Great Zhou City, Western District. The small courtyard layered with restrictions by Mo Lin lay silent in the night.
On the second floor of the small building, the lights in Su Youwei's room had long since gone out. The girl's steady breathing showed that she had already sunk into sleep.
Next door, Mo Lin had not gone to sleep. He sat cross-legged on the bed, his aura restrained as deep as an abyss, his white robes immaculate beneath the moonlight.
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, a trace of resolve flashing through his deep pupils. He had to investigate the secrets of the ancestral sacrificial grounds in the Great Zhou Imperial Mausoleum ahead of time. This concerned not only the girl named Yao Yao, but might also conceal crucial clues to restoring their strength and even returning to their homeland.
He rose without a sound, changed into black nightwear suited for movement, and prepared to melt into the darkness.
"Creak—"
The door was pushed open a tiny crack, and a small purple-haired head peered inside. Those purple eyes, still gleaming brilliantly in the darkness, locked precisely onto Mo Lin, carrying a hint of understanding and displeasure.
"Mo Lin!" Zi Yan lowered her voice and slipped inside like a nimble cat. Closing the door behind her, she planted her hands on her hips and glared at him indignantly. "Are you planning to sneak off by yourself again? Are you going to that dangerous imperial mausoleum?"
Looking at her pretty face that practically declared, "I saw right through you," Mo Lin rubbed his brow helplessly. "Zi Yan, this trip is fraught with danger. Stay home and look after Youwei."
"No!" Zi Yan refused without a second thought. She hurried over to Mo Lin, raised her little face, and looked