Chapter 24 – Shadows Within the Court
Inside the towering spires of the Celestial Guard Headquarters, the air was thick with incense and tension. The moonlight that once bathed the streets now spilled through narrow crystal windows, falling upon polished marble floors that reflected faint silver hues.
A young female guard—Li Rou—knelt in the center of the grand hall. Her cloak was torn at the edge, a faint mark of last night's encounter still visible on her sleeve. Yet her gaze remained firm, her voice unwavering.
"…He moved like wind, Commander. No qi fluctuation, no trace of killing intent. Just… silence. But his presence—it wasn't ordinary."
From the elevated seat above, Commander Yao Ming regarded her silently. His eyes were like blades, sharp and unforgiving. The chamber around him was filled with ranked officers and intelligence scribes, their brushes scratching across scrolls as they recorded every word.
"You're certain he wasn't one of ours?" Yao Ming's tone was calm, but his voice carried power, a quiet thunder that echoed through the marble walls.
Li Rou shook her head. "No insignia. His mask bore no symbol, and his robe… black, plain, but reinforced with some form of spiritual thread. We couldn't track his energy, even with a Grade-3 detection talisman."
The Commander leaned back slowly. "Interesting."
He turned his gaze toward the glowing orb beside his seat—a surveillance artifact, recording the energy signatures within the Eastern Market during the night. Streams of light swirled inside it like living mist.
"Play it again," he ordered.
The orb shimmered. A scene replayed—the blurred shadow of a man standing still beneath the moonlight, his outline faint, yet unmistakably calm amidst chaos. Even through illusion distortion, his posture carried an unshakable confidence.
Yao Ming's brows furrowed. "Freeze frame."
The image halted. Though the masked man's face was hidden, his eyes—those calm, piercing eyes—shone faintly in the darkness.
"It's him again," murmured an elder from the side. "The masked wanderer seen near the southern ruins two months ago. Same aura pattern."
Whispers spread across the hall.
Li Rou lifted her head slightly. "Commander… do you believe he's related to the Xu Clan incident?"
At that, silence fell.
The Xu Clan—those two words alone were enough to freeze the hall's air. Even years after their annihilation, the name still carried the weight of mystery and fear. Only one survivor had ever been rumored to escape, a child whose fate was said to have been sealed by heaven itself.
Commander Yao Ming's expression darkened. "The Xu Clan… should not exist anymore."
He stood, his robes flowing like a storm. "But if this masked man truly holds remnants of that bloodline…"
His voice dropped, cold and deliberate.
"…then the heavens themselves will tremble again."
Far away, on the northern mountain ridge, Ye Tianlan sneezed lightly and rubbed his nose. "Someone's talking about me again," he muttered with faint amusement.
He had been meditating since dawn, absorbing the faint morning qi drifting through the forest. The energy around him pulsed faintly, drawn into his meridians like flowing rivers. His breathing was steady, yet each exhale carried a trace of spiritual resonance—proof of his ever-growing control.
Still wearing his mask, he stood and gazed toward the horizon, where the city walls were barely visible beneath mist.
He could feel it—the shift in energy, the tension rippling through the city. The Celestial Guards were alert now. His actions had drawn attention faster than expected.
"Tch… troublesome," he murmured, adjusting his hood. "But that girl… she wasn't like the others."
For a brief second, Li Rou's determined eyes flashed in his memory. Not naive, not cruel—just… curious. It wasn't hostility that lingered in her gaze that night, but something else. Something he couldn't quite name.
Ye Tianlan sighed. "Curiosity can be more dangerous than hatred."
He tightened his gloves, his gaze sharpening once more. "I'll need to move soon. The next step won't allow any mistakes."
As the morning wind brushed through the forest, Ye Tianlan's silhouette dissolved into the mist once again—quiet, invisible, yet ever watchful.
And somewhere deep in the Celestial Guard Headquarters, Li Rou's report was sealed under a new title written in crimson ink:
"Subject: Masked Unknown — Potential Xu Lineage Connection."