Inside the Quiet Chamber.
The thick walls built of black vine brick shut out the outside world. Apart from a few tremors, hardly any sound could be heard.
Four female Secret Guards stood before the Sealing Stone with weapons in hand, fully alert to the slightest movement at the stone door.
Dongfang Liren, dressed in a Python Robe, paced anxiously around the room. From time to time, she went to the door and used the Tianhe Blade Method to listen closely, but heard nothing beyond a little miscellaneous noise.
The Empress of Great Wei had changed into a long red dress and sat upright on the bed. Her senses far exceeded those of ordinary people, so she knew what had happened outside, and a measure of complexity showed in her eyes.
If Ye Jingtang had suddenly stepped forward to save her when Cao Gonggong stormed the palace last time because his chivalrous spirit compelled him to draw his blade at injustice, then this time, his standing alone to defend the dragon gate and refusing to retreat even unto death had been entirely out of concern for her and Liren.
Ever since the Empress had ascended the dragon throne, she had been destined to stand alone. Apart from her younger sister and her master, she could trust no one, because she had no way of knowing whether the ministers who treated her with such deference were secretly Northern Liang spies, Sky-Pacifying Sect Undercover Agents, or even assassins sent by the princes.
But after knowing Ye Jingtang for so long, those concerns had slowly faded. He had countless opportunities to assassinate her, and could also have used her and Liren's trust to seek power and position, and attempt greater things.
Yet everything Ye Jingtang did marked him as a pure wandering knight