The torches outside the Lin manor gates burned low that night, their flames wavering against the mist that still clung to the mountain tops. The air outside smelled faintly of iron—blood, rather than that heavenly cherry blossom—like the blood that refused to wash away even after the heavy rain.
Lin Yuehan walked down the long corridor in silence. Her boots made no sound, yet each step seemed to echo. The bandages beneath her sleeves itched faintly where the poison had burned through her veins. She should have felt relief that the test was over, that the new disciples were safe… yet all she could see, every time she closed her eyes, was the moment that woman—that new girl—being stabbed by that vixen. How blood splattered out— that look in her eyes, when she stabbed the vixen's throat.
There was no hesitation. No mercy.
Only that raw, ruthless precision that belonged to people who had lived through hell, where hesitation meant death.
The heavy cedar door slid shut, sealing Lin Yuehan inside the Matriarch's private study. She drew in a slow yet a heavy breath, before she closed the gap between her and her grandmother.
Inside, the Matriarch was alone. Her white hair, pinned high, glowed faintly under the lantern light. Ink and sandalwood filled the air. She didn't lift her head when Yuehan knelt.
" it's late…" matriarch said softly, although her voice was not that approachable. " You should be resting, general…"
Yuehan bowed in respect, her movements precise but perhaps a fraction stiffer than usual. " The poison's gone…" Yuehan murmured. " I thought you'd want me to report before the night pass…" her voice became clear and uptight this time, just like the general she is.
Only then did the old woman looked up. Her eyes—dark as storm, sharp enough to pierce through pretense—studied her granddaughter's face.
"Are you harmed?" the Matriarch asked, her voice tight, skipping the usual formalities.
"Just a minor graze—Grandmother. The poison was neutralized quickly." She downplayed it, the pride of the Lotus General refused to show weakness.
The Matriarch's eyes didn't leave her granddaughter's shoulder. "Minor? Lihue's Antidote Decoction's brewing in the kitchen. You will drink it before you sleep." Her words didn't meant a suggestion. "Now….Report. What happened?"
" The mission in Qinghei proceeded as initially planned, sect leader…." Yuehan began, her voice regaining it's formal clip. "However, the simulation was altered, half way through…."
The Matriarch's eyes narrowed. "altered? How?"
"My illusion array was overridden. Someone had forced a reversal in it's projection flow— making the illusion to come to life….. This technique— I've never seen any like this before."
Matriarch's paint brush stilled in the mid air.
" Forced?? So you couldn't dispel it?..."
" Yes… I tried but— couldn't. The force was…. likely Inverted. A grade seven Vixen demon, highly skilled in poisons and illusionary arts, materialized within the scenario. All disciples, save one were incapacitated by a fast-acting soporific agent before hostilities even began…." Yuehan's voice was clear as day, but her expression didn't quite add up.
"Grade seven?" The Matriarch leaned forward, her composure cracking slightly. " if your flow was reversed— then whoever did this, must knew how to read the flow itself. Only someone with perfect awareness of Lin clan's qi techniques can do such a thing…."
" And that suggest one thing—" Yuehan's voice became tighter with each passing word.
Matriarch's gaze hardened. " The person should be an insider---"
The silence that followed was tensed. Matriarch's hands tightened into a fists on the desk. "A traitor in blood— attacking my own….Unacceptable!--- This confirms our fears. The rot runs deeper than we thought….."
"That explains how they operate this close to the mountain--"
" So that means, general—the han clan's actions---"
" Might be right…. Yes. Sect leader, maybe they knew about this traitor even before we did…."
" About that vixen—"
"Her objective appeared to be assassination, sect leader…." Yuehan stated, touching her shoulder where the Vixen's blade had grazed her. "She utilized a fast-acting neurotoxin targeting key accupoint. My movements were briefly impaired." She framed it purely as a tactical issue, a momentary vulnerability exploited by the enemy.
Matriarch's gaze sharpened. "And the disciples?"
"Incapacitated, but unharmed. They're recovering in the infirmary," Yuehan reported. "The Vixen was… neutralized."
"Neutralized? Why can't I see her then??.."
Yuehan took a breath, trying to process the chaotic events into a coherent report. A flicker of remembered shock in her own eyes. "She was… slaughtered, Grandmother—Annihilated. Lian Zhiqiu cornered her after sustaining a poisoned dagger to her shoulder—a wound meant for me. She then… broke the dagger and used it to strike the Gate of Stillness…."
A heavy silence descended. The Matriarch stared, absorbing the implications. The Gate of Stillness. Not a move of a mere warrior, but an executioner.
"I saw her eyes when she did it," Yuehan continued, her voice dropping, almost unwillingly admitting the memory. "Her look was.… not human, absolute cold. A complete absence of hesitation. It was… terrifying. Even when she looked at me…" She looked down at her hands. "She fights like she's been wading through blood her whole life. Like killing is as natural as breathing."
The Matriarch slowly rose from her seat, robes whispering across the polished wood. The memories that had been long dead whispering just beyond the space.
" Her wound? The poison?"
Yuehan hesitated again, remembering the impossible scene. "She ripped the blade out herself. She showed… an unnatural resilience." She looked back up, her confusion in a war with the grudging admiration. "Grandmother, there's more. The initial trap—the net—she knew it was a test. She saw through my illusion..."
"She knew?" the Matriarch asked sharply.
"Yes. She mocked my methods, called them 'child's play'," Yuehan admitted, a flush rising on her cheeks. "And then, moments later, she took a poisoned blade for me." The contradiction hung in the air, a puzzle Yuehan couldn't solve.
The Matriarch sat back, tapping a finger against the dark wood. "Saw through your array. Took the blow meant for you. Resisted the toxin. Ripped the blade out. And struck the Gate of Stillness." She looked directly at Yuehan. "Does that sound like the daughter of a silk merchant?"
"No, Grandmother," Yuehan admitted quietly. "She is far more than she appears. More experienced. Perhaps… more dangerous than I initially assessed…. Perhaps—"
" Perhaps, she might be that person too? Is that what you're thinking, Yuehan?"
"If this Phantom is that ruthless, and he's tied to the Hans, then this 'Lian ZhiQiu' may not be as simple as she looks."
"Do you think it's the same person?..."
" No….Can't be… She's a…woman— I mean---" Yuehan was utterly confused. "But she fights like someone who had learned under that person…"
" So you think the phantom general can't be a woman? Is it?..."
" it's hard to think of a woman turning that evil….."
Silence fell again, deep as the night outside. " is it because, this woman— saved your life?..."
Without even herself knowing, Yuehan let out a heavy sigh.
"I don't know," she confessed. "Her actions are contradictory. Her military prowess--carefully concealed. But her skills… it's real. Frighteningly real. But believe it or not— I don't think she's as evil as that person in her heart…."
The Matriarch stood up again, walking to the window. "The Han cleanse the West. A dual-wielder appears in the East. And a mysterious girl saves my granddaughter while demonstrating the skills of a master assassin." She turned back, her face grim. "The board is becoming crowded."
" Do you think this is a ploy to gain your trust? Or something else? Perhaps— she's working for Hans?..."
Yuehan bowed her head, unable to reply " I have… no idea, grandmother…."
Her gaze softened slightly as she looked at Yuehan. "You're shaken." It wasn't a question.
Yuehan stiffened. "I'm unharmed, Grandmother."
"I didn't speak of your body," the Matriarch said gently, a rare glimpse of the grandmother beneath the leader. "This Lian Zhiqiu… she has unsettled you."
Yuehan looked away, unable to deny it.
"Good," the Matriarch said, her voice turning sharp again.
"Complacency is a general's death knell. Keep her close, Yuehan. Closer than you would an enemy. Watch her. Learn from her. Give her enough rope. Let's see what tapestry she weaves."