Scene 1 – The Conditions of Partnership
Inside the Thousand Veil Chamber's quiet pavilion, the scent of sandalwood still lingered from their previous talk.
Yue Lan sat poised behind her jade desk, that familiar calm smile dancing on her lips.
Lin Xian broke the silence first, his tone low and composed.
> "You said you want exclusivity," he began. "That's possible. But first, I'll need information."
Yue Lan's brows lifted slightly.
> "Information?"
He nodded, eyes sharpen
> "Two things. First — everything you have on the Ghost Pavilion."
The name made the air drop a degree colder.
> "They've interfered with my Lin Clan," Lin Xian continued, voice calm but edged. "Even killed a few of my people.
Although I'm not attached to that clan's petty squabbles…"
He set his teacup down, fingers tapping once on the jade table.
> "…when one beats the dog, they should look at the owner first."
"They dared to mess with me. I intend to return the favor."
Yue Lan's eyes flickered — not with fear, but surprise. The Ghost Pavilion wasn't a foe one mentioned lightly.
> "And the second thing?"
> "I'm searching for Soul Stone and Yin Metal."
She stunned, her gaze turning sharp. "Forgive my bluntness, Young Master Lin, but… for what purpose?"
He leaned back, gaze distant.
>"It's to forge a weapon. The rest isn't your concern.All you need to know is that I require the materials."
For a moment, the air grew heavy.— as if this wasn't mere nostalgia.
It was the prelude to blood.
> "To forge one again," he murmured, "I'll need Yin Metal."
Yue Lan didn't speak immediately. Her instincts told her that she was staring at a man whose ambitions could shape entire histories.
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Scene 2 – The Ghost in the Shadows
> "The Ghost Pavilion," Yue Lan repeated softly, eyes narrowing. "You're serious about going against them?"
> "You're not the first to ask that," Lin Xian replied dryly. "But yes — I am."
She sighed quietly, then retrieved a silver token from her sleeve and pressed it onto the table.
A faint ripple of light emerged — a projected map and web of names and branches.
> "They operate beneath the surface of the continent," she said, her tone professional now. "Information, assassinations, black market trade — all for sale. But their foundation isn't as deep as ours."
Lin Xian raised an eyebrow.
> "Meaning?"
Her lips curved into a faintly disdainful smile.
> "They like to play in the dark. We own the dark."
A spark of amusement flickered in Lin Xian's eyes.
> "Then I chose the right ally."
Yue Lan's expression softened a little.
> "Their local branch is led by a man named Qin Cang, a peak Spirit Foundation cultivator — stronger than your Great Elder, I believe. You'll want to be careful."
> "I don't plan to fight him," Lin Xian said calmly. "I plan to annihilate him."
Her pulse jumped — not from fear, but from the sheer conviction in his tone.
That calm, icy certainty that reminded her how easily he turned chaos into order — or order into chaos
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Scene 3 – The Gifts
Yue Lan composed herself, crossing one leg over the other.
> "As for the Yin Metal…"
She paused, glancing toward a rolled-up scroll at her side.
"Rumor says it appeared in the Black Veil Forest — a region thick with Yin Qi. Cultivators who enter rarely return. Corpses found outside are half-corroded by something that even corrodes souls."
Lin Xian's calm expression shifted — just a fraction.
> "Black Veil Forest?" he muttered. "That's where Mo Zhen was poisoned by Void Qi."
His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, a faint gleam flashing through his eyes.
> "So that's where it leads…"
> "You intend to go?" Yue Lan asked, frowning. "I advise against it. That place devours men far stronger than you. Even I wouldn't—"
> "Precisely why I must," Lin Xian interrupted, voice quiet but firm.
Inside, his mind raced: If that dense Yin Qi is actually Void Qi… then it's not poison. It's opportunity.
"My Nirvana Scripture doesn't fear corruption," he thought. "It devours it."
Yue Lan studied him, realizing nothing could dissuade him once he decided.
So instead, she smiled — a faint, mysterious curve of lips.
> "Then perhaps I should sweeten the start of our alliance."
She reached into her ring and took out a small, crystalline object glowing faintly with silver light.
A Soul Stone.
> "As a goodwill gift," she said lightly. "For our future cooperation."
Lin Xian's eyes glinted. He reached out, the stone hovering gently to his palm through his spiritual force.
> "So you're saying this partnership is inevitable?" he asked.
Yue Lan chuckled softly.
> "Let's call it fate."
Lin Xian laughed, low and amused.
> "You really are a dangerous woman."
Before she could reply, Xiao Jian — who had been lounging on the window frame — suddenly leapt onto the table, sniffing the Soul Stone with exaggerated curiosity.
> "Meow!"
Lin Xian looked at him, deadpan.
> "No, you can't eat it."
> "Meow!" — But it looks tasty!
> "It will make you explode."
The cat froze mid-sniff, tail puffing out in alarm. Yue Lan covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
> "He's… rather lively," she said, amused.
> "Lively," Lin Xian said dryly. "And greedy."
Xiao Jian glared at him, eyes narrowed like tiny embers — before curling up proudly atop the desk, as if claiming it for himself.
Yue Lan giggled softly — a rare, genuine sound — as Lin Xian stood.
He tucked the Soul Stone into his sleeve, eyes gleaming with calm anticipation.
> ""After I've taken care of things, I'll come back."
> "Then I shall be waiting," Yue Lan replied softly.
Lin Xian turned to leave, moonlight cascading through the silk curtains.
His robes swayed lightly — every step measured, steady.
> "I'll return once I confirm the Ghost Pavilion's trail," he said, voice calm.
But before he could reach the door, Yue Lan's voice cut through the quiet — softer than usual, but trembling faintly beneath her composure.
> "Wait."
He stopped and looked back.
The usual poise in her eyes was gone, replaced by hesitation — and something rarer still: worry.
> "There's… something I didn't tell you earlier."
Lin Xian raised a brow.
> "Oh?"
Her gaze drifted down to her hands.
> "Do you remember the elder I mentioned when we first met? The one who was poisoned years ago…?"
He nodded slightly.
> "The one even your Chamber's alchemist couldn't save."
> "Yes." She took a quiet breath. "After hearing what you said about the Black Veil Forest and that void-like poison… I'm certain. It's the same affliction."
The air in the room seemed to thicken.
Even Lin Xian's calm expression grew sharper, thoughtful.
> "So, the poison that crippled your elder… came from that place."
Yue Lan hesitated for a heartbeat, then spoke — her voice soften
> "Lin Xian… if there's anyone who might understand that poison — who could find a way to undo it — it's you."
Lin Xian's eyes met hers. For the first time, the composed manager of the Thousand Veil Chamber wasn't bargaining, wasn't teasing — she was asking.
Genuinely.
> "You want me to help him," he said quietly.
> "Please." The word came softly, almost swallowed by the flicker of incense smoke. "He's like a father to me. If… if there's a chance, I'll owe you more than a partnership could ever repay."
For a moment, silence filled the pavilion. Then Lin Xian smiled faintly — not mocking, not cold, but thoughtful.
> "You know… you really shouldn't ask things like that of me."
Her brows furrowed lightly.
> "Why?"
> "Because I never walk away from a challenge."
Yue Lan blinked, then exhaled a small laugh — half relief, half disbelief.
> "So you'll help?"
> "I'll look into it," he replied, tone measured but his eyes gleaming with quiet resolve. "No promises yet. But if the cure lies within that poison… I'll find it."
As he turned toward the exit again, Yue Lan called out softly, a smile tugging at her lips.
> "Lin Xian…"
He paused, looking back over his shoulder.
> "You have my gratitude. And my word—this favor will be returned."
Lin Xian chuckled under his breath, the faintest trace of warmth flickering across his pale features.
> "You already did."
With that, he stepped into the moonlight — his figure fading beyond the curtains, leaving only the scent of sandalwood and the lingering sound of Xiao Jian's soft meow.
And somewhere in the distance, beneath the silent veil of night, fate began to stir — toward the Black Veil Forest.