Mystique Soul: A Cultivator's Flame
Chapter 91: Chaoter 91

Chapter 91: Chaoter 91

Tian Heng stared at Feng Jiao Xue, his expression unreadable. Though he had agreed to follow her, there was still a lingering hesitance, an instinct not to trust too easily.

Feng Jiao Xue, ever perceptive, did not miss the flicker of doubt in his violet eyes. That was fine. Trust was not something given freely; it was earned. But before anything else, a proper agreement had to be made.

She reached into her robes and pulled out a small, aged book. The cover was deep blue, nearly black, with silver etchings of swirling patterns,runes woven into the very material of its binding. It was thin but when she flipped it open, the pages gleamed as though the ink were still wet, shimmering under the morning light.

"This" she said, her voice steady, "is a contract ritual from the Feng Library. It binds a master and a servant together."

Tian Heng stiffened at the word servant, but she lifted a hand before he could protest.

"Don’t misunderstand" she continued. "This contract does not make you a slave. It is not a shackle, but a pact." She turned the book toward him, letting him see the delicate calligraphy of the ancient text. "The servant must be loyal to the master, but in return, the master is bound by the contract never to harm them."

Tian Heng narrowed his eyes. "And if either side betrays the other?"

"The magic will know," she said simply. "If the servant betrays the master, their strength will be stripped away, their soul marked as an oathbreaker. But if the master harms the servant unjustly, their own power will turn against them."

He exhaled, processing the weight of it. A contract enforced by magic itself, one that did not allow for cruelty or blind obedience, but rather, a balance of trust and duty.

Feng Jiao Xue’s gaze did not waver. "I do not need a subordinate who follows me out of fear. I need someone who chooses to walk my path willingly."

Tian Heng was silent for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright. How does it work?"

Feng Jiao Xue turned to the next page of the book, her fingers tracing the glowing words. "The bond is sealed through a ritual. Blood, intent, and incantation."

She took a step back, then lowered herself onto the grass, sitting cross-legged. "Sit," she instructed.

Tian Heng hesitated only briefly before following her lead. The forest was quiet around them, save for the distant chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves in the morning breeze.

Feng Jiao Xue set the book between them, its pages unfurling on their own as if responding to her magic.

"Hold out your hand," she said.

He did.

She unsheathed a small dagger, its blade thin and sharp. Without hesitation, she pressed the tip against her palm and made a shallow cut. Blood welled up, bright crimson against her pale skin. Then, she handed the dagger to Tian Heng.

His grip on the blade was firm as he did the same, drawing a line of red across his palm. Their blood, two different wounds, now mirrored each other.

Feng Jiao Xue lifted her hand, palm facing him. "Now, repeat after me."

She began to chant, her voice low and resonant.

"Thara vel seran, saren varna velora."

(Bound by oath, sealed by will.)

Tian Heng repeated the words, though his pronunciation was a little stiff.

"Larae mirath val, therin zarnath val."

(Strength given freely, never to be betrayed.)

As their voices intertwined, the magic responded. A soft glow formed between their hands, first a flicker, then a growing, swirling current of silver and blue light. It pulsed, alive, wrapping around their fingers and wrists in ethereal threads.

Feng Jiao Xue’s eyes gleamed as she continued.

"Vaelen aeris, thalor fenra, shantrae lar."

(By ancient law, by earth’s witness, this bond is cast.)

The light coiled tighter, sinking into their skin. A faint mark appeared on their wrists, a delicate rune, shifting between silver and deep indigo, proof of the contract’s existence.

Then, the magic settled, the glow fading into a soft hum in the air.

It was done.

Tian Heng flexed his fingers, staring at the mark. Though it did not feel like chains, he could sense the weight of the pact, an unbreakable tie between them now.

Feng Jiao Xue lowered her hand, satisfied. "The bond is sealed."

Tian Heng exhaled slowly, clenching and unclenching his fist. "I expected it to feel heavier."

She smirked. "That’s because you have nothing to fear."

He met her gaze, and for the first time, he allowed himself a small smile. "Good."

The deal was struck. The path ahead had changed. And Tian Heng, for the first time in his life, felt like he had chosen his own future.

The glow of the binding spell had barely faded when Feng Jiao Xue gave her first command. Her voice was calm, measured, but there was an undeniable weight behind it.

"Tell me everything you know about Tian Hao."

Tian Heng’s expression tensed at the mention of his younger brother’s name. His fingers curled slightly, a flicker of emotion crossing his usually composed face. He exhaled, as if steadying himself, before speaking.

"Tian Hao was always different from me," Tian Heng began, his voice edged with something unreadable. "Smart, cunning... never the strongest or the most talented, but he knew how to survive."

Feng Jiao Xue remained silent, watching him. Encouraging him to continue without a word.

"He left home when he was ten. Said he wanted more than what our small village could give him. I didn’t think he’d last in the capital, not as a child with no connections, no name, no coin. But somehow, he did. He crawled his way up from an errand boy to a palace attendant."

He let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. "Unlike me, Tian Hao never wasted time on training. He learned how to please people instead. He knew whose boots to polish, whose words to repeat, and whose secrets to bury. That’s how he caught the attention of Eunuch Wei."

At the mention of the name, Feng Jiao Xue’s eyes sharpened. Eunuch Wei. She had heard of him, a man of quiet influence, managing affairs among the lesser concubines and inner servants. He was not the most powerful eunuch in the palace, but he was one of the most cunning.

"Tian Hao earned his favor," Tian Heng continued, "became his little shadow. He learned the palace’s rules, not the ones written in books, but the real ones. The ones that decide who climbs and who falls."

His lips pressed into a thin line before he added, "And then one day... he received a task. A dangerous one. One that changed everything for him."

Feng Jiao Xue tilted her head slightly. "A task?"

Tian Heng hesitated, then lowered his voice, as if even in this quiet place, someone might overhear.

"He bore false witness in a case that toppled a noble. At least, thats what he keeps saying."I don’t know the details, but it was big enough to get him real backing from inside the palace. After that, he was no longer just some servant, he became someone’s pawn. And in return, our family stopped struggling."

Feng Jiao Xue’s gaze did not waver. "So he sold himself for security."

Tian Heng exhaled sharply. "Maybe. But if you ask him, he’d say he won."

There was a pause before he added, quieter this time, "And maybe he’s right."

Feng Jiao Xue considered his words. Tian Hao had not been born into privilege, yet he had climbed high,high enough to be worth protecting, high enough to be worth buying. But no one in the palace ever received power freely. If someone had invested in Tian Hao, it meant they expected something in return.

She leaned back slightly. "Then the question is, whose pawn is he?"

Tian Heng’s expression darkened. "That... I don’t know."

Feng Jiao Xue tapped her fingers against the armrest of her chair. A servant with unknown loyalty was a liability.

But a servant with ambitions? That was an opportunity.

Feng Jiao Xue thought about it for a bit before looking at Tian Heng again.

"Do you know where you can buy what you might need as a magician?" she asked.

Tian Heng tilted his head at the sudden change of topic but nodded his head.

"There’s a bigger village just a few miles by the other side of the river. By carriage, it would take three hours to get there." Tian Heng replied.

"Good" Feng Jiao Xue handed him a pouch of coins. "Go buy whatever you may need there for now. We can buy something better once we return to the capital"

"We?" Tian Heng asked with a raised brow.

"You want to be better right? To have those that looked down on you be unable to do anything but look up? You can be great in this small pond sure but you can reach your greatest outside of it." Feng Jiao Xue replied.

Either way, he would have already fulfilled his use but she’s not one to discard a card.