Shen Yuhuan stepped lightly over the uneven stones, her heart racing in her chest. The alley she slipped into was narrow, veiled by hanging lanterns and the scent of old incense that clung to the ancient walls.
It was a secluded corner just off the main market square—quiet, almost forgotten by time. The bustle of Xingzhou City faded behind her, replaced by silence that rang too loud.
She glanced over her shoulder. No footsteps. No shadows. Just her and the weight of what she was walking into.
She'd followed the instructions on the slip of paper tucked inside her sleeve. It had been handed to her hours ago, during that "accidental" bump with the stranger in black.
His touch had been fleeting, the note folded so precisely that it disappeared into her hand like sleight of hand. Only after she'd ducked into the washroom had she read it.
You're being followed. If you want answers, go to the place where sunlight never reaches. Come alone.
It had been madness to trust it.
And yet… she was here.
His touch had been fleeting, the note folded so precisely that it disappeared into her hand like sleight of hand. Only after she'd ducked into the washroom had she read it.
You're being followed. If you want answers, go to the place where sunlight never reaches. Come alone.
It had been madness to trust it.
And yet… she was here.
The Moon Pavilion - A place that only came alive after dusk and disappeared with the first breath of dawn. Famous across Xingzhou for its nightlife—a riot of lights, colors, and sound.
The air was thick with the scent of roasted chestnuts, caramel sweets, and incense. Crowds moved in waves, laughter and music echoing through narrow, lantern-lit alleys.
Magicians were performing tricks, dancers were spinning through petals, and vendors were shouting above it all, selling everything from fortune slips to fried chickens on sticks.
But Shen Yuhuan wasn't in the heart of it.
She had slipped past the throngs, walked behind the booths and puppet stages, and down an unmarked alley that curved away from the lights. Now, she emerged into a small, dim courtyard at the edge of the Pavilion—cut off from the revelry by stone walls and ivy-choked gates.
Here, the sounds of the carnival barely reached.
Moss covered the stones beneath her feet, cool and damp under the faint lantern light. At the far end stood a crumbling temple ruin, its roof partially caved in, and beside it loomed a half-broken guardian lion statue—its face worn smooth with age, eyes hollowed out by time.
The air was different here.
She waited.
Ten seconds passed. Then thirty. Her eyes scanned the corners.
Nothing.
She was just about to curse herself for being stupid—so stupid—when a voice broke the silence.
"I thought you won't come, Miss Shen."
Shen Yuhuan spun around, heart leaping into her throat.
A man stood in the shadow of the archway behind her.
He wasn't dressed like a threat—just a plain shirt and coat, slacks, no visible weapon. But it was him. The man who had bumped into her earlier. She remembered the quiet urgency in his eyes. And now, seeing him again, her fear mixed with something colder.
Recognition.
"You…" she said, voice barely above a whisper. "You gave me that note."
He nodded once, not moving closer.
"You said I was being followed," she continued, her voice firmer now. "Who are you? Who's following me?"
The man hesitated. His expression didn't change, but something in his gaze sharpened—as if weighing what to reveal.
"I can't tell you that," he said, finally.
Her fists clenched. "You dragged me all the way out here just to say that?"
"I didn't drag you. I gave you a choice," he replied calmly. "And you made it."
Shen Yuhuan took a step forward, tension radiating from every inch of her. "Then at least tell me who you are."
"I'm no one important," he said. "Just a messenger."
"For who?"
He hesitated again. "My boss."
She narrowed her eyes. "Your boss? And who is your boss? How does he know me?"
The man's lips twitched faintly. "I can't answer that. My instructions were clear. If Shen Yuhuan, which is you, or your niece, Shen Fuyue ever step foot in Xingzhou City, I was to give them this."
He reached into his coat and pulled something out—small, metallic. The object gleamed under the faint moonlight filtering through the broken arch above.
He stepped forward and placed it in her palm.
A key.
Cold, heavy. Ancient.
Shen Yuhuan looked down at it. It wasn't like any key she'd seen before. Its teeth were jagged, uneven, as if it belonged to a lock long forgotten. Along the shaft was a single engraving—a thin line of script winding around the metal like a serpent.
She held it up, trying to read it. The letters were stylized, worn with time, but still legible:
"Find the sky that holds no light,
Where silver, moon and stars unite."
A riddle.
Her breath hitched. "What does this open?"
The man stepped back. "I don't know."
"Don't give me that," she snapped, anger rising now. "You hand me some ancient key, say someone's following me, and now you expect me to just—what? Solve a puzzle and hope I don't get killed?"
He looked at her, and for the first time, she saw something flicker in his eyes. Not fear. Not guilt.
Regret.
"I can't say more," he said quietly. "Even this much is breaking the rules. I wasn't supposed to speak to you. Only deliver the key."
"Then who set the rules?" she demanded. "Who's your boss?"
But before the words left her mouth, he was already turning away.
"Wait—!" Shen Yuhuan moved to follow him.
He was gone.
Like a ghost.
No footsteps. No echo. The archway stood empty, as if no one had ever been there.
Her breath caught in her throat as she turned in slow disbelief. The silence pressed in again, louder this time.
Only the key remained.
She looked at it, heart still thudding. The riddle on it whispered to her now like a secret voice:
Find the sky that holds no light...
What did it mean?
Is it some hidden place? Underground, maybe? Somewhere there is no sky? or light?
The possibilities spiraled through her mind. She felt like she was holding a doorway—one she hadn't even known existed until now.
But the part that unsettled her the most wasn't the riddle.
It was the name he'd spoken.
Shen Fuyue.
Why would a complete stranger, living in a different city, be waiting for either of them?
What did they want with her? Or were they waiting for Fuyue?
She clutched the key tighter, feeling its edges bite into her palm.
She had come to find that man—Xia Yunjin.
That bastard who had promised to protect Fuyue. For whom Fuyue meant everything. Yet, she wasn't able to reach him, nor any of his contacts. Instead, she ended up with a new riddle.
But one thing was certain: whatever this was, it was connected to Fuyue.
And either way, there was no going back now.
Not until she found the answers.