The night hung low, the fog lingered, but the wind had stilled.
The bamboo shadows in Guiyun Manor were eerily quiet, even the candle flames trembled silently.
— Something was awakening.
Chu Hongying stood by the window, her fingers tracing the cold windowsill. The fog outside seemed thicker tonight, clinging to the courtyard like a shroud. She could feel the weight of the capital pressing down on her, heavier than any northern armor she'd ever worn.
The door to the secret chamber opened softly as Gu Changfeng helped Lu Wanning inside. Her face looked abnormally pale in the candlelight, her fingertips still holding a silver needle glowing with an eerie blue hue.
"Trouble," Lu Wanning's voice trembled with suppressed emotion. "The medicine bestowed by His Majesty is laced with the catalyst for the 'Heart-Linking Gu.'"
Chu Hongying turned slowly, her movements deliberate despite the sudden tension coiling in her stomach. "Explain clearly." Her voice was flat, the tone she used when assessing battlefield threats.
Shen Yuzhu rose from his seat by the bookshelf, his white robes whispering against the floor. The candlelight caught the faint sheen of sweat on his brow, though his expression remained composed. "The Heart-Linking Gu?" he asked, his voice deceptively light. "I thought that was just a legend from the southern tribes."
Lu Wanning placed the silver needle under the lamp, where its blue glow seemed to pulse like a living thing. "Once this gu poison is ingested, the victim and the first person they touch will have their lifelines linked, sharing life and death." She took a shaky breath. "What's more terrifying is that this gu catalyst forcibly awakens the resonance of the Fate Marks."
Chu Hongying's eyes snapped to Shen Yuzhu. She watched as he unconsciously brought a hand to his chest, his fingers pressing against the fabric over his heart. The movement was slight, almost imperceptible, but she saw it.
"What do you feel?" she pressed immediately, crossing the room in three swift strides.
"It's nothing, just some palpitations," Shen Yuzhu forced a smile, but couldn't hide a trace of pain between his brows. "The northern chill never quite leaves one's bones, you know."
Gu Changfeng stepped forward and took Shen Yuzhu's wrist, his expression changing drastically. "The pulse is already disordered; the gu poison is starting to take effect." He suddenly lowered his voice, "If this gu was originally meant for a dual cultivation seal..."
Lu Wanning's expression changed sharply. "You mean—His Majesty is looking for the 'key' to the Door?"
Shen Yuzhu smiled bitterly. "If that's the case, then we are merely the 'sacrificial offerings' to open the door."
At that moment, Shen Yuzhu suddenly coughed violently, a streak of eerie blue blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Almost simultaneously, a sharp pain shot through Chu Hongying's heart, and the Fate Mark on her arm uncontrollably glowed with an eerie light.
The glow on her arm pulsed harder, heat and pain weaving into something she could no longer tell apart. Every throb matched his heartbeat—too fast, too fragile.
"It's burning," she whispered.
Shen Yuzhu's eyes half-opened. "Then... we're alive."
Without thinking, Chu Hongying reached for him, her hands finding his shoulders to steady him. But Shen Yuzhu suddenly pressed her hand, his grip surprisingly strong despite his condition.
"If all of this is His Majesty's scheme," he said, his expression complex, "have you ever considered—that I might also be part of it?"
She paused for a moment but did not withdraw her hand. "Then let the Fate Mark be my judge."
Gu Changfeng suddenly produced a charred secret letter. "An informant delivered this last night—signed 'Liu Ruyan'."
Shen Yuzhu looked up. "The emperor's close attendant?"
Gu Changfeng nodded. "The letter says this isn't a test of loyalty, but... elimination."
The room fell dead silent.
"The capital is a game within a game; we should withdraw," Gu Changfeng said coldly, his usual playful demeanor completely vanished.
Lu Wanning replied softly, "If we retreat, who will solve this game?"
Chu Hongying raised her hand, uttering a simple phrase—
"We stay."
The room fell completely silent.
"From today, I will claim illness and remain behind closed doors," Chu Hongying's gaze swept over everyone. "Gu Changfeng will infiltrate the Seventh Prince's residence, Lu Wanning will trace the source of the gu catalyst, Shen Yuzhu will stay and coordinate."
Shen Yuzhu lowered his eyes, his fingertips trembling slightly. He knew there was one more thing he couldn't say—once the Fate Marks fully resonated, their auras would be locked onto by another force. But he remained silent, only whispering, "Don't be afraid, it's alright now."
At the same moment, deep within the palace.
The Emperor gently stroked his jade thumb ring, speaking calmly to the kneeling Liu Ruyan: "The pieces are in motion; it's time to close the net."
"Your Majesty, do you truly intend to let them open the Bronze Door?"
"The door must be opened by someone," the Emperor smiled. "But those who open it may not necessarily walk through it."
In the secret chamber of the Seventh Prince's residence, the Seventh Prince toyed with a wolf-head token. "Order the 'Shadows' to seize the Twin Keys before the Emperor succeeds."
The foggy night was silent.
At the top of the clock tower, Helian Sha gazed into the distance towards Guiyun Manor. The wind tugged at his dark cloak, but he stood unmoving, a statue in the night.
"The Heart-Linking Gu is planted, the Fate Marks are awake." He chuckled softly, his whisper almost swallowed by the wind—
"His Majesty thinks the gu came from the Imperial Medical Bureau, but he doesn't know... I planted the 'catalyst' myself."
He raised the bronze disc, letting moonlight flow over its ancient patterns. The metal felt warm against his palm, humming with latent power.
"You watch from above, but even you can't stop what's coming," Helian Sha murmured. "The door doesn't choose saints—it chooses survivors."
A flicker crossed the bronze disc. For an instant, a reflection—someone else's face—flashed across its surface. His own voice echoed back, distorted. "Open me."
"The more intense the emotions, the more they ignite the power of the Fate Marks. When the resonance reaches its peak—" his gaze deepened, "that will be the moment the Bronze Door opens."
His fingertips traced the bronze disc, and the patterns briefly ignited into an unfamiliar symbol. Helian Sha slightly raised his head, his eyes turning to the distant night sky:
"...So, you are watching too."
In the distant Guiyun Manor, Chu Hongying seemed to sense something, lifting her head to look out the window. Under the moonlight, the Fate Mark on her arm glowed with a soft, eerie light, pulsing in rhythm with Shen Yuzhu's breathing beside her. She could feel the connection between them now, a silver thread of fate pulling taut in the darkness.
Outside, the fog pressed closer against the windows, thick as breath. In the distance, the bells of the city tolled midnight—one, two, three—before vanishing into silence.
Somewhere beyond that silence, the first shadow moved.
The chessboard of fate was quietly unfolding.
And the hands of the players were darker than the night.
In the silence of the chamber, Shen Yuzhu watched Chu Hongying's profile against the window. He remembered the words of an old text he'd once read: "The brightest flames cast the darkest shadows." They were both burning now, he realized. And somewhere in the darkness, their light was being watched.