One of them stepped forward. "Lord Ji, your orders?"
"Hold the east," he said without hesitation. "No one moves until I return."
The guy hesitated. "Return, my Lord?"
Ji Xiulan's gaze drifted toward the horizon once more. The western skyline glowed faintly in the distance, just a smudge of light at the edge of the world, hidden behind mountains and broken clouds.
"I'll handle something personally."
The soldier bowed. "Understood."
Ji Xiulan didn't wait for a response. With a single motion, his dark coat flared behind him as he leapt onto the balcony railing. The wind caught the edges of his garments, sending them rippling like black flames.
For a heartbeat, he stood against the moonlight, a figure tall and unyielding, his hair whipping behind him, his blade faintly reflecting the night sky.
Then, he moved.
