The scent of plum blossoms clung to the cold night air as Xu Lian pressed a hand against her ribs, feeling the sticky warmth of blood seep through her torn robes. The forest loomed around her, ancient and silent, save for the distant howl of a lone wolf. Her breath came in ragged gasps, the chase behind her fading into an eerie quiet.
She had been running for hours.
The assassins sent by her own sect would not stop until she was dead. She should have died already—perhaps she would have, if not for the jade pendant at her throat, pulsing with an otherworldly warmth. It was the only thing left of her father, a man she had never met, a man whose name she had never even known.
A rustling in the trees made her heart lurch. She staggered backward, her hands trembling as she reached for the short dagger at her waist.
A man emerged from the shadows, his white robes gleaming under the moonlight. His face was sculpted with sharp, elegant features, his long, dark hair tied loosely with a silver cord. A pair of cold, calculating eyes settled on her.
"You're not dead yet." His voice was like winter itself—calm, emotionless, yet carrying a weight that sent shivers through her spine.
Xu Lian knew who he was. Everyone in the cultivation world did.
Bai Zhi, the Demon-Slayer of the North. A man rumored to have killed immortals and demons alike without a second thought.
He stepped closer, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword. "That pendant… where did you get it?"
She clutched it instinctively. "It's mine."
His gaze darkened. "That belongs to—"
Before he could finish, a gust of wind swept through the trees, carrying a different presence—one wilder, untamed.
A second figure appeared, stepping into the clearing with a smirk.
"I see you've found something interesting, Bai Zhi."
Xu Lian's breath hitched. This man was dressed in black, his crimson sash fluttering as he moved with the ease of a predator. His golden eyes glowed under the moonlight, and unlike Bai Zhi, he was smiling—a lazy, amused expression that only deepened as his gaze settled on her.
"You're injured," he noted, his tone almost teasing. "Lucky for you, I don't mind saving a damsel in distress."
She didn't know him, but she knew his name.
Jin Yue—the Fallen Star of the West. A rogue cultivator whose power was second only to Bai Zhi's. A man who cared for nothing but his own amusement.
"Step aside," Bai Zhi said coolly. "She's coming with me."
Jin Yue arched a brow. "Is that so? And here I thought she might want to come with me instead."
Xu Lian barely heard their words. The world was spinning, her vision blurring. The pendant at her neck burned against her skin, its warmth intensifying as if responding to something—someone.
The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was Bai Zhi's unwavering gaze and Jin Yue's knowing smile.
Then, nothing.