Lin Shu lunged, his bone blades gleaming under the pale light, clashing with Jiang Junxi's steel. The air rang with the shriek of metal and ivory as their weapons collided again and again. But Lin Shu was faltering. His chest heaved, his movements slowed, and blood leaked from the cracks in his bone armor. With no Qi left to activate his Burning Vein Art, his body had begun to betray him. The advantage he once held in brute strength was gone—he was now evenly matched with Junxi.
Behind Lin Shu, Jiang Yuyan surged forward, her blade glinting with green venom. Lin Shu twisted just in time, parrying her strike with one of his forearm blades and, without hesitation, slammed a knee into her gut, sending her stumbling backward, gasping for breath.
But in doing so, he left himself exposed.
Junxi saw the gap and slashed forward, his blade biting into Lin Shu's side. His bone armor cracked like thunder under the blow.
"AHHHHHH!" Lin Shu roared, staggering back, the wound searing with pain—and possibly poison.
Lightning sparked along his legs.
"Lightning Steps!"
He disappeared in a blur of crackling light, reappearing behind Yuyan. His bone blade carved a shallow gash across her shoulder before he vanished again, reappearing beside Junxi with murderous precision. Junxi barely had time to react—he spun around and swung, forced to meet Lin Shu's attack head-on, their weapons ringing as they clashed.
Lin Shu attacked like a rabid beast. His strikes came fast and from impossible angles, aimed at Junxi's eyes, his throat, his heart. Each blow brought Junxi closer to collapse, his sword-hand trembling under the pressure. But Lin Shu didn't stop. He welcomed Yuyan's approach from behind, counting on her desperation. Just as she lunged, he sidestepped—her poisoned blade driving into his shoulder and stopping dead against his ivory armor.
Trapped.
Lin Shu locked her blade in place with bone and smiled coldly.
Junxi, seeing this, rushed forward to save her.
That was Lin Shu's plan all along.
He turned, his blade merely grazing Yuyan with a fake attack—but Junxi, desperate and blind to the feint, overextended. His sword struck the ground with a clang.
Lin Shu vanished from his side and reappeared behind him, ramming his bone blade into Junxi's lower back.
Junxi gasped in shock, blood bubbling from his mouth. His legs buckled.
"Don't move." Lin Shu's clawed hand wrapped around Junxi's neck, sharp tips pressing into his flesh. "Unless you want to carry his corpse home."
Yuyan froze, her trembling hand still holding her blade.
"Throw it. Now. And get on the ground," Lin Shu ordered, eyes locked on hers.
She didn't move.
Junxi rasped, blood pouring from his lips, "Don't… don't listen to him, Yuyan… He pulled this trick before. On One of our brothers, that's how he escaped before."
Lin Shu's claws pressed deeper into Junxi's throat. "This isn't a request. It's a command. If You don't comply I'll make sure he dies now."
Yuyan's face crumbled. Tears welled in her eyes.
Why is she crying? Lin Shu thought. These bastards are all supposed to be clawing for power. Why's she mourning him?
Junxi coughed, smiling faintly. "I guess… I won't keep my promise, huh?"
"SHUT UP!" Yuyan screamed, sobbing as she dropped her blade and fell to her knees. "Just let him go… Please…"
Lin Shu hesitated.
"Why?is she trying to lower my guard and trick i am pretty sure the information on the relationship between the Jiang young masters was anything but peaceful and loving so why is she crying and complying i expected her to try and run away or simply attack me without regard for his life after all wouldn't she want less competitors for the heir position? and why is he telling her to leave i expected him to threaten her to save him or comply not urge her to flee while he sacrifices his life, is this some form of play to lower my guard or buy waste?"
His grip loosened for a split second while in thought.
And that was the window Junxi needed.
With one desperate push, he threw his weight backward, slamming into Lin Shu's chest. Simultaneously, Lin Shu felt it—a familiar stickiness. Black goo. Again.
"The Black Prison?!"
Junxi grinned weakly, his blood staining his teeth. "Let's see you get out this time…"
Lin Shu tried to yank his arm free—but the goo spread quickly, anchoring his hand to Junxi's body. Worse, Junxi's other arm locked around his second wrist, trapping both of Lin Shu's arms.
"USELESS STRUGGLE!"
With a primal scream, Lin Shu leaned forward. His mask peeled away, and bones grew from his jaw like fangs. In one horrifying motion, he bit into Junxi's neck, tearing out a chunk of flesh.
"AHHHHH!" Junxi writhed in agony, but Lin Shu bit deeper.
Yuyan shrieked and leapt onto Lin Shu's back, her fists pounding his armor. "LET HIM GO! PLEASE, I BEG YOU!"
She stabbed him over and over with her short blade, but the attacks bounced off uselessly. She was weak, exhausted, her Qi drained from the earlier technique. Even her tears burned with desperation.
"STOP THIS AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, YUYAN!" Junxi roared, his voice full of pain. "JUST RUN—GET OUT!"
"NO!! I WON'T! I WON'T LEAVE YOU!"
Lin Shu's arms were still locked in place. One trapped in black goo, the other in Junxi's death grip. He couldn't strike her. Couldn't shake her off. She climbed higher, striking his head, his back, screaming and sobbing.
He was a target dummy.
"I'LL RIP YOUR SPINE OUT, YOU WRETCHES!" Lin Shu bellowed, flinging himself sideways, trying to slam Yuyan into the ground, but she held on like a madwoman.
"I just need—one hand—free," Lin Shu snarled, straining. "Just a moment—and I'll rip them both apart…"
His Qi was burning away too fast. His vision blurred. Pain swelled in his shoulder from the earlier stab wound. But rage—pure, undiluted fury—kept him going.
Yuyan's arms trembled. Her hands, soaked in her own blood, were raw from pounding uselessly against Lin Shu's armor. Blow after blow, scream after scream—none of it mattered. Nothing pierced him. Nothing shook him. And now her knees buckled.
Seeing how she is not doing anything to his armor, in a desperate attempt she lunged forward again, this time aiming for his eyes in desperation, he shifted—leaning into her movement just as she climbed his back. His voice erupted from deep within:
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
With a sickening crack, jagged bone spikes erupted from his back, snapping through the air like lightning-wrought spears.
But Junxi, half-delirious, threw himself to the ground just in time, yanking Lin Shu off balance—yanking Yuyan with him. The girl was flung to the side, missing the impaling spike by inches, tumbling across the dirt with a choked gasp.
Lin Shu collapsed with Junxi, the black goo on his back sticking them together like cursed tar.
"You filthy... pest," Lin Shu spat, the fury in his voice sharp enough to cut steel.
Junxi, breathing raggedly, coughed blood and whispered through the pain:
"Yuyan... run. Please... I'm begging you. Run. Live. Avenge me... when you're strong enough...**"
Yuyan froze.
Her face was streaked with blood and tears. Her fingers clawed at the dirt, and her lips trembled like a child's. She didn't want to go. She couldn't move. Every cell in her body screamed at her to stay. To fight. To die beside her brother if she had to.
But her strength was gone.
Her vision blurred.
"No, I... I won't! I can't!" she choked through tears.
Junxi raised his voice, louder than the agony threatening to drown him.
"You remember what we promised?"
Yuyan, sobbing uncontrollably, nodded.
And together, like a vow long buried, they said the words:
"To avenge Mother."
Junxi's voice cracked. "That's right. If we both die here... who will keep that promise? You have to accept this. You're not running away. I'm telling you to go. Against your will. Because I want you to live, Yuyan. And I don't... have much time."
His breath grew shallow.
"The Black Binding Prison is... keeping his blade from tearing me apart, but it's expanding... it'll crush my organs soon."
Lin Shu, watching all this, let out a cold laugh, his tone poisoned with contempt.
"I knew it. You're nothing but a coward, Jiang Yuyan. The moment I saw you, I knew that you wouldn't hesitate to abandon your brother to save your pathetic life."
Yuyan flinched.
"You say you're staying—but here you are, trembling, crying, frozen. You want to run. And now you're going to lie to yourself. Pretend that he made you leave. That it wasn't your choice. That you didn't abandon him while he tried to buy your life with his i guess you don't care about him as much as he does care about you."
His voice lowered, darker.
"I gave you both a chance. But you listened to him. You fought back. And now? Now look at you. Your brother's seconds away from death,he will either bleed out, or his organs will be turning into mush, or maybe I just slit his throat before that happens."
She shattered inside. His words were blades in her chest. And the worst part?
They were partially true.
Junxi looked at her, dazed, voice growing distant.
"Yuyan don't listen to this bastard he's trying to get into your head so he can kill both of us you... you are not abandoning me...i am sacrificing my life for my sister... don't cry like that. I'm not... I'm not afraid. I only wanted... to keep you safe...so please get out of h..."
With his mouth weakening to the point he can't even continue his words nor can he keep his eyes focused junxi was losing his conscious but he didn't feel fear he smiled at his sister and muttered with everything he had "please continue our promise to mother because i am sure you can"his conscious moved away slowly and as his grip Lin Shu's hand loosened and as his eyes started to close and his head was slowly falling to the ground the latter grinned wildly as if waiting for this moment.
The moment junxi lost his conscious.
"Junxi...? Junxi?" Yuyan crawled toward him. "No—don't fall asleep—no!"
Lin Shu freed his arm from junxi's hands as He stood slowly, dragging Junxi's limp body up with him.
One arm was still stuck in the black prison binding, the bone blade still embedded in Junxi's gut.
With his free hand, he grabbed the boy by the hair.
Yuyan watched, screaming.
"DON'T—NO—DON'T TOUCH HIM!"
Lin Shu's eyes burned with that cold gleam of satisfaction. His voice was low And full of malice.
"This... is the price he will pay for crossing paths with me, but trust me you're gonna pay the same price for being foolish enough to not run when you had the chance."Lin Shu then said he picked junxi's corpse up"but i must say i am thankful you didn't run as i do want to gain as many rewards as possible when i bring your corpses back with me."
With a quick twist—
he slit Junxi's throat.
Time stopped.
Yuyan stared, her mouth open, her voice locked in her chest.
Then...
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream exploded from her soul.
"JUNXIIIIIIIIIII!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Her body collapsed forward.
"No—please—wake up! Wake up! YOU SAID I SHOULD RUN! YOU PROMISED—YOU PROMISED YOU'D BE OKAY!"
She held her head as she screamed.
Screaming on the top of her lungs.
"No... no, no, no, no... Please... not you too... not you..."
She wept so hard she couldn't breathe, sobs shaking her from her stomach to her fingertips. Her voice cracked under the weight of every memory, every smile, every happy moment that would never come again.
Her eyes bloodshot. Her hands trembling. Her heart broken.