My older brother was silent for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, he asked,

  “And who are all these people?”

  My heart lurched. I scratched my head, ready to cobble together some flawless nonsense—

  but Hua beat me to it.

  He snapped open his folding fan and smiled.

  “I,” he said smoothly, “am your brother’s sworn friend.”

  I almost blurted out a denial, but the moment I lifted my head, I ran straight into my brother’s blazing stare—

  the kind that clearly said:

  “If you dare deny it, you’ll be getting our family’s famous ‘bamboo-shoot stir-fry’—meaning a thorough beating—tonight.”

  I swallowed hard and croaked,

  “…Yes.”

  “Then where is your cult leader?”

  My brother’s tone sharpened instantly, pressing hard.

  I was still trying to figure out how to dodge the question when Hua leisurely raised his fan and pointed it at Lian.

  My brother’s gaze snapped toward him, cold and sharp as a falling star.

  Lian didn’t back down either—her lips pressed into a thin line, her face frosty, her eyes cutting back at him just as fiercely.

  I hurriedly jumped between them.

  “What my dear brother Hua means is… he knows.”

  I put heavy emphasis on that “knows,” as if everything were perfectly under control.

  My brother drew a slow breath, turned to Lian, and asked evenly,

  “Then where is the cult leader now?”

  I was just about to sneak behind Lian to give him some frantic hand signals, when he arched a brow and countered,

  “And why are you so desperate to retrieve that jade? Even if it belonged to your Nangong ancestors, once it’s been given away, it no longer bears the Nangong name.”

  A sharp gleam flashed in my brother’s eyes.

  “And how would you know that so clearly?”

  Cold sweat instantly broke across my forehead.

  I grabbed my brother’s sleeve and dragged him aside, whispering,

  “He’s actually the cult leader’s personal attendant—loyal to the bone. Asking him is useless.”

  My brother’s face darkened further as he turned the blade of his anger on me.

  “We’ll deal with you later. Since the man isn’t here, how am I supposed to get the command token back?”

  I could only bluff through it.

  “I—I have a way… just that it might take a few days, and things may get a little complicated.”

  “A few days?”

  My brother’s voice shot up.

  “Do you know how long we’ve already been delayed? Any longer, and the entire Nangong clan will be in jeopardy!”

  Before I could answer, the air suddenly thickened—

  tension rising like drawn steel.

  Then—

  Heavy footsteps thundered from the courtyard.

  The crisp clatter of armor followed.

  Outside Qingyin Hall, the night wind roared; torches crackled violently. The shadows on the courtyard wall stretched tall and twisted, like demons baring their fangs.

  Prefect Li arrived with a full squad of armed soldiers, crowding the doorway in a black, oppressive mass.

  Their weapons gleamed coldly under the torchlight as they fanned out, forming a semicircle around the entrance.

  Spears bristled. Blades glinted with killing frost.

  I instinctively shrank back until my spine hit a pillar.

  My heart dropped straight into my stomach.

  It’s over. There’s not even room to run.

  Prefect Li stood at the front.

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  His dark-blue official robe fluttered in the wind; his expression carried effortless authority.

  Hands clasped behind his back, he swept a calm, icy gaze across the hall—

  from Lian, to Hua Shang, to the deputy envoy, to Shangguan Fengliu—

  and finally, it settled on me.

  That look was like a hunter spotting a plump rabbit hiding in the grass—

  no need to rush, because it definitely wasn’t getting away.

  “Gentlemen,” Prefect Li began, his voice unhurried but chilling,

  “the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. You thought that after quietly dealing with the West Altar remnants, you could simply walk away? Hmph—”

  His lips curled into a smile, sharp as an eagle’s talon closing around its prey.

  “I have waited in silence for this very moment.”

  My ears rang.

  No good—this old fox wasn’t incompetent.

  He’s been watching the West Altar this whole time. Watching the Blood Lotus Sect. Watching all of us!

  And now he had soldiers at his back.

  He wasn’t here for talk.

  He continued,

  “The West Altar case was never simple. You each pretended to act independently, yet conspired in secret.

  Perfect. Tonight, I’ll take the whole nest in one sweep—spare myself future trouble.”

  I clenched my fists, panic twisting inside.

  This was bad. Terrible.

  With Lian and Hua Shang here, plus the deputy envoy and Shangguan Fengliu—

  if they were all captured tonight, there really would be no way back.

  I was just about to try smoothing things over when—

  “Very well.”

  Lian’s voice drifted out, soft and calm.

  I blinked, thinking I misheard.

  But Lianrose slowly, whip hanging loosely at her side, posture serene—

  as if the soldiers outside were nothing but scenery.

  “Since Prefect Li extends such earnest invitation,” he said,

  “then let us accompany you.”

  Hua narrowed his eyes, his fan spinning between his fingers with a lazy flick.

  He looked amused—but didn’t object.

  The deputy envoy frowned slightly, clearly confused, yet still stepped to Lian’s side. As if wherever he went, he would follow.

  My mouth fell open.

  Are they insane? This is walking straight into a trap!

  Before I could shout, a cold voice cut in.

  “Hold it.”

  Shangguan Fengliu stepped forward, blocking their path.

  His robes swayed, and for once he radiated a quiet, imposing authority.

  “Prefect Li,” he said, snapping his twin batons together with a sharp crack,

  “This is my home. If you want to take someone from my house, you should at least inform my wife first.

  Surely you know she dislikes uninvited guests leaving without notice.”

  Prefect Li didn’t get angry.

  In fact, he lifted his chin slightly, the smile on his lips deepening.

  “Perfect timing.

  Your esteemed wife is already waiting at the yamen.

  We request the Altar Master visit her personally.”

  My eyelid twitched violently.

  Waiting at the yamen?

  That could only mean—

  They were holding her hostage.

  Forcing Shangguan Fengliu’s hand.

  Trapping all of us in one sweeping net.

  Shangguan Fengliu’s smile vanished instantly.

  A dark, cutting gleam flashed through his eyes, sharp enough to kill.

  His voice dropped low, cold as a blade drawn across a wooden block:

  “Prefect Li… are you using my wife as leverage?”

  “I wouldn’t dare,” Prefect Li replied mildly.

  “You’ll know once you arrive.”

  He lifted his hand.

  Behind him, dozens of blades rose in unison—

  cold, merciless, the soldiers stepping forward as one, boots striking the stone floor like a death knell.

  Cold sweat drenched my back; my breath tangled in my throat.

  I stole a glance at Shangguan Fengliu—his face looked perfectly calm, but the way his hands clenched those twin cudgels told another story. His knuckles had gone white.

  Lian, on the other hand… stood straight as a spear, as if he had foreseen all of this long ago.

  “You’re seriously going to surrender?” I rasped under my breath, almost choking on my own panic.

  Hua cast me a sideways look, the corner of his mouth lifting.

  “And what else? Do you have some brilliant plan that lets us slip past dozens of armed soldiers watching our every move?”

  I had nothing to say—because I didn’t. I was dead weight at this point.

  The air stalled between us, the firelight throwing shadows that flickered across everyone’s faces.

  Prefect Li stepped forward, voice ringing out,

  “Well then, sirs—will you walk on your own, or shall this official escort you?”

  Watching the back-and-forth made my scalp prickle. What in heaven’s name are these people thinking?

  But before I could untangle anything, Prefect Li’s men had already closed in around us. Spears leveled, blades gleaming—like they feared we’d sprout wings and fly off at the slightest wrong move.

  Behind us, the vermilion doors of Qingyin Hall swung shut with a deep, echoing thud. I couldn’t help glancing back, a knot tightening in my gut. Prefect Li had only just taken office and had always acted mild, low-key, without ambition—yet now he suddenly staged such a grand sweep? Someone had to be pulling the strings behind him.

  We marched on. Civilians along the street shrank back at the sight of the procession, whispering among themselves like drifting leaves skittering over stone.

  Prefect Li walked ahead, back straight as a banner pole—like a man who had finally found his moment to make a show of authority.

  I couldn’t stop a cold sweat from creeping down my spine—for Lian’s sake most of all.