Chapter 208: Purple Eyes
Chapter 208: Purple Eyes
Lin Qi had begun his pursuit of his life’s value and goals. He tirelessly moved through the streets and alleys of the Imperial Capital, busy beyond measure. For now, he was just an insignificant nobody. He wasn’t yet powerful enough to change much. He was merely trying to do what he could.
Many, many things remained beyond his reach and understanding.
Just as Lin Qi was rushing about, gathering whatever forces he could mobilize, Lü materialized outside a small manor in the Eastern Suburbs of the Imperial Capital. By “materialized,” it meant he stepped directly out of thin air—as though an invisible doorway existed there.
The place lay well over twenty-five miles from the city itself. Gently rolled hills surrounded it, while a small river wound through the land, joining the Sain River fifteen miles away. Beautiful hills, clear waters, and pleasant air made it perfect. Hundreds of manor houses dotted the landscape, creating a favored holiday spot for the Imperial Capital’s middle class.
Lü stood high in a tall oak tree, its thick branches concealing him. From this vantage point, he looked down upon the three-story house below. The quaint, elegant building sat encircled by evergreen pines. A massive courtyard enclosed by high walls spread outward, and outside that ran a two-meter-wide moat-like ditch.
He waited quietly for nearly an hour. Then, a man wrapped head-to-toe in a cloak cautiously emerged from the small building. Glancing around and seeming satisfied nothing was amiss, he finally exhaled heavily. He strode toward the courtyard’s main gate. Opening it, he stepped outside, closed the gate behind him, and peered up at the gloomy sky.
With that upward tilt, the man’s single eye and handsome face became visible in the dim light. This was Arthur. Arthur, Lin Qi’s surrogate brother. His unexpected presence here hinted at secrets converging around him as well.
Arthur grinned easily. A distinct blush of happiness spread across his face. He suddenly leaped up, pumping his fist fiercely before happily marching off toward the direction of the Imperial Capital. He hadn’t ridden horseback or taken a carriage, choosing to walk here alone instead. Though tiring, the solitude offered greater security for the manor.
After walking along the road for a while, Arthur ducked low and slipped carefully into the roadside woods. With the slyness of a fox, he navigated through the trees. Along the way, he casually broke off branches, setting small traps behind him. Should pursuit follow, these traps would make enough minor disturbance to alert him.
Lü’s pupils glowed with a blinding, golden divine light. Contempt twisted his lips into a sharp, piercing sneer.
“Mortal wisdom. Filthy, sinful souls—only petty ploys for minds like theirs. Under the radiance of the Divine, beneath His watchful gaze, what secret could you possibly retain? A lowly, pitiable puppet strutting as if master of all… truly a foolish thing. He knows not wrath.”
Lü watched Arthur’s retreating figure silently. Only after Arthur had traveled nearly five miles away did Lü take his own step forward. In one effortless motion, he went from the oak tree outside the courtyard to the building’s front door.
The finely wrought door opened without a sound. Behind it stood a servant girl, dressed in white and bearing a calm, gentle appearance. Seeing Lü’s hard, imposing face, she quickly bent in respectful greeting.
A flick of his finger signaled her to rise. Lü removed his cloak, flung it to her, and strode in calmly.
He ascended the stairs to the second floor. An expansive, cozy sitting room came into view. Its furnishings were simple but alive with personal touches. Comfortable sofas stood near a roaring fireplace. A thick, pure wool rug covered the floor. Wooden wainscoting paneled the room, everything spotless, virtually dust-free.
Before the fireplace sat a young girl. She wore an oversized white gown, and her beautiful golden hair cascaded straight down to her ankles. Her face was serene and peaceful, almost saintly. She hummed a long, melodic tune, her eyes half closed. Cradled in her lap lay a naked infant. He appeared around seven or eight months old.
A thick head of bright red hair had already grown out. The baby gazed intently upwards at the ornate oil painting on the sitting room ceiling. His eyes were a spectacular shade of purple—more vivid than violets, clearer than amethysts, more mysterious than the stars of night. Each time his pupils moved, ripples of stunning, preternaturally beautiful purple radiance spread outwards.
Lü approached the girl and knelt on one knee before her.
“Jie… She’s been gone three days now. Three days ago, Picius ordered her to take a force and eliminate those people from the East. Since then, she hasn’t returned. No warning stirs within me; she shouldn’t be in peril. Nor has the Divine Light of Fallen Gods appeared near Borelly these past days—so she must be safe. Yet, her disappearance won’t quiet my heart.”
The young girl with long golden hair and a serene countenance sighed gently. She affectionately stroked the baby’s face and gave a soft laugh. “The light of the Divine shields all. Worry is needless. Recently, I’ve felt the stirring will of our source, the great God of Punishment. Part of His will has awakened. We simply walk the path with steadfastness. He will surely reform his Divine Body. The supreme Divine Light will grace the world once more.”
Lü rose and sighed softly. “Yet I worry for Jie. She, like you… is my sister.”
The young girl’s brow furrowed slightly. She tilted her head in thought briefly before addressing the infant in a tone of utmost reverence. “Your insight, then?”
The infant—clearly only seven or eight months old, an age where human infants still struggled to sit unaided—smiled an unnervingly adult-like smile. Slowly, deliberately, he grasped the girl’s gown for support, and pulled himself upright. Then, he slid down her legs to the floor.
He stretched lazily for a moment—a chubby, adorable baby. A gentle shake of his waist, then a slow, deliberate chuckle.
“Hold fast to the Pure Principle within your heart. Uphold the Sacred Laws written upon your soul. Fear failure not. Jie dwells beneath the Divine Shield. Harm cannot touch her. Believe unwaveringly in the God’s matchless potency…councils your foundations against collapse. Witness the Dawn Family. The Fire Family. Divine Descendants they were… Their fall severed them from the Splendor. Thus did they perish. But you? What grounds for disquiet?”
He twisted his neck lightly. With a small wave toward a large cabinet in the corner of the room…
A faint pinprick of light appeared on its door. The air around it distorted strangely. Slowly, the very surface of the wooden door rippled as if water. Then, a flawless Crystal Ball, nearly two feet in diameter, drifted effortlessly out of the cabinet—passing right through the solid wood door.
It floated to a halt before the infant. Pale violet light stirred in the baby’s eyes.
“Perhaps the foe proved too potent… Jie leads her warriors against them even now. Perhaps Fortune favored the enemy…slipping away when gravely wounded… Jie pursues. Hunted dogs never run clean of the chase. Regardless… How could failure perch upon those who serve the Pattern?”
Purple light bathed the crystal ball. Ripples of exquisite violet luminescence emanated from within it. Gradually, the radiance spread, expanding to cover an area several feet across. It hung suspended above the infant’s head. Within its glow, indistinct shapes began churning like distorted shadows, struggling to coherence.
“All acts hold predictable outcomes. Laws are unbreakable. They represent beauty. Perfection. Utter Wuxia. What…tainted…stained…unfinished thing…shatter such perfection?”
“Jie is perfection… She’s part of the Laws…woven into the Fabric itself. Harm touching her? Folly beyond measure.”
The infant spoke softly, his tiny hands making deliberate gestures. Twisted glyphs of Divine Script formed at his fingertips, then slowly sunk into the heart of the crystal ball.
“You stand blessed. Though my light lacks the God of Punishment’s current magnitude…no harm touches those under my shield. Just as your intricate maneuvers stripped the Dawn Family and the Fire Family of their finest Descendants? Untouched yourselves. Proven immunity. How could mere fortune-forsaken diversions pose risk now?”
Lü and the young girl now smiled easily. Yes… the infant’s reasoning felt powerfully sound.
The infant’s eyes had become two hard, translucent purple crystals. Radiant violet light shimmered within them, forcing Lü’s gaze away; he dared not look directly upon the form.
“My Blessing…IS the Law. My Edict…IS the Command… My Grace…thread through the cosmos, eternal. That mortal Arthur? He shelters within sin’s grasp? True. Yet…that mortal possesses the Western Continent’s most splendidly purple eyes. Thus—this body proclaimed his blood child. Thus—he drew my Blessing’s warmth. Thus—untouchable heights await him atop the Western Continent’s power structures.”
“Law… Edict… Pattern… Manifested. Un-bendable. Un-deniable.”
Certainty shone in the infant’s smile. The violet glow within the crystal ball intensified rapidly. Slowly, the churning shadows within solidified. The scene became painfully clear.
Then…every face froze in shock.
The scene inside the ball displayed a pile of bodies, carelessly stacked. Fire engulfed them. Consuming them. Framed starkly in the roaring blaze—a recognizable face. Beautiful, but frozen in death. Eyes refusing to close. This was Jie.
Lü threw his head back, roaring heavenwards in rage. The golden-haired girl sprang up in horror. The infant frantically rubbed his own eyes, uttering a sharp cry: “Impossible! Diminished my power may be…BUT I AM… What I AM… Who breaks my Blessing?”
He viciously dragged a tiny finger across his palm. A single drop of golden blood arced out, hitting the crystal ball.
“WHOEVER YOU ARE… WHEREVER YOU ARE… YOUR FATE IS SEALED!”
The crystal ball erupted with light. Raw Divine Power flooded the sitting room. Terrified, Lü and the golden-haired girl fell to their knees.
The violet image churned violently, swirling faster. Blurry shapes pressed against the luminous surface, faces forming… edges sharpening… focused so close… Then… a wispy shadow. Cyan in hue. Coiling serpent shape. Hint of claw, horn. Ghosting across the glow…
CRACK!
The crystal ball exploded.
Shuddering, the infant stumbled backwards. Bright red blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering the immaculate carpet a shocking distance away. Deep red veins now streaked both eyes. Twin crimson tears welled, tracing glistening paths down his flawless purple cheeks and falling silently.