Late at night, a cold breeze swept past, making the Bonfire sway and sending tiny sparks crackling into the air.
Everyone had gone back to their tents to rest. The day's journey had been exhausting, and they had to get up early to press on tomorrow, so they needed their sleep.
At this hour, only Mu Nujiao remained outside, sitting on a log and staring blankly at the Bonfire.
She watched the flames dance in the wind, her expression vacant. The firelight illuminated her flawless face and finely sculpted features, but something was off about her expression. A trace of disappointment and uncertainty lurked in her beautiful eyes.
In those few short minutes, she tried to empty her mind, yet thoughts came to her unbidden.
As a woman born into a prominent family, without enough strength and resources, she could only gradually become a sacrifice for the family's interests.
Only after the family's elders learned that she was close to Mo Xie had they begun, subtly or otherwise, giving her more cultivation resources. Otherwise, without enough leverage, they would hardly have been so accommodating.
Prominent families might look splendid from the outside, but beneath that splendor lay a cruel reality, Ice-cold and heartless...
And if she failed to prove her worth, a woman as beautiful as she was might well be married off to another prominent family for the sake of her own.
Mu Nujiao did not want others controlling her love life. She wanted a love she was happy with, a fulfilling marriage, and an affectionate life with her husband.
If she refused to be forced into a marriage by her family, she had no choice but to fight to grow stronger. Only with enough strength and standing in the family could she decide her own future.
Mu Nujiao's