"What do you mean, father? Isn’t Edina under my care? How could you place the inheritance in the Blazing Sun Mansion? Shouldn’t it be safeguarded in my family’s Mansion, the Mu Mansion?" As soon as those words left Li Mei's mouth, a slight grin appeared on her face, quickly replaced by a serious expression.

Liang Feng's heart burned with rage as he clenched his fist under the table to maintain control. With indifference, he said, "Why do you say so, Li Mei? The inheritance is quite substantial. Therefore, I believe it should be safeguarded in the most secure place in the sect, don’t you agree?"

Li Mei took a bite of her breakfast before responding, "You are correct, father. However, in the history of our sect, property from one Mansion has never been entrusted to another for safekeeping. Wouldn't breaking tradition now, simply because of the amount involved, be disrespectful to our ancestors?" Her husband, Han Cha, chimed in, "She's right, father-in-law. If you're concerned about security at the Mu Mansion, I can double it and assign ninth-grade masters for defense!"

Inwardly sighing, Liang Feng knew that his daughter intended to stage a heist to bolster the Mu Mansion's position with the money and ensure her ascension as the next sect leader. For his honor as a martial artist and sect leader, he had to ensure that this substantial inheritance remained safe until Edina came of age.

"You both make valid points," he replied evenly. "But simply doubling security won't suffice. The safe in the Blazing Sun Mansion is constructed of Red Black Steel. No amount of force will breach it unless one possesses the correct Qi path. It will be the safest there."

Liang Feng shot Edina a meaningful look, silently urging her to defend her inheritance. However, she kept her head down, eating slowly and avoiding eye contact with him or anyone else. Qin Ha Cha Mu, an Elder, interjected, "My daughter-in-law and son seem fervent about upholding tradition, Sect Leader. If security is your concern, I will assign my best students as guards."

Realizing he was outnumbered and lacking Edina's support, Liang Feng knew he couldn't push the matter further. He could only hope to catch them in the act. "Very well," he acquiesced.

"If you insist, Elder Mu. What say you, Lu Mingfe?" In a last-ditch effort, Liang Feng turned to his eldest child, aware that he was Li Mei's primary political rival. Thus, his son couldn't afford to let them succeed in their scheme—it would be disastrous for him if Li Mei managed a successful heist.

Lu Mingfe, without much hesitation, remarked, "Little Sister is adamant about this, Father. Let her safeguard her precious niece and inheritance." With that, Liang Feng's last effort proved futile.

He couldn't understand why Lu Mingfe, Li Mei's staunchest rival, would allow her to control such a substantial amount. However, he suspected that Lu Mingfe must have a scheme of his own to wrest it from her grasp. Liang Feng sighed inwardly and changed the subject.

"Master Keith, how do you find the delicious food prepared by the Blazing Dawn sect’s renowned chefs?" Keith nodded in approval. "They are quite exquisite, Sect Leader Liang Feng. I wish I could indulge in them for the entire year!" Liang Feng then suggested, "Considering your departure is still a month away, why don’t you stay here until then?" Keith didn't anticipate such an offer, but he gladly accepted.

"Why not, Sect Leader Liang Feng?" With that, and some small talk, the breakfast concluded within an hour.

Edina felt a sense of relief as the tense breakfast finally concluded. Now she could retreat to her room, just as her aunt enforced every day.

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Xiao Min assisted her off the seat and guided her through the hallway, while Li Mei and her husband also departed. As they walked through a secluded area of the hallway, Li Mei spoke to her husband, Han Cha. "Father seems to be onto us. He invited the merchant to stay for a month, so we won’t be able to act for at least that long," she observed.

Han Cha nodded in agreement. "Yes, it appears he has some sort of scheme that requires a month to unfold. We must take the safeguarding of the inheritance very seriously until we can stage a heist without raising suspicion."

Li Mei and Han Cha understood that if they attempted the heist while the merchant was still present, their conversation at the table could be leaked publicly, making them the prime suspects. Therefore, they could only execute their plan once the merchant had departed for the Western Continent.

Li Mei noticed Xiao Min assisting the limping Edina to her room and couldn't resist taunting her niece. "Ah, look who it is. Do you remember today that I'm not dead? Huh, half-blood?" Edina's spine chilled with fear, her aunt's intimidation deeply ingrained in her.

She replied calmly, "Good morning, Aunt Li Mei. I'm not sure what you're referring to." Li Mei visibly grew angry at Edina's response and began to shout, "You don’t know! Just yesterday, you were going around shouting that I shouldn’t be alive! That this is all a—" Han Cha intervened, silencing Li Mei with a gesture.

She shot him a glare, but he pointed discreetly at the Elders passing by.Li Mei bit her lip and walked away. As she passed Xiao Min, she whispered into her ear, "Throw her into the dark room for today. It's punishment for not supporting me at the breakfast table." Xiao Min nodded eagerly, a hint of excitement in her expression.

As Xiao Min and Edina reached the Jinwei Mansion, Xiao Min reverted to her haughty demeanor and dragged Edina with a loud announcement. "Mistress Li Mei has ordered punishment for you with time in the Dark Room for not supporting her during breakfast! Guards, open the gates!"

Edina's heart sank in terror as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Please, please, I'll apologize to Aunt! Please, not the dark room! Let me talk to her!" Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Every employee in the Jinwei Mansion had been replaced by one of Li Mei’s staff after her parents' death, so no one came to her aid, and with her limping leg, she couldn't run.

Xiao Min and some guards threw her into the dark room and closed the door behind her.

Edina didn’t understand why this dark room was built in the Jinwei Mansion, presumably to hold assassins, but right now, it was her worst nightmare.

The darkness enveloped her, suffocating her senses as she shivered in fear. The silence was deafening, broken only by her own sobs echoing off the cold stone walls. She felt utterly alone, abandoned by everyone she once knew. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as she huddled in a corner, praying for someone, anyone, to rescue her from this desolate abyss.

She pondered how marvelous it would have been if she were a martial artist like her father; she could have shattered the walls and escaped. Or if she were a Mage like her mother, she could have obliterated the walls to bits. However, the harsh reality of darkness reminded her that she was neither.

She was born with an Isolation Body Constitution. Mana and Qi were essentially the same energy but with different properties, referred to as life force (a term coined only a few decades ago when contact with the western continent was first established). Each person's body was conductive to life force, allowing them to manipulate the energy to their desire—Qi for martial artists and Mana for Mages.

When her father and mother married, it was unknown that the union of two masters at the peak of their respective crafts— a grand master and a grand Witch— could result in something called the Isolation Constitution.

This condition caused the offspring to be born with a body that insulated any and all life force other than their own. Though it was a one in billion chance of happening, it happened to her making it impossible for her to practice either crafts.

After a few hours, as night descended, a guard finally opened the door and escorted her back to her bed in her room. There, she begrudgingly ate some stale food given to her as punishment.

Afterwards, she simply cried herself to sleep, as she did every night. Despite summoning the courage to confront her Aunt, the fear of the dark room always held her back, just as it did today.

She could sense that her grandfather was doing his utmost to protect the inheritance from falling into her aunt's grasp, but the ominous walls of the dark room instilled a deep-seated fear within her. She could only hope that one day she would find the courage to overcome it, as she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.