Amid the usually serene grounds of the White Crane Sect, a sense of looming disaster enveloped the area as the two figures of Qin Ru and Qin Feng emerged from the mist. Their violet attires were stained crimson, a grim proof to their recent massacre of the perimeter guards, and their eyes shimmered with an insatiable hunger for slaughter. A well-trained group of Viper Clan warriors trailed silently, hidden behind trees and bushes ready to cover the sisters.
Inside the pavilion, the White Crane disciples felt the increasing desperation around them as they prepared for the unavoidable clash with minimum chances to survive. The clashing sound of steel and the roar of battle started to echo across the grounds, signaling the beginning of the fight.
Deep within the forest surrounding the White Crane Sect, Li Shen pressed his palm against a rough tree trunk. The screams of battle echoed in the distance, but his mind focused inward.
"I've been a fool." His fingers dug into the bark. "Holding back, clinging to outdated principles while others scheme our destruction."
The System responded, its presence growing stronger in his consciousness. Images flash through his mind - the raw power he could wield by fully embracing its capabilities, the abilities he could gain from binding the Poison Sisters.
His jaw clenched as he remembered Mei Lan's innocent devotion, Mei Ling's protective strength. He'd tried to balance their feelings, to maintain some semblance of honor. But it was not honor that saved them from Mo Gan.
"The old Li Shen died with his principles." He pushes away from the tree. "I won't make the same mistakes. Whatever it takes, whatever power I must claim - I'll use it all."
The System turned quiet, probably a sign of approval as Li Shen's mental barriers crumbled. Its influence flooded through him, no longer restrained by his hesitation or moral doubts. His chi surged, enhanced by this new acceptance.
A cold smile crossed his face as he turned toward the sounds of battle. The Poison Sisters' arrival wasn't a threat, but an opportunity. Two more potential vassals, two more sources of power to claim. His previous reluctance to fully dominate others melted away, replaced by ruthless pragmatism.
"Show me everything." He commanded the system. "Every technique, every method to bind them to my will. I won't hold back anymore."
He gritted his teeth and muttered quietly, his hands balling into tight fists. His gaze was sharp as he searched the trees in the forest, looking for any signs of movement. Finally, he spotted them: The Poison Sisters.
Qin Ru and Qin Feng moved like shadows through the forest, their violet robes melding with darkness. Beautiful yet lethal, they bore sharp features and cold, predatory gazes. They advanced with calculated precision, while the rest of Viper Clan warriors readied themselves to fight against the incoming White Cranes.
The pair arrived at the edge of the glade, their piercing stares sweeping the open space surrounded by big trees. There, Li Shen stood motionless, his blade hanging loosely at his side.
"Ah, you must be Li Shen," cooed Qin Ru, her voice dripping with sweet flattery. "We've heard whispers about you everywhere."
"Your reputation precedes you both as well," Li Shen responded evenly, while his fingers discreetly inched toward his weapon.
A predatory smirk played across the face of Qin Feng, the elder sibling. "Taking down that Mo Gan was impressive work."
Li Shen offered no response, aware of the system pulsing inside him, signaling him to fight.
"Coming here is a grave mistake. The Viper Clan may assume the White Cranes have weakened." Li Shen warned softly but firmly, his gaze meeting Qin Ru's. "But you two won't survive this encounter."
A flicker of arrogance crossed Qin Ru's expression, though she maintained her position. "Are you truly convinced you can defeat us?"
Li Shen clenched his weapon tighter as the system within urged him to seize control, to unleash the Vassal Bond's complete power and dominate the sisters' minds.
Li Shen bursts forward, his blade cutting through the air in a deadly arc. The Poison Sisters leapt apart, their synchronized movements broken by his sudden assault. Qin Ru's poisoned daggers clashed against his sword while Qin Feng circled behind him.
"Falling Petals," Li Shen whispers, channeling Mei Ling's technique. His sword slash split into multiple images, disrupting the sisters' usual coordinated attack pattern.
"Watch out!" Qin Ru called to her sister as Li Shen's phantoms surrounded them. But her warning came too late.
Li Shen's blade danced with inherited grace from Mei Lan's agility, forcing the sisters to defend from different angles. Their violet robes swished through the air as they dodged and weaved, but their usual perfect coordination cracked under his relentless assaults.
"Snake Fang Strike!" Qin Feng launched a counter-attack, her fingers coated in deadly venom. Li Shen shifted his weight, using Mei Lan's Crane Step to slide past the poisoned strike.
The sisters attempted to regroup, but Li Shen's phantoms keep them separated. He dashed between them, his qi sword slashes deliberately pushing Qin Feng away from her sister. Each strike forced her to retreat further into the forest.
"Sister!" Qin Ru's call echoed among the trees as Li Shen channeled the boost from his agility skill, executing a single powerful leap that drove the hilt of his sword, forcing Qin Feng into a tight gap between two ancient pines.
Qin Feng's back hit rough bark. Her eyes widen as Li Shen's blade pinned her sleeve to the tree trunk, his free hand gripping her throat. The System pulsed strongly within him as physical contact was made.
"Got you," Li Shen breathed, his face inches from hers as the Vassal Bond System began to activate.
Qin Feng's eyes widened in shock as Li Shen closed in on her, his sword dangerously close to her throat. For a moment, they stood frozen in an intense standoff.
But before either could make a move, Qin Ru stepped forward with fury burning in her eyes. "Do not you dare lay a hand on her."
Li Shen sneered, feeling the surge of power from the system coursing through him.
"She is going to submit to me. And you after."
Qin Ru's expression twisted with rage, yet she hesitated, casting a fleeting look at her sister. The connection they shared was unyielding—powerful enough that Qin Ru would trade anything just for her sister's safety, even in the cost of her life. That brief pause was precisely what Li Shen needs to push things forward.
System Notification: Target's emotional resistance weakening. Proceed with submission.
Li Shen pressed the blade closer to Qin Feng's neck, his voice low and commanding. "Submit to me, or I'll end this now."
Qin Ru's fingers curled around her poisoned daggers, her muscles tensing for attack. Her sister's life hanged by a thread, but she refused to submit without a fight. She launched forward, blades spinning in a deadly arc aimed at Li Shen's exposed back.
Li Shen yanks Qin Feng in front of him, using her as a shield. Qin Ru's attack halted mid-strike, her daggers inches from her sister's chest. Her face contorted in frustration as she's forced to pull back.
"Coward!" Qin Ru spit, circling for another angle.
Li Shen channeled Mei Ling's Falling Petals technique again, his blade creating phantom images that dance around both sisters. Each slash multiplied, surrounding Qin Ru with deadly illusions. She blocked two strikes only to realize they're mirages, leaving her open to the real attack coming from below.
His sword sliced through her robes, drawing first blood. Qin Ru stumbled backward, her perfect form broken by the need to protect her sister and defend against attacks she couldn't properly track.
"Stay still, sister," Qin Feng called out, her voice strained against Li Shen's grip. "He's using your anger against you."
But Qin Ru's desperation grew with each failed attempt to free her sister. Her strikes became wilder, easier to predict. Li Shen's phantom blades forced her to dodge and weave, driving her exactly where he wanted her - backed against another tree, mirroring her sister's position.
Blood trickled down Qin Ru's arm as another real strike finds its mark among the illusions. Her breathing came in ragged gasps, her legendary poison techniques rendered useless against an opponent who wields her sister as both shield and bargaining chip.
Qin Feng's breath came in short, shallow gasps as she stared up at him, her body trembling. The system was already working its magic, amplifying her fear, her desire, twisting her emotions until she had no choice but to give in.
"I..." Qin Feng's voice faltered, her resolve crumbling.
"I'll... I'll submit."
The instant she spoke those words, the system flooded through Li Shen's being, initiating the connection that would bind them together. Its power began to throb inside Qin Feng's consciousness, making her thoughts hazy and dulling her awareness.
System Notification: Vassal Qin Feng entering Bonding phase. Execute Immediately.
Qin Ru, seeing her sister's defeat, clenched her fists, her face pale with fury and fear. She stepped forward, her voice trembling with rage. "You monster."
Li Shen's gaze was cold as he faced her. "Monster, you say? You will join her soon enough. It's inevitable." Without warning, his hold on Qin Feng's neck grew firmer. Utilizing the Shadow Step once more, he propelled them towards the ancient oak's edge and vanished into the forest's depths.
Qin Ru stood at the edge of the glade, her heart racing as Li Shen vanished into the dense forest with her sister. Rage and desperation boil within her, twisting her features into a mask of fury.
"Feng!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the trees, but there was no response. The air thickened with tension, and each passing second felt like a dagger to her chest.
Without hesitation, she lunged forward, darting into the depths. Her violet robes fluttered behind her like a storm cloud, vibrant against the muted greens and browns of the forest floor. Each raging step crunched the earth beneath her boots as she navigated through twisted roots and low-hanging branches.
She pushed herself harder, fueled by determination. "I won't let him take you!" The words spilled from her lips in a fierce vow.
The sounds of battle faded behind her as she sprinted deeper into the woods, tracking the faint whispers of movement ahead. Li Shen's footsteps were swift and silent. For every moment passed he put more distance between them. She recalled his movements in combat: sharp, calculated, ruthless. He used speed and cunning to evade and overwhelm opponents; now he exploited that same agility to slip away with Qin Feng.
Qin Ru gritted her teeth. Her training had taught her how to blend with the shadows and strike like lightning and poison them when an opportunity presented itself. Yet right now, she felt clumsy compared to his fluid grace.
"Stop!" she cried out again, knowing he wouldn't listen but still hoping that something might stall him.
A burst of energy surged through her veins as she called upon her own techniques. The lethal Poison Daggers still nestled within her sleeves thrum with anticipation at her command. She drew one from its sheath as she ran; its blade glistens ominously in the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy above.
"Let go of my sister!" Anger propelled each word as if they could cut through distance itself.
She knew it was reckless to confront him alone; still, every fiber of her being screamed for action.
Suddenly, Qin Ru caught sight of movement—a flash of black fabric ahead among the trees—Li Shen! Panic surged within her; she quickened her pace even further, determined not to lose sight of him again. As branches whip past her face and brambles snag at her clothes, a fierce determination settled deep in Qin Ru's core.
With each stride forward, she channeled all that pent-up energy into one singular goal: reclaiming what was stolen from her before it's too late.