Vines of Retribution: The Master-Servant Pact
"After centuries of secluded cultivation, Chu Yuexi descended the mountain to face her final tribulation: to uncover the true mastermind behind the massacre of the Chu family seventy years ago—only then could she attain enlightenment. Chu Tianming, the loyal steward guarding the ancestral Chu estate, was once a legendary figure, but now lingers on the brink of death, unable to pass peacefully. Arrogant Fu Group heir Fu Yunchen, desperate to acquire the estate, barges in and is fatally wounded by soul-devouring vines. Just as all hope seems lost, Yuexi appears, saves him, and takes him as her servant. No one believes that the dying Chu Tianming would request an audience with Yuexi—until he kneels before her in reverence. With his last breath, he returns the estate to her and departs in peace. Fu Yunchen dreams of Yuexi’s past, witnessing the massacre. Bound as her servant, he vows to help her find the culprit, knowing only her ascension can free him—and fulfill his mission to acquire the estate. Yuexi discovers Fu Yunchen’s fiancée, Su Nian, is a descendant of Su Mu, a key figure in the tragedy. But Su Mu has vanished, only to reappear at Su Nian’s wedding. Though Yunchen learns Su Nian attempted to murder him, he feigns continuation of the wedding to lure Su Mu out. Su Mu spins lies about the massacre, but Yuexi sees through him. She learns his obsession with her mother, Xu Ruolan, led to Ruolan’s death—yet he wasn’t the true mastermind. Moved by Yuexi’s sorrow, Fu Yunchen chooses to spend Mid-Autumn Festival with her at the estate, forsaking his city life. New clues lead them to Jiang Wu, a paralyzed suspect in a Jiangdu mansion, cared for by nurse Lin Siyan. Strange occurrences reveal Jiang Wu’s dark secret: fearing death, he used black magic to swap bodies with Lin Siyan. From her, Yuexi learns the horrifying truth—Jiang Wu orchestrated the massacre. With justice served, Yuexi prepares to ascend. Yunchen, unable to bear her departure, pleads for her to stay. To spare him pain, Yuexi erases herself from his memory—yet even forgotten, he lingers at the estate, haunted by the certainty of waiting for someone. "
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