After setting the hall ablaze, Chen Yi released all of Lord Wuchang's so-called concubines. Not only did he gain their gratitude, but he also obtained new clues.
Clues never before discovered.
Once Chen Yi reviewed them, he temporarily tucked them away, keeping them hidden from the female crown. He left the courtyard and continued on his journey, later finding a place to rest. And then...
"Lower your voices, lower your voices!"
"Enough, that's enough already!"
The ghostly-blue flames crackled, casting shadows on the stone walls that sometimes overlapped, sometimes bridged together. The soundproof talisman pinned to the wall quivered faintly amid the snap and hiss of the fire's tongues.
A dark casual robe, a loose white Daoist robe, and the Peach Wood Sword pressed beneath the Hou Kang Sword; far-off in the corner stood Min Ning's untouched offering, silent and unmoving amidst the chaos.
No one knew how much time passed until all finally stilled.
