Stepping off the starskiff, Qin Shaoqing suddenly shivered as the cold air hit him. He glanced back toward Tingyun, who seemed perfectly fine. He had always wondered how she could survive with so few clothes.
Tingyun, who noticed Qin Shaoqing's gaze, smiled curtly, though it was unclear what she was really thinking.
'I really regret talking to her...' At first, he wanted the friendship money, seeing her vulnerable and weak, he felt she was an easy target, but now, facing her, he felt like a prey animal stalked by a predator
After saying their goodbyes, Qin Shaoqing returned to his house.
The cold night brought crickets singing, while the "moon" hung high above, glowing softly.
Looking back, Qin Shaoqing realized he had been too paranoid as of late. With disaster striking and the citizens' lukewarm reactions, he felt as though the world around him had become foreign once again.
Feeling a sense of relief from his anxiety, he wished that no more disasters would strike. Yet, sensing a vague dread—and faint laughter from the sky—he hurried home and shut the door, cursing whichever Aeon had dragged him here.
Yet within the darkness, a pair of eyes sharpened before disappearing.
Inside a small house within the Luofu, several cloaked figures stood around a table.
Slam.
"What do you mean they failed?" a vicious voice demanded.
"I meant exactly what I said. The Antimatter Legion failed to capture their target, meaning Lord Ravager Phantylia is not here to assist us," one man replied, kicking his feet up onto the table, clearly unconcerned by the news.
"Stupid Antimatter Legion. I knew they were unreliable!" Another figure slammed the desk repeatedly in frustration.
"How did they fail?" a sultry, enchanting voice asked.
"Though I don't have precise intel on what happened, from what I've gathered so far, Emissary Tingyun was possibly rescued by a civilian named 'Qin Shaoqing.'"
Hearing such an unfamiliar name, the others were momentarily stunned and waited for him to continue.
"I say 'possibly' because they were seen walking down the street together after the attempted assassination—Emissary Tingyun bloodied and bruised, while Qin Shaoqing was uninjured. He stayed close to her and escorted her to the Palace of Astrum."
"Later that night, they were seen together again, with Emissary Tingyun referring to him as 'Benefactor.'"
From this explanation, it was clear that Qin Shaoqing appeared to be Tingyun's savior.
"Does he have any allies?"
"No. He only has a disciple from the Cloud Knight Commission, but she holds no significant status."
"So he single-handedly wiped out an elite squad of the Antimatter Legion without suffering a scratch?"
"Correct."
Not only had their powerful backing failed to infiltrate, but now a new hidden force had emerged from the shadows, introducing an unpredictable variable.
The room fell silent.
Yet within that silence, all of them reached the same conclusion.
Assassinate Qin Shaoqing.
The decision lingered in the air like an unsheathed blade.
"Assassination is risky," the enchanting voice spoke again, slower now. "If he truly survived an elite Antimatter Legion squad unscathed, then he is no ordinary civilian."
"Which is exactly why he must die," the vicious voice replied coldly. "Variables like him cannot be allowed to exist."
Another cloaked figure leaned forward, fingers tapping lightly against the table. "Rushing will only alert the Cloud Knights. If he has already drawn the attention of Tingyun, then the Luofu itself may be watching him."
"Then we observe," the man with his feet on the table said lazily. "Learn his habits. His weaknesses. Everyone has one."
Silence followed, heavier than before.
"Send scouts," the vicious voice finally ordered. "No direct confrontation. I want everything—where he lives, who he meets, when he's alone."
"And the disciple?" someone asked.
"A Cloud Knight junior with no status," came the dismissive reply. "If she becomes a liability, remove her."
A few figures nodded, shadows shifting as the meeting came to an end.
One by one, the cloaked figures vanished into the night, leaving behind only the dim light of a single lantern—and a table marked with cracks from restrained fury.