The emergency assembly finally came to an end.
One by one, the elders began leaving the hall.
Their faces remained grim.
Nobody spoke much.
The atmosphere was far too heavy.
The deaths of Gu Liang and Elder Han had shaken the very foundation of the Heng Ming Sect.
And now, everyone knew a traitor might be hiding among them.
That realization alone was enough to destroy countless years of trust.
High above the hall, Xiaoyu silently watched the crowd disperse.
Only after the last few elders departed did she finally release a breath.
Her back was soaked with sweat.
The entire meeting had felt like a battlefield.
Not a battlefield of swords.
But a battlefield of words, suspicion, and pressure.
Being Sect Master was exhausting.
Far more exhausting than she had imagined.
"Young Mas—"
Shen Wei suddenly stopped himself.
A faint trace of amusement appeared in his eyes.
"Sect Master."
Xiaoyu nearly groaned.
Even now, she still wasn't used to hearing that title.
"Can I resign?"
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Silence.
Shen Wei stared at her.
Xiaoyu immediately realized her mistake.
Sect Masters could not resign after a single meeting.
Fortunately, Shen Wei simply lowered his head.
"I will pretend I did not hear that."
Xiaoyu awkwardly coughed.
"Good."
For a brief moment, the tension eased.
Then reality returned.
"Elder Han's body?"
She asked quietly.
Shen Wei's expression immediately became serious.
"It remains under guard."
"Have they discovered anything?"
Shen Wei shook his head.
"Very little."
That answer wasn't encouraging.
Xiaoyu frowned.
"Take me there."
For the first time that night, Shen Wei hesitated.
The reaction immediately caught her attention.
"You disagree?"
"The scene is unpleasant."
Xiaoyu almost laughed.
At this point, she had seen enough corpses to last several lifetimes.
"I'll survive."
A moment later, Shen Wei nodded.
"As you command."
The residence of Elder Han stood upon one of the elder peaks.
The journey there was quiet.
Moonlight illuminated the stone pathways connecting the various peaks of the Heng Ming Sect.
Far below, clouds drifted between the mountains.
Normally, the scenery would have been breathtaking.
Tonight, however, nobody paid attention.
Disciples armed with lanterns patrolled every road.
Guards stood at every major intersection.
The entire sect had entered a state of lockdown.
Nobody was permitted to leave.
Nobody was permitted to enter.
The closer they moved toward Elder Han's residence, the heavier the atmosphere became.
Eventually, they arrived.
Several disciples immediately bowed.
"Sect Master."
Xiaoyu nodded.
Then entered.
The smell hit her first.
Blood.
Even after everything she had experienced, the scent still made her uncomfortable.
The room itself appeared surprisingly normal.
A desk.
Bookshelves.
Tea cups.
Scrolls.
Nothing seemed out of place.
Nothing except the large bloodstain covering the floor.
Xiaoyu's eyes immediately settled upon it.
The body had already been removed.
But the evidence remained.
"One strike?"
She asked.
"One strike."
Shen Wei answered.
His gaze swept across the room.
"A sword entered through the chest."
"Instant death."
Xiaoyu looked around again.
No signs of struggle.
No overturned furniture.
No broken objects.
It almost looked as though Elder Han had willingly sat there and accepted his fate.
The thought sent a chill through her body.
Who would he trust enough to lower his guard?
A friend?
An ally?
Another elder?
The possibilities seemed endless.
Then something caught her attention.
A faint scratch mark near one corner of the room.
Tiny.
Almost invisible.
She pointed toward it.
"What is that?"
One of the investigating disciples hurried over.
After a brief inspection, confusion appeared on his face.
"It appears to be a blade mark."
"A blade mark?"
The disciple nodded.
"Very small."
Shen Wei stepped forward.
The moment his eyes landed on the mark, something changed.
His brows furrowed.
A rare sight.
Xiaoyu immediately noticed.
"What is it?"
Shen Wei remained silent for several seconds.
Long enough to make everyone nervous.
Finally, he spoke.
"This mark..."
His voice grew quieter.
"It feels familiar."
Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat.
Familiar.
The same word again.
During the coronation attack, Shen Wei had said something similar.
At the time, she thought nothing of it.
Now she wasn't so sure.
"Where have you seen it before?"
Shen Wei slowly shook his head.
"I cannot remember."
The answer somehow felt more disturbing than certainty.
As the others continued searching the residence, Xiaoyu walked toward the window.
The view overlooked countless mountain peaks.
The vast territory of the Heng Ming Sect stretched as far as the eye could see.
A powerful force.
One of the strongest sects within the empire.
Yet hidden somewhere within all of it was an enemy.
Someone moving through the shadows.
Someone killing without leaving evidence.
Someone who seemed to know the sect better than anyone should.
As she stared into the darkness, a strange feeling suddenly washed over her.
For just a brief moment—
She felt as though she was being watched.
Xiaoyu immediately turned.
Nobody.
Only the guards outside.
The investigating disciples.
Shen Wei.
Yet the feeling refused to disappear.
Far away, beyond the residence, atop a distant pavilion hidden among the darkness—
A lone figure silently lowered his gaze.
His expression was unreadable.
The emergency meeting replayed itself inside his mind.
"Investigate everyone."
Those words continued echoing within his ears.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The Yuchen he knew would never have issued such an order.
Never.
The thought unsettled him.
Because for the first time in many years—
He found himself questioning the Sect Master.
And that possibility frightened him more than any investigation.