Every gaze in the hall was drawn to a single figure...Lady Duan Shou.
She was no ordinary woman; in the eyes of countless people, she was the Goddess of Justice.
Within her own sect, her stature was so revered that wherever she passed, men and women alike would lower their heads and bow in silent homage.
She was the esteemed leader of the Langshan Sect....a sect famed for its courts of law, its enchanting music, and its jewelry crafted from pure white stone. Their rituals were known for their length, their beauty, and their profound symbolism. To them, there was nothing in the world more sacred and pure than love itself.
Lady Duan Shou was born into the Lan family...the same lineage as Master Jeyong and Master Ming Jing Men's adopted sons.
Centuries ago, when the two masters were wed, the voices of the people urged them to take heirs so their noble houses might continue. Within a year, they adopted two boys: the elder named Nian Jang by Master Jeyong, and the younger named Lan Huye by Master Ming Jing Men.
The boys grew under the guidance of their fathers, cherishing them deeply and inheriting from them the teachings of kindness and love. Thus the Nian and Lan lines flourished.....until disaster struck.
Two centuries past, a great calamity swept through the land, annihilating the Nian bloodline entirely.
Not a single living heir remained.
Yet the arts, magic, spiritual systems, and vast knowledge of the Nian clan endured.....preserved in their grand academy, in the flowing elegance of the Chwen language. Even today, the Nian legacy's peerless arts are taught there: the art of music, spellcraft, calligraphy, and above all.....the delicate craft of creating musical instruments.
The Lan family's own treasured skills were also passed down.....arts of trade, of carving gemstones from stone, of brewing medicines from rare herbs, and, most celebrated of all, their courts of flawless justice.
And now.....Lady Duan Shou herself stood before them.
Azahi Rong and his officers bowed, not out of force or ceremony, but from genuine respect.
Her mere presence here was monumental.
Every student in the courtyard bent low before her.
Meanwhile, outside, Wey Xiong remained hidden in the shadows.
He knew that if he stepped inside, his attire alone would reveal him as a man of the Hei Lin San Sect.
It did not matter that he had been the one....at Yusui's command.....who had escorted Lady Duan Shou and the masters here; to show himself now would be to court unwanted attention.