The clouds over the estate parted, casting golden bars of sunlight across Yun Fei's banners. Somewhere beyond those walls, destiny shifted—quietly, but with weight.
And in the distant heart of the kingdom, another heir made ready—not with verse or valor, but with masks, memory, and intent sharpened like a poisoned needle.
Jiang Clan's Central Manor.
---
The ancestral corridors of the Jiang Clan manor stood silent—solemn as tombs, fragrant with incense, and veiled in drifting plum blossoms. Ivory-petaled snow whispered across open windows, brushing over calligraphy scrolls and aging beams like memories refusing to die.
Gu Changge stood beneath the arched portico of the Plum Courtyard, his face hidden behind Jiang Taizu's cultivated calm. In every outward gesture—his stance, his breath, the faint chill in his gaze—he wore the skin of the heir flawlessly.
But beneath it, the predator waited.
This would be the first time he faced her not through memory, but through flesh—Jiang Yuyan, his "sister."
He had studied every fracture in Jiang Taizu's recollections. The bonds of childhood, the shared winters beside the ancestral hearth, the promises spoken under lantern-light. He knew how she held her chopsticks, how she tucked her hair behind her ear when nervous, how she flared with defiance when overlooked.
But knowing her was not the same as being seen by her.
> A knock on the carved wooden frame stirred the quiet.
> "Patriarch," a guard intoned respectfully, "your younger sister requests an audience."
Gu Changge did not answer at once. A single plum petal spiraled down between them, catching the light as it fell.
> "Then bring her," he said finally, voice like ink drying on parchment. "Let the garden bear witness to reunion."
The guard bowed and vanished. The silence resumea.
And then: soft footsteps. Delicate but firm. Measured, like someone who had never been taught to rush, and would not start now.
She emerged from the path's curve beneath the garden's canopy—pale green robes flowing like morning mist, her black hair clasped in a jade pin. Though she bore no crown, she moved as if the world deferred to her name.
Jiang Yuyan.
At the edge of the courtyard stones, she stopped—arms folded, chin raised, a faint crease in her brow.
> "So…" Her voice was even, but distant. "You're finally willing to see me?"
It wasn't anger in her tone—but it wasn't warmth either. It was habitual irritation, dulled over time but sharpened by distance.
Gu Changge lifted his gaze to her slowly. There was no rush in his answer.
> "I am Patriarch now," he said simply. "And duty seldom asks who we miss."
A flicker passed across her face. Not pain, but confusion—like seeing a familiar painting slightly… altered.
> "Right," she said coolly. "The great heir of Jiang. Too important for his own blood."
> "Yet here you are," Gu Changge replied, tilting his head slightly. "Let's not trade court drama. Sit."
He gestured to the stone bench beneath the oldest plum tree—its gnarled branches heavy with blossoms, white as mourning silk.
She hesitated—only a blink—but her feet obeyed. She stepped forward with the poise of a noblewoman and the tension of someone uncertain where the threat lay.
He watched her carefully. Her steps were as graceful as he remembered—but her fingers twitched once, betraying unease.
> "Brother?" she said softly.
There it was.
That shift. The voice of a girl who once believed her brother could slay dragons. Unbidden, unconscious.
Then she saw him.
Her eyes widened, not in recognition, but something deeper—like the air between them had changed weight.
> "You've… changed."
Gu Changge turned fully toward her, the corners of his lips rising into a faint, controlled smile.
> "So have you."
She lowered her gaze, her expression caught between memory and disbelief.
> "I only arrived this morning," she said. "I was in seclusion."
> "I know," he murmured. No need to explain how.
That unnerved her more than silence. She folded her hands in her lap, grounding herself.
> "Still speaking like a stranger?" he said, stepping closer—not looming, but deliberate. His presence was no longer soft-spoken scholar. It was a blade in velvet.
> "It's been a long time," she said, her voice thinner now.
---
> 🩸 Demonic Succubus Physique Reaction: Active
Yin Qi Flow Detected: Proximity Resonance
Emotional Sensitivity: Elevated
Favorability: 42% → 55%
---
Her cheeks flushed. She glanced away sharply, almost as if struck.
> "What's wrong with me?" she wondered. The sensation wasn't revulsion. It was heat. Distant but undeniable.
He watched her struggle with it, then broke the silence.
> "Did your seclusion go well?"
> "Yes. I… I advanced to Early Foundation Building," she said quickly. "Elder Wei thinks I'll reach mid-tier by winter."
> "Good," he said. "You'll need that strength soon."
She blinked. "Why?"
From his sleeve, he drew a scroll—ivory-white, bound in wax stamped with a golden phoenix.
> "The Empress summons the bloodlines to the Grand Imperial Literature Competition. All sects. All dynasties. The court will gather."
She stiffened. "That rumor's true?"
> "Truth seldom cares if we're ready for it."
> "Do I have to attend?"
> "You'll stand beside me," he said. "As the heir's kin, you'll be seen."
His tone was not cruel. But it left no room for refusal.
> "You're not the brother I remember," she whispered.
> "Memories are water," he said. "Still one day. A storm the next."
She stared at him again—really stared—and something in her eyes clouded. There was weight behind his gaze. Something deeper than ambition. A stillness like death.
> "I… should go," she said quickly. "My things haven't been unpacked."
He didn't stop her. He only watched.
She turned sharply, steps swift but unsteady, as if unsure whether to run or walk. Her robe rustled across the stone path. She did not look back.
Behind her, the scent of plum blossoms hung in the air.
Gu Changge remained motionless beneath the tree, the golden wax seal gleaming in his hand.
---
> gu Changge Thought
"No corruption planted yet. But the soil's fertile."
"She'll blame the feeling on time. On distance. On herself. Never on me."
"Good."
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End chapter 27
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