Hearing the name Cloud Heavens Sect, Valeria’s thoughts clicked into place. Of course—that’s why the presence of that “Senior Sister” had felt so familiar.
This sect was renowned across the empire for its strict discipline and powerful disciples.
And if her instincts were correct, this Senior Sister was none other than [Lira Vaelan], known as the Silent Thunder. Her reputation was well-earned, as both a skilled fighter and a composed leader.
Valeria nodded to herself, her suspicions confirmed. Lira Vaelan wasn’t the type to lose her composure over petty insults, and that much was evident in the way she handled the situation now.
“There’s no reason for us to lower ourselves to such provocations,” Lira said calmly, her voice steady and measured. She remained seated, her hands resting lightly on the table in front of her, not even sparing the boys another glance.
Her control over her emotions was impressive, the mark of someone well-versed in managing both her peers and her rivals.
At least, that will be how she saw the girl.
The younger girls around her bristled, clearly not as calm as their Senior Sister. Valeria could see the frustration flickering in their eyes, their hands tightening into fists under the table. They were itching to respond, but none of them dared defy Lira’s lead. She had set the tone, and it was clear that they were expected to follow her example.
But, the silence was once again broken, this time by the leader of the group of boys. “Indeed, you wouldn’t lower yourself to such provocations,” he said, his tone calm but laced with something far sharper. His gaze locked onto Lira, his eyes burning with a faint but unmistakable anger. “But you’d lower someone else’s pants while having a fiancé, wouldn’t you?”
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire room seemed to freeze. A cold, biting chill filled the space, but this wasn’t the same kind of tension as before. This was something far more personal, far more dangerous. The kind of cold that cuts deeper than insults ever could.
Lira, for the first time since the confrontation began, showed a flicker of something—whether it was shock, anger, or something else entirely, Valeria couldn’t tell. But her previously calm demeanor wavered, just for an instant.
Valeria’s eyes darted around the room, catching the reactions of the other patrons. Whispers broke out like a ripple in the silence, hushed voices murmuring about what had just been revealed.
“Did you hear that? He said something about a fiancé…”
“That must be Varen Drakov from the Silver Flame Sect, right?”
“They were engaged to settle the feud between the sects, weren’t they?”
The air in the inn grew even colder as the weight of the accusation settled over the room like a suffocating blanket. Valeria could feel the shift in the atmosphere, the tension so thick it seemed to press down on everyone present. She could see the ripple of shock moving through the crowd, the whispers growing louder as the significance of the boy’s words began to sink in.
Lira Vaelan, the Silent Thunder, had always been the picture of composure, strength, and discipline. But now, that calm exterior had cracked, if only for a moment, and everyone in the room noticed it. The whispers continued to swirl around Valeria, fragments of the story piecing together in her mind.
The Cloud Heavens Sect and the Silver Flame Sect… of course, Valeria thought grimly. Those two sects had been at odds for years, locked in a bitter rivalry that had cost both sides much in blood and resources. The animosity between them had been so deeply ingrained that most had believed the feud would never end.
But then the leaders of both sects, tired of the endless fighting, had agreed on an arrangement—one that could potentially bring peace.
An engagement.
Lira Vaelan, the brilliant daughter of the Cloud Heavens Sect, had been betrothed to Varen Drakov, the prodigy of the Silver Flame Sect. It had been a marriage of convenience, meant to end the centuries-old feud and unite the two powerful factions. Both sects had celebrated the union, seeing it as the dawn of a new era.
But the peace had not come.
Just as the feud was about to be settled, Varen had discovered something that shattered the fragile arrangement. He had caught Lira in an illicit relationship with a man from her own sect—a fellow disciple, the son of a powerful elder within the Cloud Heavens Sect.
Varen, driven by rage and betrayal, had found them together and, in a moment of fury, beheaded the man right in front of Lira’s eyes.
The memory of that moment, of the blood staining the ground and the look of horror on her face, still haunted those who had witnessed it.
That single act had not only destroyed the engagement but had reignited the flames of hatred between the two sects, making the conflict worse than it had ever been before.
Valeria could feel the weight of that history pressing down on the room as the murmurs grew louder, the other patrons whispering feverishly about the scandal. The fact that Varen Drakov, the very man who had once been Lira’s betrothed, was standing here, openly mocking her in public, only deepened the wound.
Varen leaned back in his chair, his sneer widening as he watched Lira struggle to maintain her composure. His voice, dripping with venom, cut through the whispers like a blade. “No response, Lira? Or are you going to deny what happened? Or perhaps…” His gaze flicked over her coldly, “you’ve already moved on. Well, I guess that would be expected from a whore like you.
You must have gone for someone else’s pants already.”
Lira’s breath hitched, her jaw clenched tightly, but still, she said nothing. The tension between the two sects had escalated to a dangerous level after that incident, and any wrong move could set off another confrontation, perhaps even here in this very inn.
Valeria shifted in her seat, her eyes narrowing as she observed the scene unfold. This was more than just a personal grudge—it was a powder keg waiting to explode. She knew that if someone didn’t intervene soon, the situation could spiral out of control, dragging everyone in the room into the conflict.
But before anyone could make a move, one of Lira’s juniors, unable to contain her anger any longer, slammed her fist on the table. “You have no right to speak to our Senior Sister that way!” she shouted, her voice trembling with fury.
Varen’s eyes gleamed with cold amusement as he turned his gaze toward the junior disciple who had dared to speak. He leaned forward slightly, locking eyes with her, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Was there anything I said that was wrong?”
The junior disciple, despite the clear power imbalance between them, held her ground. Her face flushed with anger as she stood, fists clenched at her sides. “Of course!” she shot back, her voice rising with indignation. “If she turned to another man, it only shows that you weren’t capable enough to keep her by your side. You should have done better!”
Varen’s eyes gleamed dangerously as he turned his attention to the young disciple who had spoken. His smirk remained, but there was a sharpness in his gaze that made the air feel colder. He tilted his head slightly, his voice dripping with mockery. “Is that so?” he asked, his words slow and deliberate. “And you believe that? If she went behind my back, it was my failure to keep her satisfied?
Is that your logic?”
The girl, though visibly trembling, stood her ground, her chin raised defiantly. “Yes! If a woman leaves, it’s because the man wasn’t strong enough to keep her loyalty. He failed her! If you were truly worthy, she wouldn’t have looked elsewhere.”
The words echoed through the inn, and for a moment, everyone went silent.
Varen’s sneer vanished, replaced by a cold, dangerous expression. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, the tension now at its breaking point. The other disciples of the Cloud Heavens Sect braced themselves, while Varen’s companions, the boys from the Silver Flame Sect, stiffened at the perceived insult to their leader.
Valeria felt the weight of the situation pressing down on her. The girl’s retort had been bold, but reckless. She didn’t know if the young disciple truly believed what she was saying, or if she was simply defending her Senior Sister in a moment of heated emotion, but it didn’t matter. The words were out, and there was no taking them back.
Varen’s lips curled into a cruel smile as he stood from his chair, his height and presence suddenly overwhelming the space. “Is that so?” His voice was low, menacing. “You think this is a matter of my capability? You think I wasn’t enough?”
The girl flinched but didn’t back down, though her defiance was beginning to falter under Varen’s cold stare.
Before things could escalate further, Lira finally spoke, her voice quiet but steady. “Enough.”
All eyes turned to her.
Lira stood from her seat, her posture rigid and her face composed, though Valeria could see the storm of emotions swirling behind her eyes. “There is no need to continue this,” Lira said, her voice carrying a weight that silenced the room. She looked directly at Varen, her gaze hardening. “This was between us, and it should have remained that way.
But you continue to spread your venom because you cannot let go of the past.”
Varen’s sneer returned, though his eyes burned with barely concealed fury. “The past?” he repeated mockingly. “You betrayed me, Lira. Betrayed our sects, our families. And you think you can stand here and talk about the past as if it’s some distant memory? No, I’ll never forget what you did.”
Lira’s expression didn’t change, though Valeria could see the tension in her body. “I didn’t betray you,” she said evenly, her voice sharp and cold. “I made my choice, and you made yours.”
Varen’s gaze darkened. “As expected…..When it comes to deceiving, there is no one else better than a whore.”