Morning Reunion — A Smile Too Warm
The morning sun poured over Emerald Cloud City, casting its golden sheen across the Lin Estate. Dew glittered on the peach blossoms, and the stone paths had been freshly swept—as though awaiting someone important.
That someone stepped through the gates.
Lin Tian.
His robes were travel-stained, his hair tied back in practiced discipline, but his eyes—those eyes burned with uncertainty. Instinct. Suspicion.
He paused mid-step.
> The courtyard felt wrong.
Not for what it held—but what it no longer hid.
His mother stood beneath the plum tree, dressed in elegant azure. Her smile was radiant, cheeks softly flushed. And beside her—
That man.
Dressed in clean white robes trimmed with blue, with a scholar's jade crown atop sleek black hair, the man looked no older than thirty. Calm. Refined. Serene.
But to Lin Tian?
> He reeked of danger.
> "Tian'er," Lin Rou called out warmly. "You've returned."
She approached eagerly, her sleeves trailing faint lotus perfume. But it was the way she glanced back at the man beside her—the softness in her gaze—that made Lin Tian's blood chill.
> "This is Uncle Wei Yunzhao," she said gently. "Your father's closest friend in the early years. He's returned to visit… and he saved me, Tian'er. When the ice poison flared."
Wei Yunzhao.
The name rang false in Lin Tian's mind. Like a bell tuned wrong. Like a smile hiding fangs.
> "So this is the boy," Gu Changge said, his voice like flowing silk. "You've grown. Just like your father—same eyes, same stubborn qi."
Lin Tian stiffened.
> "I don't remember you."
> "Of course not," Gu Changge answered with a wistful sigh. "You were barely walking when I last saw you. Your father always hoped you'd meet me one day. I only regret coming too late…"
His words wrapped like silk. Each syllable soft, weightless.
And yet they smothered.
Lin Rou glanced toward her son.
> "Tian'er. Call him uncle."
Lin Tian stared at her. Disbelief flickered in his eyes.
> "I… don't want to."
Her gaze sharpened.
> "It's only respectful."
His lips tightened.
Gu Changge gave a light chuckle, unfazed.
> "Let the boy speak his truth. We're all family, after all."
> Family? You?
Lin Tian's soul trembled.
Something from the heavens—a whisper only fate-marked sons could hear—warned him. Screamed.
Don't let this man near your mother. Don't let him into your home.
But his mother's eyes pleaded.
And Gu Changge's presence was overwhelming. Like the scentless pull of a great tide.
> "...Uncle," Lin Tian muttered, voice dead.
> "Good boy," Gu Changge said, smiling kindly. "Your father would be proud."
---
Threads Woven at Breakfast
The tea was fragrant, the table heavy with food. But the atmosphere remained suffocating.
Gu Changge spoke lightly—about Lin Rou's youth, the years he claimed to have spent with her late husband. Lin Rou laughed often, eyes glowing with joy.
Too much joy.
Lin Tian stared.
His mother hadn't laughed like this since his father's death.
> She poured tea for Gu Changge with her own hands.
> She adjusted his sleeves when they slipped.
> She leaned toward him, unaware of the way her voice softened.
And that man—he merely smiled. Occasionally brushing his fingers against hers. A touch here. A glance there.
> It wasn't overt.
> But it was there.
And no one but Lin Tian seemed to see it.
> "You've done so much for us," Lin Rou said, almost shyly. "If there's anything we can do in return…"
Gu Changge gave a faint bow of his head.
> "Your words are enough, Rou'er. But... if I may."
He turned toward Lin Tian.
> "I want to offer Tian'er guidance. Not as a cultivator. But as someone who knew his father."
Lin Tian's stomach churned.
> "I don't need your guidance."
> "Of course. But perhaps... a walk?"
Lin Rou smiled.
> "That sounds good. You two need to talk."
He had no choice.
---
Silken Threats — Courtyard Walk
The peach blossoms bloomed in silence as the two walked along stone paths.
Lin Tian kept his arms folded. Guarded.
> "You aren't who you say you are," he said coldly. "I can feel it."
Gu Changge looked at him mildly.
> "And yet your mother trusts me."
> "She's confused. Grateful, maybe. But not clear-headed."
> "Is that what you believe? Or what you want to believe?"
Lin Tian clenched his fists.
> "Stay away from my family."
A pause.
Then a smile—gentle, serene.
> "I'm not your enemy, Tian'er."
> "Then why do I feel disgust every time you breathe near her?"
Gu Changge tilted his head. For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—black and bottomless.
Then it was gone.
> "Some truths are buried in instinct. Others are born from jealousy."
> "Jealousy?"
> "Your mother smiles when I speak. She rests easier when I'm near. Perhaps... that unsettles you."
Lin Tian trembled.
> "You manipulated her."
Gu Changge stepped closer. Not with violence. But with gravity.
> "She is a woman. Not a relic of your past. She deserves warmth. Safety. Affection."
Lin Tian's jaw trembled.
> "She's my mother."
> "And I care for her. As your father once asked of me."
Lin Tian's heart pounded.
Somehow... even with every instinct screaming, he couldn't argue.
> "If you ever hurt her—"
> "Then stop me."
The words were gentle.
But they echoed like thunder.
> "Or better yet," Gu Changge said, smiling, "trust me. I'll never raise a finger against her. Or you."
He extended his hand.
Lin Tian stared at it.
And slowly—shamefully—took it.
> Heaven trembled.
> The threads began to fray.
---
That afternoon, a peach-colored talisman arrived. Lin Xian'er opened it with trembling fingers.
> The Thousand Blossom Palace was calling her back.
A training opportunity in the Plum Dream Pagoda. She was to leave by dawn.
> "So sudden…"
She stood quietly in the garden, wind tugging her robes.
> "Xian'er," Gu Changge said as he approached. "May I speak with you… alone?"
Her heart skipped.
She hesitated, then nodded.
---
Twilight Garden — Tangle of Breath and Shame
The plum blossoms had turned crimson in the dying light.
Lin Xian'er stood alone beneath their shadow. When Gu Changge approached, her breath hitched.
> "You wanted to say goodbye?"
> "And more."
He stepped close.
> "Will you miss me?"
She looked away.
> "Why would I?"
> "Because every time I speak, you listen. Every time I move, your eyes follow."
> "I… that's not…"
> "You want approval. Because you've never truly been chosen."
Her lips trembled.
> "I don't… understand…"
He reached up, brushing her cheek.
> "You're not your mother. And that's what makes you dangerous."
> "Stop. Please…"
But she didn't step back.
She only trembled.
Then he leaned in—
> And kissed her.
Slow. Deep. Not forceful—but consuming. A kiss meant to unravel walls.
Lin Xian'er didn't return it.
But she didn't resist.
When it ended, she was breathless.
> "This is wrong…"
> "Then forget it," he said softly. "If you can."
---
At dawn, the flying boat rose with Lin Xian'er aboard. She didn't look back—but her fingers brushed her lips again and again.
Lin Tian watched her leave from the courtyard.
She was different.
His mother was different.
The whole estate felt different.
> Rotten.
And standing at his side, the source of it all—smiling, patient, warm as spring—
> "Uncle Wei."
Gu Changge turned slightly.
> "Yes?"
> "Don't get too close to my mother."
Gu Changge chuckled softly.
> "Of course."
He bowed slightly.
> "I'd never do anything without her consent."
---
Behind them, Lin Rou appeared, her robe tied with a silk sash, cheeks faintly pink from the morning chill—or perhaps something else.
She stood beside Gu Changge, eyes soft.
> "He's a little tense," she whispered.
> "He'll understand in time," Gu Changge murmured, his hand brushing hers. "He's a good boy."
And far above, the heavens stirred.
The villain had slipped deeper into the home of fate.
And the hero—was now walking blind.
---
End of Chapter 10