On the seventh day after leaving the town, Lin Chen brought Sheng Cai'er to the Reincarnation Courtyard, which fell under the Assassin Temple.
The assassins who had pursued Cai'er had confessed that Sheng Yue oversaw this branch, while personnel from Exorcist Pass rotated through to handle its daily affairs.
Lin Chen did not enter through the Holy City's main gate or send word ahead. Holding Cai'er's hand, he stepped onto the long bluestone street outside the courtyard at dusk.
Tall, slender poplars lined both sides of the street. Whenever the wind blew, their leaves rattled like someone working an abacus in the distance.
Cai'er wore a modified pale-purple dress with a moon-white jacket over it. Lin Chen had loosely pinned up her hair with a plain silver hairpin.
She could walk on her own now, but the fingers of her right hand still hooked lightly around Lin Chen's sleeve, as though she feared he might suddenly disappear.
"Nervous?" Lin Chen asked, looking down at her.
Cai'er shook her head, then nodded. Her violet-gray eyes rested on the high gate set in a gray wall ahead. "Brother, when they brought me into places like this before, I couldn't see the sky once I went inside."
Lin Chen reached out and rubbed the top of her head. "Today is different. You're here to settle accounts, not to let them choose your fate."
He walked up to the courtyard gate.
Four crossbow-bearing guards stood beside two stone lions. Seeing his fine robes and imposing bearing, they were about to challenge him. But the moment their gazes met Lin Chen's eyes, it was as if an invisible hand had seized all four of their throats. Not one could even force out the words "Stop there."
Lin Chen ignored them and strode on. The two