Night had fallen deep, yet the lights in the study of the Yao Marquis's residence still burned.
Tie Ye stood by the window, gripping a document tightly in his hand. It was a confidential report personally submitted by Gu Ying several months earlier. The words on the page were cold and decisive:
"Ge Ruifeng intended rebellion, secretly forging weapons, concealing weapon designs, and attempting to defect from this continent."
Tie Ye stared at those lines for a long time. Beneath his composed exterior, doubt and anger churned violently.
At the time, he had not questioned it. Gu Ying acted swiftly, the evidence appeared complete, and she had even personally led troops to arrest Ge Ruifeng and send him to the Golden Yao Valley. With internal affairs in turmoil, Tie Ye had chosen to trust her.
But now—
After Luo Yan's confrontation.
After seeing the disbelief and accusation burning in Ge Zhiyao's eyes.
Only then did Tie Ye realize—
What if this had been a trap from the very beginning?
The door opened softly.
Han Yunkun entered quietly. Seeing Tie Ye's tightly furrowed brow, he asked in a low voice,
"General… you summoned me late at night. Has something happened?"
Though Tie Ye now bore the title of Yao Marquis, Han Yunkun still called him General. It was a name forged through shared battlefields and blood-soaked campaigns. More than rank, it represented the version of Tie Ye he believed in most. He knew well that the title "Yao Marquis" was no honor to Tie Ye—only a wound that would never fully heal.
Tie Ye flung the document onto the desk.
"Look at this report," he said heavily. "And compare it with the testimonies and witnesses gathered at the time. Tell me—do you see any pattern?"
Han Yunkun reviewed the materials, his expression darkening.
"…These witnesses," he said slowly, "were all brought in by Gu Ying's people. Every single one."
Tie Ye nodded grimly.
"That was when I was dispatched to the Northern Region. The entire operation was handled by her alone. By the time I returned, Ge Ruifeng had already been sent to the Golden Yao Valley. The women of the Ge family were scattered into military camps and marketplaces. Only the daughter escaped."
He lowered himself into his chair, fists clenched.
"I judged the case solely on Gu Ying's report. I believed the Ge family harbored rebellious intent and failed to investigate further. Now that I think about it… it feels as if someone deliberately uprooted the entire Ge family while I was away."
Han Yunkun inhaled sharply.
"You're saying… Gu Ying may not have been acting on orders, but for her own agenda?"
Tie Ye's voice turned cold as iron.
"I've investigated her background. She claims loyalty to the imperial court, yet she holds no formal appointment, no official command authorization. She moves freely, yet wields alarming control over troops. Doesn't that strike you as suspicious?"
Han Yunkun's expression hardened.
"Then… whose agent is she?"
Tie Ye's gaze sharpened.
"I suspect she's from the Third Continent."
Han Yunkun's face changed instantly.
"The Third Continent? Those who were exiled—"
"Yes," Tie Ye replied. "Those who defied the laws of the Yao Realm and carved out their own rule in the border wastelands."
The Third Continent had been established three centuries ago after a great war—a land of exile for criminals, heretics, and rebels. The land was barren, Yao energy scarce, supposedly uninhabitable.
Yet in recent years, secret reports suggested otherwise.
"They've begun building their own military camps," Tie Ye continued, "gathering remnants of defeated forces. Some foreign sorcerers have even helped them develop substitutes for Yao energy."
"They cannot cultivate Yao power, so they strengthen weapons and poisons instead," he said coldly.
"That explains why Gu Ying framed Ge Ruifeng. She didn't want to destroy the Ge family—she wanted to transfer them to the Third Continent."
Han Yunkun drew a sharp breath.
"If that's true… then Gu Ying offered the entire Ge family as tribute to those rebels."
Tie Ye stood, his eyes like blades.
"And I… became an accomplice to this conspiracy with my own hands."
"What do we do now?" Han Yunkun asked gravely.
Tie Ye was silent for a long moment. Cold light surged in his eyes as he finally spoke.
"We have no concrete evidence. Gu Ying is meticulous—she leaves almost no trace. But if she truly colludes with the Third Continent, she will act again."
He stared at the torn edge of the report.
"She won't allow Ge Ruifeng to recover. She won't tolerate Lin Yaochen holding the Yao Compass. And she won't spare me—because the moment I see through her, her plan unravels."
Han Yunkun clenched his teeth.
"Should we strike first?"
"No." Tie Ye shook his head.
"Not yet. We can't alert her. She hides in the shadows; we stand in the open. A direct clash could cost us the Ge family entirely."
He paused, then added with quiet intensity,
"Retrieve all records of Gu Ying's recent movements and contacts. And—find people I trust to secretly protect Lin Yaochen and Luo Yan."
His gaze darkened.
"Especially Ge Zhiyao. If Gu Ying wants weapon designs, the first target will be her."
Han Yunkun nodded solemnly.
"Understood."
Tie Ye turned his back to the candlelight, his face swallowed by shadow.
"I will learn who she serves, how long this trap has been laid, and for whom. If she dares touch my people—"
His voice turned deadly calm.
"I will make sure she never sets foot across the Third Continent's border again."
Elsewhere in the Courtyard
The night was windless, yet the air felt restless, as if something unseen stirred beneath the calm.
Since the moonlit night when their feelings became clear, Luo Yan and Ge Zhiyao had been nearly inseparable. The weight they once carried seemed lighter now. They did not speak of love openly, yet affection flowed between them in every glance and word.
"So this is what you've been working on these days?" Luo Yan smiled, eyeing the small copper devices in her palm.
"These aren't toys," Ge Zhiyao said proudly, handing him a tiny disc.
"I adapted resonance principles and added Yao-stone conduits. Connect the two ends, and sound travels. That way… even if we're placed in separate rooms, we can still talk."
Luo Yan accepted it, a smile creeping to his lips.
"…So we can whisper at night?"
Her cheeks flushed as she lightly pinched him.
"Be serious. This is for emergencies."
"I'm only improper with you," he replied lightly, teasing but sincere.
She shot him a look, ears reddening.
Then—footsteps.
Ge Zhiyao stilled.
"That direction… isn't that Gu Ying's quarters?"
They watched as a shadowy figure slipped inside, movements cautious and unfamiliar.
"That's not a servant," Luo Yan murmured.
Ge Zhiyao's eyes flashed.
"We're too close. Let's try this."
She slipped another device beneath the eaves near Gu Ying's window and retreated with Luo Yan into the shadows.
The mechanism clicked.
A voice emerged.
"…You're later than I expected, Lord Lin."
Gu Ying's voice.
They held their breath.
A man replied—his tone warm, refined, yet chillingly controlled.
"I hadn't planned to appear. But my side is nearing completion. I came to ensure you don't grow soft."
"I won't," Gu Ying said quietly. "Everything you want, I'll deliver. From the day you saved me, my life was no longer my own."
He chuckled softly.
"Good. Ge Ruifeng is weakened. Push him once more, and we'll have the final piece."
"I prefer certainty," Gu Ying replied.
"When the time comes, I'll take them all—the Ge family, Yao Marquis Tie Ye, even the Yao Compass."
"Excellent," the man said.
"With the Compass and the power of the Five Yaos, even the royal remnants will bow. This is for the future of the Third Continent."
Her voice softened.
"You remember your promise… don't you? If this succeeds, you'll let me stay by your side?"
A pause.
Then—
"You'll have your place. I won't treat you poorly."
The promise was colder than any love confession.
And in the darkness, the truth finally began to surface.