A Promise Left in a Letter, Zi Yan's Night Raid on the Treasury

Lu Heng did not stay long.

He left jade bottles and envelopes on the table in Ruo Lin's living room, then pushed open the door and left the small courtyard.

His next stop was Xue Ni and Xiao Yu's shared dormitory.

The girls' dormitory area of the Outer Academy was very quiet. At this hour, most students had already returned to their rooms to rest. Lu Heng swept the area with the senses of a Dou Zong and confirmed that neither of them was in their room. They were probably still in the training room.

He climbed in through the window.

The two beds stood on opposite sides. The one on the left was neatly made, its blanket corners folded into crisp lines, with several notebooks placed at the head of the bed. It was Xiao Yu's.

The one on the right was somewhat messier. The pillow lay crooked to one side, the blanket was bunched up, and a half-dried little cloth bag hung from the foot of the bed. It was Xue Ni's.

Lu Heng placed a jade bottle and a letter beside each of their pillows.

The letters were thin, containing only a single sheet of paper.

The contents of all three letters were identical. They bore only one sentence:

"When I stand at the peak of the continent someday, I will give you an answer."

There was no signature, no name.

But they would recognize the handwriting.

Lu Heng stood there for two seconds before turning and leaving the way he had come.

Half an hour later.

When Ruo Lin pushed open the gate to her courtyard, she noticed several extra items on the table.

She was a Dou Ling, after all. She possessed that much perception.

The lamp lit up.

Two jade bottles sat side