Shadow Blade had already shed the heavy and oppressive disguise of "Prince Zhan," switching back into the black tactical attire suited for action. He had come to find Chu Yuning to discuss the selection list for the leaders of the Zhanchuan Nine Fortresses—a matter crucial to their future defensive layout and one that brooked no delay.
However, the moment he stepped into the courtyard, his feet came to an involuntary halt. Not far away, a warm yellow light spilled from Chu Yuning's room, looking exceptionally serene in the stillness of the night.
He watched from a distance as Huo Xi pushed the door open with a tray of late-night snacks. He initially thought it was just her routine service, but as the minutes ticked by, the door remained closed.
Why has Miss Huo Xi been in there for so long? Shadow Blade stood in the darkness, his hands instinctively tightening around his blade.
Driven by a force he couldn't name, he ghosted closer to the window. His breath hitched as his eyes fell upon the two silhouettes projected onto the window paper. From his angle, their heads were leaning close together as they spoke in low voices over something on the desk. Every so often, Huo Xi's bell-like laughter—filled with a joy she couldn't hide—drifted out, followed by Chu Yuning's low, tender murmurs. This scene, in the silence of the night, carried an indescribable air of intimacy.
Standing outside, it felt as though countless tiny needles were pricking Shadow Blade's heart. He hesitated, conflicted; his hand rose several times to knock, only to fall back dejectedly.
Huo Xi is originally from the General's Manor. She grew up with the Chu brothers. Their bond is naturally different, he tried to convince himself. If she truly has feelings for the young master of the house, it is only natural...
Yet, as he watched, they didn't look like master and servant. They looked like... a couple. Shadow Blade didn't dare think further. He forced his eyes shut, trying to steady his erratic breathing. As a Shadow Guard, maintaining absolute logic and calm was a tenet carved into his very bones; "emotion" was the most fatal flaw in a mission.
"A Shadow Guard... should not have emotions," he whispered to himself, a warning and a compromise with reality.
However, the girl's lighthearted laughter from behind the window was like an invisible blade, effortlessly slicing through his cold veneer.
In the end, Shadow Blade did not push that door open. He retreated into the shadow of a corridor pillar, merging with the darkness. Only his sharp eyes remained fixed on that carved wooden door.
About an hour later, the door creaked softly. Huo Xi stepped out, clutching a small, sky-blue silk pouch as if it were a priceless treasure. Under the moonlight, her face was as red as a ripe apple, her eyes and brows overflowing with bashfulness and excitement. She walked with her head down, smiling to herself, so distracted she nearly tripped over the steps.
Watching from the dark, Shadow Blade felt as if his chest were stuffed with wet cotton—suffocating and heavy. Seeing her about to walk away, he stepped out of the shadows, his voice low and carrying a stiffness even he didn't recognize.
"It's late. Why are you running around the manor?"
"Ah!" Huo Xi jumped at the sudden voice, nearly leaping out of her skin. When she saw it was Shadow Blade, she instinctively hid the pouch behind her back, unable to even lift her head. "M-Master Shadow... what are you doing here?"
Shadow Blade looked at her suspicious behavior, his gaze like a torch sweeping over her. "I noticed the lights in the Third Young Master's room were still on. You were in there for a long time."
"I... the Young Master was teaching me some... small crafts," Huo Xi stammered, her blush deepening.
"Small crafts?" Shadow Blade took a step forward, a chilling aura radiating from him. The sourness in his voice was palpable. "What kind of craft requires a man and a woman to be alone in a room until midnight? And makes you smile so much you can't even see the road?"
Huo Xi blinked, then it clicked. She looked up at him—his face was pulled tight, his lines cold and almost out of control, revealing a hint of suppressed distortion. Her initial panic vanished in an instant, replaced by a flicker of cunning and realization in her eyes.
Is Master Shadow... jealous?
"Master Shadow, you certainly have a wide reach," Huo Xi said, emboldened. She purposefully shook the pouch, though she didn't let him see the contents. "What the Young Master taught me is something extremely important, meant for an extremely important person."
With that, she gave him a playful wink and ran off before he could react. Her crisp laughter echoed in the night, leaving Shadow Blade alone, his knuckles white from gripping his sword hilt.
"An extremely important person..." Shadow Blade snorted, turning his gaze toward Chu Yuning's door. He suddenly felt a desperate urge to know exactly who she intended to give that pouch to.
Since that night, Shadow Blade found he had developed a terrible habit—he began using his peak infiltration skills to secretly observe Huo Xi's every move.
As a Shadow Guard, he should have been monitoring court movements or Western Yan spies, but now, his eyes were constantly drawn to the small figure darting through the manor's corridors.
He saw her smiling while pruning flowers; he saw her touching her waist through her apron while helping Auntie Mei knead dough. That sky-blue pouch was never given away. She wore it every single day, never letting it leave her side.
Why hasn't she given it away yet? Shadow Blade sat in the shadows of the manor's roof, his brow locked in a tight knot. He had assumed the pouch contained a token for someone else. But as the days passed, it remained at her waist.
An absurd and painful thought began to haunt him: Maybe she wasn't learning to carve that night. Maybe the Third Young Master carved something and gave it to her.
That would explain why she cherished it so much. That would explain why she called it something for an "extremely important person." That person was herself, and the giver was Chu Yuning.
Shadow Blade's fingers dug into the roof tiles. Images from that night flooded back—Chu Yuning's soft whispers, Huo Xi's blushing cheeks. They grew up together; the Young Master was talented, gentle, and kind. It was only natural for her to be smitten with him.
...Only natural. His grip tightened further, nearly crushing the tile.
"Mutual affection... is it?" he mocked himself, a bitter taste rising in his throat.
By comparison, what was he? A Shadow Guard living in the cracks, unable to even show his true face. These hands only knew how to kill; how could they ever carve delicate wood to win a girl's heart?
Just as he spiraled into self-doubt, Huo Xi stopped below him. She seemed to sense something, her eyes tilting with confusion as she scanned the roof tiles. She felt that the sensation just now hadn't been an illusion.
Shadow Blade's heart tightened as he instantly retracted his aura, becoming a literal shadow merging into the darkness. Seeing no one, Huo Xi lightly pressed the pouch through her clothes and walked away.
Inside that pouch lay a wooden tag. She had carved it herself, her strokes unpracticed and the name "Shadow Blade" slanted and clumsy. Yet, this imperfect piece of wood was being held close to her heart like the rarest of treasures.
Shadow Blade saw her protective gesture toward the pouch. The cool night wind brushed past his cold face. He lowered his eyes, his hands accustomed to the blade tightening as a strange, aching sweetness surged in his chest.