Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Li Changgeng's footsteps disappeared completely at the end of the corridor.

Only the faint sound of the burning lamp wick remained in the side hall. Chen Daolin, holding a teacup, paused for a moment on Chen Xuan's face, then put down the cup and stood up.

"You've had a long journey today, get some rest."

He didn't mention Guiyuan Hall again, nor did he provide any more offering tokens. He led the four elders out of the hall, their footsteps echoing in the distance.

The palace gates closed.

Chen Xuan's back lifted off the chair. His undergarment clung to his spine, damp and cold. His hand was still on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles white.

In his sea of ​​consciousness, Su Chang'an leaned against a corner, his nine tails not yet fully unfurled. The sensation of that divine sense brushing against the doorframe was still there, like someone scratching the back of his neck with cold fingernails.

She paused for a few moments before speaking.

"You old codger."

His voice was lazy, no different from usual.

"He touched the frame of my consciousness twice, like he was performing an autopsy. If I ever get out of here, I'm definitely going to touch the frame of his library twice too."

Chen Xuan's lips twitched slightly.

It was a very small movement, almost imperceptible. But two of his fingers loosened their grip on the sword hilt.

"He recognized you?"

"No." Su Chang'an's voice deepened slightly. "I dispersed my aura to a lingering state, so he couldn't tell if it was alive or dead. But he became suspicious."

It paused for a moment.

"This old man is more troublesome than I thought."

Chen Xuan didn't reply. He stood up, pushed open the door of the side hall, and stepped into the night.

-

The residence arranged for the imperial prince by the Chen family was located on the east side of the ancestral city, a secluded courtyard with its own gate. The three-courtyard complex had two rows of spirit stone lanterns hanging, illuminating the bluestone path.

Chen Xuan closed the gate to the upper courtyard. He passed through the front hall and entered the inner room.

The room was spotless, the bed had freshly changed bedding, and there was warm spiritual tea and several plates of exquisite pastries on the table. Everything was perfect.

He didn't touch those things.

He sat down at the table, took the heavy sword off his back, and leaned it against the wall. Then he took out the neatly folded cloak from his bosom, unfolded it, and drew a short sword from a hidden compartment.

The sword has a white blade. A tiny flower is engraved on the guard, its shape barely discernible without close inspection.

This was taken from the secret chamber of the Emperor's palace. It's the one that sits next to the Heavenly Fox Token.

Chen Xuan placed the short sword on the table. He took out a soft cloth from his sleeve and slowly wiped it along the spine of the sword.

His movements were very light. More than ten times lighter than when he was wiping his heavy sword.

Within his mind, Su Chang'an watched his actions without uttering a sound.

She knew what Chen Xuan was thinking.

Li Changgeng once said—there is an old object under the Guiyuan Hall, made of the same material as the base of this sword. They are from the same origin.

Things belonging to the Celestial Fox Clan.

She shares the same origin.

Su Chang'an's gaze fell on the white short sword. She recognized the pattern on the hilt. It was the emblem of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Clan. She had seen the exact same one in the Bone Palace.

Chen Xuan finished wiping the sword. He wrapped the short sword back into his cloak and placed it close to his chest.

Neither of them mentioned Li Changgeng's words.

He remained silent in the room for a long time. The light from the spirit stone lantern shone through the window paper, casting a pale yellow glow on the floor.

Chen Xuan spoke. His voice was very low.

You were frightened today.

It's not a question.

Su Chang'an's tail tip twitched.

"You've certainly learned to talk now." Her voice returned to its usual tone. "Me, a dignified nine-tailed celestial fox, being touched by an old man through a crack in the door and you call that being frightened?"

"Your tail is still trembling."

Su Chang'an looked down at his tail.

It is definitely shaking.

She tucked her tail in, snorted, and fell silent.

Chen Xuan didn't say anything more. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually calmed down.

Footsteps could be heard outside the room.

Soon, someone knocked on the door.

"Your Highness, the Third Ancestor has sent over some items for your perusal."

Chen Xuan didn't move. Su Chang'an's divine sense had already swept through the door panel.

Two trusted servants stood outside the door. One held a sandalwood box, while the other carried three jade tokens and a gray robe.

Su Chang'an's pupils contracted slightly as his divine sense swept over the wooden box.

Inside the wooden box was a warm jade token. The jade was smooth and lustrous, and its interior was engraved with tracking array patterns. With a burst of spiritual energy, it could pinpoint the wearer's location within a hundred miles.

The three jade tablets were even more straightforward. Each one was embedded with a miniature restriction node. Hanging on the waist was equivalent to reporting one's spiritual energy fluctuations to the Chen family's array center in real time.

That robe wasn't anything special either. It had sensory threads woven into the fabric, so once you wore it, your body temperature, heart rate, and the frequency of your spiritual energy circulation could all be detected by the outside world.

Su Chang'an searched through all of these things, inside and out.

A surveillance system. Completely airtight, inside and out.

"Open the door. Accept it," Su Chang'an transmitted telepathically.

Chen Xuan opened his eyes.

"receive?"

"receive."

Chen Xuan's jaw tightened slightly. He stood up, opened the door, and took the wooden box and jade token. The servant bowed and took his leave, his footsteps fading into the distance.

The door closed.

Chen Xuan placed the items on the table, staring at the warm jade token, his right hand already clenched into a fist.

"This kind of thing—"

"I told you, keep it." Su Chang'an interrupted him.

Chen Xuan did not move.

Su Chang'an's voice slowed down. He spoke each word carefully, as if coaxing a wolf with its fur standing on end.

"The fact that they sent over the surveillance footage means they're not ready to take action yet. Not being ready to take action means they're still observing. Observing means they're not sure what you're capable of."

It paused for a moment.

"Put these things on and stay in the yard properly. They'll think you're in a cage. If they think you're in a cage, they won't rush to close the net."

Chen Xuan's fist did not loosen.

"I don't like to act like a pushover."

"You're not playing the submissive role," Su Chang'an's voice calmed down. "You're playing the role of a seemingly docile dog. Let them feel at ease opening the door and bringing over the food bowl."

Her tone suddenly turned cold.

"Wait until they bend over, then bite their throats off."

Chen Xuan fell silent.

He looked down at the warm jade token, his fingers slowly loosening. He picked it up and hung it on his waist.

The movements were very slow. Like swallowing something with thorns.

Su Chang'an remained silent. She retreated into the depths of her consciousness, her nine tails unfurling as she began to process the events in her mind.

Guiyuan Hall is a cage. The rerouting of the spiritual veins is a lock.

Li Changgeng wanted her soul. Chen Daolin wanted Chen Xuan's body.

Two lines. Two people. Each with their own ulterior motives, temporarily bound together.

Things that are tied together can be taken apart.

There is only one way to break it up—make one of them reveal a weakness first.

Su Chang'an's gaze fell on the red-clad inner demon she had subdued in her sea of ​​consciousness. The inner demon, huddled in a corner, sensed her gaze and reflexively took two steps back.

Su Chang'an ignored her.

She was thinking of Li Changgeng.

This old man wants her soul, not to kill her. He wants something else.

He called her "Master" in the library. There was madness and obsession in his eyes when he looked at her, but no hatred.

A person who waits will not easily destroy what he is waiting for.

He would carefully pluck her out, like picking a flower.

Therefore, he wouldn't let Chen Daolin hurt her. At least not until he obtained her soul.

This is the flaw.

Guiyuan Hall is a cage. Chen Daolin wants to imprison Chen Xuan inside. Li Changgeng wants to use this cage to get closer to her.

Let them have their way.

But the order in which they enter the cage is determined by her.

"Chen Xuan".

Chen Xuan was putting the three jade pendants into the drawer. Hearing the sound, he stopped.

"Go see Chen Daolin tomorrow. Tell him you are willing to enter the Guiyuan Hall."

Chen Xuan stopped moving.

There was silence for three breaths.

"What did you say?"

The voice was very low. It wasn't a question; it was confirmation.

"You heard me right." Su Chang'an's voice was calm. "Tell him you've thought it through. You're willing to go into seclusion to correct your Dao foundation."

Chen Xuan remained silent.

Su Chang'an continued, "But name one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"Let Li Changgeng personally protect you."

The sea of ​​consciousness is now still.

Chen Xuan's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

Su Chang'an leaned against a corner of her sea of ​​consciousness, her nine tails neatly tucked in. Her voice was devoid of emotion, as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself.

"If he wants to go into the cage, then let him in. Should the door be closed from the inside or the outside—?"

She closed her eyes.

We'll see when the time comes.

The wind outside the window stopped. The light from the spirit stone lantern flickered on the ground, then settled.

Chen Xuan sat at the table, motionless.

His hand was pressed against his chest. The white dagger wrapped in his cloak pressed against his ribs; it didn't hurt, but its presence was unmistakable.

He suddenly remembered the last half of what Li Changgeng said when he walked out of the side hall.

"It will come out on its own a few days later."

What exactly is buried beneath the Guiyuan Hall?

he does not know.

But Su Chang'an wanted to get himself directly above that thing.

Chen Xuan's fingers tightened on his chest.

Night fell. One by one, the lights of the ancestral city went out, leaving only the patrol torches on the city walls, swaying in the wind.