The walk back to the inn was a silent, heavy affair. The adrenaline from the battle had faded, leaving behind the cold, awkward reality of their situation. Lan Yue led the way, the strange, bone like talisman clutched in her hand. Her two mysterious guardians, Jax and Ren, fell into step silently behind her, a seamless, protective formation. Wei Chen followed several paces back, his righteous fury a palpable, simmering presence that seemed to curdle the very air around them.
They reached the common room of Lan Yue's inn, a space meant for quiet tea and conversation, and it was there that Wei Chen's restraint finally shattered.
"This farce ends now, Yue!" he bit out, his voice a low, dangerous snarl as he moved to block their path to the stairs. His furious gaze was fixed on Jax and Ren. "Who are you? Your techniques are not of any righteous sect I have ever known. You move with the discipline of imperial guards, and you fought alongside her as if you have known each other for years! You will explain yourselves!"
Lan Yue turned, her serene mask firmly in place, though her eyes were cold as a winter sky. Before Jax or Ren could react, she spoke. "They are my allies, Wei Chen. That is all you need to know."
"Allies?" he scoffed, his voice dripping with a decade of suspicion. "Or are they her new demonic keepers, sent to ensure you do not stray too far?"
The accusation, so close to the truth and yet so utterly wrong, was the final straw. Lan Yue's carefully cultivated patience, worn thin by ten years of this suffocating obsession, finally snapped.
"Be very careful what you accuse me of, Elder Wei," she said, her voice dropping to a deadly quiet. "Those two," she gestured to Jax and Ren, "proved their worth tonight by focusing on the true threat. You, on the other hand, were so blinded by your hatred that your rash street brawl provided the perfect cover for that thing to awaken. Had we followed your lead, half the city would now be ash."
She held up the talisman. "We have the clue we came for. My priority now is to analyze it. Their priority," she gave Jax and Ren a look of absolute command, "is to ensure my safety from all threats. You are dismissed."
The power play was absolute, a masterful checkmate. She had used his own tactical failure as a weapon against him, framing his righteous crusade as a reckless endangerment of the mission. Jax and Ren stood like statues, their immense, silent power a clear reinforcement of her words. Utterly defeated and publicly humiliated, Wei Chen's face was a thunderous mask of rage. He shot the two commanders a look of pure venom, then turned and stormed out of the inn without another word.
The moment he was gone, Lan Yue's shoulders slumped slightly. The performance had been exhausting. She turned to her two remaining companions and led them to her private room. After securing the door, she faced them, her expression no longer angry, but sharp, analytical, and knowing.
"Her Majesty is very skilled at pulling strings, isn't she?" she asked, her voice quiet.
Jax and Ren exchanged a look of shock. Their glamours wavered for a second. Jax, the stoic, had the decency to look chagrined. He dropped to one knee. "Saint Yue… forgive our deception. We were under the Empress's direct orders to protect you at all costs."
Lan Yue looked at them, at the seamless teamwork in the battle, the unquestioning loyalty, the way they had deferred to her authority over Wei Chen's. It all clicked into place. They were not just allies. They were Xue Lian's hands, extended across a dangerous city to shield her. The depth of her lover's care, and the sheer audacity of her cunning, was laid bare. A faint, tired smile touched Lan Yue's lips.
"Rise," she said. "You have followed your orders perfectly."
In her own inn, Xue Lian paced her chambers like a caged fox, the Whispering Stone clutched in her hand. She had felt the entire confrontation through the stone Lan Yue's cold fury, Wei Chen's impotent rage, the final, decisive power play. A surge of fierce pride had washed over her.
The stone in her hand warmed. *She knows,* came Ren's silent, succinct report.
*I expected she would,\ Xue Lian sent back. *She was always too clever for her own good. Is she alright?*
*She is in control,* was the reply.
A moment later, the stone warmed again, but this time with Lan Yue's own, distinct energy. An image of the bone like talisman filled Xue Lian's mind.
*A Void gate rune,\ Lan Yue's thought came, clear and sharp. *From the forbidden archives. This was a summoned attack.*
Xue Lian's blood ran cold. *Summoned? So it is a deliberate act of war. But by who? The rogue demons lack the sophistication for this kind of ancient magic. And the righteous sects… why would they unleash a power that consumes their own spiritual energy?*
They were missing a piece of the puzzle. The three threats the Void, the rogue demons, the righteous sects were all converging on this city. It could not be a coincidence.
*The rogue demons created the diversion for the Void's attack,* Xue Lian mused through the stone. *Whether they did so willingly or were manipulated, their leader is the key. We need to find them. We need to… have a conversation.*
*I can track them,* Lan Yue replied instantly, her thoughts full of a new, deadly purpose. *Wei Chen's attack has scattered them, but they will have a rallying point, a hidden base. I can find it.*
*It's too dangerous to go alone.*
*I won't be alone,* Lan Yue sent back, a hint of wry amusement in her thought. *I have two very capable 'immortal masters' to assist me, don't I?*
Back in Lan Yue's room, she turned to her two new found bodyguards. The time for rest was over. The time for reacting was done.
"Tell the Empress we have a new plan," she said, her voice ringing with the quiet command of a queen. "You two are with me. We're going hunting."