Chapter 240
That evening, Wei Xiang stood completely alone on the highest stone balcony of the Silver Leopard camp.
The cold mountain wind blew down from the snow-covered peaks above, whipping through his dark hair and tugging at his heavy travelling cloak as he stood looking toward the distant, towering walls of the Citadel.
The far-off lights of the fortress flickered like tiny, fragile fireflies against the pitch-black canvas of the night sky.
He had been standing there motionless for nearly an hour, his breath forming thin white clouds in the freezing air.
Wang eventually stepped outside through the heavy wooden doors, wrapped in a thick fur cloak, his boots crunching on the frost-covered stone floor.
"You’ll freeze out here."
Wei Xiang didn’t turn around to look at him.
"I’m fine. The cold clears my head when my thoughts get too noisy."
"You’ve been standing here staring at those walls since sunset."
"I’m thinking."
"About her?"
Wei Xiang let out a short, quiet smile that vanished into the cold air as a burst of white steam.
"When am I not thinking about her?"
Wang walked over and stood beside him, resting his heavy, gloved hands against the frozen stone railing, looking out into the vast, dark emptiness.
For a long while, neither of them spoke. They simply watched the distant, glowing lights of the Citadel resting like an unreachable jewel against the dark mountain backdrop.
Then Wei Xiang spoke, his voice low and soft against the roaring wind.
"She’s close."
Wang looked over at him, his dark eyebrows pulling together.
"How do you know?"
"I don’t."
Wei Xiang lifted one gloved hand and placed it flat against the center of his chest, right over his beating heart.
"I just feel it."
Wang remained silent, staring out into the dark valley below where the fires of their own camp flickered in neat rows.
Wei Xiang continued, a rare, fond memory softening his sharp features.
"I keep thinking about the first time I saw her."
"She was so small."
"She looked like she wanted to fight the entire world with her bare hands, even when she was bruised and could barely stand on her own two feet."
Wang smiled faintly, the tight, stern lines around his mouth softening just a fraction.
"That sounds like her."
"She still does."
Wei Xiang laughed softly, though the sound carried a heavy touch of quiet sadness.
"But now..."
His expression softened completely as he stared at the distant fortress.
"She’s different."
"She’s stronger."
Wang looked toward the Citadel, his gaze heavy with an old, unspoken regret that had haunted him for years.
"She had to become stronger."
"She had no choice."
Wei Xiang nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the sky.
"Maybe."
He turned his head to look directly at Wang’s guarded face.
"Have you thought about leaving?"
Wang didn’t answer immediately. He stared down at the thin layer of snow lingering on the stone balcony ledge, his fingers tightening against his gloves.
"Yes."
"After the children are born?"
"Yes."
"And if she still doesn’t want you anywhere near her?"
"I’ll leave."
Wei Xiang studied the side of his face carefully, searching for any sign of hesitation or deceit.
"You mean it."
"I do."
Wang turned to face him fully, his dark eyes honest and filled with a deep, quiet grief.
"I’ve already taken enough from her in this lifetime."
"I won’t take her choice away too."
Wei Xiang gave him a slow, silent nod of respect.
"Then we’ll wait."
A sudden, sharp gust of mountain wind swept across the stone balcony, rustling their fur cloaks wildly and blowing fine bits of powdery snow off the roof edge.
Suddenly...
Wei Xiang’s expression changed dramatically. His whole body went completely stiff as a wooden board, his breath catching in his throat.
"What?"
Wang noticed the sudden shift immediately, his sharp combat instincts flaring as his hand instantly dropped toward the hilt of his blade out of habit.
"What happened?"
Wei Xiang closed his eyes tight, his chest heaving slightly as he squeezed his hands into tight fists.
"I felt something."
"What?"
"I don’t know."
He concentrated, reaching out with his inner senses, searching the cold, empty air sweeping through the mountain pass.
The subtle, strange sensation vanished just as quickly as it had come, leaving behind only the icy wind.
His brows furrowed in deep confusion.
"It was strange. Like a tiny string pulling hard inside my chest."
"An enemy array? A spell?"
"No. It didn’t feel like a threat."
"Then what?"
Wei Xiang shook his head, looking out into the pitch-black trees surrounding the camp below.
"I can’t explain it."
Wang studied his troubled, pale face carefully.
"Don’t ignore it. Your instincts have saved our lives before."
"I won’t."
Neither of them knew what that sudden, ghostly feeling truly meant.
But deep beneath the snow-covered mountains, far below the cold rock, stone, and ancient roots...
Something hidden and ancient had shifted in its sleep.
Inside the Supreme Citadel, Lin Wan woke in the exact middle of the night.
She sat up slowly, the heavy, thick linen blankets sliding off her shoulders onto the mattress.
Her breathing was uneven and shallow, her heart thumping wildly against her ribs like a trapped bird.
The room was pitch dark, saved only by the faint, silver moonlight filtering through the small gaps in the carved window shutters.
She looked around the quiet, silent room.
Nothing.
Everything was exactly where it should be—the heavy wooden table, her cooling tea cup, her neatly folded spare robes resting on the bench.
Still...
Something felt wrong. The air felt unnaturally thick, heavy, and motionless.
She placed her warm palm over her rounded stomach, waiting for the familiar, restless movement of the babies that usually kept her awake at night.
They were unusually quiet, not moving at all.
"Are you awake?" she whispered into the dark, silent room.
No answer. No little kicks responded to her soft voice.
Lin Wan frowned, a sudden flicker of real panic touching her chest.
"Three little ones?"
Nothing. Not a flutter.
A sudden, strange chill moved straight through her body, raising the tiny hairs on her arms and neck.
She reached her trembling hand toward the nightstand to strike a match for the small oil lamp resting there.
Before her fingers could reach the small brass box...
A tiny black shape silently appeared on the high stone windowsill.
Lin Wan froze mid-movement, her hand hovering in the dark.
A small black cat was sitting there, perfectly outlined by the pale moonlight behind it.
Its bright golden eyes reflected the faint light, watching her with a startling, almost human intelligence.
Lin Wan stared at the small shadow, letting out a long breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
"You again."
The cat blinked its large golden eyes slowly, not making a single sound, its dark fur swallowing the light.
She offered a faint smile despite the lingering uneasiness in her chest.
"You scared me."
The black cat lightly jumped down from the window sill, landing on the dark wooden table without making a single sound.
Lin Wan watched it closely in the dim silver light.
"You’ve been appearing everywhere lately. On the high roof, near the inner gardens, now in my private room..."
The cat tilted its head slightly, its dark tail sweeping once over the smooth wood of the table.
"I still don’t know where you come from or how you keep bypassing all of Cassian’s high guards."
It simply stared back at her, completely unblinking.
Lin Wan laughed softly, the lingering panic finally leaving her chest.
"You never answer me anyway."
The cat’s golden eyes shifted down, moving away from her face to stare directly at her large stomach.
Lin Wan noticed the sharp, unnerving focus in its gaze.
"What is it?"
The cat remained completely still, watching her midsection like a sentinel.
Then, suddenly, one of the babies gave a strong, firm kick right under her hand. Then another followed from the other side, and a third small flutter answered.
Lin Wan looked down at her stomach, letting out a breathy, happy laugh.
"See? They’re fine. Just sleeping."
The cat continued watching her for a few more seconds before sitting back comfortably on its hind legs.
For some strange reason, its silent presence brought a sudden, soothing warmth into the cold room, completely washing away her strange fear.
She slowly pulled the thick blankets back up to her chin and lay down on her side.
"You can stay if you want. It’s cold outside on the stone."
The cat casually leaped down from the table and curled itself into a neat, seamless black circle on the padded wooden chair right beside her bed.
Lin Wan closed her tired eyes, her heavy breathing finally slowing down into a steady, peaceful rhythm.
Neither she nor the resting black cat noticed the faint, shimmering golden light that briefly passed through the animal’s eyes in the deep dark.
Outside...
The mountain night remained completely silent, wrapped in ice and fog.
But far beyond the high Citadel walls, deep within the dark, ancient forests that no guards frequented...
Something ancient had begun moving toward them.
And this time...
It was not an army.