Mo Yan let out a cold laugh.
"Go... prepare for war."
General Han Zeyu bowed and accepted the order. Without saying another word, he turned and left.
The flames of the torches flickered inside the court, and in Mo Yan's eyes, there was only one thing left—destruction.
The first light of dawn slowly spread across the Shenmei Clan. The cold air of the night was gradually giving way to the gentle glow of morning. The sounds of birds echoed from the distant mountains.
Li Chen stirred slightly in her bed before slowly opening her eyes. She remained lying there silently for a few moments, as if all the events of the previous day were still replaying in her mind.
Softly, she called out, "Rongwei...?"
But there was no response.
She sat up and called again, "Rongwei?"
The room remained silent.
Li Chen slowly got out of bed and stood up. Just then, the door opened, and Lixuan walked inside.
Seeing her standing there, he asked, "Where are you going?"
Li Chen immediately replied, "Where is Rongwei?"
Lixuan paused for a moment, as though thinking of an answer. Then he quietly said, "He... went home. He had something he needed to take care of."
Li Chen fell silent for a few moments.
"Without telling me...?" she asked softly.
Lixuan looked away.
"Yes... he left early this morning. He said you were still asleep, so he didn't wake you."
A strange feeling settled in Li Chen's heart. Rongwei was not the type to leave without saying anything. Yet she remained silent and slowly sat back down.
Lixuan continued to watch her.
After a moment, he gently asked, "Are you alright?"
Li Chen gave a slight nod.
"Yes..."
But there was something missing from her voice, as though her mind was occupied by something else entirely.
"Master..."
she said quietly.
Lixuan's gaze fixed on her.
"Last night... Zhichen was talking about someone. Who was that Lixuan?"
For a moment, silence filled the room. Li Chen slowly turned her face toward him.
"Master..." she said softly. "Your name is Lixuan too, isn't it?"
Lixuan fell silent for a moment, but he said nothing.
Li Chen asked again, "Yesterday Rongwei was talking about whistling. He said that only the younger prince of the Lianyu Clan could whistle like that. Can you whistle too?"
Lixuan slowly looked away. "A lot of people can whistle," he replied, trying to remain calm. "That alone doesn't prove anything."
Li Chen remained quiet for a few moments before softly asking, "Are you... Lixuan, the younger prince of the Lianyu Clan?"
The moment those words left her lips, the room fell silent once again. The sound of the wind outside seemed much clearer than before.
Lixuan's fingers slowly tightened. He remained silent for several moments before finally speaking.
"You're thinking too much. I'm just Xiu."
Li Chen lowered her voice. "But whenever someone mentions Lixuan's name, you change. You become quiet, as if that name means something very important to you."
For a brief moment, Lixuan closed his eyes.
"Enough, Li Chen."
His voice had become slightly harsher than before.
But Li Chen continued, "Yesterday Zhichen was talking about him. Rongwei too. Everyone seems to think he was a good person. Then why do you become so troubled whenever you hear his name?"
Lixuan slowly looked at her. There was a strange pain hidden within his eyes, but he quickly looked away.
"Because some names..." he said quietly, "...are not just names. They are old wounds."
Li Chen fell silent.
She couldn't fully understand his words, but she could clearly feel one thing—Lixuan was hiding something very important from her.
Lixuan turned and began walking toward the door. Before opening it, however, he stopped for a moment.
"Li Chen..."
Without looking back, he said, "Sometimes... learning the truth isn't as good as it seems."
And then he left.
Li Chen remained seated there in silence for a long time. The only sound left in the room was the gentle whisper of the wind.
Slowly, she raised her hand and touched the bracelet on her wrist. When it had glowed the previous night, she had felt something strange—as though someone had protected her.
As though the bracelet shared an old connection with her, one she could no longer remember.
Li Chen slowly got out of bed and walked toward the door. A moment later, she stepped into the courtyard.
The morning light had now completely spread across the clan grounds. Voices drifted from the distance. Some soldiers were practicing, while servants carried buckets of water.
Just then, Li Chen heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Li Chen?"
It was Xiangu's voice.
Li Chen immediately lowered her head.
"Xiangu..."
"What was the younger prince of the Lianyu Clan like?"
For a moment, Xiangu became completely silent, as though he had not expected that question at all. A gentle breeze stirred his robes as his gaze slowly drifted toward the distant mountains.
He remained quiet for several moments before finally speaking.
"Perhaps... you should ask Zhichen that."
Li Chen looked slightly surprised.
"Zhichen...?"
Xiangu nodded.
"The two of them studied together. He knew him far better than I did."
His voice was calm, but there was a trace of pain hidden within it.
"Zhichen and Lixuan... they were always together. The trust they shared was something very rare to see."
Li Chen listened quietly.
Xiangu attempted a faint smile.
"If you ask Zhichen, perhaps you'll get a better answer."
Li Chen slowly nodded.
"Alright..."
But the questions in her mind only grew stronger. What was it about the name Lixuan that caused everyone's expressions to change the moment they heard it?
Li Chen slowly walked away. Her steps were light, but her heart felt heavy. She headed straight toward Zhichen's chamber.
The door was half open.
Inside, Zhichen was standing beside the window. The morning sunlight fell across his face, and the same book rested in his hand.
Li Chen spoke softly.
"Zhichen..."
Zhichen turned around.
"Li Chen?"
He closed the book.
"What brings you here?"
Li Chen slowly stepped inside.
"I... wanted to ask you something."
Zhichen nodded.
"Go ahead."
Li Chen remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking.
"The younger prince of the Lianyu Clan... Lixuan... what was he like?"
The moment she spoke that name, Zhichen's fingers slowly tightened around the book.
Silence filled the room.
He lowered his gaze.
"He..."
His voice became softer.
"He was very different."
"Everyone believed his powers were connected to darkness, but the truth was..."
"I have never met a kinder person than him."
A faint smile appeared on Zhichen's face, as though an old memory had suddenly resurfaced before his eyes.
"He laughed a lot. He helped everyone, even those who hated him."
Li Chen listened quietly.
Zhichen continued softly, "He used to whistle... beautifully. Even the birds would stop to listen when he whistled."
Li Chen's heart began to beat faster.
She hesitated before asking, "Do you think... he really died?"
Zhichen fell silent.
He gently ran his hand over the cover of the book before answering in an almost inaudible voice.
"No."
"My heart simply refuses to believe... that he could have died."
Just then, a sharp peacock cry echoed from outside.
"Kaaah—!"
Zhichen became alert instantly.
Without another word, he rushed outside.
Li Chen quickly followed behind him, moving carefully and lightly brushing her hand against the wall for guidance.
In the courtyard, the loud fluttering of wings echoed through the air. The wind seemed to stir more violently than before.
Li Chen immediately understood that a bird had arrived—and that something was wrong.
Suddenly, something fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Zhichen immediately stepped forward and picked up the letter lying there. His breath caught for a moment.
"This... is a messenger bird from the Yuzhen Clan," he said in a grave voice.
Xiangu had also arrived by then. Zhichen quickly handed the letter to him.
Li Chen stood silently nearby, listening to everything. Every breath, every word—those were the only things she could rely on.
Xiangu unfolded the letter. The faint rustle of paper broke the silence before he began reading aloud.
"I, Zhiyun, elder of the Yuzhen Clan, humbly request aid from the leader of the Shenmei Clan. Mo Yan has launched an attack upon us. We urgently require your army's assistance."
As Xiangu continued reading, the tone of his voice gradually changed. It became heavier... harder.
Li Chen could feel the atmosphere suddenly turn cold, as though everyone had fallen silent at once.
"What happened?" she asked quietly. "Why have you all become so silent?"
This time, Zhichen's voice was harsher than before.
"Mo Yan has attacked the Yuzhen Clan."
Li Chen's heart began pounding.
She didn't fully understand everything, but she could clearly sense the danger.
Immediately, she turned and ran.
"Master! Master!"
Lixuan arrived beside her at once. Even from the sound of his footsteps, Li Chen could tell it was him.
"What happened?" he asked.
Trying to catch her breath, Li Chen quickly explained everything.
The moment he heard it, Lixuan fell silent. His breathing became heavier, and his fist slowly tightened.
"Mo Yan..."
he murmured quietly.
Without wasting another moment, he walked straight toward Xiangu.
"Leader... I want to come as well."
Zhichen immediately objected.
"No. You won't."
But Xiangu stopped him.
"Zhichen... he has helped us before. And Mo Yan possesses the Yin Mo Ji. The more warriors we have, the better."
Zhichen fell silent, though his breathing remained tense.
At that moment, Li Chen slowly approached them. She reached out and lightly grasped the edge of Lixuan's sleeve so she could tell where he was standing.
"Master... I want to come too."
Lixuan immediately refused.
"No. You're not going."
"It's far too dangerous there."
But Li Chen softly replied, "I'll be scared staying here alone as well. Rongwei isn't here either. Please... take me with you."
Lixuan remained silent for several moments before letting out a deep sigh.
"Fine."
His voice became firm.
"But on one condition—you will not go anywhere near the battlefield."
Li Chen immediately nodded.
"Alright, Master."
By the time the army reached the gates of the Yuzhen Clan, the battle had already begun.
The massive gates were half-destroyed. The sounds of clashing swords echoed from within, while clouds of dust swirled through the air.
The moment Xiangu, Zhichen, and Lixuan entered, the scene of war unfolded before them.
In the center of the battlefield, Princess Lanxin was kneeling on the ground, and General Han Zeyu's sword rested against her throat.
Not far away, Jinhai and Zhiyun were fighting with all their strength. Their steps staggered from exhaustion, yet neither of them stopped.
"Enough... no more."
Zhichen spoke quietly.
The next moment, all three of them charged directly into the battle.
The instant they joined the fight, everything changed.
The speed of the swords increased, and the battle that had been one-sided quickly became evenly matched.
Watching from a distance, Mo Yan smiled faintly.
"So, you've finally arrived..."
He raised his hand.
The two fragments of the Yin Mo Ji suddenly began to glow.
Dark energy spread throughout the air.
The next moment, several of his soldiers abruptly stopped moving. Then, slowly, they turned around and began advancing toward Lixuan, Zhichen, and Xiangu.
Their eyes were empty, their faces lifeless, yet their feet refused to stop moving.
"They're under control..."
Zhichen realized it immediately.
Lixuan struck one of the soldiers, sending him crashing to the ground. Yet moments later, the soldier stood back up again.
Xiangu unleashed an attack using his spiritual power, but they rose once more.
"They aren't dying," Xiangu said grimly.
Meanwhile, Li Chen was standing far away from the gate with the children. She had heard everything—the clash of swords, the cries of people, and those strange footsteps that simply would not stop.
"These... are the same people..."
Her heart began beating faster.
"Last time... they stopped when they heard the whistle."
She softly blew a whistle.
But nothing happened.
The battle only became more fierce.
The controlled soldiers advanced even faster toward Lixuan, Zhichen, and Xiangu.
Li Chen panicked.
"Why aren't they stopping...?"
She tightly gripped her bracelet.
A surge of anger rose inside her.
The bracelet began to glow faintly... then brighter and brighter.
Li Chen blew the whistle once more.
This time, with all her strength.
Suddenly, the wind roared to life, as though a storm had erupted.
In the middle of the battlefield, Lixuan, Zhichen, and Xiangu all paused for a brief moment.
Then, in the very next instant, every controlled soldier collapsed to the ground simultaneously.
This time, none of them stood back up.
For a moment, silence fell over the entire battlefield.
Zhichen stared in shock.
"What... just happened?"
Lixuan's gaze immediately shifted toward the gate.
Far away, Li Chen was standing among the children.
Her hands were still trembling slightly.
She had only blown a whistle...
But she had no idea what she had just done.
For the first time, Mo Yan's expression changed.
His eyes narrowed.
"This power..."
But he quickly regained his composure.
"Interesting..."
Scene Shift — the Qingshui
Elsewhere, Rongwei stood in Qingshui, the last village of the Shenmei Clan.
The atmosphere there felt strange as well—quiet, yet heavy.
His eyes settled on an old house.
A broken door.
Empty walls.
As though time itself had stopped there.
Rongwei slowly stepped forward.
But then he noticed several people sitting near a small shop.
He walked over to them.
"Uncle..."
"Does no one live in that house?"
The group immediately fell silent.
An elderly man looked at him and spoke softly.
"You're not from this village, are you?"
Rongwei quickly replied,
"No. I'm from the Shenmei Clan."
At that moment, loud sounds of dishes crashing together came from inside a nearby house.
Clang! Crash!
The villagers let out weary sighs.
"There they go again..."
Rongwei frowned.
"What happened, Uncle?"
The old man sighed.
"There used to be a girl living in that house.."A girl who couldn't see."Rongwei froze.
His heart skipped a beat.
"One day, she ran away."
"Since then, those two argue every single day."
"'It's your fault she left.'"
"'No, it's your fault she left.'"
The old man then leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"But the truth is..."
Rongwei unconsciously held his breath.
"That girl... was never really theirs."
"They found her in the forest."
Rongwei's eyes widened.
Only one name appeared in his mind.
Li Chen.
"They found her in the forest..."
he repeated quietly.
His heart began pounding even faster.
"Which means..."
"There is another truth behind Li Chen's identity..
Back on the battlefield, silence still lingered.
The controlled soldiers lay motionless on the ground, while Lixuan, Zhichen, and Xiangu stood in the center of the battlefield.
Zhichen's gaze slowly drifted toward the gate.
He had already realized the truth.
Li Chen was the one who had blown that whistle.
And only two people knew it
Zhichen...
and Lixuan.
Xiangu slowly spoke.
"That whistle..."
But before he could finish, Lixuan cut him off.
"We need to save Princess Lanxin first."
The moment he said that, he wasted no time.
He shot into the air.
In the very next second, he descended upon General Han Zeyu like a bolt of lightning.
"Khanng!"
The sound of clashing steel rang across the
The swords collided with tremendous force.
Han Zeyu was pushed back, but he quickly regained his footing. Then a fierce battle erupted between the two of them. Every strike was swift, every movement brought them closer to death.
Just then, Mo Yan's powerful voice rang across the battlefield and brought the entire fight to a halt.
"STOP!"
In an instant, the battlefield froze.
Swords remained suspended in midair, and it felt as though even breathing had stopped.
Mo Yan slowly stepped forward. A cold smile rested upon his lips.
"Elder of the Yuzhen Clan..." he said softly. "Zhiyun..."
Everyone's attention turned toward him.
Mo Yan's eyes sharpened.
"That whistle..."
"How did it appear here?Silence followed
Then he smiled faintly and said,
"Didn't you... kill Lixuan?"
The moment those words were spoken, every soldier, Xiangu, Lanxin, Jinhai, and even Zhichen froze in shock.
The air became heavy.
It felt as though time itself had stopped.
Mo Yan laughed again.I remember clearly..."
"Wasn't he killed by his own father?"
His voice was no longer cold.
It had become poisonous.Suddenly, he shouted in rage,
"THEN—"
"WHO BLEW THAT WHISTLE?!"
His voice echoed throughout the entire battlefield.
"Who killed my soldiers?!"
Silence.
No one answered.
Far away, standing among the children, Li Chen's heart pounded violently in her chest.
She didn't fully understand what was happening, but she could feel that somehow all of this was connected to her.
Zhichen's gaze slowly shifted toward Lixuan.
And Lixuan...
stood there in complete silence.
His face remained calm, but his fist had tightened so much that blood had begun to surface beneath his skin.
Mo Yan's voice continued to echo through the air.
"Speak.""Who is it?!"
The entire battlefield remained silent.
Not a single person uttered a word.
Only the sound of the wind remained, along with the blood dripping from swords.
Zhiyun's face had turned pale.
"Mo Yan..." he said quietly. "You've gone mad."
But Mo Yan laughed."Mad?""No..."
"I'm simply searching for the truth."
His gaze slowly swept across everyone present.
Xiangu.
Jinhai.
Zhichen.
And finally...
it stopped on Lixuan.His smile deepened.
You..."
"You're very strange."
Lixuan met his gaze without fear
"I have no interest in answering your questions."
Mo Yan burst into laughter."Really?"
"Then tell me this..."he said softly.
"How is an ordinary man able to stop Han Zeyu so easily?"
Han Zeyu immediately stepped back and looked carefully at Lixuan, as though he too was trying to understand him for the first time.
Zhichen's breathing grew faster.
His suspicions were becoming stronger.
Mo Yan continued,
"Or perhaps..."
"You're not an ordinary man at all."
Far away, Li Chen's heart beat even faster.
She could hear every word, yet she could not understand what any of it truly meant.
Xiangu immediately stepped forward.
"Mo Yan!"
"This is a battlefield, not a stage for your games!"
But Mo Yan completely ignored him.
His eyes remained fixed on Lixuan.
"I can't recognize you..."
"But your power..."your movements..."
"and now this whistle..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"All of it is bringing back very old memories."
For a brief moment, a cold gleam flashed through Lixuan's eyes.
He slowly raised his sword.
"Then keep living in those old memories."
The next instant, he shot toward Mo Yan like a bolt of lightning.
"KHANNG!"
Their swords collided.
Sparks flew into the air.The battle began once more.
But this time, it was no longer just a war between clans.
And in that moment, the battle had truly resumed...
yet this time, the danger did not come only from swords.