Chapter Four Gathering of the Clans
The Yun Clan lecture hall sat at the heart of Gusu like a perfectly balanced scale.
White stone courtyards stretched wide beneath flowering plum trees, their branches heavy with pale blossoms. Lanterns swayed gently overhead, casting soft halos of light across polished floors. Yun disciples moved silently among the guests, guiding them with calm efficiency.
One by one, the great clans arrived.
The Wei Clan took their seats first—Wei Liang composed and radiant, Wei Xie vigilant, Wang San reclining far too casually for a formal gathering.
The Tang Clan followed in a shimmer of gold and silver, their presence polished, deliberate, and heavy with influence.
From the western gate came the Gu Clan.
Dark blue banners rippled like storm clouds as Gu Xiao strode into the courtyard, his presence alone enough to quiet nearby whispers. Behind him walked Gu Nie, eyes lowered, expression unreadable.
When the Wu Clan was announced, no queen appeared.
Only two guards in crimson and purple entered, carrying a jade box between them.
The whispers were immediate.
"She never shows herself."
"They say she doesn't exist."
"They say she burned her own bloodline—"
The murmurs died abruptly.
A commotion stirred at the side gate.
A young woman stumbled in, wrapped in rough travel cloth, leaning heavily on a walking stick. Her scarf hung crooked, hair loose and messy, expression vacant.
She blinked at the rows of nobles like she wasn't sure where she was.
Two Yun disciples hurried toward her. "Miss… do you have business here?"
She frowned, then gestured vaguely. "I'm… supposed to… sit?"
Wang San smirked. "Brave. Or stupid."
Wei Liang's brow furrowed. Something felt off.
The girl shuffled to a corner seat and placed a small wooden box on the table before her. It was unpolished. Plain. Almost insulting among the lavish offerings.
No one noticed the faint frost clinging to its edges before it faded.
From beneath her scarf, Wang Xiao watched the heirs of the Five Realms in silence.
The lecture had not yet begun.
But the game had.