With that settled, Luo He's mind moved on without pause. Vera's loyalty had been secured firm, unwavering, exactly as he had calculated. That piece was now in place.
Which meant It was time for the next.
The youngest daughter of the Xu family.
Xu Min. A faint, thoughtful expression crossed his face as he stood alone in his chamber. The desert light filtered in through the narrow stone openings, casting sharp lines across the floor.
Outside, the fortress had begun its usual rhythm guards moving, servants whispering, soldiers training. But Luo He paid none of it any mind. "She's the key," he murmured softly. Not because of her beauty. Not because of her status.
But because of her mind.
A girl raised under Xu Mun's guidance trained in strategy, deception, survival.
A mind like that was far too valuable to waste. "I would rather have her beside me," he continued quietly, "than against me or broken by someone else." His gaze darkened slightly.
And in this place that was exactly what would happen if he did nothing. He turned. Without another word, he stepped out of the room.
The deeper parts of the fortress were colder and darker. The air carried the scent of damp stone and rusted iron. Torches burned along the walls, their flames flickering weakly, barely pushing back the shadows that clung to every corner.
Guards stood at intervals, alert but none dared to question him. They couldn't.
They didn't even see him clearly. By the time they realized someone had passed he was already gone. Luo He moved through the corridors like a shadow, his steps silent and precise.
Until he stopped. A heavy iron door stood before him. Chains wrapped around its handles. Two guards stationed on either side. They stiffened the moment they noticed him.
"My lord" one began. "Open it." No hesitation. No explanation. The command alone was enough. The story of him saving the king's life had spread. His increase in status is evident.
The guards quickly moved, unlocking the chains and pushing the door open with a low, grinding sound. Luo He stepped inside without another glance. The door shut behind him.
The room was dimly lit. A single torch burned on the far wall. And there bound in chains, seated against the cold stone
Was Xu Mun.
His once-proud figure was worn, but not broken. His hair was slightly disheveled, his clothes no longer carried the dignity they once had but his eyes. His eyes were still sharp. They lifted the moment Luo He entered. Recognition came instantly. "You again," Xu Mun said quietly.
Luo He walked forward, unhurried.
"Yes." He stopped a few steps away.
For a moment, neither spoke. Then Luo He looked down at him calmly. "I have something to discuss." Xu Mun let out a faint breath, almost amused. "That's new." Luo He didn't react. "I need your daughter." Silence.
The words hung heavy in the air. Xu Mun's expression didn't change immediately but something in his eyes shifted. Not surprise. Not confusion.
Understanding.
"Which one?" he asked. Luo He met his gaze directly. Another silence. Longer this time. Xu Mun slowly leaned back against the wall, the chains clinking softly. "Xu Min." He repeated the name quietly, as if testing it in the air. Then he looked at Luo He again. "And what," he asked calmly, "do you want with her for?"
Luo He didn't hesitate.
"I intend to make her my wife." That made Xu Mun still. Not shocked. But focused. He studied Luo He carefully now, as if seeing him in a new light.
"A political move?" he asked. "No."
"Then why?"
A pause.
Luo He's voice was calm. "Because she's useful." Blunt. Honest. And completely without decoration. Xu Mun let out a quiet breath, something between a sigh and a faint laugh. "You don't even pretend." "I don't need to."
Another silence filled the room. Xu Mun lowered his gaze slightly, thinking. "My daughter," he said slowly, "is not easy to control." "I know," Luo He said. "She's not obedient." "I know," Luo He said.
"She doesn't trust easily." Luo He's expression didn't change. Xu Mun looked back up at him.
"And yet… you still want her?" "Yes."
No hesitation. No doubt. That answer made Xu Mun's lips curl slightly. "Then you're either very confident...or very dangerous." Luo He said nothing.
Because the answer was obvious.
Xu Mun exhaled slowly, his gaze drifting for a moment. "If this was a different situation…" he murmured, "I would have offered her myself." His eyes returned to Luo He. "She was always meant to be used carefully."
A faint hint of pride slipped through. "She learns quickly. Sees through people. Adapts." Then his expression darkened slightly. "But she won't submit easily."
"I'm not asking her to." Said Luo He. That answer made Xu Mun pause.
Then, slowly he smiled. A real one this time. "I see." Another quiet moment passed. Then Xu Mun shifted slightly, the chains rattling as he adjusted his posture.
"And what do you want from me?" he asked. Luo He stepped closer. "I want you to speak to her." Xu Mun's eyes narrowed slightly. "To convince her?"
"No. To prepare her." said Luo He.
Silence.
Xu Mun studied him carefully. "You want her to choose this." "Yes." Another long pause. Then Xu Mun nodded slowly. "Very well." His voice was calm again.
"If she chooses you" he said, "then I have no objections." He leaned his head back slightly against the wall. "But if she refuses." He looked at Luo He directly. "What will you do?" Luo He held his gaze.
"Then I'll make her understand." The answer was simple. Unemotional. Absolute. Xu Mun closed his eyes briefly.
"You really are something else."
Luo He turned toward the door. "I'll arrange the meeting." As Luo He began to walk away Xu Mun spoke again.
He stopped but didn't turn. "If you take her," A pause. "don't waste her."
For the first time Luo He glanced back slightly. A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared.
He watched Xu Mun in silence for a moment longer, studying every flicker of emotion that crossed the older man's face. The dim torchlight cast long shadows across the stone chamber, making the chains around Xu Mun's wrists glint faintly. The air was heavy, thick with dust and the scent of iron.
The chamber fell into a heavy silence after Luo He turned away. The torchlight flickered against the damp stone walls, casting long, shifting shadows that seemed to breathe with the weight of everything that had just been spoken.
The iron chains around Xu Mun's wrists clinked softly as he remained kneeling head lowered, unmoving. For a long moment he said nothing.
Then A quiet sound escaped him.
Not a sob. Not quite a laugh. Something in between. Low. Broken. Bitter.
"So this is how it ends." His voice echoed faintly across the chamber. Luo He had already reached the door. He paused.
Not turning. Behind him, Xu Mun slowly lifted his head. His face, once composed and calculating, now carried something far more complex regret and clarity.
"I spent my entire life," Xu Mun began slowly, "building something from nothing." His eyes drifted to the ground, as if seeing years of memories scattered across the stone. "Every alliance every betrayal every calculated move I weighed them all."
His voice grew steadier. "I studied men. Broke them. Used them. Outplayed them." A faint, hollow smile formed on his lips. "And I never lost." The torchlight flickered again. "Not once."
He looked up directly at Luo He's back.
"Until you." Silence. Luo He didn't respond. Xu Mun let out a slow breath.
"At first I thought you were just another prodigy. Talented. Sharp. Dangerous in your own way." His fingers tightened slightly against the chains. "But still human."
A pause.
"I watched you closely. Tested you. Set traps. Forced situations where you had to choose." His voice lowered. "And every time you slipped through." The smile faded. "Not by luck." His gaze sharpened. "But by design."
Another silence filled the room. Xu Mun slowly pushed himself up slightly from the ground, still kneeling but no longer bowed. "I realized it too late," he said quietly. "That you weren't reacting to my moves." His eyes darkened. "You were already ahead of them."
The chains rattled softly as he shifted.
"If you were just Jin He" he continued, "just a talented man from the who married in to the Jin family" He stopped.
Then let out a quiet, bitter breath. "I would have won." Those words hung in the air. Heavy. Honest. No arrogance.
Just truth. "So who are you?" He asked curiously.