Elder Ma Is Here

The air in the royal palace was heavy, thick with tension and the murmur of hushed voices. The old stone walls, etched with countless tales of both glory and tragedy, seemed to hold their breath as the sound of footsteps echoed down the darkened corridors. At the far end of a Manor, there, a torture chamber was a place of dread and despair—a room steeped in darkness where the boundaries between life and death blurred. The room was known for its walls that had witnessed countless secrets extracted, and the occasional faint groans from those who had once been proud now broken under the weight of their secrets.

Inside, the room had been prepared for a special visitor, an elder known only as Elder Ma, the most feared and respected of all the royal family's advisors. His presence was like a shadow, silent and unavoidable, and even the bravest men felt a chill run down their spine whenever his name was spoken.

" Welcome, Elder." Fei Yue and her group bowed and greteed him.

Elder Ma's entrance was marked by an eerie stillness. When he entered the chamber, it was as though the entire room bowed to his aura. His robes, long and flowing, were made of the finest black silk, embroidered with intricate silver patterns that shimmered under the dim torchlight. His hair, long and white as snow, fell neatly over his shoulders. His eyes, however, were the most unsettling—pale as ghosts, they seemed to pierce through the veil of reality, seeing things beyond the reach of ordinary men.

Standing at the center of the chamber, Elder Ma's presence loomed larger than life. He was an old man, but his body was still imposing, and his face, though lined with age, was fierce and sharp. His demeanor was calm, yet exuded a quiet power that made even the most hardened warriors wary.

Fei Yue, standing at the doorway with her group, exchanged glances with her comrades. They all knew of Elder Ma's reputation. It wasn't just his age that commanded respect—it was the sheer weight of his abilities. Elder Ma was a cultivator of such immense power that he could read the memories of the dead, the most forbidden of arts. He could probe the deepest recesses of the mind and extract secrets with a simple touch. No one could escape his reach.

The group stepped aside as Elder Ma approached the central table, where the assassins, bound and bloodied, lay. The air in the chamber grew colder, and the light from the torches flickered slightly as though in deference to the elder's presence.

Fei Yue and her group stood silently, watching, their expressions a mix of reverence and curiosity. Hàn Bing, the stoic warrior, stood closest to the table, his eyes narrowing as he watched the assassins—once so formidable, now reduced to mere puppets, their bodies covered in blood and bruises, their breath shallow and weak. They had been tortured relentlessly, each of them barely clinging to life. But despite their physical state, the assassins' eyes were filled with an unnatural terror. They feared something beyond pain, beyond death itself.

Elder Ma's pale eyes flicked over the assassins, his gaze never wavering. He didn't speak at first. Instead, his presence alone seemed to pull the very air around him, quieting the room and drawing the attention of every soul within it.

"Do you understand what you are asking of me?" Elder Ma's voice was soft, almost gentle, but it carried a weight that made even the bravest men pause. His voice echoed slightly in the chamber, amplifying his aura of authority.

Fei Yue, ever composed, nodded. "We need to know who sent them, Elder. The Zhuan Tian Clan has far-reaching influence, but there is something more beneath this attack. Someone powerful, someone hidden, has a hand in this. We cannot let this go unanswered."

Elder Ma studied her for a long moment, then shifted his gaze to the assassins, his expression unreadable. Without a word, he extended his hand toward the leader of the attackers. The assassin's body seemed to flinch involuntarily at the elder's approach, but Elder Ma's touch was inevitable, like the inevitable fall of a heavy rain. He placed a finger to the assassin's temple, and a faint blue glow emanated from his fingertip. A hush fell over the room as the light began to pulsate in rhythm with the assassin's heartbeat.

Fei Yue's group remained perfectly still, their eyes trained on the elder's actions. This was no ordinary technique. They knew Elder Ma was delving deep into the assassin's mind, peeling back layers of memories, extracting information with an ease that was almost terrifying.

Minutes passed in complete silence. The tortured assassin trembled under the weight of Elder Ma's probing presence. His body jerked spasmodically, as if his very soul were being wrenched from his body. Fei Yue clenched her fists, but her gaze never wavered. She knew the price of the knowledge they sought.

Finally, Elder Ma withdrew his hand, and the assassin collapsed back onto the table, his face drained of color, his eyes unfocused. It was as though the very essence of the man had been drained in those few minutes, and he lay there, nothing more than a husk.

Elder Ma stepped back, his expression unchanged, but there was a glint of something—satisfaction or perhaps something more ominous—in his pale eyes. He turned to Fei Yue and her group, his voice steady and cold. "I have seen what I needed to see. The ones behind this attack are far more dangerous than you realize. They are not merely assassins, nor are they of the Zhuan Tian Clan. They are part of a secret order, one that operates beneath the surface, hidden from the world's eyes. An elite faction consisting of the most powerful members of the great clans—those who have sworn fealty to the royal family but have their own agendas."

Fei Yue's eyes narrowed, a surge of unease sweeping through her. "A secret order? Who leads them? Who are they?"

Elder Ma's lips twisted into a thin smile, but it held no warmth. "The leader of this order is someone even the assassins do not know. They were sent without knowledge of their master's true identity. This is no ordinary conspiracy. And those behind it have far-reaching influence."

Hàn Bing stepped forward, his voice low but filled with urgency. "Then we must act now. We cannot let this threat fester."

Elder Ma's gaze flicked to him, his pale eyes gleaming with an almost predatory satisfaction. "It has. But you must understand that this is only the beginning."

Fei Yue's heart tightened at his words. She knew Elder Ma wasn't one for hyperbole. If he said it was serious, it was serious.

"The dancers," Shuang Xue said quietly, her voice sharp with realization. "The ones who fought the assassins. What were they?"

Elder Ma's eyes softened slightly, a rare sign of acknowledgment. "They were not just dancers, nor were they mere cultivators. But these people are not to be messed with."

Fei Yue's mind raced as she processed the information. "So, they were protecting the nobles... and the attack wasn't just against the nobles—it was against the royal family itself."

Elder Ma nodded. "Yes. And now, the seeds of this rebellion have been planted. The order seeks to destabilize , to weaken the royal family's influence. The king must be informed at once."

Fei Yue stood in silence, contemplating the enormity of the situation. The weight of the information was suffocating. "We will go to the king immediately," she said finally, her voice cold and resolute.

As she turned to leave, Elder Ma raised a hand, stopping her. "No. I will go. There are forces at work here that not even the royal family fully understands. Be careful, Fei Yue. Trust no one."

With that, the elder turned and, with a final glance at the defeated assassins, left the chamber, his robes swirling around him like the shadows themselves. Fei Yue stood there for a moment longer, the room heavy with the unspoken words hanging in the air.

As she and her team exited the chamber, a sense of dread washed over them. They had just uncovered the first layer of a much deeper conspiracy. And the path ahead, as Elder Ma had warned, was fraught with dangers far beyond their imagining.

But one thing was clear: whatever lay ahead, was dangerous