We set off the same day, and went to the City's capital; Dongying Camp.
Amidst the darkness of the camp, Lin Jian's piercing gaze locked onto me, his lieutenant Wu, and his sworn brother, Xie accompanying us. I had been brought along on a perilous mission: to capture Zhang Lin, my own brother. My heart throbbed with a mix of dread and loathing as Lin Jian, the general of his city, commanded me as his right-hand weapon.
That night, I found myself serving tea to Lin Jian. I overflowed it. As the hot liquid spilled over his hands, his expression remained unchanged. He held my gaze as he sipped the scalding beverage. The sight of his indifference ignited a flicker of defiance within me. That night, at the bedside of the man who had wronged me, I resolved to kill him. Feel his flesh being torn, his blood spilling, to hear his agonizing scream, to see how he looks to end his life! Not for revenge, but for my own satisfaction.
I laid my finger on his face, tracing down the familiar features I knew until I reached his neck.
My fingers tightened around his throat, but Lin Jian's eyes snapped open, their icy gaze meeting mine. He effortlessly pinned me down, his strong hands immobilizing my body. The air crackled with tension as he leaned closer, his breath hot against my skin.
"You look angry. How about we put all that energy to good use?" he asked, his voice raspy.
Words failed me as he slowly undressed me. A strange stirring within me replaced my previous resolve "You may go." he said, his arms buried in chest pinning me, now being light.
"Oh?" my tone a mixture of mockery and something else, a feeling that left me..wanting.
Swiftly, I reversed the situation, pinning him beneath my body. His lips parted in surprise as I toyed with his desire, my touch igniting a fire that burned within both of us.
Abruptly, I released my hold, pushing him away with strength. As I turned to leave, I could feel the lingering heat of our encounter.
"Stop there," he shouted, his steps closer every second. His hands now caressing my shoulders. "I've let you go. It's too late now," he said tightening his grip and pulling me close his body, eyes locked in mine. "Too late." we hold our breath as we touched.
He held me by the collar, while our lips still intact. I struggled as he held me up, my feet now dangling in the air. I let go, with swift move I leaped in the air, catching him off guard. My dagger now in his throat. "You say, where's my brother?" I asked, my weapon deeper, threatening him.
It didn't work, he simple chuckled, his laugh filling the room. "I can't decide if I want to see you bleed or moan." he remarked.
"Cut the crap." I pushed him in his bed frame, my upper weight on him. "Tell! You think I don't dare kill you?" I said, my dagger now buried in his chest.
He intently looked at me. I hate this look. I hate everything about it. It looks so dead! I hate it!
When I was about to bury the dagger deeper, his hands caught it. Blood trickled down my dress, as he tightened his hands around it. What a psychopath! In my rage, I twisted it once and buried it deep.
A sharp stab made me let go of him. He stabbed my back. "You're impatient. That's why I'll always be the hunter, while you're....
the prey." he said, knocking me unconscious.
"Someone! Get her a doctor."Lin Jian's voice cracked, a raw edge to it. His eyes, usually sharp and calculating, were filled with a mix of sadness and fury. He pitied her, the poor, broken girl before him. But his pity was a drop of water over a festering hatred, a hatred that ran deeper than any ocean.
He'd always told himself he didn't develop feelings for Yinuo. Just an obligation, a duty, a strategic move. But there was a sting in his heart, an ache that wouldn't fade. This love, twisted as it was, was beyond redemption.
His mind flashed back to the day he'd first encountered Zhang Li, a charming, manipulative man disguised as a healer. His sister Wang Kong Shu arranged in a marriage she did not want with the crown prince of Dongying, found and fell in love with Zhang Li. He'd seen how Zhang Li had drained his sister, her once vibrant spirit fading with each stolen breath, her energy used to revive Yinuo. He'd heard her plead, whimpering with a desperation that ripped through his soul, begging him to keep it a secret from her husband, the emperor. Her love for Zhang Li blinding her to the man's true nature. And then, he'd seen Zhang Li kill her, a casual cruelty that shattered the last vestiges of Lin Jian's sense of justice.
This drove the emperor to task the young Lin Jian his life missionto become a spy in Zhang Li's established sect disguised as a disciple, find his beloved sister he'd hidden and stop his continued cruelty. Lin Jian had doubted Yinuo's identity from the way Zhang Li treats her, his suspicions were confirmed when he sent Yinuo to the Jade falls and came back telling him she relived the immortal's life she was able to enter the mirror that the immortal's lover crafted, because she had the immortal's trace. Upon finding that out, he sent out a message to his nation and massacred Zhang Li's sect; originally he had taken Yinuo in a safe place and planned to get her back later, just to find out she fled. She didn't escape their grasp still and fell into his hands. Now, with his original identity General Yang Su Ning he came back to his country with Yinuo.
Zhang Li, a man who had taken everything from him - his sister, his peace, his very soul - had now been found. After months of relentless pursuit, they finally tracked him down, hiding in a secluded village, a viper waiting to strike again.
But this time, Zhang Li wouldn't get away. Lin Jian wouldn't let him. He would make Zhang Li feel the same way he did when he lost his sister. He would make him taste the bitterness of betrayal, the sting of loss, the cold, empty ache of a heart ripped apart.
Yinuo, the girl he had sworn to take revenge on, was his weapon, his conduit to the pain he wished upon Zhang Li. He would use her, to break Zhang Li, to destroy him, to ensure that he never saw the light of day again.
Lin Jian looked at her for a long moment, then turned and left the room.
Outside his tent, he found his servants waiting for him."She's awake," he said. "Bring her to me."
The servants nodded and disappeared into the tents.
A few moments later, they returned with Yinuo in tow. She was still weak, but she was able to walk on her own.
Lin Jian led her to a chair and sat down opposite her.
"I'm not going to kill you," he said. "But I'm not going to let you go either."
"What are you going to do?" Yinuo asked, her voice worried.
"I'm going to use you to kill him," Lin Jian said, his eyes hard. "He took everything from me, and now I'm going to take everything from him."