While chaos tore through the streets of Thousand Waves City, the foundations of commoners crumbling into leaden pain and the Peng Clan's legacy dissolving into ash, there remained a single sanctuary of absolute, chilling tranquility.
At the very heart of the city, the Estate of the City Lord stood as an island of silence. Though a desperate crowd gathered at the outer gates, their pleas for justice were swallowed by the massive, sound-dampening arrays woven into the white stone walls.
In the center of the estate, an open pavilion of carved jade sat perched above an expansive artificial lake. The water was so clear it looked like liquid glass, inhabited by iridescent koi that moved with a synchronized, haunting grace, their scales shimmering like submerged jewels.
City Lord Wu Shan sat at a low table of black lacquer, his fingers hovering over a Go board. With a soft clack, he placed a white stone, his expression unreadable.
