The Man in Green

Chapter 23: The Man in Green

The echoes of the duel still lingered in the banquet hall, but Ye Xian had already moved past it.

The court had seen what they wanted to see—a skilled physician, unshaken under pressure.

Han Yue had seen what he wasn't supposed to see.

But none of them mattered right now.

Because the real threat had already walked away.

The man in green.

Ye Xian rose to her feet smoothly.

"Where are you going?" Bai Zhen murmured.

Ye Xian placed a hand over her heart lightly, lowering her gaze slightly. "I need fresh air."

Zhao Fengyun smirked. "Is that what we're calling it now?"

She didn't reply.

Because she was already moving.

The Chase Through the Palace

She slipped through the side entrance of the hall, into the dimly lit corridors of the palace.

The air was still, heavy with the scent of incense.

But she wasn't alone.

She could hear him.

Soft, precise footsteps. The kind that belonged to someone trained to disappear.

Ye Xian adjusted her pace—not running, but not lingering either.

Letting him believe she hadn't noticed him.

Until—

A sharp turn.

A narrow passage between the walls.

She moved.

Quick. Silent. A shadow slipping into the dark.

Then—she waited.

A breath later, he followed.

Right into her trap.

The Confrontation

Ye Xian moved fast.

Before he could react, she stepped behind him—one arm locking around his throat, the other pressing a dagger to his ribs.

A single flick of her wrist, and he would never speak again.

"Who sent you?" she whispered.

The man stiffened, but he didn't struggle.

His breath was steady. Too steady.

Then—he chuckled.

"I wondered when you'd notice me," he murmured.

Ye Xian's grip tightened slightly.

"Answer the question."

The man tilted his head slightly, his voice low.

"I'm not here to kill you, if that's what you're worried about."

She didn't loosen her hold. "That wasn't my question."

A pause.

Then, softly—

"You already know the answer."

Ye Xian's eyes narrowed.

The Shadow Empress.

Of course.

She had been waiting. Watching.

And now—she was letting Ye Xian know it.

A Warning Wrapped in Silk

Ye Xian loosened her grip slightly—just enough to let him speak.

"If you're not here to kill me," she murmured, "then why are you here?"

The man exhaled lightly. "To remind you of what you already know."

A pause.

Then—his next words sent a chill through her spine.

"Your time is running out."

Ye Xian's fingers twitched.

A warning. Or a threat?

Before she could press further, he moved.

Fast. Too fast.

She countered instantly, but—he was already gone.

A blur of green silk disappearing down the corridor.

She could chase him.

Or—she could let him go.

Ye Xian inhaled slowly.

She had gotten what she needed.

The Shadow Empress was moving.

And that meant—so should she.

The Unseen Watchers

Ye Xian turned back toward the banquet hall, smoothing the edges of her sleeves.

She had been gone long enough to raise questions.

But the moment she stepped through the entrance—she knew she wasn't the only one who had been watching.

Zhao Fengyun.

Bai Zhen.

And—Han Yue.

Their gazes flickered toward her, three different expressions.

Zhao Fengyun's smirk was unreadable.

Bai Zhen's brows furrowed slightly.

And Han Yue—

His eyes held the quiet weight of someone who had just confirmed something important.

Ye Xian exhaled lightly.

So.

The game was no longer hidden.

They all knew.

And now, it was only a matter of time before someone made the next move.

End of Chapter 23