Han Yu lowered his hand, the faint glow of the jade slip dying in his palm. He stood there for a moment, letting the cool night air settle over him, his mind running with possibilities.
A hidden pill repository. A dangerous alliance. And the tangled web of Elder Yi's schemes pulling at him from the shadows.
He exhaled and finally turned back toward camp, his face unreadable. For now, he would sleep. Tomorrow, the real exploration began, and he needed his mind clear for whatever awaited in the tomb's outer complexes.
Han Yu returned to the camp with a calm expression, concealing all the thoughts swirling in his mind from his brief but intriguing exchange with Meng Jueyan.
He slipped back into the familiar warmth of the disciples' gathering around the campfires, where Wu Shuan and Fatty Kui were already seated, laughing lightly at some trivial story. Han Yu settled down beside them, forcing himself to relax. He knew better than to let his companions suspect anything unusual.
