Time rewound to the night Kirisa personally handed over the Petrification Device.
Inside the main residence, dim firelight flickered through the shadows, making Thorn's sinister profile look all the more unsettling.
His fingertips repeatedly stroked the cold, compact Petrification Device in his palm, greed in his eyes and a malicious smile on his lips.
He could not be bothered to expose them, letting those "foreign rats" scurry about right under his nose.
Now that he had recovered the Petrification Device, he no longer needed to hold back or keep up his pretense.
The time to draw in the net had finally come!
Thorn raised his eyes and addressed the guard standing beside him with his head bowed, awaiting orders. His tone was flat.
"Go."
"Bring me that woman with black hair and black eyes."
The guard froze briefly, unable to place exactly whom he meant.
A darker menace settled in Thorn's eyes. "The one who played that strange instrument in tonight's performance."
The guard immediately understood. Not daring to hesitate, he bowed and answered.
"Yes, my lord."
He quickly strode away.
At that moment, Li Xiang was still alone in her room, waiting for Kirisa.
Before long, synchronized footsteps sounded outside. Two guards stood at her door and bowed as they delivered the message.
"Miss Li Xiang, Lord Thorn has summoned you. Please come with us to see him."
What the hell?
Was that old man out of his mind?
Her expression remained calm as she nodded lightly. "Understood. Lead the way."
After straightening her clothes, Li Xiang followed the guards out.
The evening breeze was cool. Dim palace lanterns flickered along the way, shadows from the trees overlapping in mottled patterns. The entire path was frighteningly quiet.
The closer she got, the stronger her unease became.
It was only