The guard led Xuan BaiShe through several pavilions of the domain.
The guards and servants who crossed paths with the heir immediately stopped.
Some joined their hands in respect, bowing their heads just enough to show deference without appearing obsequious.
"Greetings to the young master."
"Long life to the Saint Son."
BaiShe contented himself with a slight nod to each greeting, a barely perceptible movement of the chin. His face remained indifferent after all he had lived through these scenes thousands of times.
After several minutes of flight, they arrived in front of an immense pavilion located at the exact center of the domain.
The guard stopped three meters from the door, refusing to approach any closer.
"Young master, the patriarch awaits you inside."
BaiShe nodded.
"Thank you, Elder."
The guard bowed slightly before retreating several steps. BaiShe placed his hand on the door and pushed it calmly.
The inner hall was vast and silent, bathed in dim light that filtered through translucent jade slats arranged on the ceiling. A large black jade table occupied the center of the room, its polished surface faintly reflecting the light. Several ancient scrolls were laid out.
A man stood near the window, hands clasped behind his back.
Even without releasing his qi, his presence was overwhelming. The air itself seemed to bend around him, the celestial Qi naturally drawn toward his silhouette like rivers returning to the ocean. After all, he was at the Celestial Emperor stage.
Even though he was over a thousand years old, he appeared to be in his thirties. He had long silver hair just like his son and a light beard.
This was Xuan Feng, patriarch of the Immortal Xuan Family.
In the Upper Realms, his name alone was enough to make many powers tremble after all he was the holder of the Crown of Wisdom. Rumors said that his eyes could manipulate Karma. His future enemies died in their mothers' wombs with their existences erased before they even saw the light of day.
Yet, when he turned his head toward the door, his gaze changed completely.
The coldness disappeared instantly from his blue eyes, as if it had never existed.
In its place appeared a rare gentleness, a warmth that very few had the chance to see.
"Bai'er, my son."
BaiShe bowed slightly, just enough for a son before his father.
"Father."
Feng Xuan observed his son for a few seconds, his piercing eyes quickly scanning his silhouette.
A light sigh escaped him.
He advanced slowly into the room, full of pride
"You seem to have lost yourself for a while in your cultivation. Don't let the study of texts consume all your energy. A young scholar must also know when to have a little fun." He paused, his fingers absently brushing the edge of the jade table.
"Get out a bit, go meet your fiancée… or something else. Last time, your martial brother Hu Tian came to visit you, but you were in seclusion. He left disappointed."
BaiShe immediately displayed his usual nonchalant smile.
"Father, knowledge is a weapon as sharp as a sword," he replied with that smile on his lips. "I am merely sharpening my mind. If I neglect the texts today, tomorrow my opponent could exploit that weakness."
"You've always had this habit…" he murmured.
"But you should consider bringing a gift to Xue Ming."
"Ming'er? It's been a long time since I last met my fiancée indeed, but I'm quite busy right now."
BaiShe's fiancée was one of the lucky girls he had devoured in his past life for now, he saw no need to confront her. Just like Ling'er, they were his beginner pack to refill luck points, so there was no hurry.
Xuan Feng shook his head: "Son your words… Do you want to die? If your mother hears you even I won't be able to protect you."
BaiShe fell silent for a moment, even he the heavenly demon… was a little afraid of that woman.
'Long Sijin… A cursed by the dao. In her previous life, his mother made his life a living hell… If there was one person I should not anger for now, it's my mother… and my fiancée was very close to her.'
"Father, I will see her soon." Good decision son, I was afraid for you, just a moment ago.
For a few moments, father and son discussed ordinary topics, exchanging about the daily management of the family.
A silhouette had just passed in front of the pavilion entrance.
The step was light, barely audible. It was not the hesitant gait of a servant or the haste of a hurried disciple. It was someone who knew exactly where she was going.
Feng Xuan, whose senses were infinitely sharper than his son's, turned his head slightly even before BaiShe reacted.
"Ling'er?" he called softly.
The young woman who had just passed slowed for a moment, her steps marking a brief hesitation on the stone slabs.
Then, after a silence of a few seconds, she turned around and headed toward the pavilion entrance.
Xuan Ling, BaiShe's adoptive little sister.
Her mid-length black hair framed a face of great beauty, fine and delicate features that could have belonged to an ancient painting. Her golden eyes were clear and piercing.
Her stature was slender, perfectly proportioned, with that natural grace that only long practice of martial arts could confer.
Her golden robe, cut from precious silk that changed shade according to the light, followed each of her movements and occasionally revealed her long white legs. The white jade belt that cinched her waist highlighted her curves without being vulgar.
Her skin was smooth and luminous.
There was no doubt: she was a jade beauty in all her splendor, the kind of woman one remembered for a lifetime after crossing paths with her only once.
However, something in her aura was different.
BaiShe felt it immediately, as soon as she crossed the threshold.
She no longer looked like the naive young girl he once knew, the one who ran after him in the gardens calling him "big brother," the one who cried when he left on missions and waited for days sitting on the steps.
In her place stood a cold, distant woman whose golden eyes betrayed no emotion.
At that precise moment, the system interface appeared abruptly before BaiShe's eyes
[Ding! A lucky girl has been detected!]
[Target: Xuan Ling
Luck Points: 10 000
Difficulty: B... Destiny activation in progress]
BaiShe's eyes narrowed slightly behind his monocle.
'Ten thousand points?'
Even for a heroine of destiny, that was an extremely high number. Most of the important characters he had encountered in his previous life capped around three to five thousand points. Ten thousand was the kind of value assigned to main protagonists.
But what troubled him even more…
Was the mention of Difficulty of taming the target that kept fluctuating.
Something had changed. Radically.
In his memories, Ling'er was a gentle girl, sometimes a bit capricious, but fundamentally kind and caring. She had grown up in the clan under Feng Xuan's protection, taken in when she was only a baby, and she had always idolized her adoptive brother. She looked at him with eyes full of admiration, constantly seeking his approval, happy for the slightest sign of attention from him.
Yet the person now standing before him had a cold and distant gaze.
Xuan Feng greeted her calmly, his voice retaining its usual warmth.
"Ling'er, are you passing by here?"
She tilted her head slightly, a barely sketched gesture.
"Father."
Her voice was calm without the slightest emotion.
Her gaze rested briefly on BaiShe, a fraction of a second at most, before turning away.
A heavy silence settled in the room.
BaiShe rose quietly from his chair, his movement breaking the ambient tension. He displayed that polite smile he mastered so well, the one that put people at ease without ever revealing his true thoughts.
"Ling'er, you seem to have made great progress in your cultivation," he said in a soft voice. "I can feel your qi is much stronger than last time. Are you coming to greet your brother?"
For a short instant, no one spoke.
The wind blew through the windows, making the curtains dance.
Then Xuan Ling's gaze suddenly became icy. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
"Don't call me that, BaiShe."
"Your honeyed words no longer reach me. I know your true nature now."
She took a step toward him, her golden eyes shining with a dangerous gleam.
"Stay away from me if you value your Dantian. The next time you approach, I swear I'll shatter it myself."
Xuan Feng immediately frowned, his features hardening.
"Ling'er! What are these words? You are speaking to your elder brother!"
But the young woman did not answer.
Without another glance at her adoptive father, without the slightest excuse or explanation, she turned on her heels and left the room without waiting.
"Don't take it to heart, father. She is undoubtedly going through a difficult period. Cultivation can sometimes trouble the mind, especially in young talents." BaiShe explained.
Xuan Feng looked at his son and snorted: "You protect your little sister that's good but don't let affection cloud your judgment.
With a light smile on his face, BaiShe turned around: "You can be sure father that won't be the case."
While he observed the door through which Ling'er had just left, his eyes fixed on the exact spot where her silhouette had disappeared, the system interface continued to display its data before his eyes.
[10020…10040…10080…10120…]
The target's luck points increased at the same time as her difficulty which had finally reached S.
BaiShe narrowed his eyes slightly behind his monocle.
"Interesting...
'System, why this sudden hostility? And why is she classified Rank S with 10 000 points? What has changed?'