"If you want to keep me as a canary, then we'll see whether you have what it takes."
She spoke softly, a cold glint flashing through Qing Yan's eyes.
She understood the rules here. In Heavenly Origin City, multiple top-tier forces kept one another in check, while the two supreme Divine Link lineages maintained the balance.
Even those councilors and elders could not act without restraint in certain matters, much less the descendants of a few families.
Her thoughts shifting, Chi Yao picked up her guzheng and rose to her feet.
This bamboo grove was no longer peaceful.
In the days ahead, she would come here less often.
Tap... tap...
She stepped out of the pavilion and followed the bluestone path toward the edge of the bamboo grove.
The evening sunlight filtered through the gaps between the bamboo leaves, falling over her and casting a faint halo around her.
Her slender back was resolute, like green bamboo still standing tall amid wind and rain.
Rustle... rustle...
A breeze swept through, gently swaying the bamboo leaves as though they were whispering some secret.
The girl in the green dress had already vanished deep within the grove, leaving only a faint fragrance drifting slowly through the air.
Not long after Chi Yao left, several more groups arrived at the bamboo grove.
But all they found was an empty pavilion.
"Where is she?"
"She left?"
"Damn it... we came too late."
"Forget it. We'll try again next time."
The crowd left in disappointment.
The bamboo grove returned to its former tranquility.
Night had fallen.
The bustle of Heavenly Origin City did not fade with the arrival of darkness.
Outside the window, neon lights shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting mottled shadows across the floor.
From the distant direction of the