Sitting in the chair opposite, Zhan glanced at his wristwatch and smiled faintly, his eyes fixed on it.
"Checking the time again?"
"It's necessary, Sir. Otherwise I'll waste my lesson hour sitting here. I have to be precise."
"Alright," the lecturer replied, adjusting his seat. "There's no need to dwell on the past. From now on, my only focus is to reconnect with my friend....even if it's just through a phone call. You know how his line of work keeps him endlessly occupied. He works for one of the largest news networks, practically tied to the entire world. What about you....what are your plans now?"
Zhan lifted his shoulders slightly and exhaled slowly.
"Almost everything is ready. My only wish is to have a chance to speak with China Eyes 👁️🗨."
"If that's the case, then meeting my friend is all that's left. But listen carefully....after me, no one else must know about this. Not even your family. If word spreads, it could endanger everything, even the future we're working toward. I'll do whatever it takes to keep this secret from leaving my hands."
"And your friend?" Zhan asked.
"There's no problem with him...this is his job."
Zhan nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. Zhan, however, lowered his gaze, shy under the weight of his lecture's steady look. That shyness carried the echo of their past, when Zhan had been his student and had stubbornly challenged him. And now, despite everything, he was the first person to approach him for help....someone with a problem that concerned not just himself but the whole of the Beiping Empire.
The sound of his quiet laughter made Zhan look up, only for him to turn his head aside, smiling as well.
"Hmmm."
He rose to his feet, and Zhan stood too, carefully avoiding his eyes.
"Go home...we'll talk on the phone."
"Thank you, Sir."
The warmth of his laugh told Zhan he was satisfied. But before the lecturer could add another word, Zhan was already walking briskly away.
★__________________★
THE BEIPING EMPIRE (PALACE)
A vast chamber gleaming with luxury. She lay stretched across a grand bed, its silken layers fit for nobility. A ripple of laughter drifted through the air like a dream, startling her awake. With trembling hands, she shoved aside the soft blanket, then dropped to her knees upon the thick carpet at the foot of the bed, her head bowed in deep submission.
Like a scene from a fable, an ancient figure materialized....An ugly black woman seated upon an iron throne adorned with gold. She was terrifying to behold, her blood-red eyes burning with menace. With her legs crossed and her back rigid, she radiated the presence of a ruler.

"May your life be long, Cao, the one who wipes away the tears of mourners," the richly dressed woman spoke reverently to the elder who sat enthroned like a queen.
With a slow, commanding breath, Cao tightened her posture, folding her legs and curling her fingers with deliberate grace. Her fiery gaze bore into the woman kneeling before her. Then, with a voice cracked by age yet heavy with authority, she spoke:
"The inner one, you are close to completing the second stage of our pact. Congratulations. Only one remains....the most difficult of all."
The woman bowed even lower, her voice filled with conviction.
"You are my mirror of triumph, Cao. Wherever I walk, it is by your guidance. As I fulfilled the first, and now the second, I swear I will complete the last beyond your expectation."
Cao's eyes flared like embers as she studied the beautiful woman kneeling at her feet. Suddenly, Cao broke into a chilling laugh that echoed unnaturally, then stilled as if she had never laughed at all. Her gaze grew sharper, monstrous.
"The inner one, I know you can succeed. But there is a grave obstacle that threatens your second triumph. It is fast approaching. If you do not cut it down quickly, you will lose everything."
The woman's head jerked upward, her heart seizing, before she hastily bowed again.
"Forgive me, Cao. Remove anything that dares stand between me and my goal. Even if it lies within my own kin, I do not need its breath!"
Cao's laughter rang out again, harsh and grating, before she stilled with a grim expression. Slowly, she shook her head.
"This time is unlike the others. I once told you that after your first triumph, great challenges would shadow the second. At the time, I was not given clarity. But last night, when I pressed deeper into your dream, I caught a glimpse...though faint...of the storm that awaits you."
The fledgling dove of the Beiping Empire tried to let out a cry like a mighty rooster, its voice carried through the flute of fate with the help of a heart yearning for flight.
"Help me sweep them all away, Cao. Or give me the chance to remove them myself."
"Hahaha! The destiny of the fledgling dove is not one that dies so easily. He carries within him the strength of the stars, enough to overshadow your will."
Her chest pounded so fiercely she thought her heart would burst from her mouth out of sheer fear. She fixed her gaze on Cao with a look too complicated to describe, then quickly lowered her head, bowing. "Forgive me, Cao."
Cao drew in a deep, weighty breath, heavy with warning. With a face twisted in grim authority, she continued in a tone filled with command:
"We may find a solution, but it is tangled with uncertainty. Until now, I have not found a direct way through it. You have two choices: either you knot the thread of marriage between the King and this fledgling dove, making it the heart of our second mission...or you let him reach his own ambition."
Her eyes, now bloodshot, tried to rise but quickly fell back down in submission. "But Cao, you told me I would pass the second trial once he marries all his destined wives, and that would mark my victory. Now only two remain, and I know for certain they will be given to him before the year ends. How can another be brought in when the mission is already complete? What does this girl have to do with anything? Why can't we simply deal with her as she deserves?"
Cao lifted a hand, halting her words with a stern look and a faint touch of irritation. Pointing sharply, she replied in a cold voice, "I have not yet revealed who the true one is. And since my command was not to harm, we cannot say he is part of the path."
"Yes, Cao. Forgive me. But Cao…" she began, only to falter under Cao's piercing gaze that stopped her mid-sentence.
She dared not argue further, though her heart burned with resentment. Cao, with an almost imperious motion, snapped her hand open like the wings of a great bat. At once, light rippled, and a white parchment appeared in her grasp.
"From the very beginning, I never told you it was a woman. It is a man. The fledgling dove seeks vengeance...for two of the King's departed wives share his bloodline. His mission is to reveal his secret to the world or to destroy him. His revelation before you fulfill your ambition means your downfall. And now he has found an ally; they have already spoken."
The heart of the Inner One blazed with fury, though she kept silent, sensing Cao's anger with her. At last, in a low, submissive voice she muttered:
"If his vengeance came only after my triumph, I would have welcomed it, for it would help seal my success. But since he has entered my story too soon, he must face the punishment he deserves. If he will not die, then let the King be eliminate for me, Cao."
"That is simple," Cao answered coolly. "But there is no need for his death...he can still serve our purpose later. The true vengeance lies not with him but with that rogue who opposes the King. From now until the dawn of the last Friday of this year, you must ensure a marriage bond ties him to the King. Block the final wives from being given to the King, and deliver him instead. With him, we will continue until our ultimate goal is fulfilled."
The inner one quickly lifted her head at the sound of a distant voice. Before she could say anything, Cao vanished from the room like a wisp of storm cloud swallowed into pale mist.
She sprang up, clutching her throbbing head. Her chest burned with a strange, restless itch that made her heart pound. Yet knowing who Cao truly was gave her the faintest sense of relief, though the confusion swirling inside her was so vast that even a thousand years might not unravel it.
Why was it that the spirits of noble heirs of the Beiping empire never troubled her...yet the son of a mere commoner brought such havoc? That boy must taste his own fate, the price of trespassing into a place he never should have entered. She would toy with him in the streets like a cat with a trapped mouse, for not even the Dowager Queen herself could restrain her...
(Readers, who is this mysterious figure? And Zhan...has he stumbled into a match where no players exist? Let's see how this game unfolds... 🚴🏼)
★__________________★
ZHAN
Startled, he opened his eyes and slid his hand beneath the pillow to silence the phone buzzing insistently. His heart raced with the fear that Mah might hear, knowing that Babiy and Huan were not home.
With a heavy sigh of relief, Zhan pulled out the phone. His fingers trembled as he switched it to silent, just as the call flashed again. His wide, big bright eyes widened further when he saw who it was. Without waiting for a second ring, he answered, pressing it to his ear as he sank back onto the bed.
"Can you hear me?" came the voice from the other side.
Zhan nodded instinctively, as if the caller could see him, his gaze drifting toward the courtyard where Mah tended her birds. Only then did he let out a breath and whisper softly,
"I hear you, Sir! Has there been progress?"
"There's no time for long talk, Zhan. Do your best to meet me within the hour. We've spotted movement....Mulan has entered Beiping. I've already spoken with him but haven't revealed the full truth yet. He requested to see you..."
Zhan's heart leapt. "That's incredible! I'll do everything I can. Please wait for me."
"Good." The call ended abruptly.
At once, Zhan began gathering his notes and documents, stuffing them into a single file. His lips curved in a forced smile as he rehearsed the excuse he'd prepared for Mah.
From her corner, Mah's suspicious eyes followed his every move. Zhan steadied himself, hiding the storm inside, and approached her with borrowed confidence.
"Mah, I just got an urgent call from Yao. I think the thing we've been waiting for has finally arrived."
"But Zhan..."
"Please, Mah," he cut her off quickly, voice pleading. "I won't be long."
Mah sighed deeply, her worry plain. "It's not that I want to stop you, but you've been leaving too often lately. You're missing something. Do you remember the dangers we've faced before....and the ones we might face again? Every time you go out, I'm afraid... truly afraid."
The weight of her words pressed on Zhan's chest. He swallowed back tears, forcing a smile. "Nothing will happen, Mah. What happened before, we'll never forgive, but it won't happen again. You know I cover my face every time I leave."
"Very well then," she relented reluctantly. "But return before your father or Huan comes back, at least."
"I promise, Mah." Zhan embraced her tightly. She stroked his hair, smiling with fragile courage. Her heart was far from at peace, but she let him go...for now. Still, she would continue to pray in silence until he safely returned.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛