The following nights became the same.
When darkness covered the Heng Ming Sect, Li Jianghong would quietly make his way to the Sect Master's residence.
The meetings remained secret.
No elders knew.
No disciples knew.
Only Yuchen and Li Jianghong shared the truth.
Tonight was no different.
The study was illuminated by a few candles as documents covered the table.
Sheets of paper.
Investigation reports.
Witness statements.
Records from the elders.
Everything that could possibly be related to the recent incidents had been gathered.
Li sat opposite Yuchen.
The two worked in silence.
From time to time, one would write something and push the paper forward.
The other would read it before adding more information.
Hours passed.
Yet the answers remained elusive.
Li's brows furrowed.
The more they investigated, the stranger everything became.
"Elder Gu Liang's case is different."
His brush moved quickly.
"The assassins were seen."
Yuchen nodded.
A moment later he wrote.
"But Elder Han and Elder Luo died differently."
Li read the words and fell into thought.
That was the problem.
No wounds.
No signs of battle.
Nothing.
Almost as if death had arrived naturally.
Yet nobody believed that coincidence.
Not after everything that had happened.
Not after the coronation.
Yuchen wrote again.
"The sect believes they are connected."
Li nodded.
The entire Heng Ming Sect had become restless.
Fear was spreading.
Many disciples no longer wandered alone at night.
Training grounds that were once lively became quiet after sunset.
Groups of disciples whispered in corners.
Rumors spread daily.
Some blamed outsiders.
Others suspected rival factions within the sect.
Some even believed the killer was hiding among the elders themselves.
Trust was slowly disappearing.
Among the elders, the situation was not much better.
Meetings had become tense.
Everyone watched everyone else.
Every conversation felt guarded.
Nobody knew who might be the next victim.
Li's gaze lowered to another report.
"Elder Han."
Yuchen immediately pushed another sheet toward him.
The small black dot.
Li stared at the drawing.
A tiny black mark.
Barely noticeable.
Found on Elder Han's finger.
No such mark had appeared on Elder Luo.
No such mark had appeared on Elder Gu Liang.
Only Elder Han.
It was the only unusual thing discovered on the body.
Li tapped the table.
"What does it mean?"
Yuchen slowly shook his head.
He did not know.
Neither of them knew.
Their attention soon shifted to another clue.
The strange objects discovered in Elder Han's residence and Elder Luo's residence.
Neither item appeared valuable.
Neither appeared dangerous.
Yet both had been found shortly before the elders died.
As if someone wanted them to see those objects.
Or perhaps...
Someone wanted to send a message.
The thought made both men uneasy.
The room gradually fell silent.
Outside, the moon climbed higher into the sky.
The investigation had reached another dead end.
Li leaned back slightly.
His eyes wandered toward Yuchen.
The Sect Master was reading through a report.
His expression remained serious.
Focused.
Determined.
For some reason, Li found himself watching longer than necessary.
Perhaps it was because of the candlelight.
Or perhaps it was because the person before him felt unfamiliar.
And familiar at the same time.
Almost sensing the gaze, Yuchen looked up.
Their eyes met.
The world suddenly became quiet.
Xiaoyu froze.
For a moment, she forgot to breathe.
Li Jianghong was looking directly at her.
Not through her.
Not past her.
At her.
Her heart instantly began racing.
What was this feeling?
Embarrassment?
Nervousness?
Excitement?
She had no idea.
All she knew was that she could not continue looking.
Almost immediately, she lowered her gaze.
Pretending to read the documents.
Pretending nothing had happened.
Across the table, Li's eyes softened slightly.
So he was still angry.
That was what Li concluded.
Otherwise, why would Yuchen avoid his gaze?
The thought left a bitter feeling in his chest.
Neither spoke.
Neither explained.
The misunderstanding remained.
Time passed.
The candles burned lower.
The documents became blurrier.
Eventually, Xiaoyu's exhausted body reached its limit.
Without realizing it, her head slowly lowered.
Then rested against the desk.
Silence.
Li looked up from the papers.
His eyes widened slightly.
Yuchen had fallen asleep.
The sight caught him completely off guard.
The feared Sect Master.
The cold and distant Yuchen.
Sleeping over a pile of investigation reports.
The exhaustion on his face could not be hidden.
For a long moment, Li simply watched.
A strange warmth appeared in his chest.
The past slowly surfaced.
Countless forgotten memories.
Days spent studying together.
Training together.
Laughing together.
Before everything changed.
His gaze softened.
A lock of hair had fallen across Yuchen's face.
It rested near his nose.
Without thinking, Li slowly reached out.
His hand stopped halfway.
The door suddenly opened.
Shen Wei entered.
The servant froze.
Li immediately withdrew his hand and stood up.
An awkward silence filled the room.
Neither man spoke for several moments.
Finally, Li cleared his throat.
"He is tired."
Shen Wei nodded.
"I can see that."
Li glanced once more at the sleeping figure.
"We will continue another day."
Shen Wei bowed.
"I will pass along the message."
Li turned and walked toward the door.
Yet his heartbeat refused to calm.
For some reason, his chest felt strangely unsettled.
Behind him, Shen Wei carefully approached the desk.
A sigh escaped him.
"You really worked yourself too hard, Young Master."
Gently, he helped Yuchen to his feet.
The sleeping Sect Master barely reacted.
After settling him onto the bed, Shen Wei returned to the table.
The reports were organized.
The brushes cleaned.
The candles extinguished.
Only after everything was in order did he finally leave.
The room fell silent.
Night passed peacefully.
Or so it seemed.
The next morning.
Xiaoyu slowly opened her eyes.
For several seconds, she remained motionless.
Then her gaze drifted toward the table.
Instantly, every trace of sleep vanished.
Something was there.
An object.
A familiar object.
The same object discovered in Elder Luo's residence before his death.
It sat quietly in the center of the table.
Cold.
Silent.
Waiting.
Beneath it was a folded piece of paper.
With trembling fingers, Xiaoyu opened it.
Only a single sentence was written inside.
Greetings, Sect Master.
We need to talk.
The color drained from her face.
Someone had entered her room.
And worse.
Someone knew exactly who she was.