Chapter 15

Yun Huan’s fur stood on end all the way to the tip of her tail…

Chu Tingyan deliberately avoided looking at Yun Huan’s ears.

Those golden ears that didn’t belong to a human were still waving proudly atop her head. The broad ear contours swayed slightly, with each strand of fur clearly visible. Other than that, there were no other abnormalities throughout her body.

It was likely due to the Jade Tablet. The North Cloud Sect emphasized mutual protection and assistance, strictly forbidding fellow disciples from crossing blades when outside. With two Jade Tablets recognizing each other, they would no longer repel one another, causing Yun Huan’s disguise through the Jade Tablet to naturally become ineffective before him.

Seeing him dazed, Yun Huan tilted her head and asked, What’s wrong?

The distance was too close, and those ears once again caught Chu Tingyan’s eyes. Their warm color danced like rare flames in autumn.

He still remembered the sensation from that day – the soft ears seemed to have crashed into his palm, both supple and resilient, carrying body warmth. The exceptionally long tuft of fur at the tip had tickled his palm, making him almost afraid to apply pressure.

Chu Tingyan averted his gaze and said, It’s nothing.

Yun Huan didn’t believe him. Judging by his expression, it clearly wasn’t nothing. She waved her hand in front of Chu Tingyan’s face. Then why are you spacing out?

The girl’s slender fingers passed before his eyes, her nail tips like spring onions. Chu Tingyan lowered his gaze.

If it’s because of what happened that day… he heard himself say, there’s really no need. I’ve truly forgotten everything.

What are you talking about! Yun Huan’s cheeks puffed up in anger. Do you think I don’t trust you?

You’re not that kind of person, but am I that kind of person? If I say I trust you, then I trust you. I don’t do suspicious things. I’m giving you this not for any other reason, but simply as a token of my heart. The girl’s fierce voice rang in his ears. Chu Tingyan was slightly taken aback, bending slightly according to her wish to clearly see what was before him.

A token of her heart… So her actions that day really weren’t because she was worried he might talk?

A gleaming bronze Amulet lay in his palm.

Yun Huan had placed two cat hairs inside it, capable of blocking a full-force attack. The Imperial Guards served as palace guards, dispatched by the Crown Prince, and would also go to battle. A peace-protecting Amulet was quite appropriate, serving as a farewell gift too.

It wasn’t valuable anyway – the importance lay in the sentiment. She didn’t understand why Li Yan was suddenly refusing. When companions who had served together in the same palace were transferred before, she would prepare gifts for them too.

Here, take it, Yun Huan said.

Li Yan indeed didn’t refuse again. His slender fingers closed, making the Amulet appear even more delicate. He said solemnly, Thank you.

You’re welcome, Yun Huan waved her hand. I’m on duty today, I should get going!

It was late autumn, withered leaves falling desolately from the branches. A fiery red maple leaf, blown by the wind, brushed crookedly past her hair. Yun Huan casually adjusted her hair without looking back.

Chu Tingyan watched her leave, then bent down to pick up that red leaf, holding it in his palm and gazing at it for a long while.

*

Back already? The person before her greeted with a smile.

Yun Huan focused her gaze for a moment – blue upper garment with cyan lower, the uniform of a second-class palace maid. The person before her was particularly tall, with a deep jade bracelet on her wrist – that would be Yulan from the East Side Hall.

Yulan, she greeted with a smile.

Feeling better? If you’re unwell, remember to tell me, the other party expressed concern.

Long since recovered. I’m not made of water that would melt at the slightest touch, Yun Huan laughed. Thank you.

You’re more delicate than water, Yulan pinched her pink-white cheek, as if molded from snow, with such beauty and such a sweet temperament.

Of course!

Yun Huan might be modest about other compliments, but never about her appearance. She giggled and lifted her face to nuzzle against Yulan’s hand.

Yulan was older than the other palace maids and treated them all like younger sisters, naturally patting her head: With your excellent qualities and appearance, if you were willing to serve inside the main hall, you’d have been promoted to first-rank maid long ago.

Yun Huan smiled without responding.

If this were the previous dynasty, I wouldn’t advise you; but now it’s different from before, and His Majesty isn’t of licentious character. What are you worried about? Yulan continued, Not to mention anything else, a first-rank maid earns significantly more per year. With the additional rewards, you could save a substantial sum—enough to buy three extra houses after leaving the palace. Both Her Majesty the Empress and Mo Gugu are kind, so you needn’t worry about them refusing to let you leave the palace.

It seemed the palace was truly short-handed these days. The west side hall, the east side hall… even Mo Gugu from the main hall had subtly hinted through Bi Tao. Yun Huan almost felt like she was highly sought after.

But then again, after years of turmoil in the palace, things had only stabilized last year. With the release of overaged maids and new recruits not yet fully trained, experienced hands like her at the right age were indeed hard to find.

If you wanted to leave the palace early, Mo Gugu definitely wouldn’t refuse; since you’re still here, why not earn more money for yourself? Yulan kept persuading her.

Three houses—that was indeed very tempting.

Yun Huan shook her head firmly, making up an excuse: Better not. I can’t recognize people’s faces well. What if I offended a master while serving in the main hall?

… Yulan was aware of this peculiarity and sighed, There’s no helping that, I suppose. Fine, staying outside the hall is good too.

Yun Huan nodded.

Yulan: –Confess, did you recognize me today?

Without changing expression, Yun Huan quickly replied: Hehe. Of course! You’re the prettiest!

Hehe.

Another day successfully navigated by a prosopagnosia sufferer.

On the full moon day, a perfectly round moon hung clear and bright at the horizon, casting the entire world in a layer of gentle, silvery radiance.

Today was a good day for an adventure in the Imperial Treasury.

A small cat swiftly slipped from the shadows of upturned eaves into the Imperial Treasury.

Only two ingredients remained: Vermilion Bird Beak and Vortex Tortoise Armor.

During the military chaos of the previous dynasty, she had taken advantage of the confusion to sneak into the Imperial Treasury. She wondered if, after a year, the treasury’s collection had grown richer.

With the new dynasty recently established and the world united in support, national strength was much greater than in the previous dynasty. Rumor had it the Crown Prince had been at the front lines in Shu—a land abundant with rare treasures. Perhaps these items were among the spoils of war. Yun Huan slipped silently indoors, her tail playfully swishing twice behind her.

The current Imperial Treasury was clearly incomparable to the chaotic times before. Curved rooms and hidden chambers were all neatly maintained, the floors spotless. Cabinets and chests made of heavy wood were arranged in orderly rows, towering like walls and aligned like comb teeth, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Many treasures needed protection from light, so the treasury had no windows, and the cabinet doors were tightly shut. Yun Huan turned her head, trying to first read the labels on the cabinet doors.

Her paw pads made a very soft sound as they touched the ground.

Wait!

Yun Huan’s ears twitched, her long whiskers lifting upward.

Apart from the sound of her paw pads, there was actually another noise coming from deep within the Imperial Treasury.

It was the sound of breathing suppressed by internal energy, so slow in rhythm that only masters of profound skill could achieve—and there was more than one.

The breaths were extremely faint and deliberate. These masters possessed astonishing patience. They had been waiting in the darkness for who knew how long, not even shifting their grip on their weapons once.

Who were they waiting for?

Or rather, in this game of mantis stalking the cicada unaware of the oriole behind, who was truly lying in wait for whom tonight?

Yun Huan inwardly cursed her luck—she had come at the wrong time.

She was neither the oriole nor the cicada, just a stray kitten that had stumbled into the scene. Big shots, feel free to fight all you want, but please don’t drag me into it!

Turning to flee now would only arouse more suspicion. Better to pretend to be an ordinary stray cat. Alert, Yun Huan leaped onto a roof beam, widened her eyes, and prepared to seize an opportunity to escape.

Then, another person arrived.

Clad in black night-walking attire, the newcomer seemed accustomed to moving through the ink-like darkness. His features and build were indiscernible.

Without glancing around, he deftly twisted open the padlock outside the door, slipped inside, and moved skillfully along a winding narrow passage. Rows of dark, indistinguishable cabinets stood closely packed, yet he advanced without hesitation, heading straight for one particular cabinet.

If this person wasn’t from the palace, he must have had a map provided by an insider.

Yun Huan held her breath.

With a creak, the cabinet door swung open. Inside was empty except for a small box.

At that very moment—

The cabinet door turned out to be a trap. As soon as he reached out, several pitch-black arrows shot toward his face with a sharp whistle.

The man reacted swiftly, immediately attempting to escape, but the group lying in ambush emerged from nowhere like phantoms in the dead of night.

“Who… who are you people?”

Chu Tingyan didn’t answer. With a slight lift of his hand, he gave a crisp signal, and the ten men behind him moved simultaneously!

The man roared, channeling his internal energy. A fierce gleam flashed in his eyes, and his night-walking attire tore apart, revealing a slick, pudgy, round face.

It was the Fat Eunuch from the Imperial Kitchen!

In mere moments, blades had clashed dozens of times, emitting a grating sound. Yun Huan’s pupils contracted sharply. In terms of raw strength, the Fat Eunuch was no match for the guards who had lain in wait. But while the guards were ordinary mortals, the Fat Eunuch—though mortal himself—possessed two magical artifacts from the Demon Clan. For a short while, he held his own against ten opponents, and a brief stalemate ensued.

With the area below now a battlefield, even the slightest movement from Yun Huan would draw attention. She had no choice but to remain crouched in place, hoping no one would suddenly decide to leap onto the beam.

The Fat Eunuch pulled a fire starter from his chest, blew on it fiercely, and hurled it into the distance. Then, shrinking his frame, he tried to flee in the opposite direction.

Finally, Chu Tingyan moved.

He drew his sword with a sharp, clear ring, its blade gleaming like snow.

The sword traced an arc through the air, humming softly. Casually, he flicked the blade with his finger, narrowed his eyes, and leaped into the air. With a single slash, he cleanly sent the ball of fire flying back toward the Fat Eunuch.

The fire seemed to conceal some talismans, but suppressed by the sword’s pure, balanced radiance, they failed to activate. Instead, the flames engulfed the Fat Eunuch, who let out an inhuman shriek of agony.

“I’ve always despised those who collude with the Demon Clan,” Chu Tingyan said, his tone tinged with weariness, though his movements remained lethally precise. Each strike of his sword was fiercer than the last, the gleaming blade weaving an impenetrable net that trapped the Fat Eunuch within. No matter how he struggled or charged, he couldn’t break free.

The Fat Eunuch gritted his teeth as if making some resolution, pulling a pitch-black object from his sleeve. Just as he was about to press it downward, Chu Tingyan redirected his sword and swiftly severed the eunuch’s wrist in one clean motion!

It was an exceptionally elegant strike—swift and precise, executed within a single breath. The redirection was so rapid that the eye could hardly track its trajectory. The severed hand, still clutching the object, flew several steps away amid a spray of blood droplets before being retrieved by a guard and placed into a Cosmos Sack.

You… don’t you want to lure the snake out of its hole? The eunuch was utterly astonished, never expecting that his opponents had no intention of keeping him alive for interrogation or uncovering the mastermind behind the plot. The moment he produced the object, they had immediately resorted to a lethal move.

Who said I wanted to keep you alive? With the object secured, Chu Tingyan wasted no more words. Even if luring out the snake was the goal, this eunuch before him was hardly worthy.

Having already exercised patience for far too long, he retracted the intricate sword techniques used for baiting and delivered a simple, yet preemptive strike across the Fat Eunuch’s throat.

The eunuch’s face still bore a look of shock as he collapsed with a heavy thud. A few droplets of blood splattered onto Chu Tingyan’s face. His sharp features and imposing brows, set against an expression as calm as still water, made the bloodstains appear like eerie crimson moles.

He flicked the blood off his blade and commanded without turning his head, Clean this up.

Yes, several voices responded in unison as they methodically lit a fire starter and ignited an oil lamp.

Yun Huan could now clearly see their attire: black robes and Dark Armor, golden belts at their waists—the imperial capital guards, the Golden Guard.

She rarely encountered the Golden Guard even within the palace. Tasked with patrolling the capital, they could only be mobilized by the Emperor’s direct order. Who, then, was their leader?

Your Highness, the Crown Prince, someone approached, holding the Cosmos Sack, How should we handle the Magical artifact inside the sack?

This was the Crown Prince?! Yun Huan was so startled her tail stood straight up.

When had the Crown Prince returned to the capital?

Keep it, Chu Tingyan replied, For bait.

He reached for a small box from the cabinet and opened it for a glance. The Fat Eunuch had lost his life over it, yet he had failed to take the box with him.

This is the Vermilion Bird Beak they were after.

With a snap, the Crown Prince closed the box, his sharp gaze level and direct, accurately aimed toward the rafters above.

Yun Huan’s fur bristled all the way to the tip of her tail.

It seemed… the Crown Prince had spotted her.

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