[The Forest Path • Outskirts of Trial Valley]
The night was heavy. The patrol horns had long since fallen silent, leaving only the wind rustling through the leaves. Xiao You, the Lieutenant of the Shadow-Scale Guard, led a squad of archers and bladesmen on a stealthy patrol along the dark path.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed.
In a patch of dense forest, a shadow that should have been static flickered unnaturally—something was out of place in the darkness.
"Halt," he whispered.
The squad froze instantly. Xiao You unsheathed a short blade, his footsteps light as he closed in on the thicket. A faint ripple of energy reached him—the disciplined breathing of trained covert operatives.
"FIRE!" Xiao You barked. Bowstrings snapped in unison, and arrows hissed into the darkness.
With the sharp clang of metal on metal, three hidden guards materialized, their figures blurring as they tried to break the encirclement.
"Binding Array!" Xiao You shouted. The Shadow-Scale Guard fanned out into a semi-circle, their blades gleaming under the torchlight.
"Who dares infiltrate military territory?" Xiao You's eyes were like a hawk's, his voice biting.
The intruders remained silent, their cold gazes offering no answers.
"Are you mutes?" Xiao You sneered, his blade tip leveling at the leader's throat. "This is a fortified zone. You think I, Xiao You, wouldn't notice you lurking here?"
One of the hidden guards finally spoke in a low voice. "We act on orders. We have no desire to make an enemy of the Lieutenant."
"Whose orders?" Xiao You's voice grew even colder.
The guards fell silent again. The torchlight flickered in the wind, the atmosphere so thick it was hard to breathe. Xiao You's eyes narrowed as he realized something. "Seize them. I will report this to the Prince personally!"
The Shadow-Scale Guard surged forward, but the three intruders suddenly shuddered, their forms dissolving into shadows that tore right through the containment array. Xiao You started to give chase but stopped, a deep frown settling on his face.
Those techniques... they look like the Hidden Guards from the Palace.
He turned to his adjutant. "Return to the Third Prince immediately. Tell him hidden guards are lurking outside the camp. Most likely... the Eldest Princess's hand is at play."
[The Flowing-Yao Pavilion]
Candlelight flickered as Si Moheng skimmed through military reports.
Xiao You hurried in and knelt on one knee. "Your Highness, I have discovered that Si Yirou's Liu Yan Guards are lurking around Trial Valley. It seems she intends to intercept the Saintess."
Si Moheng's hand paused. Then, he let out a low, chilling laugh.
"Ha... my Imperial Sister is becoming more interesting by the day." He closed the report, tapping the desk with a rhythmic, mocking sound. "Does she really think she can snatch a piece of this pie?"
"Should I deal with them, Your Highness?" Xiao You asked.
"No. Let her play her game," Si Moheng stood up, a dark Yao-light flickering in his eyes. "Is my sister so desperate to become the Saintess that she's lost her mind?"
The air in the room turned frigid.
"Since she wants to join the board, I'll let her experience the cost of being a piece that cannot bear the weight," he said darkly. "Order the Shadow-Scale Guards to lay two more layers of hidden lines around the valley. If you encounter the Liu Yan Guards, do not engage head-on. Lure them... lead them into our killing fields."
"At the same time, leak false information. Leave a trail leading to Gu Xingyu. Let the Five Yao and my sister's people swarm toward it. The more people, the more chaos. And chaos... is my domain."
He paused, a cruel smile touching his lips. "As for Gu Xingyu—as long as she's alive, keep her. Once they have finished slaughtering each other, I will personally pull in the net."
"By your command," Xiao You replied.
Si Moheng whispered to the shadows, "Every move on this board is mine to give. Sister... if you wish to intervene, prepare to be the next pawn I discard."
[The Clash in the Mist]
Deep in the valley, the night mist was thick. Liu Yan stood atop a massive boulder, listening to her scout's report.
"The Shadow-Scale Guards have appeared... they left traces of the Saintess."
Liu Yan's expression remained frigid. "Traces?" She gripped a concealed weapon in her sleeve. "It's a fake."
"But if we don't move, we might miss the chance..."
"The Prince is trying to force our hand," Liu Yan said, her voice steady. "This isn't an opportunity; it's a trap. But—" she looked toward the dark valley, "the Princess ordered that we must intercept Gu Xingyu first. Even if it's a trap, we have to step into it."
She gestured to her guards. "Split into three groups. Two will flank and find the real position of the Shadow-Scale Guards. The third follows me into the valley. Even if it's a scheme, I want to know exactly which piece the Third Prince is trying to play."
Suddenly, a wave of killing intent crashed down.
Clang!
Blades cleared their sheaths as shadows erupted from the mist. The armor bore the scale-patterns of the Shadow-Scale Guard, cold as snakes in the dim light.
"Engage!" Liu Yan barked.
The two groups clashed. Shadow-Scale Guards struck with brutal, lethal efficiency, while the Liu Yan Guards countered with agile, high-speed techniques. Sparks flew as daggers met longswords in the fog.
"Withdraw!" Liu Yan ordered, realizing they were being bogged down. She realized then—they weren't there to kill her, but to stall her.
"All units—retreat into the side valley!"
As they escaped the main ambush, Liu Yan's sleeve was torn, blood seeping from a shallow wound on her shoulder. She retreated through the forest, but her breathing remained calm.
Suddenly, she stopped. In the silence of the night, she caught a vibration. A faint, nearly hidden trace of Yao-energy—like a thin thread stretching from the darkness toward the horizon.
"Hah... I see." Her low laugh was like a blade cutting through the night. "So, Gu Xingyu is no longer a prisoner. She has already moved her own piece."
She looked back at the valley. "Third Prince... the person you are trying to calculate has already walked off your chessboard."
Leaping from the branches, she vanished into the deeper woods with her remaining guards. Whatever happened, she had to report this back to Princess Si Yirou.