The courtyard behind Li Tian's residence was slick with rain and scattered petals from the storm-battered plum trees. The corpses of the assassins had been dragged into a corner, hidden under an oilcloth to rot unseen until dawn's business was done.
Li Tian stood in the pale blue hush of pre-dawn, the mountain air sharp against his skin. Xiao Chen knelt at his side, clutching a blood-speckled blade with both hands. The boy's eyes were wide but steady — fear trembling in his bones, but loyalty rooting him to the earth.
A faint chime echoed in Li Tian's mind.
[New Mission: Deliver Elder Shen's head to the Council Hall before sunrise.]
[Reward: 1000 Villain Points + Unlocked Path: Dark Faction Influence.]
He almost smiled. The System's cold voice had become a lullaby — a whisper that reminded him each moment what he was now.
A villain. The villain.
Li Tian turned to Xiao Chen, voice soft. "Did you summon the loyal guards?"
"Yes, Young Master," Xiao Chen said quickly. "Seven men — all from the old steward's line. They owe your father their lives."
Li Tian's eyes narrowed. My father's debt… soon they will owe me instead.
Thunder still rumbled over the distant ridges as seven figures approached through the drifting mist. They knelt in a half-circle before Li Tian, heads bowed low.
The eldest — a grizzled man with a long scar over his brow — spoke first. "Young Master, you called for us. We stand ready."
Li Tian studied each man's face — eyes downcast, breath tight. They were not heroes. They were men clinging to a fading clan, praying their loyalty might buy them another dawn.
"Elder Shen has betrayed the Li Clan," Li Tian said, his voice low but carrying over the courtyard stones. "He fed our secrets to the Zhao Clan and sent blades for my throat while we slept."
A few of the men flinched, but none spoke.
"I will cut him out like a rotting limb," Li Tian continued. "If any here doubt me — speak now, and I will remove you first."
Silence. Only the wind stirred, whispering through the battered plum branches.
"Good," Li Tian said softly. "Xiao Chen."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Take them through the rear corridor. Elder Shen's quarters lie beyond the southern garden. He keeps two personal guards — silent them quickly. Leave the rest to me."
Xiao Chen's throat bobbed as he swallowed his fear. "Yes, Young Master."
Li Tian stepped closer, his voice dropping to a hiss only Xiao Chen could hear. "When the old rat begs — do not look away. Learn what mercy costs."
The southern garden lay hidden behind high walls and half-dead bamboo. Elder Shen's quarters were finer than they deserved — lacquered doors, gold-painted screens, incense drifting lazily through slitted windows.
Inside, Elder Shen sat at a carved rosewood table, head bent over an ink scroll. A single lantern flickered beside him, throwing deep shadows across his sly, rounded face. He dipped his brush, scratching out lines of neat script — more betrayal, more secrets to sell to the Zhao dogs who promised him silver and safety.
He did not hear the first guard's throat slit open behind him. Or the second's muffled death against the garden stones.
But he heard the door slide open. He looked up — and froze.
Li Tian stepped inside, rain still clinging to his hair and sleeves. Behind him, Xiao Chen and the seven loyal guards fanned out like silent shadows.
Elder Shen's smile was a twitching thing — half fear, half disbelief. "Y-Young Master Li… this… what is this? You barge into my private chambers at this hour—?"
Li Tian stepped closer, boots leaving wet marks on the polished floor.
"Where is your loyalty, Shen?" Li Tian asked softly. "I find it curious how it never seems to sleep."
Elder Shen's eyes darted to the scrolls scattered across the table. He moved a hand, trying to hide them, but Li Tian flicked his wrist — spiritual force slammed the old man back into his seat, chair legs groaning under the sudden weight.
"Young Master — misunderstandings!" Shen sputtered. "I have always served the Li Clan. Served your father—"
"My father is dead," Li Tian said coldly. "Killed by vipers like you."
He reached out, sweeping the table clear. Scrolls tumbled to the floor — each one a letter of secret deals, hidden bribes, safe passage for enemies.
The seven guards watched in rigid silence. Even Xiao Chen, pale as rice paper, forced himself to stand steady as Elder Shen's face turned a sickly gray.
"You thought I would die tonight," Li Tian said. "You sent dogs to kill me in my sleep. And now you think you can buy mercy?"
Elder Shen's lips trembled. He fell to his knees, forehead pressed against the cold lacquered wood. "Mercy, Young Master. Spare me — I swear on my bloodline, I can be useful — I can—"
Li Tian's eyes hardened. He raised a hand, black sparks flickering at his fingertips — the residue of the Soul-Devouring Palm still hot in his veins.
Elder Shen froze as he saw it — his mouth fell open, but no more words came.
Li Tian's voice was soft as falling ash. "A villain does not beg. A villain does not forgive."
He pressed his palm to Elder Shen's forehead. Black light surged — and Elder Shen's eyes bulged wide in a frozen scream as his life bled from every pore. His body shriveled in seconds, collapsing like rotted parchment under Li Tian's outstretched hand.
The room was silent except for Xiao Chen's sharp, shaky breath.
[Villain Points: +1000]
[New Villain Path Unlocked: Dark Faction Influence.]
Li Tian stepped back, flicking his sleeve as the dried husk that was Elder Shen toppled onto its side.
"To the Council Hall," Li Tian commanded. "Xiao Chen, take his head. Let the elders see what happens to traitors before the sun rises."
Xiao Chen swallowed his fear, drew his blade, and obeyed — the wet, sticky sound of steel on flesh filling the chamber.
Dawn broke over the mountain ridge as Li Tian and his small band approached the Council Hall — the old traitor's head dangling from Xiao Chen's shaking grip, blood trailing behind them like a dark thread.
As the great iron doors opened, Li Tian stepped through — his robe soaked with rain and vengeance, his eyes promising ruin to any who dared whisper treason again.