Shangguan Fengliu finally finished his impossibly long explanation of the whole mess. Only then did he turn, posture straightening as he cupped his hands toward Lian and Hua with rare solemnity. His voice dropped low and honest:

  “I orchestrated all of this, and I’ve been away from the West Altar without permission for far too long. Sect Master, please punish me.”

  The deputy envoy, seeing his altar master bow his head, hurried forward as well, fists clasped.

  “Your subordinate is equally guilty.”

  Lian merely spared them a chilly glance, then drawled, unhurried:

  “Though you failed to report in time, you did help us clean up the West Altar traitors. Merit and fault cancel out. No punishment.”

  I nearly burst into laughter on the spot—seriously? I thought I’d get to watch Shangguan Fengliu get lectured for once. Yet not even the shadow of a board was raised.

  Once everyone settled and the battlefield was cleaned up, Shangguan Fengliu suddenly clapped his hands, grinning ear to ear.

  “Everyone, good work today. Why don’t we head to Qingyin Hall for a proper gathering? Don’t worry—this time it definitely won’t turn into Qingyin Cemetery.”

  He even shot me a very pointed wink. The teasing in his eyes nearly made me jump up and throttle him—so he does know how disastrous that whole incident was!

  I was mid–eye roll when a thought slammed into my chest.

  Crap! My eldest brother, Nangong Bo—he’s still locked inside Qingyin Hall!

  My eyes darted around. While Lian and Hua were quietly discussing something, I sidled up to Shangguan Fengliu, lowering my voice.

  “Hey—later, make sure you sneak my brother out first, all right? Don’t let him run into—”

  Before I could finish, that gong-like voice of his boomed through the air:

  “I know what you’re worried about! Don’t fret, your brother’s been staying at my place eating and drinking well. You’ll see him in a moment!”

  The words had barely left his mouth when Lian and Hua Shang slowly turned toward me in perfect unison, their gazes sharp as blades.

  “Your brother is already here?”

  “At Qingyin Hall?”

  I froze. My mind buzzed with a single, terrible realization:

  I’m doomed. Absolutely, utterly doomed.

  Qingyin Hall’s lights had been lit early, warm candlelight spilling through the windows. But my feet felt like they were stepping on nails—every step hesitant and painful.

  A horrible premonition coiled in my gut: once my brother sees what’s going on, even the spiders in the rafters will crawl down to watch the spectacle.

  I glanced sideways at Shangguan Fengliu—his whole face radiated I can’t wait to watch the drama. Meanwhile Lian and Hua walked ahead on either side, like two moving stone walls trapping me in the middle. If I tried to escape now, I’d have to crawl across the ceiling like a lizard.

  The moment the door to Qingyin Hall swung open, my chest tightened.

  Sure enough, my brother sat at the main seat, back straight as a spear. He held a cup of tea, gaze coldly sweeping over us. That calm authority instantly dragged me back to childhood—those times when I tried to steal pastries from the Nangong estate and he caught me red-handed.

  And the worst part?

  To make him stay put earlier, I had solemnly patted my chest and told him:

  “Big Brother, the one with the folding fan—that’s the Blood Lotus Sect Master! I’ll retrieve the Command Seal from him in no time!”

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  My brother had never seen the real Sect Master, Lian.

  And now…

  The man with the folding fan—Hua—walked in calmly right beside Lian.

  The air froze for two full breaths.

  My brother’s sharp gaze instantly locked onto Hua, his whole body rising like a drawn blade. The pressure dropped the temperature of the entire hall.

  Hua, feeling the stare, raised one eyebrow, snapping his fan shut with a crisp pa. He smiled faintly.

  My heart lurched—

  This is it. The battlefield is about to open.

  “B-Big Brother—”

  I took two hurried steps forward, trying to intervene, but Shangguan Fengliu hooked a hand around the back of my collar and lifted me clean off the ground.

  “Don’t rush. Let’s see how your elder brother deals with the ‘Sect Master.’”

  He was enjoying this so much he might as well have set up a snack stall.

  My brother’s voice was slow and steady, yet carried unmistakable weight:

  “Return the Nangong heirloom jade.”

  I choked. Of all things—pig demons, ghost rumors, mysterious sects—none of those mattered. In my brother’s world, nothing outranked the Nangong heirloom.

  Hua paused for half a breath, then lowered his eyes with a soft laugh.

  “The Nangong jade? I’m afraid you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

  My brother’s expression darkened.

  “I do not make mistakes.”

  Seeing the tension skyrocket, I darted forward, glancing around to ensure Lian wasn’t watching, then squeezed to my brother’s side, whispering:

  “Big Brother, please—don’t act yet, he’s not—”

  Before I could finish, Lian’s voice cut in behind me, cold enough to crack porcelain:

  “Not… who?”

  I jolted so hard I nearly bit my tongue. Turning back, I found Lian half-squinting at me, her gaze spelling out one clear warning:

  Lie, and die.

  I could only force out,

  “…not an ordinary person.”

  Shangguan Fengliu was laughing so hard his shoulders shook. The deputy envoy stared fixedly at his sleeves, ears perked like a hunting hound.

  My brother ignored all of them. His eyes were fixed solely on Hua.

  “The jade taken that day belonged to the Nangong ancestors. It is not yours to claim.”

  From the corner of my eye, I caught Hua’s expression—utter amusement. His smile practically said:

  Oh? A fool delivers himself to my doorstep. How delightful.

  He’d clearly figured out this was one giant misunderstanding. But instead of clearing it up, he was content—thrilled, even—to watch me drown.

  Worse, my brother was the type who, once he locked onto a target, turned into a hunting hound. Even if you jumped off a cliff, he’d chase you down just to make sure you admitted defeat. My anxiety was spiraling—if these two actually fought, it’d be a fake Sect Master vs. a real general, with the real Sect Master spectating.

  Where on earth would I put my face afterward?

  And of course, nobody cared what I thought.

  “Return the jade.”

  My brother repeated, voice dropping into something colder, edged with killing intent.

  Hua twirled his fan once, answering lightly:

  “And if I say it has nothing to do with me?”

  Those words were the final spark tossed into a dry forest.

  My brother stepped forward—

  and his palm strike sliced through the air with a howl.

  The teacups on the table shattered instantly.

  I scrambled behind the offering table so fast I nearly grabbed the incense burner as a shield.

  Misery welled up in my chest—this entire mess was clearly of my own making. Had I known it would come to this, why in heaven’s name did I babble nonsense about Hua being the Sect Master? I’d foolishly hoped he would say a few polite, evasive words when he met my brother. Instead, that razor tongue of his stabbed right into my brother’s reverse scale. And now here we were—sparks flying and no way to put the fire out.

  The candles in the hall flickered violently under the pressure of their strikes, shadows on the walls stretching long and collapsing short, like a silent audience of ghosts savoring the show.

  Lian didn’t intervene; he simply stood with his arms folded, watching with a calmness that suggested he was waiting for the inevitable outcome.

  Shangguan Fengliu, on the other hand, looked positively delighted—he’d even begun counting their moves.

  “Third strike—ah, General Nangong’s legwork is as vicious as ever.”

  “Fifth strike—well now, Hua’s fan isn’t just for show.”

  As the fight escalated into something dangerously earnest, I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I bolted out from behind the table, arms stretched wide, trying to squeeze between them.

  “Wait! Big Brother—just listen, I can explain—!”

  But my brother’s force was far too strong. A single misstep and his palm wind nearly sent me flying across the hall. If not for Lian’s quick reflexes yanking me back, my face would’ve been polishing Qingyin Hall’s tiles.

  Tears pricked my eyes from pure terror as I shouted, voice cracking,

  “He—he’s not the Sect Master! Really! You’ve got the wrong person!”

  My shout finally made both of them pause.

  I barely managed a sigh of relief before my brother’s brows snapped together. His voice dropped, low and cold:

  “You’re confused. He clearly—”

  “Clearly what!”

  At this point I threw caution, dignity, and pride all into the nearest ditch. Raising my voice, I cut him off:

  “The real Sect Master is—”

  My finger should have shot straight toward Lian.

  Instead, halfway through, it jerked violently and twisted in an entirely different direction.

  “—is someone else altogether! What I said that day… was nonsense!”

  The hall went dead silent—so quiet I swore I could hear a speck of incense ash fall to the floor.

  Lian’s lips curved just a fraction, a faint, rippling smile like a breeze over still water.

  But his eyes… his eyes gleamed like two unsheathed blades, sharp enough to cut the breath from my throat.

  Shangguan Fengliu, fully entertained, let out a low whistle.

  “Marvelous. Truly marvelous. This performance is even better than I expected.”