As the sun slowly disappeared beyond the western horizon, a masked man in black slipped into a dilapidated temple just outside the imperial capital.
The mont his soles touched the ground, two cold blades pressed against his neck.
"It’s ," he calmly said.
Recognizing the black mask carved with black a nine-tailed fox etched into the corner, the two shadow guards sheathed their swords.
"How is it?" one of them asked from inside the temple.
The newcor gave a slight nod. "It’s done. Should we report back to Captain?"
The other shadow guard glanced at him and asked, "Have you forgotten? Captain still hasn’t returned from his mission."
Frowning at his words, the newcor asked, "Shi Yi, do you think Captain will be able to find the Gui Clan’s whereabouts?"
Shi Yi shook his head. His voice was unsure when he replied, "I don’t know. The last ti anyone visited the Gui Clan was hundreds of years ago. Though Captain carries the blood of an ancient clan, he was abandoned at birth. Finding them with only his blood as a guide won’t be easy."
At his words, the two others let out a helpless sigh.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere in the air, Shi Yi said, "There is no point in worrying. Shi Wu, tell us what you found on this trip."
Shi Wu, the shadow guard who had just infiltrated the imperial palace, stepped forward.
Taking out a letter from his sleeve, he said, "This is a letter from the Emperor of the Zhou Empire for the Empress Dowager Wen. San Qi, you are from the Zhou empire. Only you can understand the language of the Zhou Empire."
San Qi unfolded the letter and scanned its contents. When he finished, he handed it back to Shi Wu.
"The Emperor of Zhou is demanding to know why Pri Minister Wen hasn’t handed over Xiqiang City. He even threatened to sever cooperation between the two empires and demanded that Pri Minister Wen return the supplies he had provided beforehand."
Shi Yi and Shi Wu’s expressions darkened after listening to the content of the secret letter.
As he tucked the letter away, Shi Wu muttered with regret, "I should have slipped poison into that old hag’s tea."
Shi Yi shot him a stern look and warned Shi Wu, "Don’t act without orders. If you disrupt our Master’s plan, not even Captain can protect you."
"I know," Shi Wu replied, his tone serious.
Seeing that night had fallen, Shi Wu added, "I will deliver this secret letter first to the Vice Commander. We will et later at headquarters."
Shi Yi and San Qi nodded, and in the next mont, Shi Wu vanished from the abandoned temple.
Afterward, Shi Yi turned to San Qi and said, "Let’s go. We still have another mission to complete."
"Yes, Brother."
With that, the two activated their lightness skill and disappeared into the night.
anwhile, as the Feng Clan’s shadow guards carried out their tasks in secret, Bai Hanyun, Feng Xiyan, and Gui Ying concluded their discussion.
Clasping her hands together, Bai Hanyun declared, "Alright, it’s settled. We will act tomorrow morning."
Feng Xiyan and Gui Ying nodded in agreent.
Noticing the darkened sky, Feng Xiyan glanced at Bai Hanyun. "Miss Bai, shall we go to the dining room for dinner, or would you prefer to rest first?"
Bai Hanyun hadn’t felt hungry during their planning, but at his question, her stomach grumbled in protest. Embarrassed, she admitted, "Let’s eat first."
Amused by her expression, Feng Xiyan smiled, stood up, and said, "Miss Bai, after you."
Rising from the stone stool, Bai Hanyun instinctively grabbed his hand and urged, "Quick, quick. I’m starving."
Startled by her sudden intimate behavior, Feng Xiyan fell silent for a mont before his expression softened.
Watching them walk away hand in hand, Gui Ying fanned himself lazily and sighed with lancholy, "Ah~ youth truly is a beautiful thing."
After dinner, Feng Xiyan said, "Miss Bai, I asked Uncle Huang to prepare a courtyard for you. Our conditions are a bit lacking for now, so please bear with the simple accommodations."
Hearing this, Bai Hanyun thought for a mont and asked, "Is the courtyard far from yours?"
Unsure why she asked this, Feng Xiyan explained with a hint of curiosity, "Yes. I live in the outer yard of the mansion, while the courtyard I prepared for you is in the inner yard."
Noticing her frown, he asked, "Is sothing wrong with this arrangent?"
Bai Hanyun snapped out of her thoughts and replied with a trace of shyness in her voice, "Well... could I stay closer to you?"
Her words left Feng Xiyan stunned, while Gui Ying raised his brows, watching the two of them staring at each other with great interest.
Realizing how ambiguous her words sounded, Bai Hanyun quickly waved her hands and explained, "It’s not what you think. I just... I just feel safer when I’m near you."
Feng Xiyan’s eyes flickered with shock, joy, and disbelief when he heard what she had just said. He clenched his fists and forced himself to stay composed, trying not to reveal his feelings.
Noticing his clenched hands hidden under the round table, Gui Ying hid his smile behind his fan with amusent in his deep eyes. ’So innocent. These two are truly entertaining.’
As Gui Ying sat quietly there, Feng Xiyan cleared his throat and said, "Then... how about the courtyard beside mine? Although it’s not as spacious as those inner courtyards, it’s the closest one to my courtyard."
Bai Hanyun considered it for a mont before she rembered that each courtyard in this mansion contained several buildings. Even if they were next to each other, it would take fifteen to twenty minutes to walk from her courtyard to his.
Thinking of what the antique mirror had once shown her about the cruelty of the Yuezhi Tribe, Bai Hanyun shuddered and quickly held onto Feng Xiyan’s hand tightly.
"No. Please let stay with you in the sa courtyard," Bai Hanyun said with a hint of urgency in her voice.
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