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The clueless Silver Leaf girl laughed and swooned as she collapsed within his strong arms, too young to even appreciate the rarity of what she possessed. The gnawing envy grating at her soul grew the more she looked at her and slowly the envy began to turn to hate.

Foolish little wretch…

If only she’d had the fortune to meet a man such as the Iron Bull at her age.

But then, would she have been just as clueless?

Perhaps, she thought.

How many suitors had she turned down in her near three centuries now?

Too many to count.

Still, none of them could match the potential of the specimen before her.

The Iron Bull.

The Lady Silver Light was more than just lucky.

She was undeserving.

For thirteen long years, Lunalah had waited for this putrid world to bear fruit and now here it was—the Iron Bull in all his victorious glory. His defeat of a Sacred Soul Realm cultivator at his age was proof of the accelerated cultivation potential that her father, the Great Soul Emperor, had foretold of when he had gifted her this world.

And if there was anyone more deserving of the first fruits of this planet…it was her.

Not some snot-nosed girl from a lower house.

Still, approving of her betrothal was a necessary evil.

Her first fruit had revealed his potential, but he was not quite ripe as yet and his next stage of advancement would be a crucible of transformation indeed. She would need to exercise her divine patience once more to allow him to grow unrestricted before she plucked him from the vine.

In truth, Lunalah had exercised it already, restraining herself from intervening prematurely during the proceedings. She would have loved nothing more than to have simply pardoned the Iron Bull of his crimes and then offer him the gift of being her consort and future husband in exchange.

But thank the heavens her wisdom had prevailed over her loins.

A younger, more petty and foolish ruler would have done such.

But not her.

She knew things of true value took time.

As Lunalah studied the way the Iron Bull gently caressed the Lady Silver Light’s brow, a new urge filled her envy-ridden soul. It wouldn’t be enough to merely snatch him up like a plaything, although she could certainly do just that.

No, she craved far more than just his body, strength and future status.

She craved his adoration.

His love freely born from his own soul.

Just like Silver Light now enjoyed.

She could bear the sight no longer and withdrew her spiritual projection from Jurin province, returning to the confines of her own body still seated in lotus position within her private office a thousand miles away.

As she opened her eyes a new feeling stirred within her.

A feeling she had not experienced in a very long time.

The challenge of conquest mixed with desire.

To obtain the love of the Iron Bull would require tact as well as skill. Careful planning and an exertion of her will from just behind the curtains of fate to ensure that his love for her would be true and not forced.

The thought spurred Lunalah’s mind into action.

She would possess him in time—of that she was certain.

But it would take a well-orchestrated plan to extract him from not just the vine, but from the arms of his betrothed as well. Their bond was strong, it seemed, but nothing was unbreakable. Especially not some juvenile first love. He would see in time what a mature and truly powerful woman such as her had to offer him.

And offer herself she would—consolingly, once that pissant little girl was gone.

As Princess Lunalah set the Xiangqi board in her mind the variables of how to execute her plan seemed infinite, but through them all, one objective remained clear.

The Lady Silver Light would not live to see her wedding day.

* * *

“Hurry up, Chun! You’ll be late for the ceremony!”

It was Kelsey who had called to me from the doorway of my living room, rolling her eyes as I painstakingly readjusted my ceremonial robes for the third or fourth time. I noted she was already dressed to perfection in her own flowing ceremonial gown, trimmed in yellow and blue, the official colors of the Furious Lightning Sect.

I also noted she had spoken to me in near perfect Yee.

“Hey, don’t be calling me Chun when I’m wearing these robes,” I said, referring to my own yellow and blue attire. “I’m your sect leader when I’m in these things.”

Kelsey merely smirked at me. “Fine, hurry up then, ‘Master Sect Leader’ Chun.”

I muttered something about smartasses and then swiped the red and gold embossed envelope from off my mantle before heading out the door. We reached the square and the entire place had been transformed. Festive red and gold decorations adorned every corner as artisans played auspicious music to match the decor. We hastily joined the procession already in progress, finding each one of our neighbors decked out in their finest robes.

I bumped elbows, pushing through to the front, giving polite smiles of apology as my sect members paid me respect with short bows. I arrived at the front of the procession with Kelsey, just in time to see the doors of the sect HQ open wide, revealing the beautiful bride waiting inside.

My heart filled with elation when I saw her.

Her face was covered by a jianghun, the thick red veil adorned with gold embroidery, concealing her face from her groom. I inched next to the groom in question, giving him a nudge as I slipped him his dowry gift.

Gui Zu looked down at me with a smile made of perfect teeth.

He’d finally taken me up on my offer to fix them after all this time. His teeth now matched the pristine state of his attire. Splendid red and gold robes hung from his sizable frame and a hat symbolizing his rank as Vice Warden of the Terran Sect adorned his head.

He stepped forward to collect his bride and Jian Yi and Zu Tien both assisted her as they removed the veil from Yu Li’s head. She beamed with delight as Gui Zu took her hands into his own and she bounced on her feet with excitement. They then turned in unison to face the crowd and everyone burst into cheers.

“Congratulations!”

“Prosperity to the lovely couple!”

“A thousand blessings on Gui Zu and Yu Li!”

It was a momentous occasion and the pride and joy that filled my heart caused my eyes to tear. The wedding ceremony went into full speed after that, with Gui Zu escorting his bride to his home, which was actually in the building just across the square. We’d found them a larger apartment to live in and had spent the last month renovating it. But as large as it was, there was no room to fit everyone inside, so the ceremony continued just outside the front door at the edge of the square.

I took my place next to Yu Li as Gui Zu presented the dowry gift I had given him, standing in as Yu Li’s elder family member, essentially giving her away for the dowry price.

“Congratz, sis,” I said teasingly and then winked at Gui Zu. “Make sure she doesn’t boss you around too much, okay?”

Gui Zu laughed as Yu Li elbowed me playfully, but then gave me a deep hug.

“Thanks, Chun,” she said. “For making all this possible. For everything. I love you.”

“Love you too,” I said. “Congratulations, Yu Li.”

After that, Gui Zu and Yu Li exchanged vows of love and commitment and an elaborate tea ceremony took place, essentially joining our two families as one. Although there were no blood family on Gui Zu’s side, Zu Tien and Jian Yi stood in as his sisters. And for Yu Li’s side, I was accompanied by two people I least expected. Master Hei Dong and Lady Silver Moon now stood next to me, taking their place as the grandparents of little Su Ling.

When Fia and I had first broken the news to them about a month ago, it was as if what little face they had left in society had been shattered. They stopped speaking to us for a few days and I could only imagine the letters they sent to Hein as a result, but luckily, the fact that Hein had fathered a child with a mortal, was overshadowed by the fact that the mortal just happened to be sister to the Iron Bull.

The man destined to one day marry their daughter.

After a few more days of silence, broken by some tense and terse conversations, we finally got them to agree to meet Yu Li and then little Su Ling did the rest. They must have seen themselves reflected in the little girl as she rushed to embrace them like she had known them her entire life. Their hearts melted instantly, especially the Lady Silver Moon, who now held the little girl in her arms as she looked over Yu Li and Gui Zu with not a strand of malice or contempt in her heart.

While Master Hei Dong was more reserved in his expressions of love, I could tell he too had been won over by the bright little girl who now referred to him affectionately as gunggung. Still, I knew there was a deeper and more serious reason for Fia’s parents to have come around so quickly and why they also feared no loss of face attending a mortal wedding in the bad side of town.

They had simply no more face to lose.

The thought caused a bit of my joy to fade and I looked through the crowd to find the one person in the world who would understand my melancholy.

Fia...

She was dressed elegantly in the black and silver robes of her clan, her makeup flawless with a set of long silver earrings accentuated her perfectly styled hair. Her silver eyes found mine and she gave me a playful little smile from across the distance.

We had purposefully kept apart during the ceremony as planned. We were still yet to perform our own tea ceremony of betrothal and it wouldn’t be proper to be seen together in our conflicting sect robes. But more than that, we wanted this day to be about Gui Zu and Yu Li, not us and so we played our separate parts. But now as the ceremony completed and the wedding feast began, we found each other in the chaos of the crowd. Firecrackers played backdrop to the beat of drums as paper dragons danced with the bride and groom.

It was a wonderful sight to take in.

But I was craving only one sight at the moment.

“You look lovely,” I whispered to Fia as I finally inched next to her, taking her hand into mine.

She smiled. “And you look handsome. Although I don’t like the color of those robes.”

I chuckled and looked back to her parents, now dancing with Su Ling.

“How’s Mom? Any better?”

I sensed a bit of pain in her soul as she answered. “Still nothing. It might be permanent as we feared.”

A bit of anger flickered within me.

But there was nothing to target it at.

I’d already killed the man responsible.

It had been three months now since the Lady Silver Moon had battled Lo Feng and his final disruptive technique had damaged her core. Now she was adjusting to life as a non-cultivator, a cripple by all accounts. It pained me to think of her that way, but in truth I was responsible for it happening to her as well.

But that wasn’t the only damage I had caused.

“And Dad?” I asked.

Fia sighed. “Still adjusting. He remains in good spirits, but the fall has been quite hard.”

I grimaced, feeling guilty again.

It had taken the Warden less than a week to exact her revenge. Or what revenge she could exact against Fia and I legally, after the princess had both blessed our betrothal and my duel with her in three years’ time. She sent a letter stamped by the High Magistrate, relieving Master Hei Dong of his position as Vice Warden, claiming an irreconcilable conflict of interest due to his future son-in-law being destined to challenge her for her position as Warden.

It was a sucker punch to the gut when the family was already down.

And I felt it right along with them.

Just the thought of the Warden doing something like that caused my Flame to stir.

But again, I had only myself to blame.

I’d pulled Fia’s family into this mess.

And now I was their only hope of pulling them out.

To his credit, Hei Dong still treated me cordially, although I could sense some resentment there now and I couldn’t blame him. I’d saved his wife and daughter but had caused him to lose his position and status, the very thing I was now trying to achieve for myself. I’d need to fix it all eventually—someway or somehow.

“I can’t wait till it’s our turn,” Fia said as she rested her head against my shoulder. “Make sure you come back quickly, okay?”

I kissed her gently on the brow. “I will.”

But it was for more than just our love now.

I had her family’s name and honor to restore as well.

Just as the gravity of the situation began to settle in, someone slapped me on the back and I turned to see it was Gui Zu.

“What are you two doing hiding over here?” he said with a belly laugh. “Come and join in! Come on!”

We couldn’t refuse as he dragged us both by the arm into the fray of celebration, and I had to laugh as he made a big show of it all. I finally loosened up a little as Fia pulled me close in an embrace and for a moment I forgot all about my struggles and those that lay ahead.

We danced and ate, making the rounds, bumping into all the people we had invited to the wedding. To my chagrin I spotted Kelsey slow-dancing with Lee, while the rest of the handler crew looked on. I still wasn’t sure what to make of their budding relationship, but I’d read Lee the mandatory big brother riot act and warned him that if he broke her heart, she’d likely be the one to put him in the hospital, not me.

I spent some time chatting with Master Edrik and Lysa, introducing them to Fia and her parents. Not surprisingly, Master Edrik and Hei Dong hit it off, talking shop so to speak and then later I spotted the both of them being entertained by Iron Pot Wong as he told his fantastical stories of his soldiering life across the stars.

Xi Xha and Mu Lin arrived a bit late but immediately joined in the festivities, hanging out with Jian Yi for most of the time, the three of them sharing in riveting intellectual debates no doubt.

We ran into Ju Gong next, the sole remaining member of the Fire Bird Clan after the courts sent Du Mak a summons and sentenced him to 10 years in prison for perjury. Ju Gong quickly switched teams after that, joining the Furious Lightning Clan and the Terran Sect when I offered him a position. He now joined Gui Zu’s growing security team, serving as our official doorman at our newly erected village gates.

While I wanted nothing to do with the Fire Bird Clan, I did inherit their land and resources, adding to our coffers and was now constructing three new buildings across the Native Housing District.

I tried to offer Master Hei Dong some of the funds and even a position as well, but his pride swiftly turned it down. I probably couldn’t blame him. Adjusting from the fall of his status to where he was now, would be a bitter pill for anyone to swallow.

The night wore on and the festivities grew more lively as the wine began to flow.

Fia and I eventually found a small quiet corner to observe it all, leaning back in a chair as she sat in my lap and nestled her head into my chest.

“It’s cold,” she said, as she snuggled closer, and I wrapped my arms around her for warmth.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “It’ll be spring soon.”

“I know…only two months away.” She then paused and sighed. “And then you’ll have to go.”

I kissed her again. “Don’t say it like that. It won’t be so bad.”

She chuckled. “Easy for you to say. At least you’ll be having fun advancing at the academy. I’ll be stuck here babysitting my parents.”

I laughed at that. “You win. You have the more dangerous assignment by far.”

I pondered on that a moment, considering just how hard it would be to leave her behind while I headed into the unknown alone. We’d made our dream of being together come true, but there were still hurdles in our path, it seemed.

She grinned and looked up at me. “I can’t wait for the day when we can do this forever. Just relax and breathe. Make this place our home.”

I couldn’t agree with her more.

I marveled at all my friends and family enjoying themselves in the crowd. This was truly what I was fighting for. The future that people like Flores and Jim died for and unfortunately never lived to see. It was a small piece of old Earth restored with people from all sects of society mixing without fear of recourse.

This was the future I wanted for all of us.

And my strength as a cultivator would make it come true.

A strength that was now growing along with my family and clan.

I had untold challenges still ahead of me to reach my next goal. A brutal military academy, where wiping out meant death and then a literal battle on the hell worlds of the Cursed Stars. I [Feared no Death] and the [Odds Against Me] stoked my Flame, but I was fighting for more than just myself now.

There was Fia and her family to worry about, along with Kelsey and the rest of the bunker clan. And then the hundreds of other cities across the globe that I still needed to liberate and save. My goal to free the Earth from the empire’s grip had only just begun.

One step at a time, I told myself.

My battle with the Warden would come soon enough, and I needed to be prepared.

But I’d need to be prepared for what would come after that as well.

I checked in with my Flame and the Struggler and Demon nodded back at me.

They were ready to fight and so was I.

My Path as a Berserker was clear.

Tomorrow, I would battle to free Jurin Province.

And after that…I would battle to free my entire world.

It could take years, decades even, but I didn’t mind.

I had a woman who loved me by my side and a Frenzied Flame in my soul.

Nothing would stop me from fulfilling my path.

Not when I had so much to fight for now.