Fate, a woven thread that binds you to the lives of other living beings.
Karma, a woven thread that ties your actions to the fate of your soul.
Long Tian watched as Su Wan's car disappeared into the distance.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as though he could see an invisible thread stretching between them.
He wanted to sever this thread, erasing any connection between them.
But alas... when would he reach such a stage?
Destiny, the intricate weave of fate and karma that shapes your life's journey.
These three forces guide every being's path and life.
Controlling everyone like a puppet, like a puppeteer pulling the strings. If the end of your path is death, suffering, and pain, you have no choice but to embrace them.
But what happens if you go against them?
Long Tian didn't know why these thoughts were coming to his mind. He knew they weren't his thoughts, yet at the same time, they felt like they were his.
It was as if someone were teaching him something.
But truly, if one were to defy fate…
Resist karma…
And shatter destiny.
What would happen then?
This question lingered, bothering Long Tian.
Unbeknownst to him, the Nine Dragon Pendant and the Devil Fang began to tremble violently, faint lights flickering from their surfaces.
Long Tian turned his gaze toward the villa gates and pressed the switch.
Not long after, he saw a middle-aged woman dressed in a maid's clothes.
"Are you Mr. Long Tian?" She asked him, and he nodded in response.
She opened the gates, allowing him to enter the villa.
Her gaze lingered on him until they entered the villa's building.
Long Tian remained calm, pretending he didn't notice her gaze.
He entered and saw Meng Lingxue operating on her laptop with a concentrated expression.
When she heard their footsteps, she glanced at them as she spoke.
"These are the stamped contract documents. Aunt Anna would lead you to your room." She said coldly, continuing what she was doing.
Long Tian was expecting her to ask him why he had been outside for almost an entire day before coming in.
But he remembered the clause of the contract—no emotional entanglement.
He took the documents and looked at the maid, whose name he now knew.
"Follow me, young master." She said.
"Which?" Long Tian asked, but still followed as they climbed the stairs.
They soon reached their destination. The door stood before them like a chasm leading into the room.
"Young Master, this is your room," Aunt Anna said politely.
"Call me Long Tian. Young Master is too formal, not that we are in ancient times or I am the heir to a large clan," he chuckled and flashed her a smile.
She nodded, and Long Tian opened the door, entering the room.
"I wonder who he is. This is the first time Madam is bringing a man home," she muttered as Long Tian entered the room.
Not giving it much thought, it wasn't her job. She walked down the stairs and stood before Meng Lingxue, who was focused on her laptop.
"Which room did you pick for him?" Meng Lingxue asked, her gaze on Aunt Anna.
"The room opposite yours, young miss," she replied.
Meng Lingxue held her chin in a brief thought and said, "That's okay. I know you are curious about who he is, Aunt Anna."
Aunt Anna nodded at her words; her eyes showed how curious she was.
At first, she thought that her young miss had found a man, but then she saw how she was distant and cold to him. This was how her young miss behaved to everyone.
It was strange for her young miss to bring a man for the first time into her house, or was she wrong?
Maybe her young miss has something for that man.
"Don't let your thoughts wander; there's no way he's someone I like." The words of Meng Lingxue made Aunt Anna embarrassed.
It seems her thoughts went a little wild. She felt a bit disappointed; when would her young miss find a man that she could depend on?
She is at the age where her charm is at its peak. As the maid, she knew how many men had sent flowers to her young mistress at home.
She would be the one receiving for her young miss, who's still at work.
When Lingxue returns, she would just throw them in the dustbin, saying that they were trash.
Lots of them had come to the gates of the villa to woo her, but they didn't go through the gate, as Meng Lingxue didn't open the gates for them.
One of them even waited close to two days, but it was futile, as her heart wasn't moved.
Even in the business world, some men had secretly just touched her skin and molested her. She taught them a lesson, reporting them for molestation.
Her title, "The Ruthless Ice Queen," also came from this.
Meng Lingxue was unaware of the thought in Aunt Anna's mind, and even the disappointment that flashed through her eyes went unnoticed.
"He's my husband...." Meng Lingxue hadn't finished her words when Aunt Anna's eyes widened, and she jumped in excitement.
"Young Miss, that's great news. How did it happen?" Aunt Anna asked in excitement.
"Don't let excitement cloud you, Aunt Anna. The marriage wasn't of my choice or opinion. It was the old man who called me today for a huge surprise; when I went to see him, out of the blue, I found that I had a husband formed by a marriage pact made by the old man."
"Honestly, I don't know what Grandpa means by making me marry him and telling me I won't regret my choice. A pauper man and such an average look—how's he worthy of me? If not for his threatening me with the company, I would have rejected him outright." Her cold voice sent chills as if she were dictating a fact.
Aunt Anna heard this and fell silent. If it was him who set the marriage, there must be a reason?
There was no way that the old man would do anything that would harm her. Everyone in the family knows that the old man dotes the most on Meng Lingxue.
"Young Miss, maybe he has a reason for it." Aunt Anna chimed in.
"What reason? Even if the arranged husband is the most handsome man or has a great background, I will not marry him or agree to the marriage. I, Ment Lingxue, choose my own man." She exclaimed in a cold voice and focused back on her laptop.
Aunt Anna sighed at her words. When would a young miss love a man?
Long Tian entered the room. It was neat, and everything was in order; there was even a computer placed at the side with a table and chair.
He glanced at everything, taking his clothes off, planning to take a shower.
He had only taken off his top when he heard the discussion between Meng Lingxue and Aunt Anna.
The walls couldn't stop his hearing.
When he heard her last sentence, he laughed out loud.
"Now that's interesting." He grinned.
His physique was top-tier. He had a well-built body with visible six-pack abs and firm, toned muscles. His shoulders were broad, his chest solid, and his arms carried clear lines of strength.
His skin was smooth; on the side of his arm was a small tattoo: a golden five-tailed fox.
Long Tian stood in front of the mirror as he assessed his body.
He held his face next as if he were removing something.
Yes, he was. Something skin-like that covered his face was removed, which turned out to be a mask.
Before a mirror was an extremely handsome face.
His face was perfectly sculpted, as though carved by a divine hand rather than shaped by mortal flesh.
Sharp brows framed eyes as deep and distant as a starless sky, calm yet unfathomable, carrying an aloof indifference that set him apart from the world.
His nose was straight and refined, adding a noble edge to his features, while his lips—thin and pale—seemed untouched by warmth, as if smiles were foreign to him.
His jawline was clean and well-chiseled, flowing seamlessly into a slender neck that gave him an air of quiet elegance rather than brute strength.
His skin was smooth and flawless, faintly luminous, like moonlight resting upon snow, betraying no trace of hardship or impurity.
Standing before the mirror, he felt less like a man and more like a fairy detached from the mortal world—beautiful, distant, and untouchable, as though he did not belong to this realm at all.
Long Tian was admiring himself. The strongest thing the Fox King is known for is his charm and fairy-like appearance.
This was why he wore his mask; even with his mask, only heaven knows how lovestruck ladies would have followed him everywhere.
He gazed at himself through the mirror, "Meng Lingxue, I wonder how long you will last under my charms."