[Yao Palace]
Golden-tiled halls vanished into black mist. Beyond the palace walls, battle cries shook the night.
Li Yan stood fully armored before the palace gate, a heavy tower shield in hand, eyes cold as iron.
"Fall back!" he growled, shoving a guard who'd been forced onto the steps behind him. Li Yan stepped forward instead, and his shield slammed down with a thunderous boom.
The frenzied citizens crashed into it and were stopped dead. They howled like beasts, but not a single one crossed the line.
In the firelight, Li Yan looked like a steel tower. Unmovable. Unshakable.
He barked to the palace attendants behind him, voice low and brutal:
"If the Yao Palace falls, all of Yaodu falls into chaos! No one retreats!"
Morale inside and outside the walls tightened around him. Li Yan became a wall the night could not bend, guarding the palace like an oath made of metal.
[Yaodu · The Workshop]
Elsewhere, the workshop rang with splintering wood and clashing steel.
Lin Lie gripped his long staff. Gears in a silver ring mechanism whirred, clang-clang reverberating as he drove back the intruding madmen one by one.
"Ah-Lie!" Ding Yuxuan stumbled out from behind a machine, panic flooding her eyes. "My father… my brothers… what if they…"
Before she could finish, another crazed attacker lunged with a blade. Lin Lie yanked her behind him, the staff spinning hard. The iron ring snapped open with a sharp bang, sending the attacker flying.
"Focus on what's in front of us!" Lin Lie cut in, voice cold, anxiety tightly leashed behind his eyes.
He drew Ding Yuxuan close, shielding her with his body. His tone stayed sharp, but the promise inside it was unyielding.
"I'm here. No one touches you."
Ding Yuxuan bit her lip, tears trembling at the rim of her eyes, and forced herself to nod. Her heart still screamed for her family, but the weight of his protection pressed warm and steady against her trembling breath.
Firelight flickered across steel. The workshop rang with relentless impacts. Lin Lie fought with one hand and kept hold of her with the other, determined to drag her out of the raging current of madness.
[Yaodu · The Yao Estate]
Torches blazed inside and outside the Yao Estate. Yao soldiers formed ranks like an iron wall, guiding terrified citizens into shelter. From far beyond the walls came deafening cries and the rolling surge of fog, heavy enough to make the heart sink.
The gate burst open again. A group staggered in.
At the front, a young man in plain clothes, blood at his brow, still moved with frightening calm.
"Get the wounded into the inner hall!" Sang Qi ordered. He flung several medicine pouches in quick succession, forcing back the crazed townsfolk that followed.
The Li household elders and children were rushed inside, faces white as paper. Li's father looked at this stranger with a complicated stare, then lowered his voice at last:
"…Young man… I won't forget this debt."
Sang Qi only flicked a hand dismissively, then turned to guard Ding Furong, whose breath was ragged, and led her deeper into the estate.
There was no time to rest. Footsteps pounded again.
Cangyuan arrived with Xie Wenyun. Dust and blood stained his plain robes, but his arm still kept her tightly protected at his side.
Xie Wenyun lifted her gaze at the courtyard packed with shaken refugees, her expression wavering. She stepped forward to offer gentle reassurance.
Cangyuan drew her in with a quiet arm and murmured, "Don't force yourself. I'm here."
His voice was light, but his eyes held nothing but care.
Then from the workshop direction came a heavy crash. The gate shuddered. A young man braced on a staff and strode in, coated in ash and grit, eyes sharp and cold.
Lin Lie half-dragged, half-held Ding Yuxuan into the crowd's protection, then finally let out a long breath.
"We're safe here… for now," he murmured. But his hand never loosened on the staff.
The three men reached the inner hall almost at once and exchanged a brief, unwavering look.
Wood Yao. Metal Yao. Water Yao.
All gathered here.
Outside, the killing still hadn't stopped. Li Yan held the Yao Palace. Luo Ye was still out in the city, searching for Ling Dang.
In the chaos of Yaodu, the Yao Estate had become the last fortress.
Lin Lie supported Ding Yuxuan, his face dark. She had choked out, "My family is still out there," and Lin Lie had slammed a steady hand onto her shoulder.
"I'll go."
He hadn't even taken a step before frantic footfalls exploded at the gate.
"Move! Faster!"
Firelight flared as a group stumbled into the estate. At the lead was Ding Yuhao, dust-caked, cradling a child in his arms. Behind him, three older brothers and their wives shepherded more children, supporting an elderly man with snow-white hair.
Ding Yuxuan's father.
"Brother!" Ding Yuxuan froze, then sprinted forward.
The moment Ding Yuhao saw her, his eyes reddened. He shoved the child into his sister-in-law's arms and gripped Ding Yuxuan's hands hard.
"Little sister! Thank the heavens you're safe…"
Ding's father panted, yet forced himself upright. His voice was hoarse.
"We heard the city had fallen into chaos and came straight here… good. Good. You're all here."
Ding Yuxuan's tears broke loose. She fell into her father's arms, shaking.
"Father… I thought… I'd never see you again…"
To the side, Lin Lie, who'd been ready to storm back into the city, finally slowed. He watched in silence as the tight cord in his chest loosened.
Ding Yuhao lifted his eyes to him, expression tightening with fatigue and appraisal.
"You… are Lin Lie?"
The words were steady despite exhaustion. "My sister… she mentioned you often in her letters."
Lin Lie paused, eyes flickering once before snapping back into calm. He inclined his head.
"I am Lin Lie. Protecting Yuxuan is simply what I must do."
The Ding brothers exchanged a look. Something in their gaze shifted.
In a world on fire, protection spoke louder than any speech.
[Yao Estate · Side Corridor]
After the refugees were settled, the noise began to ebb.
Ding Yuhao approached Lin Lie, still clutching a blood-stained sleeve in his fist.
"Earlier… thank you for shielding my sister."
His voice was low, careful, the measured weight of an older brother.
Lin Lie's expression didn't change. He simply nodded.
"She is the one I should protect."
Ding Yuhao studied him a long moment, a complicated emotion passing through his eyes.
"My sister is too straightforward," he said quietly. "If there truly is someone who can let her rest easy in this chaos… that is what we've hoped for."
Then his tone turned heavier, cautious as a drawn blade.
"But Ding sons and daughters do not entrust their hearts to someone whose will is unsteady."
Lin Lie lowered his gaze, fingers brushing the end of his staff.
"I'm not good with words," he said. "But once I give my word, I keep it. As long as I have breath, I will not allow anyone to harm her. Not even a hair."
Ding Yuhao's eyes widened slightly. A hint of relief surfaced, though pride refused to fully yield.
"Hmph. Nice words," he muttered. "If you can live up to them, I'll sleep easier."
Lin Lie lifted his eyes, meeting him without flinching.
"Time will prove it."
The air tightened between them until Ding Yuxuan came running, eyes red, grabbing both their hands in a half-crying, half-laughing plea:
"Brother, Ah-Lie… can you not argue at a time like this?"
Ding Yuhao and Lin Lie looked at each other, and finally fell silent.
In this night of upheaval, they both understood:
that promise would be tested by blood and fire.
Torchlight swayed. People gradually settled.
In a brief pause while Lin Lie and Ding Yuhao held each other's gaze, a familiar voice rang out:
"Fourth Young Master Ding, are you alright?"
Xie Wenyun hurried forward, sleeves gathered, worry clear in her eyes.
Ding Yuhao blinked, startled, then warmth rose through his expression.
"Miss Xie… why are you here?"
At that moment, Cangyuan arrived behind her, calm as ever, a familiar hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Lin Lie. Long time no see."
Lin Lie's staff paused. In his cold gaze, something unexpectedly softened.
"Cangyuan."
Their eyes met briefly, as if years of unspoken history overlapped in a single heartbeat.
The chaos outside had quieted slightly. Cangyuan stepped forward with Xie Wenyun. A proud, gentle smile tugged at his lips as he slid an arm lightly around her shoulders.
"Lin Lie, let me introduce someone."
His voice carried a rare warmth, a rare pride.
"This is my wife, Xie Wenyun."
Xie Wenyun dipped into a graceful bow, smiling. "Young Master Lin. I've heard much about you."
Lin Lie blinked, eyes lingering on them, especially on the joy Cangyuan couldn't quite conceal. He lifted a brow, and for once, a teasing note slipped into his voice.
"Wife? You got married?"
Then, dry as a blade edge: "I thought you'd stay single your whole life."
Xie Wenyun covered her mouth, laughing softly. Cangyuan only laughed outright.
"If I hadn't met her, perhaps you'd be right."
He turned to Xie Wenyun, gaze steady with tenderness. "But now… there's only her in my heart. No room for anyone else."
Lin Lie's expression shifted. He stopped teasing, then nodded once, quietly.
He understood: the Water Yao who once wore smiles like mist had finally anchored his heart.
The softness hadn't even faded when Lin Lie stepped forward, calm eyes sharpening.
"In that case…"
He turned slightly and slid an arm around the young woman beside him.
"I should introduce someone as well."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word landed like struck iron.
"My fiancée, Ding Yuxuan."
The hall went still.
Ding Yuxuan's face flared red. Her fingers knotted in her sleeve as she stared at Lin Lie, trying to protest, but not a single word came out.
"Fi… fiancée?" Ding Yuhao snapped back to himself, eyes darting between them, shock and complexity colliding.
The Ding brothers and sisters-in-law stared, stunned. For a moment, even the air seemed to freeze.
Cangyuan arched a brow, amused. "Oh? Lin Lie, you hid that well. So not only did I bring a wife, you're not far behind."
Xie Wenyun smiled gently, saving Ding Yuxuan from drowning in embarrassment. "Miss Ding… congratulations."
Ding Yuhao's voice dropped, serious. "Lin Lie. Is that true?"
Lin Lie met his gaze, steady and cold.
"Every word."
He tightened his grip on Ding Yuxuan's hand, voice firm.
"She is the one I will protect in this life… and the one I swear I will marry."
Ding Yuxuan's eyes burned hot. Shyness and gratitude twisted together in her chest.
In the inner court, that single word, "fiancée," sent ripples through the night.
In an age of chaos, two pairs of hearts had still chosen each other under fire.
Battle sounds still rumbled in the distance, but the inner hall warmed with reunion.
Ding Yuhao suddenly remembered something and smiled toward Xie Wenyun.
"Miss Xie, do you remember that little trinket you once saw? The spinning top that could turn on its own?"
He glanced toward his sister, pride flickering in his voice. "My little sister made it."
Xie Wenyun's eyes lit up. She stepped forward and took Ding Yuxuan's hand, delighted.
"It was you? I remember that top so small and exquisite. The moment I saw it, I thought its maker must have a quick, clever mind. I never imagined it was something you crafted yourself!"
Ding Yuxuan blushed under her praise but couldn't help smiling back.
"It was just something I tried on a whim… I didn't expect you'd like it, Sister Xie."
They began talking animatedly about mechanisms and small clever toys, excitement and admiration softening the tension that had clenched everyone's nerves.
Cangyuan watched, smiling faintly, then turned to Lin Lie, his gaze sharpening.
"Lin Lie. Why did the people suddenly go mad like this?"
Lin Lie's brow furrowed. His voice dropped.
"I've been in the workshop. I know little of what happened in the streets…"
He shook his head, doubt and unease impossible to hide.
At that moment, Sang Qi strode in from outside, face grave, hands still dusted with medicinal powder.
"At the herb shed, I overheard a man and a woman talking."
He looked around the hall, voice heavy as stone.
"The one behind all of this… is Ling Shuo."
"Ling Shuo?!" everyone blurted.
Sang Qi nodded, disbelief and anger tightening his features.
"They called him the Young Lord of Xiling City. But I don't understand why he'd do this. To manipulate the people into madness… he's trying to drown Yaodu in blood."
When Sang Qi finished, the room went so quiet a pin could drop.
Cangyuan's face darkened. Water-like calm churned beneath his eyes.
"Ling Shuo…" he said softly, fury and something harder tangled together.
"To use the people as pieces… can he still be called human?"
Lin Lie's fist clenched, knuckles whitening. His other hand shifted instinctively toward his weapon, voice squeezing out between his teeth:
"If it's truly him… I won't stand by."
Xie Wenyun's brows knit. Her voice trembled.
"I've heard of Ling Shuo… but isn't he Xiling's young lord? How could he… how could he do something like this?"
Her gaze slid to Cangyuan, searching for an answer in his eyes.
Ding Yuxuan stood frozen, heart hammering, her fingers tightening around Xie Wenyun's hand.
Sang Qi's jaw tightened, face iron.
"I don't care who he is. If because of him thousands bleed, then he deserves to die."
The air turned heavy, war and fire settling like stone in every chest.
Then hurried footsteps crashed at the door.
Bang!
The door flew open. Luo Ye stormed in, face urgent, sweat still clinging to his brow. He was burning from the inside out, rage and panic barely caged.
"I can't find Ling Dang! I searched the inn and half of Yaodu. The streets are full of madmen, but she's nowhere. Nowhere!"
His eyes swept the room, sharp enough to cut. His fist clenched until his joints went pale.
"Ling Shuo took her. It has to be him!"
"Luo Ye…" Cangyuan started, steady, ready to calm him.
But Luo Ye was already boiling, his eyes reddening.
"I never trusted him. He showed up too conveniently, calling himself a survivor from Xiling, claiming he fled after the Rift Yao destroyed the city. But how could he gather 'righteous men' so quickly?"
He slammed a fist into a pillar. The sound cracked through the hall. His voice dropped, shaking with fury.
"I knew it. He was never some savior."
Sang Qi's voice came in hard and low.
"You're right. He's the one who started this."
Luo Ye whipped around, eyes bloodshot.
"What?!"
Lin Lie's tone was cold as iron.
"Sang Qi overheard it outside the herb shed. Ling Shuo is the one controlling the people."
Luo Ye's whole body jolted. His chest heaved. Then his teeth ground, his voice turning hoarse and absolute.
"If it's truly him… I will drag Ling Dang back with my own hands."
The inner hall fell silent again.
Only the distant drums and the cries of battle remained, louder than ever in the night.