The moment the wooden door of the private room was pushed open, the candlelight flickered, casting swaying shadows across the faces of the four people.
Su Qingxue’s hand froze mid-air above the strings, a broken string giving a soft "zheng"; the cloth with which Lin Zhaoyue was wiping Qingfeng slipped to the floor, the blade reflecting her suddenly constricted pupils; the Golden Silkworm Gu that Chǔ Hóngzhuāng was teasing shrank instantly into a tiny golden ball, darting along the silver bell on her wrist and into her sleeve; Qín Wǎnshuāng’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the Tiger Tally, and the toe of her boot, which had been resting against the corner of the table, gave a heavy thump against the wooden stool. They had waited for a full two hours, until even the leftover tea in their cups had formed a thin layer of frost.
"I'm back." Ye Fan bolted the door behind him, his voice three shades heavier than usual. As he took off his outer robe and draped it over the back of a chair, the others finally noticed the faint glow emanating from the jade pendant at his waist—a sign that his Inner World was resonating with the Yuanqi of the outside world.
Chapter 134