On the Eve of Breaking Through to Dou Zong, Someone Arrived from Tianbei City!

The handwriting was still as slender and delicate as ever.

He unfolded the letter again and read it once more.

At the bottom of the page, a faint mark had been lightly scratched out with a fingernail, as though the writer had hesitated over something, then held back from saying it.

Lu Heng brought the paper closer and ran his thumb over the faint scratch twice.

The mark was very light, like the trace left when a pen tip paused before moving away. It was positioned right after the words "don't worry."

He put away the letter, rose to his feet, and headed out of the Secret Chamber.

He took the Cold Soul Jade from his robes and set it on the stone table.

"Skyfire Venerable."

The light on the jade flickered twice, and a lazy voice drifted out.

"Back to asking about Han Yue? Boy, you've asked me no fewer than twenty times this past year."

"There's a scratch on the letter." Lu Heng pushed it over. "Help me take a look. Could there be some hidden message?"

The faint light of the Cold Soul Jade circled the letter, then paused for a moment.

"There are no soul fluctuations, nor are there any concealed marks." Skyfire Venerable's tone grew more serious. "It's just a scratch. Maybe the writer's hand was trembling, or perhaps she was upset while writing."

Lu Heng frowned.

"Upset?"

"You know Tianbei City runs deep." Skyfire Venerable snorted. "The Han Clan, the Hong Clan, the Wind Lightning Pavilion—none of them are easy to deal with. She's a young woman carrying her family's burdens. How could she possibly have no worries at all?"

Lu Heng folded the letter and tucked it back into his robes.

"Should I make a trip there?"

"She already told you not to