The ink was still drying on the emperor’s seal when Lian slipped the scroll into the hidden compartment of her sleeve. The coolness of the stone floor seeped through her slippers as she bowed before the frail figure of Emperor Xian, cloaked in shadows more than silk.
“You understand the delicacy of this task,” he murmured, his voice thin as parchment but sharp as a blade. “There is no one I can trust among the Council.”
“I will find who lies behind the attacks, Your Majesty,” Lian replied, her tone calm, hiding the tight coil of dread in her chest.
The emperor’s lips twitched—something between a smile and resignation. “Be swift, Lady Lian. The storm is already here.”
Outside the secret chamber, the cold morning air bit her skin like needles. Tianyu’s capital, Guangjin, pulsed with tension. Even in the early hour, steam-powered carriages rattled over the cobbled streets, their brass engines whistling as nobles were ferried to the day’s political dramas. Clouds of soot mixed with incense from nearby shrines, veiling the city in a fog of contradiction—ancient and modern, sacred and corrupt.
Lian descended through a servant’s corridor, vanishing into the city like a whisper. Her mission had begun.
**
The body of Councilor Wen was still warm when Lian arrived at the scene, masquerading as a healer. The guards, pale and sweating, let her through the paper-screen door without question. Inside, the room reeked of iron and chrysanthemum oil.
The dead man’s eyes stared at the painted ceiling, his throat a dark smile of blood. Lian crouched beside him, her mind methodically stripping the scene of sentiment.
“No forced entry,” she noted under her breath. “Clean cut. Surgical. No panic. No struggle.”
She slid a gloved hand beneath the robes, finding a faint trace of powder—black lotus, a rare poison harvested in the Western marshlands. Deadly in small doses, and a signature of the Hidden Blades—a shadow guild once thought extinct.
Her heart skipped.
If the Hidden Blades were active again, the situation was worse than the emperor feared.
She stood and bowed to the attending guards. “He is beyond healing. Burn sandalwood incense to purify the space. I must speak with the council physician.”
They obeyed without question.
**
The imperial archives were buried beneath the Ministry of Records, a maze of ancient tomes and new steam-powered catalogues. Lian knew her way by heart. She slipped inside in her archivist’s disguise—her hair tied in a severe knot, glasses perched on her nose, and a slight stoop to her posture.
She moved quickly through the index scrolls until she found what she sought: a dossier labeled “ZHEN — Unknown Origin — Former Affiliations: Dissolved Guilds.”
The ink on the parchment was old but damning. Zhen. The name surfaced like poison. A master of stealth, deception, and death. Once second-in-command of the Hidden Blades, now a ghost whispered about in the alleys of rebel cities. If he was involved, it explained the precision of the attacks.
But what was his goal?
And more importantly—who was giving him orders?
She slid the scroll into her coat just as she heard boots echoing down the hall.
“Someone’s in the restricted wing!” a voice barked.
Without hesitation, Lian ducked into the shaft of a defunct ventilation pipe, climbing the narrow iron rungs two steps at a time. The sound of steam hissed below as the guards entered, then faded as she climbed toward the roof access.
Outside, night had fallen. She watched as the city’s thousand lanterns flickered to life, forming a constellation of gold across the imperial skyline. Somewhere down there, Zhen was moving. Planning. Striking.
She wouldn’t let him win.
**
Later that night, in the servant quarters of the Orchid Pavilion—a pleasure house favored by councilors—Lian sat cross-legged beside a drunk noble, his tongue loosened by rice wine.
“Councilor Yu fears the general,” he whispered, his breath heavy with sour plum. “Says Kai has been building alliances... among the guards... the provincial lords. Dangerous talk. But who listens to a drunk?”
Lian smiled, pouring him another cup. “I do.”
The noble passed out mid-toast.
Slipping away, Lian donned her cloak and left through the rear alley, her thoughts churning. General Kai again. Too many whispers, too much smoke not to hide a fire.
She would have to approach him—carefully. He was not only powerful; he was unpredictable.
And worse—he had once been her teacher.
**
The next day, the imperial garden bloomed under autumn light. The scent of pine and jasmine wafted on the breeze as Lian, now disguised as a visiting noblewoman, made her way toward the training pavilion where Kai was instructing the palace guards.
She watched him from the shadows.
His movements were precise, lethal—his blade cut through the air like it commanded the wind. There was elegance in his violence, the kind only years of mastery could forge. The guards fell back respectfully as he ended the demonstration.
“Still watching from the trees, Lian?” he called without turning.
Her breath caught. She hadn’t made a sound.
“I suppose I should be flattered,” he added, finally facing her.
She stepped forward, face calm, voice smooth. “You haven’t lost your instincts.”
“Nor you your talent for intrusion,” he replied with a thin smile. “What do you want?”
“I want to know what you’re hiding.”
He laughed. “Straight to the point. Refreshing.”
He signaled for his guards to leave.
Once alone, he folded his arms. “Let me guess. You think I orchestrated the attacks. That I’m plotting to dethrone the emperor. That old story.”
“You tell me.”
He took a step forward. “Be careful, Lian. Accusations come with consequences. Even for you.”
She met his gaze. “And silence comes with blood.”
Something flickered behind his eyes—pride? Admiration? Regret?
But he said nothing.
**
That night, a message arrived in Lian’s room, slid under her door in the shape of a paper crane.
She unfolded it carefully.
“He watches you now. The next strike will leave no witnesses. — Z”
She clenched the paper, heart pounding. The time for observation was ending.
She had to act.
**
Three nights later, a banquet was held in the Crystal Hall to honor the emperor’s birthday. Nobles and councilors arrived in embroidered robes, their mechanical escorts humming with polished gears. Music played, wine flowed, laughter echoed—but tension brewed beneath every smile.
Lian slipped through the crowd, her eyes sharp beneath her silver mask.
Across the hall, she spotted Councilor Mei, speaking quietly to a man she recognized—an arms dealer linked to Kai’s faction. She moved to intercept, but before she could close the distance—
A scream shattered the air.
One of the lanterns exploded, sending shrapnel and fire across the dais. Chaos erupted. Screams, smoke, panicked shouts.
Lian drew her blade, eyes scanning for the source.
And then she saw him.
Zhen.
Standing amidst the confusion, calm as stone, blood on his hands, mask gleaming like obsidian.
He looked directly at her. Bowed slightly.
Then vanished into the smoke.
**
Lian ran after him, heart thundering. Through corridors, past stunned guests and fallen guards, she chased the shadow.
He was fast. But not faster than her.
They reached the southern terrace where steam pipes hissed and vents blew sulfurous gas into the night air.
He turned at last.
“You’re good, Lian,” he said, voice like silk over steel. “But not good enough.”
“I’m not here to impress you.”
They clashed.
Blades met with a shriek of steel. Sparks flew. Every move was death narrowly missed. Lian ducked a spinning kick, swept low, struck—but Zhen blocked and countered, his strikes almost too fast to follow.
“You’ve improved,” he said, chuckling between blows. “Kai trained you well.”
“Why are you working for him?”
He paused, just for a moment.
“I’m not,” he whispered.
Then he leapt from the terrace, vanishing into the shadows below.
**
Lian stood there, chest heaving, the truth ringing in her ears.
If Zhen wasn’t working for Kai...
Then who was behind all this?
And how many layers of betrayal had yet to be revealed?
The answers lay deeper than she feared.
And time was running out.
**
Lian begins her secret investigation by examining the latest murder, uncovering traces of a legendary assassin, and confronting her former mentor, General Kai—only to realize the conspiracy may go beyond him.
**
End of Chapter 3
____________________
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 35 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments