In the temporary camp at the foot of the mountain, the bonfire cast a bright, warm glow over the tents. When Ye Fan swung down from his saddle, the soles of his boots were still caked with fresh mud from the mountain hollow, mingled with the faint fragrance of wild plums. The moment he lifted the tent flap, four pairs of eyes turned toward him simultaneously: Su Qingxue reclined lazily in a poplar-wood chair, her fingertips twirling a strand of raven hair; Lin Zhaoyue sat cross-legged on a rush mat with her sword in her arms, the blade vibrating faintly; Chǔ Hóngzhuāng squatted by the fire, toying with a Gu Insect jar while the silver bells on her wrists chimed softly; and Qín Wǎnshuāng stood before a map, her finger resting directly on the marker for Hanshui City.
"The secret guards report that a group of Cangwu Sword Sect elders has headed toward Hanshui City," Ye Fan said, removing his outer robe and draping it over the back of a chair. The fragment of the Soul Bead in his palm grew warm against his Inner World. "Combined with the human sacrifice used by the Iron-masked Man earlier, the secret chamber in Hanmei Pavilion, and the clues from the Sword Grave, all the threads point straight to Hanshui City."
Su Qingxue’s fingernail grazed a zither string, the crisp *ding-dong* sounding like icicles dropping onto stone. "My mother’s diary mentioned that there is a 'Tianshu Pavilion' hidden beneath Hanshui City, which holds the roster of the forces that hunted her down." The t…
Chapter 251