The grand hall of the City Lord's Mansion buzzed with tension.
Nobles, elders, and guards stood in tight clusters, voices low and wary. At the head of the chamber, City Lord Ye Zong's sharp gaze swept the room, searching for answers to the recent disturbances.
The heavy doors swung open—bam!
All eyes snapped to Ling Tian and Xiao Ning'er as they strode in, grim and resolute.
Ye Zong's brows drew together. "What is the meaning of this?"
Ling Tian stepped forward, unrolling the blood-marked scroll with a flick of his wrist.
"Evidence," he said coldly. "Proof of the Sacred Family's betrayal."
Gasps rippled through the chamber.
Ye Zong's eyes locked onto the scroll, scanning swiftly. His face darkened, jaw tightening with each damning line: collusion with the Dark Guild, assassination orders, plots to weaken the city from within.
"Where did you get this?" he demanded, voice low but lethal.
"Infiltrated their vault last night," Ling Tian replied, steady and clear. "This is just one piece of what they've hidden."
Xiao Ning'er stepped beside him, voice fierce. "We've fought off assassins. Watched them try to destroy everything this city stands for. It ends now."
For a long, breathless moment, the hall was silent.
Then—Ye Zong slammed his fist onto the table.
"Summon the Sacred Family's elders—now!" he roared. "We will get to the bottom of this treachery today!"
Outside the hall, hidden among the shadows, Shen Yue's spy watched—and ran.
Moments later, deep in the Sacred Family's fortress, Shen Yue's face twisted in rage as he received the report.
"They… dare?!" he spat. His mind raced—plans unraveling, cornered at last.
"Mobilize everyone," he snarled. "If we fall… we take them down with us."
Back in the mansion, Ling Tian and Xiao Ning'er exchanged a charged glance, their fingers brushing briefly—a silent pledge of unity.
"This is it," Ling Tian murmured.
She nodded, eyes blazing. "We're ready."
But deep down, they both knew: the real storm was just beginning.