Chapter 2: The Jinx of Lu Manor

The sky above the battlefield remained stained red long after the woman had turned away.

Wind swept through broken banners and over mountains of corpses.

Far away, at the center of the battlefield, a man in black and gold armor stood unmoving. His spear remained planted in the blood-soaked earth, and around him, thousands of soldiers held their breath.

The Heavenly War God.

A title feared across kingdoms and realms alike.

Moments earlier, he had felt it.

A foreign power.

Something that did not belong beneath heaven.

Not spiritual qi.

Not demonic essence.

Not immortal energy.

Something… different.

The strange aura had appeared only briefly before disappearing entirely.

His golden eyes narrowed.

The faint dragon-shaped markings beneath his skin slowly surfaced.

This was one of the powers that shook the Six Realms:

Celestial Dragon Battle Soul — a divine martial soul capable of transforming spiritual energy into overwhelming battle force. Legends claimed that when fully awakened, dragon souls could split mountains and shatter heavenly laws.

At the same time, golden qi gathered around his body.

The surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth bent toward him.

His second power:

Heaven Suppression Divine Meridian — a legendary physique that allowed its owner to command spiritual energy itself and suppress weaker beings merely by existing.

The War God looked toward the distant western battlefield.

Yet the foreign presence had already vanished.

"Find her."

The generals behind him froze.

No one dared question him.

Because if the War God personally ordered a search...

The matter had already become extraordinary.

Thousands of li away...

A lone figure stood atop a mountain cliff beneath the night sky.

Long black hair drifted with the wind.

Her crimson robes fluttered softly.

Then—

The red faded.

Ancient silver symbols embroidered along her sleeves slowly disappeared.

The terrifying attire she wore upon the battlefield dissolved into plain blue robes.

Moments later, she looked no different from an ordinary young woman.

Lu Yinyin lowered her gaze toward her hands.

Silence.

"...Strange."

Sometimes things around her changed.

Objects moved on their own.

Time occasionally felt slower.

People looked at her strangely.

Bad things happened.

Always.

Since childhood.

She simply never understood why.

And because she never understood...

She stopped asking.

Below the mountain lay a mortal village.

Cloud River Village.

And within it—

Lu Manor.

Home.

Or perhaps...

The place she happened to live.

By sunrise, Lu Manor had become unusually lively.

Servants hurried beneath hanging lanterns.

Red silk draped over corridors.

Musicians entered through the gates.

The entire estate overflowed with excitement.

Because today was the engagement banquet of Lu Manor's treasured daughter—

Second Young Lady Lu Meirong.

Meanwhile, at the very edge of the estate stood a forgotten residence.

Broken walls.

Cracked roof tiles.

Neglected gardens.

The servants privately called it:

Ghost Yard.

Because the person living there brought misfortune.

Inside the courtyard, beneath an old osmanthus tree, Lu Yinyin sat silently with one arm supporting her cheek.

Motionless.

Completely motionless.

A butterfly landed on the stone table before her.

She stared at it.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three.

The butterfly flew away.

She continued staring at the empty space where it had been.

"..."

"...Miss."

No response.

"...Miss."

Silence.

"...MISS!"

Lu Yinyin finally turned her head.

Her maid, Xiao Qing, stood nearby carrying a basket of clothes with an expression filled with despair.

"Why are you staring at nothing again?!"

Lu Yinyin blinked.

"I was thinking."

Xiao Qing froze.

Thinking?

About what?

"The butterfly."

Xiao Qing waited.

Silence.

"...And?"

"...Nothing."

Xiao Qing nearly coughed blood.

Again.

Always like this.

Sometimes she truly felt her young miss was strange.

Not stupid.

Not slow.

Just...

Different.

As if she looked at the world from somewhere far away.

Before Xiao Qing could continue speaking, footsteps echoed outside the courtyard.

Several servant girls passed nearby.

Naturally, they lowered their voices.

Naturally, Lu Yinyin still heard every word.

"Did you hear? Second Young Lady received another gift from Young Master Su."

"So romantic."

"I heard it cost thousands of gold coins."

"Of course. Second Young Lady is talented and beautiful unlike..."

The servant lowered her voice.

"...that jinx."

Silence.

Another servant shivered.

"Keep your voice down."

"But it's true."

"My aunt worked here years ago. Ever since that illegitimate daughter arrived strange things kept happening."

"The Third Madam fell down the stairs."

"The kitchen caught fire."

"The fish pond dried up."

"Young Master Chen nearly drowned."

"Bad luck follows her."

The girls quickly hurried away.

Silence returned.

Xiao Qing looked toward Lu Yinyin nervously.

No reaction.

No anger.

No sadness.

Nothing.

Lu Yinyin merely stared toward the sky.

After a while—

"...What is a jinx?"

Xiao Qing froze.

Lu Yinyin looked at her.

"If bad things happen around me..." she paused slightly, "...does that make me strange?"

For some reason, Xiao Qing's heart tightened.

Others mocked Lu Yinyin.

But Xiao Qing knew something.

Her young miss never defended herself because she truly did not understand.

She did not understand anger.

Did not understand hatred.

Did not understand why people cried.

Or laughed.

Xiao Qing quickly smiled.

"They're just saying nonsense."

Silence.

"...Really?"

"...Really."

Lu Yinyin looked away.

At that moment—

Crack.

The tree branch above them suddenly split apart.

Xiao Qing screamed.

"MISS!"

The thick branch crashed downward directly toward Lu Yinyin—

Then suddenly twisted.

As if an invisible hand gently pushed it aside.

BOOM!

The branch smashed into the ground several feet away.

Dust rose.

Silence.

Xiao Qing stared blankly.

Lu Yinyin blinked once.

"...Again."

Xiao Qing slowly turned.

"...Again?"

Lu Yinyin looked thoughtful.

"This happens often."

Silence.

Wind brushed through the courtyard.

For a brief moment—

Something crimson flickered within Lu Yinyin's eyes.

Ancient symbols.

Mysterious.

Unfamiliar.

Then disappeared.

No one noticed.

Not even her.

Because Lu Yinyin still did not know the powers sleeping within her.

Void Heart Constitution — a forbidden existence born without emotional restraints; immune to illusions, fear, charm techniques, and mental laws.

And—

Scarlet Fate Eyes — eyes capable of seeing threads of destiny and catastrophe once fully awakened.

One stood outside fate.

The other could see fate itself.

Powers that should never have existed together.

Far away, within a military camp near the empire's borders—

The War God suddenly opened his eyes.

Golden spiritual energy exploded outward.

Nearby soldiers immediately knelt.

Because he had felt it again.

Very briefly.

Very faintly.

That foreign aura.

This time—

From the mortal realm.

His gaze slowly shifted southward.

Toward Cloud River Village.

Toward Lu Manor.

Meanwhile, inside Lu Manor's grand hall, laughter filled the air.

Nobles and guests arrived one after another.

Musicians played.

Servants rushed through the corridors.

Yet beneath the celebration, hidden schemes quietly stirred.

Because Lu Meirong had just received unexpected news.

A servant knelt before her.

"S–Second Young Lady..."

"What is it?"

"The Crown Prince's envoy has arrived."

Silence.

Lu Meirong stood abruptly.

The Crown Prince?

Why would royal representatives appear at Lu Manor?

Another servant hurried inside.

"S-Second Young Lady..."

"What now?!"

"The envoy asked..."

The servant hesitated.

"...who the eldest daughter of Lu Manor is."

The room instantly fell silent.

Because everyone knew.

No matter how ignored she was—

No matter how unwanted—

Lu Yinyin was still Lu Manor's eldest daughter.

And outside, beneath the old osmanthus tree, Lu Yinyin remained seated quietly.

Completely unaware...

That trouble had already begun walking toward her.

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