Chapter 16: Blood in the Lotus Garden
Night fell over the Moonlight Orchid Pavilion, and the lotus garden shimmered with silver blossoms under the moon's gentle glow. Lianhua stood amidst the petals, her hands folded, channeling her qi into the soil to heal a damaged spirit root. She smiled faintly as the flower pulsed with light, unaware of the shadow creeping behind her.
Suddenly—a gust of wind.
The moon dimmed.
A scream tore through the silence.
---
Jin Yue jolted upright from meditation, his soulflame flaring to life.
> "Lianhua!"
He burst into the garden, Yue'er and Meimei behind him. What greeted them was a nightmare.
Lianhua lay sprawled among the shattered lotuses, blood trailing down her arms. A cursed sigil burned across her abdomen, black and pulsing with malevolent qi.
> "No," Jin Yue whispered, dropping to her side.
> "It was him…" she gasped. "The Demon King… He marked me."
Meimei knelt beside her, tears streaming down her cheeks. Yue'er's face twisted with a rage so cold, frost spread across the ground.
Jin Yue's hands glowed as he tried to purge the curse, but the mark resisted, screaming in a tongue long forgotten. His soulflame flared—and cracked.
> "It's feeding on your bond," Yue'er said. "Because she gave you her heartfire. He's corrupting your connection."
> "Then I'll burn it out," Jin Yue said, gritting his teeth.
---
Inside the Soul Sea
Jin Yue dove into Lianhua's consciousness, finding himself in a world of darkness, where a twisted version of her stood, chained and bleeding.
> "You shouldn't have trusted him," a demonic voice hissed. "He will doom you all."
Jin Yue stepped forward, the Twin Ascension Lotus burning in his hand.
> "I will never forsake her."
With a cry, he hurled the lotus into the chains. Light exploded.
The chains shattered, and the darkness screamed. The curse writhed and tried to take form—but Lianhua stood beside him, reborn in violet flame.
Together, they destroyed it.
---
Back in the real world, Lianhua gasped, the cursed sigil gone. Her body trembled in Jin Yue's arms, but her eyes were clear.
> "You came for me."
> "Always."
Meimei and Yue'er watched in silence. The bond between them all deepened—not just spiritual, but destined.
---
Far above the world, the Demon King felt the backlash of his failed curse. He sneered.
> "Then I'll strike deeper next time. Let's see how loyal your harem truly is."
Lady Raksha smirked.
> "Shall I sow doubt in the frost maiden next?"
> "Yes," the Demon King whispered. "Her heart is the coldest… and the most delicious when broken."