The secluded forest clearing was eerily silent as Lin Feng stood before the young woman, his gaze cold and impassive. The distant sounds of birds and rustling leaves felt muted in the presence of his piercing scrutiny, as if even nature bowed to his will. The young woman's wide eyes betrayed her fear as she stood frozen, barely daring to breathe in the dense, intimidating atmosphere. She looked around as though seeking an escape, but under Lin Feng's unrelenting gaze, she knew there was none.
"Elder Shui," Lin Feng commanded softly, his voice devoid of warmth, "I want her bloodline and physique checked. We don't have time to waste."
Elder Shui stepped forward, her expression calm but her thoughts sharp and calculating. She'd known Lin Feng since his early training days, yet his uncanny ability to remain collected—no matter the circumstance—never ceased to surprise her. He was young, but his mind was honed with a precision that could rival even their clan elders and his though process was too abnormal. She could tell that Lin Feng's intentions toward this woman were rooted in something far beyond curiosity; he saw her as a piece in a larger game, and if she did not have value, her fate would be swift and merciless.
Elder Shui placed her hands gently on the woman's shoulders, focusing her Qi. A faint blue glow appeared at her fingertips as she scanned the woman's body, reaching into her bloodline and her Qi core to detect any hint of a hidden gift. Her fingers brushed against the woman's trembling skin, but she felt no trace of strength or unusual constitution, no sign of a rare bloodline or hidden talent.
After a few moments, Elder Shui released her hold, stepping back to face Lin Feng. "Young Master," she reported steadily, "there is nothing remarkable about her bloodline or physique. No hidden treasures or objects within her Qi center, either."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed, fixed on the woman with an intensity that made even Elder Shui uneasy. A flicker of something unidentifiable crossed his face, and he turned back to the woman, his calculating gaze cold and analytical. She lacked any special characteristics, yet the threads of fortune around her glowed with a bright purple—a rarity, usually reserved for those destined for greatness.
"Interesting," he murmured, his mind working through the puzzle. What was it about this young woman that fortune had marked her so strongly, yet concealed anything of immediate value?
"Tell me about your life," he ordered, his voice sharp and authoritative. The young woman opened her mouth, her lips quivering as though she wanted to answer, but her words were strangled in her throat. Her eyes darted up to meet his, just once, with a silent, desperate plea, but Lin Feng's gaze remained unwavering, cold and indifferent.
With a quiet sigh, Lin Feng gave a single, brief nod to Elder Shui. "Search her soul."
The woman's reaction was immediate and desperate, terror written plainly across her face. She stumbled back, her hands shaking as she pressed them against her mouth, trying to stifle the broken sobs that began to escape. "No... please," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I'll do anything—anything!"
Lin Feng barely raised an eyebrow, his expression remaining calm. To him, her pleas were as meaningless as the rustling of leaves in the wind. His mind was already moving forward, seeking answers that lay beyond words.
Elder Shui's face remained impassive as she stepped forward, her hand raised, fingertips glowing with a faint but potent blue light. Unlike her young master, she was no stranger to soul-searching. To her, it was an efficient, if brutal, way to uncover information that might otherwise be hidden, yet she held no reservations about using it. Her loyalty to Lin Feng was absolute, and any personal sentiments had long been abandoned on her journey as a cultivator. She knew the consequences of disobeying Lin Feng's commands, but more than that, she had come to accept the world for what it was—a place where strength and resolve ruled, where mercy was a weakness to be excised.
Her fingers pressed gently against the woman's forehead, and she reached inward, her Qi focusing as she began to probe the edges of the woman's consciousness. At first, the woman flinched, her entire body jerking as though resisting Elder Shui's touch. But the light at Elder Shui's fingertips grew brighter, and the woman's resistance faded, replaced by a raw, unfiltered scream of agony as the soul search began.
Gong watched from the sidelines, his face a mask of indifference, yet within him stirred a complex mixture of emotions. His task was straightforward—to check the woman's spatial ring and search for anything of value. It was a simple, practical job, one he'd done countless times, but the sight of her terrified, desperate expression lingered with him, unexpected and uncomfortable. He remembered when he was young, just beginning his journey as a cultivator—a path fraught with challenges and sacrifices, one that had stripped him of all illusions about mercy or compassion.
Lin Feng, however, seemed almost untouched by these nuances, his ruthless efficiency unyielding and absolute. Gong had seen the young master make harsh decisions without hesitation, a trait that had served Lin Feng well in climbing the ladder of power. The young master's pragmatism was his greatest strength, but it was also something Gong occasionally found himself questioning. It was not his place to interfere, nor to judge; his loyalty was bound by oath, and he had long since accepted the price of that loyalty.
Even so, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of sympathy for the woman before him. He'd been on the receiving end of cruelty and indifference, and he knew what it meant to feel helpless. The woman's anguished cries echoed in the quiet forest, and Gong clenched his hands into fists, steeling himself against the lingering echoes of his own memories. Whatever feelings he harbored, they would be buried. He was here to serve.
Elder Shui maintained her hold on the woman, her expression calm and focused, even as the woman's screams grew raw and hoarse. The energy at her fingertips pulsed as she delved deeper, seeking any trace of memory or knowledge that might explain the woman's inexplicable fortune. Within the woman's mind, she found fragments of memories—images of strong cultivation clan where highest was rank five peak existence unmentionable in comparison to Starfall family that had immortal ancestors. Quiet and unremarkable in elder Shui's eyes. Elder Shui's brow furrowed as she probed further, pushing past memories of family and childhood, of the everyday details that filled most ordinary lives. There was nothing, no secret, no hidden knowledge.
Lin Feng observed, his arms crossed, his eyes coldly studying the woman's suffering as if it were merely a minor inconvenience. He didn't flinch at the screams, didn't allow any trace of emotion to cloud his mind. What could have caused these threads to cling to her, a simple girl with no strength, no talents, no treasures?
In his mind, possibilities unraveled like threads in a tapestry, each one twisting into the next as he sought an answer. Was she the daughter of a hidden sect? A lost bloodline that might reveal itself in time? Or was this yet another trick of fate, a puzzle meant to test his resolve?
As the woman's cries subsided, her energy sapped by Elder Shui's relentless probing, Lin Feng's expression softened into a frown. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps her fortune was a mere fluke, a wasted gift from the heavens. But he was not one to abandon a mystery easily. Every piece, no matter how seemingly insignificant, had a purpose in his grand design, and he would find hers.
The forest fell into an uneasy silence, broken only by the woman's shallow, gasping breaths as she slumped forward, utterly drained. Elder Shui stepped back, lowering her hand, the glow around her fingertips fading. She looked at Lin Feng, her expression stoic, but a trace of uncertainty lingered in her eyes.
"She's...ordinary, Young Master," she said, her voice steady but low. "Nothing in her memories indicates anything out of the ordinary. A simple life, unremarkable family as compared to ours...no secrets."
Lin Feng's gaze hardened as he looked down at the woman, still trembling, barely conscious. Even after all of this, there was no answer, no hidden purpose revealed. But the bright threads of fortune remained. He gritted his teeth, feeling a rare moment of frustration.
"Nothing?" he echoed softly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge "I feel there is something some fortune hidden".
Elder Shui shook her head, her face calm. "Nothing, Young Master. If there is a reason for her fortune, it's hidden beyond anything we can currently detect."
Lin Feng was silent for a moment, his mind churning with possibilities, each one more frustrating than the last. To have fortune without purpose was an anomaly, a disruption in the otherwise precise web he had woven. He glanced at Gong, his expression unreadable. "Check her belongings thoroughly," he ordered quietly.
Gong bowed, stepping forward to inspect the woman's spatial ring. He scanned its contents with practiced efficiency, his eyes flickering over trinkets, common herbs, and simple tools, nothing of note or value.
After a moment, he turned to Lin Feng and shook his head. "Nothing, Young Master. Her ring holds nothing but basic items, nothing that could account for her fortune."
A tense silence followed, broken only by the faint rustling of leaves. Lin Feng's gaze fell on the woman once more, and he felt the frustration twist into something darker, a reminder of how elusive true power could be. Even now, with the world seemingly in his grasp, there were mysteries that refused to yield to his will.
But this woman, this enigma, was merely a single thread in a much larger web. And if that thread would not unravel willingly, then he would force it to in time.