The night in White Mist City was empty and desolate, with only mist drifting through it.
The voice came abruptly. Though calm, it struck Zhao Lian's ears as something even more startling than the ghostly cries from earlier, instantly making her hair stand on end.
Zhao Lian suppressed her nervousness and steadied her voice as much as possible, trying to appear composed. She answered with only two words:
"It's me."
Bang.
A sudden gale swept through the room, slamming the door shut behind Zhao Lian. Immediately afterward, the lamps inside lit themselves without a flame.
Beneath the lamplight, a figure holding a book sat before a tea table. The flickering flames made his silhouette appear and disappear, now illuminated, now seemingly concealed in shadow, lending him an air of unfathomable mystery.
Zhang Yuan was leafing through his book, paying no heed to the Bright Dawn Kingdom's Third Princess standing a short distance in front of him. Without even raising his head, he asked a question whose answer he already knew:
"Why has the Third Princess come to this humble Daoist's quarters in the dead of night instead of sleeping?"
Zhao Lian listened to Zhang Yuan's voice, trying to glean something from his tone. Yet it revealed not the slightest opening, so she could only abandon the attempt and say:
"Wasn't it you who asked me to come at midnight, Daoist Zhang?"
"What makes you say that?" Zhang Yuan asked.
Zhao Lian narrowed her eyes and patiently said:
"You gave our Bright Dawn Kingdom twenty-four hours, Daoist Zhang. Even if we left White Tree City first thing in the morning, it would take at least three days to return to Roselight Capital. Yet you also said you wouldn't wait past the deadline. The only conclusion I could reach was that those