Location: Imperial University – Moonlit Courtyard, Two Nights After the Fragment Was Opened
The moonlight fell like silk across white stone tiles. The wind carried the scent of jasmine and something more electric — the tension that always bloomed when too many beautiful women gathered in one place... for the same man.
Hei Long stood calmly at the center of the courtyard, dressed in black silk robes trimmed with deep crimson, arms folded behind his back.
A soft glow rimmed his silhouette — not aura, not formation. Just presence.
To his right: Zhao Yuran, dressed in elegant violet, her phoenix crest pinned to her shoulder. No longer grieving — now burning. She hadn't said a word to him since the memory fragment. But her eyes never left him.
To his left: Leng Qingxue, sword strapped to her back, eyes cool, chin raised. She wasn't here to confess. She was here to protect what she already believed was hers.
