The moon hung low over the Black Lotus Sect, its cold light barely reaching the hidden depths where Mu Qinglan stood, staring at the corpse of her former senior brother.
The ice blade in her hand slowly melted, droplets of water mixing with Han's pooling blood.
She had done it.
She had killed him.
Not in battle. Not in self-defense.
But because she chose to.
Her hands should have trembled. Her heart should have raced.
But she felt… nothing.
There is no going back.
The thought was quiet, an echo deep in her mind. It did not carry regret—only certainty.
Bai Ling's soft laughter slithered through the chamber. "How does it feel?"
Mu Qinglan closed her eyes. "It doesn't matter how it feels."
"Good." Bai Ling stepped closer, placing a hand on Mu Qinglan's shoulder, her touch like a serpent coiling around prey. "Then you are ready to meet Master."
A ripple of unseen energy swept through the chamber. The torches flickered, their flames twisting unnaturally, shrinking away from the overwhelming force that pulled.
The shadows bent toward a single point. A throne of darkness rose from nothingness.
And there, seated like an emperor above insects, was Jin Xiao.
Meeting the Puppet Master
Mu Qinglan's breath caught the moment she saw him.
He was young—too young to wield such unshakable presence—but power draped over him like a second skin. His dark robes whispered against the floor as he moved, his golden eyes glowing like a predator waiting in the dark.
Their gazes met.
And in that instant, she felt it.
Control.
Not her own.
His.
It was suffocating. Overwhelming. As if invisible chains had already been locked around her wrists and throat, pulling her forward inch by inch.
Jin Xiao rested his chin on one hand, his gaze studying her like a craftsman inspecting a blade he had just forged.
Then, he smirked.
"You hesitated."
Mu Qinglan tensed. "No, I—"
"Don't lie to me." His voice was calm, yet absolute.
The air thickened.
Her body stiffened. Her breath caught.
This man… no, this Master… saw through everything.
Jin Xiao leaned forward, golden eyes gleaming. "You think because you killed once, you are free?"
Mu Qinglan bit her lip. "I did what had to be done."
"No. You did what I allowed you to do."
A chill ran through her.
Jin Xiao's smirk deepened. "You still believe you have a choice. That's adorable."
Breaking the Illusion of Choice
Mu Qinglan clenched her fists. "I don't take orders from anyone."
Jin Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
He lifted his finger and tapped the armrest of his throne.
And her entire body locked in place.
Her lungs refused to expand. Her muscles froze. Even her heartbeat felt caught in an unseen vice.
A sudden, sharp panic flickered in her eyes, but she couldn't even widen them.
Jin Xiao watched her struggle with amusement. "This is what true power feels like."
Bai Ling smirked at Mu Qinglan's helplessness. "You are standing before a god, and you still believe you have control?"
Jin Xiao stood, slow and unhurried, stepping down from his throne as if descending from a realm beyond mortals.
"There are two kinds of people in this world," he said softly, walking toward her. "Those who are owned…"
He stopped before her.
"And those who own."
Mu Qinglan's locked muscles screamed for movement. For control. For freedom.
She had none.
Jin Xiao tilted his head, voice lowering to something dark, something final.
"I don't need your loyalty. I don't need your gratitude."
The air shook.
"I need only one thing from you."
He lifted a single finger.
"Obedience."
Mu Qinglan collapsed.
Her body hit the ground hard, her knees slamming into the stone. Sweat dripped down her spine. Her breath came in sharp, uneven gasps.
Not from exhaustion.
Not from fear.
From the undeniable truth.
This man…
He had already won.
Jin Xiao's First Order
Jin Xiao exhaled, stepping closer.
With two fingers, he lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"Rise."
She obeyed. Instantly.
"Your sect is rotten. Your elders feast on the weak. You understand this now, don't you?"
Mu Qinglan's lips parted.
"Yes… Master."
The words left her mouth before she could even think.
Bai Ling grinned, her delight unmistakable. "Good girl."
Jin Xiao smirked. "Then here is your first order."
His voice dropped into something colder.
Something that demanded blood.
"Burn it all to the ground."