The jade slab sealed behind them with a resonant hum, sigils in crimson and silver locking in place—etched with a precision that shimmered like molten runes. Only Gu Changge and Yue Wusheng now held the means to unseal it again.
As they stepped out from the ancestral hall, moonlight spilled across the quiet courtyard. Mist hung like silk over the stone path. Servants and guards bowed hastily at the sight of their "Patriarch"—or rather, the one now wearing his face.
Gu Changge, cloaked beneath the flawless illusion of Jiang Taizu, let his gaze sweep across the kneeling figures. Cold and calculating, his golden eyes showed no warmth.
Behind him, Yue Wusheng followed silently. The boy walked barefoot, garbed only in a tattered inner robe, bones sharp beneath pale skin—still bearing the ghost of years in confinement.
> "The news of Vessel 07's release had not yet spread beyond the inner elders," Gu Changge's thoughts stirred. "And I intend to keep it that way. The fewer who know, the fewer throats I must silence."
He halted and spoke.
"Take this boy," he said. His voice was a scalpel—precise, surgical. "Clean him. Dress him in plain black robes. No clan insignia. No ornament. Handle him carefully."
He let the silence stretch, then added with icy finality:
> "If a single scratch appears on him… the hand responsible will be severed."
The senior maid, already pale, bowed until her forehead touched the stone. "Yes, Patriarch."
Gu Changge said nothing further. He turned and strode toward the inner quarters of the manor.
"To the study," he called to an attending guard. "Send tea."
---
Within the Jiang Clan's ancestral study, warm lampfire flickered across jade-inlaid scroll racks. Dozens of jade slips, sealed wills, and cultivation records lay meticulously arranged. This room had once been sacred—passed down through generations of Jiang rulers.
Now, it was a throne room for a shadow.
Gu Changge seated himself in the central chair, one worn smooth by Jiang Taizu's decades of rule. His fingers steepled beneath his chin, golden eyes narrowed in thought.
> "This clan believes itself intact," he mused. "But its foundation is already fractured. All that remains... is to let it collapse."
A knock came.
"Patriarch," came the voice of a servant. "Elder Jiang Lianshu seeks audience."
"Let him in."
The doors opened, and Elder Lianshu, a man of meticulous robes and nervous eyes, entered. He bowed deeply, hesitating at the threshold.
"Patriarch," he said, "it has come to my attention that you've… unsealed Vessel 07."
Gu Changge didn't even glance up. "Yes."
"You released him personally?" There was disbelief in the elder's voice. "But Patriarch, that boy was sealed by your decree. His condition—"
Gu Changge raised his gaze at last.
"—Is now under my control. That is all that matters."
"But the records say he carries unstable bloodlines—corruptive qi—"
Gu Changge stood slowly. The air in the room shifted, heavy with pressure. His qi, coiled and silent until now, pressed against Lianshu's chest like an invisible vice.
"I unsealed him," he said, voice low. "And I will decide his use. Not you. Not the council. If the Demonic Spirit Sect wishes to object, they may send a representative—so I may return their bones, one at a time, in a sealed urn."
Elder Lianshu paled. "Y-yes, Patriarch. I meant no offense."
"Then leave."
The elder bowed hastily and withdrew. The doors thudded shut behind him.
---
Moments later, they opened once more—gently.
Yue Wusheng entered, now bathed and robed in a simple black outfit. His long hair had been tied back, face clean, posture eerily serene. The transformation was subtle, yet striking. He looked like a loyal retainer, or perhaps a favored disciple.
Gu Changge gestured toward a chair, but Yue Wusheng remained standing.
"Did they treat you well?" Gu Changge asked.
Yue Wusheng nodded. "They obeyed your command. No harm came to me."
He glanced at the porcelain teacup on the desk—a simple thing, but its warmth seemed unfamiliar. He didn't reach for it.
Gu Changge studied him for a moment.
> "This boy is no servant," he thought. "He is a blade. One I honed in shadow. And soon… I will let it taste blood."
He turned back to the clan ledgers and spiritual seals awaiting his stamp.
The Jiang Clan's fate was sealed.
Now, he would choose where to cut first.
---
Far to the south, beyond the rivers that marked Jiang territory, a different mind plotted its own weave of fate.
---
The Empress' Court
Location: The Inner Sanctum of the Phoenix Throne
Midnight veiled the Imperial Palace, but the Empress' court was aglow with flickering phoenix flame lanterns, casting long shadows across the obsidian floor.
In the throne chamber, two figures knelt in silence.
To the left: Si Ye, Commander of the Imperial Guard—stoic, armored, the sword that guards the gates.
To the right: a woman clad in layered crimson and black, her face lowered, posture still as death. Lady Feng—Commander of the Empress's Shadow Guard, the hand that strikes unseen.
The Empress reclined upon a crescent-backed throne, her face veiled in golden thread. Her stillness was not passivity—it was command distilled to its purest form.
She did not speak, yet the silence bent around her like gravity.
At last, Si Ye broke the silence.
"Your Majesty," he said, voice measured. "The imperial capital has been searched thoroughly. All patrols returned empty-handed. There is no trace of Gu Changge or Yuerou."
"Not a flicker of residual qi?" she asked.
"None. All traces have been… erased. Entirely. It was not done by any technique known in our archives."
A beat passed.
"There is more," he continued. "Jiang Taizu has broken through to the Late Golden Core Realm. He now rules the Jiang Clan completely. Elder Weishan has been imprisoned. The inner court is locked down. Movement has increased—but their purpose remains veiled."
The Empress gave a single nod. Her eyes turned to the silent woman in red.
"Lady Feng."
The Shadow Guard Commander bowed deeper, her hands steady, expression unreadable behind her long lashes.
"You will infiltrate the Jiang Clan."
A pause.
"You know the objective?"
Lady Feng's voice was low and smooth. "Yes, Your Majesty. I will map their command structure, trace every hidden chamber, and observe Jiang Taizu's behavior. Any unknown cultivators or sudden changes in allegiance will be logged."
"Good," the Empress said. "Assume whatever guise ensures access—servant, healer, concubine, ghost of a former disciple. I trust your judgment."
She extended a hand, and from her sleeve floated a black jade ring, inlaid with a silver crescent—subtle, cold, flawless.
"This is the Veilborne Ring. It wraps illusion around your soul, not just your face. No formation, spiritual sense, or soul-calling technique will reveal you—not even the gaze of a true Patriarch."
Lady Feng raised her head just enough to meet the Empress's eyes.
"Will I have full operational authority?"
"You will act with the Empress's voice and the Empire's silence behind you. Kill only when necessary—but watch everything."
Lady Feng reached out, took the ring, and bowed once more.
"Then it will be done."
"The Empress turned to Si Ye. 'Send out the invitations. The Grand Imperial Literature Competition will be held in one week. Make sure Lin Tian receives his scroll.'"
He blinked. "And Jiang Taizu as well?"
"Yes," the Empress said, her voice layered with hidden steel. "Let the heirs of fading lineages come and perform their tricks. Let them gather where the flame burns brightest."
She turned her gaze back to Lady Feng.
"And you… watch them all. Especially Jiang Taizu. If he is who I suspect he is… then he is not Jiang Taizu at all."
---
End of Chapter 25
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