Clue

The candle flame went out, then flared back to life.

Nalan Qiutong frowned as she surveyed the scene inside the tent. The books and scrolls on the wooden desk were neatly arranged, but the surrounding void seemed to have been "frozen" before.

"Someone was here?"

Nalan Qiutong spoke instinctively.

On her way here, a subtle ripple had already spread across her Heart Lake.

The Xuanwei Flower had given her an unfathomable hint—

Nalan Qiutong had originally been ordered to meet Chen Chong in person. Following that thread of guidance from her Heart Lake, she accelerated and headed straight for the tent.

"..."

Chen Chong did not respond to the young woman before him at all.

Nalan Qiutong held a lofty position in the State of Li.

She was the sole disciple of the Grand Preceptor of Great Li in the art of strings. Ever since she had stepped into the public eye, rumors had surged like boiling water outside. They all said that Nalan Qiutong had been chosen as Great Li's next Grand Preceptor. In a few years, she would become Great Li's chess player, sitting across the board from Chen Jingxuan.

This inheritor of the Xuanwei Art had indeed displayed astonishing talent and strength. On this generation's Prodigy Board, she had crushed the crowd, suppressing every young genius of Great Chu to seize first place.

But here with Chen Chong—

Nalan Qiutong's status was not worth mentioning.

"To enter my tent, you must first report yourself."

Chen Chong said slowly, expressionless, "Without the permission of a Feathered Camp captain, no one may enter a tent without authorization... Barging in like this is an offense worthy of punishment."

Though that was what he said.

He waved a hand and dismissed the armored soldiers outside the tent, showing no intention of