The night deepened.
Outside Star Gazing Pavilion, Heaven Dou City had already sunk into sleep, with only a few scattered lights swaying in the cold wind.
Yet the atmosphere inside Star Gazing Pavilion had not relaxed with Xue Qinghe's departure. Instead, because of Tang San's follow-up question, it grew even heavier.
"Some things aren't something you can avoid just because you want to."
Han Yuchen stood before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the seemingly peaceful night outside, the corner of his mouth curving with faint amusement.
The black silk sleeping robe on him was tied loosely, and he was still holding that emptied teacup, as if waiting for something.
Tang San frowned. Purple Demon Eye activated instinctively as he swept his gaze over the surrounding darkness. "Brother Chen, are you saying Xue Qinghe will send people back?"
"No. He's a smart man, and what smart people are best at is weighing pros and cons. Before he figures out my Trump Card, he won't make a move again so easily." Han Yuchen gently shook the empty cup in his hand, but his eyes went past the window, toward a higher, more distant place.
"But not everyone is as smart as he is. Some people—or rather, some things—are only knives. A knife doesn't need to think. It only needs to carry out its master's will."
Before his words had even faded.
The magic crystal chandelier that had been hanging from the ceiling of Star Gazing Pavilion's hall went out without warning.
It was not a circuit failure, nor was Soul Power cut off. It was a far stranger phenomenon—the light had been "eaten."
Darkness surged in from every direction like thick ink, instantly filling the entire hall. This blackness was different from the natural darkness of night. It carried a viscous,