A False Return
Night had fallen when Bai Ling arrived at the Black Lotus Sect.
The massive sect gates loomed before her, carved with intricate patterns of deadly flowers—a symbol of silent, elegant death.
She had walked these halls for years.
But tonight, she was not returning as one of them.
She was a plague. A hidden poison.
Jin Xiao watched from the shadows, his eyes unreadable.
"A sect does not fall from the outside."
"It collapses from within."
Tonight, Bai Ling was the first crack in the foundation.
She straightened her back, adjusted her robe to hide the bruises from Jin Xiao's lesson, and stepped through the gates.
The Welcoming Trap
The moment Bai Ling entered the sect, a familiar voice called out.
"Bai Ling!"
A woman in purple robes rushed forward, throwing her arms around her.
"We thought you were dead!"
Bai Ling forced a smile.
"I would never fall so easily, Sister Xiuying."
A group of inner disciples gathered around, their eyes filled with relief.
"Where have you been?" one of them asked.
"I was testing my strength against outsiders."
Xiuying sighed.
"Always so reckless… but I'm glad you're safe."
She gestured to the others.
"Come, let's celebrate your return!"
Bai Ling let herself be pulled along.
Jin Xiao's voice echoed in her mind.
"You will not force them."
"You will let them fall willingly."
"Show them the truth—one they can't turn away from."
The first seeds of doubt would be planted tonight.
And by the time they realized, it would already be too late.
A Poisonous Conversation
The night air was filled with laughter and wine.
Bai Ling sat at the center of the gathering, surrounded by women she had once considered sisters.
They drank. Talked. Laughed.
But Bai Ling's words were the true poison.
"Sister Bai Ling, tell us, how strong were the warriors outside?"
She swirled her wine.
"Stronger than we've been told."
A few disciples frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Bai Ling leaned forward, lowering her voice just enough to make them lean in closer.
"Have you ever wondered why we are forbidden from exploring the world?"
Silence.
A younger disciple hesitated.
"The elders say it's to protect us."
"Do they?" Bai Ling tilted her head. "Or is it to keep us controlled?"
The words hung in the air.
The disciples shifted uncomfortably.
"That's ridiculous," one of them muttered.
"Is it?" Bai Ling took another sip.
"I met warriors who have reached realms beyond what our elders claim is possible."
She let the thought settle.
"And yet, here we are, stagnating."
The disciples glanced at each other.
Doubt.
The first crack.
Jin Xiao, watching from the shadows, smirked.
"They don't even realize they've already begun to betray their sect."
The First Betrayal
Days passed.
The disciples gathered every night, listening to Bai Ling's stories.
At first, they were curious.
Then intrigued.
Then angry.
"Why are we kept locked away?"
"Why do the elders never let us test ourselves against real enemies?"
"Are we truly safe, or are we just prisoners?"
Resentment grew.
Bai Ling never told them to betray the sect.
She didn't have to.
One night, a disciple came to Bai Ling's room, trembling.
She knelt before her, eyes filled with desperation.
"Sister Bai Ling… I want to leave."
Bai Ling smiled.
"Are you certain?"
The girl nodded quickly.
"Then prove it."
Jin Xiao stepped from the shadows.
The girl's eyes widened in shock.
"Who—"
Jin Xiao silenced her with a single finger.
"Shhh."
His voice was calm. Hypnotic.
"You want freedom, don't you?"
She nodded weakly.
"Then take the first step."
Jin Xiao held out his hand.
The girl hesitated.
Then, slowly, she took it.
And in that moment, she was no longer a disciple.
She was his.
The Collapse Begins
One disciple had fallen.
Soon, there would be more.
Jin Xiao turned to Bai Ling.
"You have done well."
She bowed her head.
He lifted her chin with one finger, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"Tomorrow, we will take the next step."
A slow smile.
"And soon, the entire sect will be mine."
Bai Ling felt a shudder run through her.
Not from fear.
But from something far, far worse.
Excitement.
She had thought she was just a tool.
But now, for the first time…
She wanted to see how far she could fall.