Young Master System: My Mother Is the Matriarch

The moon hung low above the Qianlong Province, its pale light crawling across the jagged stone like the touch of a dying emperor trying to reclaim a land already slipping through his fingers. A cold wind swept down the ridges, scattering dust across the barren slopes where nothing grew except stubborn weeds and old grudges.

It was in this desolate place that Li Wuji made his lair and it was here that Li Wei from far above, hidden in a drifting cloud of mist. Positioned on an illusion-shrouded carpet, calmly watched the activity in silence like a coiled serpent.

The young master's expression darkened as he surveyed the mountain's base. A crude camp stretched far into the ravine, torches burning like the eyes of hungry ghosts. Tattered banners bearing the Blood Lotus insignia fluttered harshly in the wind. Bodies, both fallen cultists and slaughtered villagers, were stacked for ritual offerings along the southern ridge.

Li Wei pressed his palm against his knee, steadying his breath. "Warriors thirst for glory, whereas monsters thirst for carnage." His voice was a whisper lost to the clouds. "Li Wuji… I wonder…which one are you?"

The Heart Stone pulsed faintly beneath his robe. It reacted fiercely whenever he came near Li Wuji, as if recognizing within the man a threat not born from the mortal world. Li Wei touched the relic gently, forcing its aura to subside.

It was dangerous for even a mere flicker could escape, when imperial scouts and Blood Lotus spies prowled the region like hunters sniffing blood in the snow. Below, Li Wuji's command tent flickered with crimson light. Shadows danced inside like writhing spirits.

The Blood Lotus inheritor was bent over a stone table carved directly from the mountain itself. Yuan Yi stood at his side, hands clasped behind her back, her face a mask of stoic peace atop a storm of turmoil.

Li Wei leaned slightly forward on his disguised cloud, eyes narrowing. "Show me your hand, Li Wuji… Let your story unfold before my eyes."

Inside the tent, the air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and incense. Li Wuji traced a route on the map with one gloved finger. It was a narrow valley carved between two ridges, marked with symbols that only the Blood Lotus taught.

Yuan Yi kneelt on one knee. "Commander, our northern squadron reports that over a hundred combatants perished during the siege near the garrisoned village thirteen kilometers away."

Li Wuji didn't so much as blink. "Fatalities are inevitable," he murmured, his tone flatter than stone. "A blade meant for war that fears breaking is no blade at all."

Yuan Yi bowed her head. "Yes, Commander. There is some additional news. Our scouts in the south report unrest. Some villages remain defiant. They could become a problem if left unchecked."

Li Wuji's finger drifted to the southern border of the Qianlong map. "Let them struggle," he said. "The longer they cling to the hope of salvation, the sweeter the moment it breaks."

Yuan Yi's jaw tightened slightly, though she remained composed.

He continued, "Losses mean nothing. Those who died were weak. If they had merit, they would still be breathing."

The words struck Yuan Yi like a slap she could not acknowledge. Many of those who had fallen died following her orders. She had only delivered orders on Li Wuji's behalf, but the outcome was the same.

She wondered with a bitter expression, if the inheritor even remembered their names. did not deal in such sentiment, He only dealt in survival by means of supremacy.

"One other thing, Commander…" Yuan Yi said cautiously, "I must also report something else. There is unrest among our lieutenants. They feel—" Li Wuji cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand, as though brushing aside a pestering fly.

"They grow restless. Yes. I can smell their impatience from here." He leaned back, folding his arms. "The ones who whisper in corners forget that the Blood Lotus blooms only when watered with the sacrilege of all members. Let them conspire. Let them believe I am blind."

A cold smile crept across his lips, one that did not touch his eyes. "When the fish struggle hardest, that is when they swallow the hook." Yuan Yi suppressed a shiver. She knew exactly what he meant.

"During my time on the open waters," Li Wuji continued, "I learned one truth that remained with me till date, bait is wasted only when cast too shallow. If they are plotting a rebellion, that is good news. Let them do so. The more who gather, the more I prune the rotting tree that shelters them."

He tapped a point on the map, near an empty section of ravine. "Here. This is where those dogs will make their move. And this—" he tapped again, "—is where their bones will be scattered."

Yuan Yi exhaled slowly. She had known the conspirators for weeks now - who mainly consisted of disillusioned lieutenants, the hardened veterans tired of Li Wuji's cruelty, the younger recruits who realized too late that the Blood Lotus offered no path except death or slavery.

She had kept her distance, a ghost among them, refusing to side with their cause. Now she understood that her caution had saved her life twice over. For the other envoys—Kai Ming and Hao Shi had already been dismissed, fallen "in battle" at Li Wuji's command. No bodies returned. No need for funerals to be held. They were simply erased, as though the commander had never spoken their names aloud.

Yuan Yi bowed low. "I understand, Commander."

"Good." Li Wuji lifted his hand slightly and massaged the base of his neck. "Now for your next orders…" He paused mid-sentence, eyes narrowing.

"Pass word to each lieutenant. If the enemy is dug in, they are to switch to scorched earth tactics. Burn everything. Retreat is forbidden. Any soldier who flees will be labeled a deserter, I think you already know thatdeserters…"

Li Wuji smiled.

"...are mere offerings for the Blood Lotus."

Yuan Yi felt the weight of the words press against her ribs. But she did not falter.

"Yes, Commander. I will deliver the orders."

As she departed the tent, Yuan Yi glanced back through the flap.

And froze.

Li Wuji was no longer alone.

A silhouette that was vague, flickering like embers caught in wind had suddenly appeared near him. A spiritual apparition, formed from countless lost souls. The Blood Lotus Spirit.

Its voice was thin, rasping like a desert salamander through the air.

"The seeds grow ripe, inheritor. Their fear feeds us. Their deaths will sustain the bloom. Do not rush. Let them ripen."

Li Wuji bowed his head slightly, showing piety but unafraid.

"I understand."

Yuan Yi swallowed hard, She had long suspected such an anomaly. However, her assumptions were far closer to the truth then the maiden would have hoped for.

Li Wuji wasn't merely leading a cult.

He was communing with something that fed on bloodshed.

A parasite of the soul.