Chapter 13: Whispers in the Inner Court
The air in the inner court was different.
Not just colder—but heavier, like each breath filtered through damp paper. Lin Ma took a step past the carved dragon gate, Hei Gou pacing beside him, claws tapping against the smooth stone path.
The Ji clan estate was grand, with ancient pavilions lining a man-made river that flowed in the shape of a coiled serpent. But beauty could be deceiving.
Especially here.
"Don't speak unless I tell you," Yanyu said, walking just ahead of him. "They already think you're here to stain the Ji name."
Lin Ma chuckled under his breath. "I thought I already did that by existing."
Yanyu glanced back—but didn't respond. Her silence was answer enough.
As they passed under a stone bridge, Lin Ma noticed strange markings on the underside—runes worn nearly invisible. They pulsed softly in his vision.
> [Divine Tracing Eye (Passive) Activated.]
> Malice Detected: Concealed Curse Seal – Grade: Intermediate
His steps faltered.
> [System Prompt: Do you wish to attempt purification?]
He hesitated. What would purifying the seal do? Alert whoever set it? Or worse—Yanyu?
"No," he whispered.
Not yet.
They reached the inner court proper—a garden of dark plum trees in full bloom despite the season. The scent was oddly sweet. A servant bowed low.
"The elders await in the Hall of Ancestry."
Yanyu stepped forward without a word. Lin Ma followed—but every hair on his neck stood upright.
Hei Gou growled softly. The beast had sensed it too.
There was something in the trees. Watching.
---
The Hall of Ancestry stood on a raised dais, draped in red and gold banners, the floor polished to a mirror's reflection. Elders lined the inner perimeter like statues—stern, unmoving. Only their eyes shifted when Lin Ma entered.
An older man, eyes sharp as a blade, sat at the head. Elder Ji Qingshan—the family's lawkeeper.
"You again," he said.
His voice was thin but clear. "The unwanted guest who keeps surviving."
Yanyu bowed. Lin Ma copied her, though far less gracefully.
Elder Qingshan waved a hand. "Speak."
"I brought him," Yanyu said, "to answer your summons."
Elder Ji Hu, another of the council, stroked his beard. "We received a report of a cursed beast attacking disciples."
"Which I tamed," Lin Ma said flatly. "Without damage to anyone."
Qingshan narrowed his eyes. "You? A nobody from a farming village, tamed a fire-hound?"
Hei Gou growled again.
Elder Ji Hu chuckled. "The beast responds."
Lin Ma stepped forward. "Your fear isn't of the dog. It's of what else I might uncover here."
Murmurs erupted across the court.
Yanyu tensed beside him.
Elder Qingshan's gaze sharpened like a blade drawn in daylight. "And what, boy, do you think you've uncovered?"
> [System Update: Dialogue Challenge – High Risk]
> Objective: Manipulate suspicion to sow division and protect yourself.
Lin Ma inhaled deeply.
"Someone cursed this estate," he said. "I've seen it. I smelled it. Even the trees here—blooming out of season? That's not natural. That's cultivation fed by something darker."
Ji Hu's eyes glinted. "A bold claim."
"I don't care if you believe it," Lin Ma said. "But you know it's true. And if I leave, the curse doesn't stop. I'm the only one who can see it."
He turned toward Qingshan. "Which means you either keep me here… or you lose the one person who can stop whatever's rotting this family from the inside."
Silence.
Then Qingshan leaned back, face unreadable. "You speak like a gambler. Not a cultivator."
"Maybe," Lin Ma said, "but gamblers survive by seeing what others miss."
Another pause.
Then Qingshan spoke: "One week. You'll remain in the east wing. Speak to no one unless spoken to. Prove your worth—or we'll let the curse take its course."
He banged a wooden staff against the floor.
"Meeting dismissed."
---
Back in the garden, Yanyu walked ahead again—but her steps were slower.
"You shouldn't have challenged them like that," she said. "Qingshan is ruthless. You paint a target on yourself."
"I already had a target," Lin Ma said. "At least now they'll shoot it to my face."
Yanyu stopped. Her voice quiet.
"You don't know what this family is capable of."
He looked at her, surprised at the softness in her tone.
"You do?"
She said nothing—but her fingers trembled slightly before she turned away.
> [New Quest Unlocked: "Yanyu's Silence" – Gain her trust to uncover her true allegiance.]
> Hint: Speak truth to power. Observe what she avoids.
Hei Gou barked once—and then turned to stare at the trees again.
They were being watched.
Again.
But not by human eyes.
> [Threat Level: Unknown. Shadow Presence Detected.]
Lin Ma whispered, "We don't have time to play house anymore."
His fists clenched.
If the Ji family wouldn't tell the truth, he would dig it out himself—even if it meant turning every enemy into an unwilling ally.
---
End of Chapter 13