They came for him on the second night.
Not Spirit Hall. Not the Empire. The assassins were from the "Hand of Night," a guild The Veil had been starving out of contracts for two years. They found the safehouse because someone talked. Someone always talked.
Six of them. All Rank 40 to Rank 48. Led by a Rank 55 called "Empty Face" because he cut his victims' faces off.
They breached the bookstore at 2 AM. Su Yin's Whispering Paper burned to warn her, but it was too late. The first two died to Ghost Blade's needles in the stairwell. The third died to Liu Feng's Empty Quill — the technique turned the man's blood into ink and wrote "Traitor" on the wall with it.
Then Empty Face reached the basement.
Xiao Zhan couldn't fight. Rank 43, weakened, his Crown wouldn't even manifest. He sat against the wall, breathing, while Su Yin stood in front of him with a poisoned hairpin.
Empty Face looked at him. "So you're the Young King. You don't look like much."
"I'm sick," Xiao Zhan said. It was true.
"Then die sick."
He moved. Rank 55 was a blur. Su Yin threw her hairpin. It hit his shoulder. He didn't slow.
The basement door exploded inward.
It wasn't reinforcements. It was a shadow. A bent, old shadow with white hair.
Wei Lian moved like his age was a lie. His Shadow Eunuch appeared, and the room went cold. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. His knife was in Empty Face's throat before the man finished his step.
Rank 86 versus Rank 55 wasn't a fight. It was an execution.
Wei Lian let the body drop. He turned, bowed to Xiao Zhan, and said, "This servant was late. Punish me."
Xiao Zhan wiped blood from his lip. "You're early. Stand."
*[Weakened State: 24:17:33 remaining]*
"Burn the bodies," Xiao Zhan told Su Yin. "And find who talked. I want his family. Not dead. Indebted."
Su Yin nodded. "And the Hand of Night?"
"Tonight, they cease to exist." He looked at Wei Lian. "You'll go back before sunrise. The Emperor can't know you were gone."
"Yes, Young King."
When Wei Lian vanished, Liu Feng let out a breath. "We have a Titled Douluo."
"We have a leash on a Titled Douluo," Xiao Zhan corrected. "There's a difference. Don't forget it."