Jin Long's response came three days later. It was not a threat or a trap. It was a formal, elegantly calligraphed invitation.
It requested the pleasure of Miss Ye Xia's company for a private dinner at his penthouse apartment atop the city's tallest skyscraper. The language was impeccably polite, but it was a summons, and they both knew it.
This was it. The confrontation.
She showed the invitation to Yun Ming. "He's ready to talk."
Yun Ming looked worried. "This is the most dangerous meeting of all. You are walking into the dragon's lair. Alone."
" I won't be alone," Ye Xia said, touching the Spirit Gathering Stone at her throat. She had her skills, her system, and her wits. And she had the truth.
The night of the dinner, she dressed not as a warrior, but as an heiress. A simple but exquisitely cut dress of midnight blue, her hair styled sleekly. She looked poised, confident, and utterly in control.
Jin Long's penthouse was a study in minimalist power. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the city. There were no guards in sight, but Ye Xia could feel them—powerful cultivators hidden in the shadows.
Jin Long stood by the window, silhouetted against the glittering skyline. He turned as she entered. He was dressed in a simple silk tunic and trousers, but he radiated more authority than a king in full regalia.
"Miss Ye," he said, his voice neutral. "Thank you for coming."
"Mr. Jin," she replied, equally neutral.
A silent servant served a exquisite meal. They made small talk about the economy, the weather, a masterful display of social fencing. Finally, as dessert was served, Jin Long put down his fork.
"Let us dispense with the charade," he said, his dark amber eyes fixing on her. "You have gone to a great deal of trouble to get my attention. You have it. Why?"
Ye Xia met his gaze without flinching. "I think you know why. I want to know about my mother. I want to know about the 'arrangement' you made with Ye Zhentao."
There was a long, heavy silence. Jin Long's expression did not change, but the air in the room grew several degrees colder.
"Lijuan was a remarkable woman," he said finally, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "Our time together was… brief. The world I was building was no place for her. Or for a child."
"So you pawned us off," Ye Xia said, her voice sharpening. "You hid us away like a shameful secret."
"I protected you!" Jin Long's voice cracked like a whip, the first show of real emotion. "The enemies I had then would have used you against me in a heartbeat! You and your mother would have been targets! Ye Zhentao was weak, but he was safe. He provided a cover."
" A cover that resulted in my mother's death and my miserable childhood," Ye Xia shot back.
"Your mother's death was an accident!" Jin Long insisted, but a shadow of doubt crossed his face. "And your childhood… I had you watched. From a distance. I knew when you were bullied. I knew when you suffered. It pained me. But interference would have exposed you."
The revelation stunned her. He had been watching. All those years of pain, and he had done nothing.
" Why reveal yourself now?" she demanded.
"Because the quiet, miserable life I arranged for you is over," Jin Long said, leaning forward. "You have erupted onto the stage with a power and a purpose I did not foresee. You are no longer a secret to be protected. You are a fact to be acknowledged."
He looked at her, and for the first time, she saw something other than calculation in his eyes. It was a mixture of pride, regret, and a terrifying possessiveness.
" The question now, Ye Xia, is not about the past. It is about the future. Will you be a rival? Or will you be a daughter?"
The question hung in the air, the most important one of her life.