Chapter 342: Chapter 342: Despair of the Past, Present and… Future.

In a quiet courtyard,

A beautiful blossoms drifted gently in the breeze, falling like pale snowflakes.

A small girl could be seen sat beneath the trees, her golden eyes staring blankly at the clear blue sky and seem to be lost in thought.

“…”

Yue Lan hugged her knees to her chest.

Her long black hair was tied into neat twin braids, and her plain robe looked tidy and well kept.

“Lan’er…”

Just then a soft, gentle voice called out as a graceful woman who bore a striking resemblance to Yue Lan walk over with a warm smile.

She had kind eyes as she looked at her daughter sitting there absentmindedly.

“You’ve been out here all morning. Aren’t you cold?”

Yue Lan slowly looked up at her mother.

After a moment, she murmured softly,

“…Mother, I feel like I forgot something important.”

“Oh? What is it?”

Her mother crouched down and gently brushed the fallen petals from Yue Lan’s hair.

Yue Lan didn’t answer right away and she remained deep in thought.

“…I don’t remember.”

Hearing this, her mother blinked, then let out a soft laugh.

“Haha, if you can’t remember it then it probably wasn’t anything important.”

She gave her daughter a teasing smile.

“Could it be that you’re waiting for Father?”

“…No.” Yue Lan’s voice was small and flat. “…It’s definitely something else.”

Just then, a tall man with a tired but warm face walked over.

He put on an exaggerated sad expression.

“Ah, that really hurts! To think our Lan’er would say something so cruel!”

He crouched down and gently pinched her soft cheek.

“It seems our little girl has grown up astray~”

Yue Lan didn’t struggle.

Her eyes still looked distant, lost in thought.

Seeing this, both parents exchanged a worried glance and sighed softly.

“You’re always like this… so quiet and still,” her mother said gently, placing a hand on Yue Lan’s back.

“Sometimes your father worries that… you might be lonely.”

At those words, Yue Lan remained silent.

’Again… What is this feeling?’

She felt like there was something important she was supposed to do, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember what it was.

After a while, seeing the worried looks on her parents’ faces, she finally let out a small sigh.

’Maybe Mother is right. If I can’t remember it, then it must not be important.’

Wanting to ease their concern, she tried to smile softly.

“I’m not lonely. I just don’t like noisy things.”

Her mother let out a soft sigh.

“See? This is what I’m worried about. You’re a bit too mature for your age.”

Her father gently patted his wife’s shoulder and smiled.

“Well, maybe our daughter is just special. Even the elders say she has an extraordinary fate.”

At those words, her mother puffed up her chest with pride.

“Hehe, of course Lan’er is special! After all, she’s my daughter!”

“You mean our daughter… right?”

Her mother didn’t reply.

Soon the courtyard filled with her father’s worried complaints and her mother’s bright laughter.

Yue Lan simply watched them with a soft smile.

’…I wish time could stay this peaceful forever.’

[…]

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A few years had passed, and Yue Lan had grown into a graceful teenager.

She had become even more beautiful, with an elegance that drew countless proposals from powerful clans and families eager to arrange a marriage once she came of age.

Her parents, however, had firmly refused them all.

They believed their daughter should choose her own partner when the time came.

Today, they had just returned from an outing to a nearby city to purchase cultivation resources.

The moment they stepped back into the clan mansion, a luxurious golden carriage pulled by spirit beasts rolled up to their gates.

Yue Lan who had just finished her cultivation lesson when she saw a tall, well-dressed youth step out, followed by several disciples.

His robe was embroidered with thundercloud patterns, and his smile was handsome yet cold.

“Is this the girl?” he asked, his eyes sweeping over Yue Lan like she was a rare treasure and he couldn’t help but let out an admiring sigh.

One of his subordinates answered respectfully, “Yes, Young Master Gong. See? Didn’t I tell you she is an extremely rare find?”

Young Master Gong’s expression seem to be pleased.

“Indeed. She is even more splendid than all the women I’ve played with before…”

His gaze lingered on her beautiful golden eyes as he smiled.

“…and she seems a bit special too.”

Yue Lan stood still, blinking in confusion at his words.

But then, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over her again.

’…What?’

Just as that odd feeling surfaced once more after so many years, her father hurriedly stepped in front of her protectively.

“We are honored by your visit, Young Master Gong, May I know the purpose of your visit?”

“I want this child to come with me. Name your price,” Young Master Gong said directly, pointing at Yue Lan with a seemingly kind smile.

But her father frowned.

“But Young Master, she is still a child… Perhaps you could reconsider…”

Young Master Gong’s smile widened.

“Children will grow. I’ll take her back to the sect and groom her myself. She’ll make a fine cauldron in a few years.”

Her mother, who had just arrived, turned deathly pale at those words.

Yue Lan stood frozen in disbelief.

’This guy wants to make me his cauldron? Bastard-’

Suddenly, she frowned.

…How did she even know what a “cauldron” meant?

She felt certain this was the first time she had ever heard the term.

Just then, her father bowed slightly but replied with firm resolve.

“I appreciate the offer, Young Master Gong, but our clan cannot agree to it.”

Yue Lan turned to look at her father, as a bad feeling slowly rising in her chest.

Young Master Gong tilted his head, his smile never faltering.

“Do you think I’m asking for your permission?”

A heavy silence fell over the courtyard as the air grew thick with tension.

Yue Lan’s mother quietly took her daughter’s hand and gently pulled her back toward the main hall.

“Young Master Gong, please leave,” her father said sternly.

“Huh? How dare you lowly people refuse our Young Master? This child should feel blessed to be favored by him!” one of the followers sneered.

Young Master Gong, however, remained unfazed.

His smile only grew wider, as if this was exactly the reaction he had hoped for.

“I hope you don’t regret this…” he said softly, his voice carrying a dark undertone.

With that, he turned and walked away.

Seeing the carriage finally depart, her father let out a deep sigh of relief.

But Yue Lan kept glancing back, unable to shake the growing unease in her heart.

Then she suddenly froze.

A cold voice echoed directly in her mind.

[…You should accept his offer… or your parents will die.]

“What!?”

Yue Lan let out a startled shout and whipped her head around, searching for the source.

Her mother looked at her with deep worry.

“What’s wrong, Lan’er?”

Yue Lan’s voice trembled slightly.

“Mother… did you say something?”

Her mother blinked, clearly confused.

“No, I didn’t say anything.”

Yue Lan frowned.

Soon, she gave up since she couldn’t find anyone else nearby, she tried to convince herself it was just a hallucination.

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After telling her parents about the strange voice and her worries, they simply reassured her that everything would be fine and that they would handle it.

Under their constant words of comfort and gentle persuasion, Yue Lan finally relented and let go of her unease.

Night fell quickly.

She decided to sleep early so she could wake up in time for morning practice.

Just as she was about to lie down, the faint smell of smoke drifted into her room.

“Huh? Did someone cook something?”

Yue Lan murmured in confusion, wondering who would be cooking in the middle of the night.

Then, once again, that cold voice echoed in her mind.

[…This is what happens… when you don’t listen.]

“What?”

She sat up, confused.

Suddenly, screams echoed through the night.

Yue Lan turned toward the door just as it burst open with a loud bang.

Her mother rushed in, face deathly pale.

“Mother? What’s happening?!”

“No time to explain, Lan’er! Come with me! Quickly!”

Her mother grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room.

As they rushed through the corridor, Yue Lan’s eyes widened in horror.

The family mansion was engulfed in flames and chaos.

Structures were crumbling, and blood stained the floors.

She was completely bewildered by the sudden nightmare unfolding around her.

But she couldn’t stop thinking about the voice’s earlier words.

They soon reached the ancestral hall, where her father stood injured near a glowing formation carved into the stone floor.

Blood soaked his clothes.

Yue Lan looked at him with worry, but before she could speak, the voice echoed again.

[…This is your last chance… Don’t resist him, or your parents will die.]

Her eyes filled with confusion but slowly… she began to understand.

“Is Lan’er safe?” her father asked urgently.

“Yes,” her mother replied, pulling Yue Lan toward the formation.

But then—

BOOM!

The doors of the ancestral hall blew open.

Young Master Gong walked in with a calm smile, several powerful cultivators following behind him.

“Tsk, tsk. All this trouble just because you wouldn’t hand over a pretty little girl.”

He stepped forward slowly, casually brushing ash off his shoulder.

“Old man, none of this would have happened if you had just given me the girl.”

He tilted his head and smiled.

“Instead, you get to watch your entire clan burn.”

Her father stepped protectively in front of them.

“…She is just a child.”

Young Master Gong sneered and just when he was about to reply, he suddenly blinked as… Yue Lan had stepped forward.

Her father looked confused at this and tried to pull her back.

But Yue Lan dodge her father hand.

“Lan’er?”

Yue Lan remained silent.

She turned toward Young Master Gong.

“…Will you spare my parents if I go with you?”

Her parents were horrified.

“No, Lan’er! What are you saying?!”

Before they could stop her, two silent cultivators suddenly appeared beside them and pinned both her parents down.

Her father also realized the chance for Yue Lan to escape was now gone.

Young Master Gong blinked, then burst into laughter.

“Sure, I’ll spare their lives… if you’re obedient and don’t resist.”

“…”

“No, Lan’er! Don’t do this!”

Yue Lan stayed silent, conflicted emotions flickering across her face.

Young Master Gong sneered at those two parent and waved a hand at his subordinates.

“Take those two out and leave us alone.” He then smiled lewdly. “I want to enjoy myself a bit.”

His subordinates hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded and dragged her struggling parents away.

“No, Lan’er!!”

“Bastard! Don’t you dare touch my daughter!!”

Yue Lan clenched her fists tightly as her parent desperate cries gradually faded into the distance.

Soon, only she and Young Master Gong remained in the dimly lit ancestral hall.

The flickering light cast long shadows across her face as a heavy, oppressive atmosphere filled the room.

He approached slowly.

And his hand landed on her shoulder, fingers hooking into the fabric of her robe and pulling it down.

Piece by piece, her clothes slipped away until she stood completely naked before him.

“…You better keep your words,” Yue Lan murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

The only reply she received was the same cold assurance.

“Sure… as long as…You don’t resist.]

Yue Lan’s golden eyes grew slightly dazed.

Her mind became hazy, as if the voice was whispering… promises of a beautiful future.

[…Don’t resist… Once this is over, your parents will be fine…]

She tilted her head downward as his hands began to move, caressing her bare skin.

“…”

In the dim, flickering room… multiple dark hands seemed to appear, sliding over her body… and slowly fusing into her.

Her long black hair gradually lost its color, turning a pure, shining white that reflected the firelight.

Yet Yue Lan remained silent, clinging only to the voice’s words.

“…My parents will live…”

All she had to do was not resist.

Then her parents would live, and no one would die.

It was such a simple thing…

But then, as if by instinct, a different thought surfaced in her mind.

“…If I’m gone… maybe Li Feng will be sad.”

The moment those words left her lips, the black hands fusing into her body suddenly froze.

But it wasn’t just because of her words… but because…

…A beautiful purple feather, seemingly made of flickering purple divine flames, had appeared out of nowhere.

It illuminated the dim room with a soft, reverent light… gentle yet majestic, like a fragment of divinity itself.

Then, as if a gaze from beyond time and the void itself had descended,

A pair of sharp eyes pierced through everything and locked directly onto the intruder… him.

{…}

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[Here a illustration of Yue Lan getting corrupted:]

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