultivate one, it would remain very weak. 

With that announcement from the healers, Jiang Fengmian's trickling visits to his daughter stopped completely. Yu Ziyuan resigned herself to once again completing her wifely duties for her sect. Now that her daughter was considered 'out of the running' for the Sect Leader position, a new heir would need to be born.

She looked out onto the lake outside of her quarters as she prayed that this time, things would be better. 

Little did she know, however, that her wish would be granted in a way that would either make or break her.

*****

The second time around, her pregnancy was nothing like her first one. Her first pregnancy with her daughter, while exhausting and painful in its own right, could not be considered anywhere near as difficult as her second one. Numerous complications arose. Yu Ziyuan's morning sickness became so severe that she could not even leave her rooms. At one point during the second trimester, she even began having heavy bouts of vaginal bleeding, which was almost unheard of during pregnancy unless someone was miscarrying. The healers became unsure of whether her child would even make it the full nine months of the pregnancy, and hovered around her like fruit flies to an overripe mango that had been dropped by an animal, to ensure that her health didn't take a turn for the absolute worst. Everything came to an abrupt end however, when Yu Ziyuan's water broke a little over a month before her originally chosen due date. 

*****

As per Jiang tradition, she was required to have a water birth, so the maids that had been with her at the time rushed her to the healing quarters, where a large bathtub had already been set up. One of the maids had likely rushed ahead to inform the healers of her water breaking. As her pregnancy so far had been such an epic shitshow, the room she was in was filled to the brim with as many of the Jiang Sect's best healers as possible. They all stood to the side, out of the way of the main maids who would help her give birth, but they were ready to jump into action, should her birth head south.

Yu Ziyuan was stripped down into just a single layer of her maternity robes before she was gently placed into the tub and given herbs to help with her contractions. About two hours passed just like that, with her trying to simply breath through her contractions, before her head healer decided that she had dilated enough and gently asked her to begin pushing. Screams of pain echoed softly through the closed doors of the healing quarters in Lotus Pier, as Madam Yu held onto the edges of the tub and pushed for dear life. 

"You're almost there Madam Yu! Just push a little more! You can do it!" The head healer encouraged her lightly.

Yu Ziyuan cried out sharply in pain a moment later. It hurt so much fucking more than her last pregnancy.

"I am pushing you fucking idiot!!! What the fuck else could I be doing?!?!?!" she yelled, cursing the head healer.

"I can see the head now Madam Yu. A few more pushes and it will be over!" encouraged the maid holding her hand.

She pushed harder than before, internally spewing insults at her husband, the maids and even the sect elders and ancestors. Soon though, with a last hard push, she finally felt the last of her baby's body fully exit her own tired body. With that, Yu Ziyuan panted softly in relief, her body collapsing in the tub and exhaustion finally taking over her. 

She let the silence of the room wash over her as the maids scurried around her quietly, cleaning the room and wiping her body down with damps rags, soap and new warm water to clean away the blood and sweat, and the head healer did the same for her baby. The room became tense however, as the silence persisted. 

Yu Ziyuan looked up then, only to see a few healers surrounding the small cot they had prepared to clean her baby on, patting his back and pushing their spiritual energy into him, in an attempt to heal anything that may not be functioning as it should. It wasn't long before a sharp, piercing cry echoed throughout the room, easing the tension in the room and allowing all of the adults present to sigh in relief. 

The nurses in the room began to applaud as the head healer swaddles the tiny heir in a thick purple cloth and walked over to Madam Yu to let her hold him. Yu Ziyuan gingerly lifted her arms to wrap them around her son. A small smile grew on her face as her son's loud cries quietened, and he settled down once being placed in her arms.

"A-Cheng. I'll name you Jiang Cheng," she stated, as she continued to gaze at the tiny baby in her arms, who was beginning to yawn, sleep edging into his eyes.

Warmth filled her chest as she stared at her son. 

She would ensure that he became someone both his father and her could be proud of. He would be an extraordinary cultivator, as would be expected of her son. He would never have to be second best to anyone or anything, and he would never have to suffer like she did, at the hands of her husband in their loveless farce of a marriage.

She would ensure it.

*****

On that very same cold, fall night, a man in black and grey robes walked through the halls of a large palace. His steps were hurried and swift, though his face remained blank and he did not pant from the exertion of jogging through the palace's long winding hallways. After about five minutes, the man arrived in front of a pair of large steel doors decorated with red paint and gold, silver and ruby jewels, with the cultivation sect's symbol engraved on the doors. 

The man pushed the doors open, entering the large hall on the other side. The lighting in the hall was dim, the room only being lit by lanterns attached to the walls on the sides of the room. The floors were made of polished wood and a wide crimson carpet decorated by golden embroidery patterns and lined with golden trimmings lead from the entrance of the room to the front of the room. 

At the front of the room was a large platform, elevated above the main floor and the rest of the room by three flights of twelve stairs. At the top of the platform, stood a large iron throne, crafted in the shape of an explosive flame and decorated with rubies and diamonds. Atop the throne sat another man dressed in expensive, flowing robes. He sat with his legs crossed and his face propped up on his right fist. 

The man who entered the room walked to the bottom of the stairs before kneeling down on one knee.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Have you found all of the pieces, Lin Shu."

"Yes Your Excellency. We can now begin the proceedings."

The man sitting atop the iron throne's face broke into a manic grin.

"Excellent."