The great hall of Azure Cloud Sect was built to humble anyone who entered it. Stone pillars carved with dragons rose into shadow, and banners of pale silk drifted in the high rafters. Incense burned at the front, the scent cool and sharp like mountain air after rain.
The Sect Master sat on the dais, his long silver hair catching the lantern light. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes — dark, deep, and piercing — followed every step Lan Xiyue and Ruo Han took as they crossed the hall.
To the right stood Elder Qian, his hawk-like face betraying no warmth. Several other elders flanked him, their robes stiff with formality.
"Lan Xiyue," the Sect Master's voice was calm, but it carried. "You met Scarlet Sun Sect's men today?"
Lan Xiyue bowed. "Yes. They intended to take Ruo Han."
A murmur rippled through the elders.
Elder Qian's voice was like steel scraping stone. "And they failed, because you were with him. But the question is — why was the omega traveling with you in the first place?"
Lan Xiyue's gaze flicked to Ruo Han, then back. "Because I was ordered to oversee his training."
"Training," another elder scoffed. "Or courting? Rumors spread quickly when an alpha and omega are seen fighting as one in the field."
The words were calculated. The bond pulsed between Lan Xiyue and Ruo Han, hot and restless, as if it resented being spoken of like a political inconvenience.
The Sect Master's gaze slid to Ruo Han. "And what do you say?"
Ruo Han's voice was steady, though his pulse thundered in his ears. "I say that if Lan Xiyue hadn't been there, I would have been captured. That should be enough to justify it."
It was not the humble answer the elders expected. Elder Qian's mouth tightened.
The Sect Master's lips curved — not in amusement, but in something more complicated. "The problem, Ruo Han, is that Scarlet Sun does not hunt lightly. If they risked a public strike, they know something the rest of us do not." His eyes shifted to Lan Xiyue, sharp as a blade's edge. "Perhaps about the bond that ties you two?"
The words struck the hall like thunder.
Lan Xiyue's hands curled at his sides, every instinct screaming to deny it — but the Sect Master was not a man to be lied to. Ruo Han, sensing the moment balancing on a knife's edge, spoke before Lan Xiyue could.
"Even if such a bond existed," he said, each word deliberate, "it would not change my loyalty to Azure Cloud Sect."
The Sect Master's gaze lingered on him for a long moment, then on Lan Xiyue. Something unspoken passed through that look — warning, curiosity, perhaps even… calculation.
Finally, he spoke. "You will both remain within the sect's inner grounds until further notice. No unsanctioned missions. No public displays of your… coordination."
It was a command disguised as protection. And it meant one thing — the Sect Master was watching them closely now.
As they left the hall, the bond thrummed between them like a held breath. Neither spoke, but both knew this was only the beginning.