Veil of crimson lotus

The wind carried the scent of incense and blood as the once-quiet halls of the Vermilion Palace echoed with whispers of treachery. At its heart stood Queen Lian Yuhua, a woman born of divine blood, her beauty as ethereal as the moon over a jade lake. Yet, her throne was steeped in peril, her life threatened by unseen hands lurking in the shadows. Her fate was now bound to Wei Zhaoyun, an exiled warrior of the Xuanhua Sect, sworn to guard her until death or destiny claimed them both. Zhaoyun was a man of iron will, his presence akin to a silent storm. Garbed in dark robes embroidered with the sigil of a coiling dragon, his blade-Frost bane-rested ever at his hip, its steel humming with suppressed power. His past was shrouded in dishonor, a fallen disciple once meant for greatness, now tethered to a ruler who saw him as little more than a blade for hire. Yet, where distrust once reigned, necessity wove an unbreakable thread between them. The assassins of the Ghost Lotus Sect sought Lian Yuhua's life, and only Zhaoyun's skill in arts and spiritual cultivation could shield her from the daggers of fate. Through perilous nights and shadowed corridors, their partnership was tested-by demons, by duty, and by the unspoken emotions neither dared acknowledge. As the heavens waged war over their destinies, one truth became clear: neither was meant to stand alone. In a world of celestial beasts, forbidden techniques, and fractured loyalties, the Queen and her reluctant guardian would carve their own legend-one written in blood and bound by fate. "You expect me to kneel?" Zhaoyun's voice was like unsheathed steel, cold and cutting. "You are my guard, not my master," Lian Yuhua countered, her golden eyes unyielding. "You will protect me, or your life is forfeit." He hated her arrogance. She hated his defiance.