The Final Chapter and the Author’s Whisper

This, then, is the full story.

Wan Ling and Kun Hong were born into the Grand Priest’s family of Beiji Kingdom. They were in truth siblings of the same mother, but because of the curse of the Twin Lotus Bloom, Wan Ling’s identity was concealed and she was raised as nothing more than a household servant. Kun Hong, meanwhile, was nurtured carefully as the heir of the Grand Priest. Yet King Xue Liangbi, plagued by paranoia, ordered the massacre of the entire priestly clan.

In that moment of crisis, Kun Buyu fled with Kun Hong and Wan Ling. During their escape, he revealed Wan Ling’s true identity and placed a curse upon her, forcing her to become Kun Hong’s weapon—a stepping stone, paving the way for him to one day return to Beiji and exact vengeance.

From then on, Wan Ling fled with Kun Hong. In the course of their exile, they became disciples of the assassin “Ghost Seven,” learning martial skills until they themselves gained renown as fearsome killers. During this time, Wan Ling accepted a contract involving Gongsun Yanshu. Disguised as “Madam Li,” she entered his household, and the two gradually fell in love. Yet because of her cursed fate, Wan Ling could not accept his proposal.

Meanwhile, Beiji, long quiet, finally discovered Kun Hong’s whereabouts. The new ruler, Xue Ning, who appeared gentle and benevolent, overturned the false charges against the Grand Priest and personally invited Kun Hong back. Kun Hong agreed, but at the final moment, Wan Ling imprisoned him and took his place as Grand Priest.

As Grand Priest, Wan Ling quelled foreign invasions and domestic unrest, her power reaching its peak. When Gongsun Yanshu arrived as part of a diplomatic mission from Nanchuan, he immediately recognized her—the famed Grand Priest was none other than the woman who had once been his concubine. To pursue her, he even risked his life during battle to save her. Wan Ling, in return, promised that once she was free, she would come back to him.

After three years of toil, Wan Ling felt she had laid the path wide enough to honor the Kun family. So she arranged for Kun Hong to reappear and publicly expose her identity, restoring him to his rightful position. But Kun Hong, mad with obsession, allied with Xue Ning and forced Wan Ling to drink Candle Dragon’s Blood, dissolving all of her cultivated illusions. Still unsatisfied, Kun Hong went further—he wanted to marry Wan Ling. Yes, through all their years together, he had long since fallen in love with his own sister. Even when Wan Ling told him the truth, that they were of one blood, he pretended not to hear.

On their wedding day, Xue Ning laid his trap. He had orchestrated it all. From the beginning, resurrecting the Kun bloodline was never about justice but about profit. His father, Xue Liangbi, had slaughtered the priestly clan, and Beiji had known only turmoil ever since. Now, with the heirs gathered, the time had come to eliminate them once and for all.

At the brink of destruction, Wan Ling revealed her final secret—she was the Heaven’s Chosen. A gift that appeared only once in a century, bestowed at birth with immense innate power. The Candle Dragon’s Blood could dissolve her cultivated magic, but not the grace Heaven had woven into her very bones. To protect Kun Hong, she invoked a forbidden technique. The price was her youth: she aged in an instant into a woman of seventy years. Afterward, she sealed Kun Hong’s memories, erasing herself from his heart. And then, she kept her promise.

Wan Ling hid her name and returned to Gongsun Yanshu’s side—but now as a humble cook. She watched him surrounded by beauties, drifting through blossoms, while she, aged and withered, dared not reveal herself. Until danger struck again, and she rushed to his rescue, only to sacrifice her life.

Wan Ling died. Before her death, she placed a spell of forgetfulness upon Gongsun Yanshu. Though he forgot the memories of loving her, instinct drove him to hold a grand wedding, to take as wife the old woman of seventy. He may have forgotten the love, but the actions of love he never forgot.

Summing it all up—yes, what a long and twisted tale… a story tangled with blood feuds, kingdoms, power, forbidden sibling love, and heartbreak.

By the time I finished, my body had shed its “abnormal” form and returned to its usual ambiguous state—not quite male, not quite female. The phrase sounds unpleasant, but at least it shields me from most forms of harassment.

Except from one man—Gongsun Bai.

He looked at me, now dressed in men’s clothes again, with a hint of disappointment. “Ah, you’ve changed back? What a shame. I still prefer you as a woman.”

“Get lost. I’m all man,” I snapped.

He sighed. “Fine, fine. That’s not bad either. After everything we’ve been through together, will you finally tell me your secret? About the great house of the General’s Manor that perished long ago—Su Qi.”

“You already know the answer. Why bother asking?” I replied. “Nanchuan’s supposedly feeble-minded heir, Gongsun Mo. I should have guessed your identity long ago.”

Gongsun Bai smiled. “Yes, it’s me. But I’m no cripple. That was nothing but a smokescreen to save my life. Su Qi… you’re one born of both yin and yang, aren’t you?”

A shiver ran through me, cold seeping from the soles of my feet. Though I always told myself I didn’t mind, being confronted with it so directly rattled me.

Suddenly, Gongsun Bai pulled me into his arms. He whispered three words into my ear:

“I’m sorry.”

“Su Qi, the reason you became this way… seems to be… because of me.”

Author’s Note:
Thank you to everyone who has followed the story up to this point. For now, this is where the tale must pause, because I joined this competition and the word count limit is capped at 80,000 words. In truth, there are still two more fantastical arcs to come—one will reveal why Su Qi was born as a being of yin and yang, and the other will explore what happens when a heart consumed by love finally awakens.

This is a story steeped in Eastern fantasy. If you’ve enjoyed it, please feel free to leave me a message. If enough readers show interest, I’ll start a brand-new book and share the rest of the story there.

That’s all for now—I’m truly looking forward to your comments, both praise and critique. Above all, I’m grateful that the internet brought us together.