Chapter 10 – A Dangerous Pact of Fate
The paper in Li Yanzhou's hand glinted under the polished marble lights of the Arts Building foyer. It wasn't thick—just a few pages stapled neatly—but it carried a weight that pressed against Meilin's chest like a stone.
He was still watching her, that unreadable expression carved into his features like marble. Steady. Cold. But underneath, there was a quiet fire—something sharp and decisive that said he didn't ask for things twice.
"You're serious?" she asked, voice even.
"Very," he replied.
She glanced down at the document. The title made her eyebrows twitch.
> Cooperative Confidentiality Agreement: Joint Personal Alliance Between Meilin Xue & Li Yanzhou
She flipped a page.
Clause 3: "Protection, support, and information exchange in all matters relating to personal threats or spiritual anomalies."
Clause 5: "Absolute confidentiality. Any breach voids the agreement and triggers soul retribution binding."
Soul. Retribution.
She looked up sharply.
"This isn't just a business contract," she said.
"It's a spiritual pact," he confirmed, folding his arms. "You and I both know you've stepped into something deeper than ordinary life. I can help you survive it. In return, I want answers."
She hesitated. "About what?"
He studied her, eyes narrowing like he was trying to read a language she hadn't spoken aloud.
"About what you really are."
Her breath caught.
She could lie. She could walk away. But her system had warned her: this choice would affect everything.
And somehow… she knew she needed him.
Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for the pen he offered. Her signature was smooth but deliberate.
Meilin Xue.
The ink dried with a faint shimmer—and instantly, a soft ripple of golden light shimmered between them, invisible to the crowd around them but humming in her bones.
> [Contract Complete] Bond Established: Li Yanzhou Effects: • Shared Dream Access (Locked) • Battle Synchronization Boost (Level 1) • Emotional Resonance: 18% New Quest Available: "Unveil the Hidden World"
Meilin blinked as the glow faded. She felt… tethered. Not in a trapped way, but as if an invisible thread now linked her fate to his.
Li Yanzhou didn't smile. But he nodded once, satisfied.
"Good," he said. "Now let me show you something."
---
They walked in silence through the outer gardens of the academy. Meilin's mind was still processing the spiritual weight of the contract.
He led her to the side entrance of a small structure behind the old library. Most students didn't even know it existed.
He punched in a code on a keypad hidden behind a broken wall tile. The door creaked open, revealing a narrow staircase spiraling downward.
"Where are we going?" Meilin asked warily.
"To the vault," he said.
"Vault?"
He glanced over his shoulder, voice low. "This campus isn't just an academy. It sits on ancient ley lines. Every few decades, someone with awakening potential passes through. I've been tracking occurrences since I was fifteen. You're the strongest resonance I've seen."
She paused mid-step. "So you… you've known about this world? The magic?"
He gave her a sideways look. "My family is one of the Nine Veiled Clans. We protect the balance between the human and spiritual realms. We don't often interfere—until someone threatens to tip the scale."
"And I'm tipping it?"
"You're something new, Meilin Xue. Something unrecorded."
They reached a stone chamber. Inside, glowing sigils lined the walls. A pedestal stood at the center, with a crystal orb floating above it.
Meilin's system flared to life.
> [You have entered a Veiled Archive] Accessing Records… Compatibility Detected. Synchronizing with Celestial Memory Node…
The orb pulsed and shifted, images flickering within—scenes she couldn't place. A grand palace of clouds. A girl with her face, kneeling before a throne. A storm of golden light.
She staggered.
"Is that… me?"
Li Yanzhou stepped beside her. "This orb stores fragments of lost souls. Yours resonates perfectly."
The system chimed again.
> [New Memory Unlocked] In a past life, you were a Celestial Bride—a divine spirit chosen to anchor balance through sacred union. Betrayal led to your fall. Rebirth is your second chance to reclaim what was broken.
Meilin clutched her chest.
The pain. The shame. The burning… it wasn't just from this life. It echoed across lifetimes.
"I was betrayed before," she whispered.
"Then this time," Yanzhou said firmly, "don't walk alone."
She looked up at him.
His eyes were unreadable—but something in them spoke of silent promises.
---
That evening, Meilin returned home late. Her mother, Qiu Lifen, greeted her with a warm smile.
"You're home, sweetheart. I was just making sweet lotus soup."
Meilin forced a smile. She didn't want to drag her mother into this. Not yet.
As she ate, her system chimed quietly in her mind.
> [Daily Progress Report] Emotional Stability: 88% Trust Bond (Li Yanzhou): Level 2 New Skill Available: Celestial Sense – Allows detection of concealed spiritual entities within 30 meters.
> Next Quest: "Unveil the Hidden World (Part 1)" Objective: Locate the first corrupted soul fragment within Huajin Campus.
She inhaled deeply.
The path was no longer just about survival.
It was about uncovering the truth—of herself, of her past, and of the forces that still hunted her from the shadows.
---
Meanwhile, somewhere beneath Huajin City…
A cloaked figure knelt before a basin of blood.
Inside it, Meilin's face swirled.
"So," a voice hissed, "the bride has awakened."
Another voice, deeper and far colder, replied:
"Then the ritual must begin again. This time, we'll finish what was started… and bind her power forever."
The blood shimmered.
And far above, Meilin's window trembled in the night wind.