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Chapter 22 — The Snare Tightens
The rumors hadn't died.
If anything, they'd sharpened, whispered in corners and traded like forbidden stories.
The phantom in the shadows.
The silent protector.
The ghost blade.
And the Xiao Clan had started to notice.
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Whispers in the Hall
"Another incident?"
"Yes, Young Master. Third time this month. The bullies claim they were… tripped. Pushed. Something."
"Something?"
A sharp laugh echoed through the Xiao estate's eastern hall.
"They expect me to believe in spirits?"
Xiao Yulong's voice — smooth, amused, but edged with irritation — carried clearly.
"Find him," Yulong ordered. "Whoever's meddling in clan affairs, I want his name. His face. Everything."
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The Watching Eyes
I felt it before I saw it.
That prickling sense of being observed, subtle but constant, whenever I walked through the busier streets.
Eyes that lingered just a moment too long.
Footsteps that matched mine a little too closely.
The Xiao Clan had begun casting their net.
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System Alert
> [Risk Level: Elevated]
[Recommendation: Cease public interventions for 14 days]
[Optional: Relocation to low-traffic routes advised]
I tightened my jaw, adjusting my route through the city as the System projected shifting paths across my vision.
Safe zones.
Dead zones.
Escape vectors.
If they wanted to watch, let them.
They wouldn't see what they needed.
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The Bait
Then came the setup.
I spotted it from a mile away — a staged scene in the market's quieter alleys.
Two of the Xiao brats cornering a servant boy, loud enough for half the street to hear, practically begging for the "phantom" to intervene.
A trap.
I didn't bite.
Instead, I leaned against a shaded wall, hood low, and watched from a distance as their frustration mounted.
When no one came, they slunk off, muttering curses under their breath.
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Patience
Back in my room that night, the System pulsed a quiet notification.
> [Risk Level: Returning to Baseline]
I exhaled slowly, loosening muscles I hadn't realized were tense.
Patience had kept me alive this long.
It would keep me alive a little longer.
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Focus
If the Xiao Clan wanted to waste their energy chasing shadows, let them.
I had more important things to do.
Training.
Planning.
Preparing for the moment when Floating Cloud City would no longer be a quiet pond — but a raging storm.
And when that day came, I'd be ready to move.
Not as a ghost.
Not as a phantom.
But as something far more dangerous.
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