Merin stands still, a single golden drop of blood suspended in his palm.
It glows faintly, weighed down by spiritual pressure.
He extracted it from the corpse of the strongest cultivator within the Holy Blood Organisation's base.
To become a spiritual refiner, one does not need to refine only a Spiritual Weapon.
Any spiritual object refined as a natal object can serve the same purpose.
Spiritual Weapons are merely the orthodox path.
The Holy Blood Organisation walks another road.
This golden blood—dense, ancient, and will-infused—is likely their natal spiritual object.
Gong Qiu approaches him, his armour torn, his body wrapped in hastily bound bandages.
"Captain," Gong Qiu says, holding out a jade box.
Merin drops the golden blood inside.
The jade lid seals with a soft click, isolating the aura.
Afterwards, the team takes time to bandage their injuries properly.
The dead are gathered.
They carry the corpses out of the cave and leave the mountain behind.
—
They return to Yulan City.
Merin meets the diplomatic envoy together with the other two captains and reports everything in detail.
No embellishment.
No omission.
Afterwards, Merin withdraws to rest.
—
The next day, before noon, Merin is cultivating in his room when a knock sounds at the door.
He opens it.
A worker from the embassy stands outside.
"Lord Merin," the man says respectfully,
"Lord Shen Ling invites you to lunch at the Water Lily Pavilion."
Merin raises an eyebrow.
"Tell him," Merin replies calmly,
"I'll be there in ten minutes."
He closes the door, changes his clothes, and leaves the embassy.
—
At the Water Lily Pavilion, Shen Ling meets him alone.
They speak at length.
Shen Ling circles the topic carefully, probing for support from the noble faction behind Merin.
He speaks of stability.
Of cooperation.
Of shared interests.
Merin listens.
Then he responds in kind—but on his own terms.
He proposes a business arrangement.
Merin will supply refined clothing and spiritual weapons.
In return, Shen Ling will provide Spiritual Beast meat and rare Spiritual Plants from the Cangzhou Mountains.
No written contract.
Only words.
The deal is sealed verbally.
—
Merin returns to the embassy.
As he steps into the lobby, the envoy calls for him.
Merin enters the envoy's room and reports everything he discussed with Shen Ling, without holding anything back.
The envoy listens carefully.
When Merin finishes, he is dismissed.
Merin returns to his room.
—
Two days later, the team begins their return journey.
—
From that point on, Merin is repeatedly assigned missions.
The bases of the Holy Blood Organisation are discovered.
He is sent to erase them.
Again.
And again.
For three years, he has carried out these missions without pause.
Each operation sharpens his reputation.
Each success raises his standing.
By the end of those three years, Merin is promoted.
Lieutenant.
------
Merin sits in the chair where Lieutenant Tan once sat, his posture relaxed but steady.
Across from him stand Ye Ran, Zhou Wenjie, Gong Qiu, and Li Yan.
Lieutenant Tan has been posted elsewhere, and Merin has taken his position.
Gong Qiu now occupies Merin's former role as captain.
Merin looks at the people before him.
They are not strangers.
They are comrades—friends, acquaintances forged through missions soaked in blood and danger.
Most of them are more experienced than him in years of service.
Yet not a single one doubts him.
The reason is simple.
Strength.
The outside world already knows that Merin's cultivation has reached the ninth stage of the Blood Seal Realm.
In this world, cultivation and strength outweigh age, seniority, and background.
Merin speaks calmly.
"Everyone here has worked with me before," he says.
"So I'll continue Lieutenant Tan's management style."
They nod without hesitation.
"Our mission to trace the Holy Blood Organisation and eradicate them will continue," Merin continues.
"But for the next week, we will maintain security for Shen Ling during his visit."
Li Yan frowns.
"Why?"
Merin answers evenly.
"Because of me."
They all look at him.
"Shen Ling," Merin continues, "is going to take Prince Yuan's fifth daughter as his concubine."
Shock spreads instantly.
Ye Ran's eyes widen.
"Isn't he a house husband?"
"How dare he take another wife?"
Merin remains calm.
"That was before," he says.
"The Shen Family is now one of the major powers in Yulan City."
"Most of the family will relocate there."
"He will no longer be a house husband."
Understanding settles in.
They nod one after another.
"We'll meet him this evening," Merin says.
"At the Pearl House."
Zhou Wenjie hesitates.
"Merin—sorry—Lieutenant."
"Isn't the Pearl Palace your restaurant and inn?"
Merin nods.
"It is."
"This evening," Merin says, "we'll discuss the security arrangements."
"And we'll also use it to celebrate my promotion."
That earns a few faint smiles.
One by one, they take their leave.
—
In a private room at the Pearl House, soft pearl-light illuminates the space, bathing everything in a gentle glow.
Yu Diexin sits quietly, her posture composed, her expression carefully neutral.
Across from her sits Duan Yueqing, the manager of the Pearl House.
Duan Yueqing pours tea with practised grace, her movements smooth and unhurried.
The room is silent.
But beneath that silence, tension coils tightly, waiting for the night to unfold.
Duan Yueqing pours another cup of tea, the steam rising between them like an unspoken barrier.
"Shen Ling will arrive this evening," she says softly.
"He'll be staying here during his time in the capital."
Yu Diexin's fingers tighten around the edge of the table.
"Why is he coming here?"
For the past three years, Yu Diexin has been cultivating in the eastern Dongji Province, isolating herself to heal her damaged natal Nine-Eye Butterfly.
News from the Song Kingdom has reached her only in fragments.
The moment she heard Shen Ling was coming to the capital, she ended her training and rushed back.
Duan Yueqing hesitates, then speaks.
"He's coming to marry the fifth daughter of Prince Yuan."
Yu Diexin looks up sharply.
"Prince Yuan?"
She knows the name means weight, but not the shape of it.
Duan Yueqing nods.
"Prince Yuan is one of His Majesty's brothers," she explains.
"He stands firmly with the noble faction."
She lowers her voice.
"A marriage with Prince Yuan's daughter will secure even more support for the Shen Family."
"It will force the Song Kingdom to protect them openly."
Yu Diexin's breath turns cold.
"That marriage cannot happen."
Duan Yueqing looks at her.
"How?"
Yu Diexin's gaze hardens.
"The crimes must be dragged into the open," she says.
"So openly that the Song Kingdom has no choice but to stop the marriage."
"And so deeply that the Shen Family is crippled beyond repair."
Silence stretches between them.
Both women know what that means.
Duan Yueqing shifts uneasily.
"Our family's business cooperation runs deep," she says.
"And… I heard something at home."
She pauses, embarrassed.
"My cousin," she continues, "Duan Merin."
"He has recorded Shen Ling's crimes in detail."
"Evidence. Witness chains. Proof."
Yu Diexin's eyes brighten for a moment.
"He has what I need."
Then she stills.
"But he won't give it to me."
Duan Yueqing nods.
"He won't," she agrees.
"He's using it as leverage."
Yu Diexin frowns.
"Then why tell me?"
Duan Yueqing exhales slowly.
"Because he'll only release that information if your value exceeds Shen Ling's."
Yu Diexin tilts her head.
"What do you mean?"
Duan Yueqing hesitates, colour rising faintly to her cheeks.
"My cousin," she says quietly, "might give it to you…"
"If you bear his child."
The words fall like stones.
Silence crashes down.
Yu Diexin does not speak.
Duan Yueqing quickly adds, her voice hurried.
"It won't happen," she says.
"I know you like Chu Feng."
"And Merin is not that kind of man."
She forces a smile.
"I'll think of another way."
"For now, I have to go."
She stands, smoothing her sleeves.
Yu Diexin nods, her expression distant.
Duan Yueqing leaves the room, the door closing softly behind her.
Alone, Yu Diexin lowers her gaze.
Her hand drifts unconsciously to her lower abdomen.
"I can bear a child for him," she whispers.
Her eyes harden.
Liking no longer matters.
For her now, only one thing does.
Revenge.