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Chapter 180- Princess Serena disappears
The night was quiet—but it was the kind of quiet that carried tension in every leaf, every gust of wind.A silence that did not soothe, but waited.Thea Walton walked alone along the marble-lined walkway of the eastern courtyard. Her boots were silent against the stone, but her heartbeat was not. It pounded beneath her ribs with a stubborn rhythm that refused to settle.She had not seen Alex since the royal edict was declared.She had stood three steps behind him when the Crown Prince raised his voice and placed a scroll in his hands.She had watched as the palace bowed to him—an outsider, a healer, a threat—and had said nothing when her fellow generals whispered questions in her direction.But it wasn’t jealousy.Not entirely.It was something heavier.Something harder to name.She climbed the stairs to the private terrace just above the Flame Pavilion. There, surrounded by a half-circle of plum trees, stood Alex Cole, alone.He was facing away from her, his hands clasped behind his
Chapter 179 - Four times
The throne chamber was not usually this quiet.But on this morning, no one dared to speak out of turn.The long ceremonial hall, gilded with beams of gold lacquer and painted phoenixes, stood bathed in soft sunlight that filtered through tall stained-glass windows. Every footstep echoed. Every breath was measured.A select gathering had been called.Not a full council meeting—no, this was something rarer.A Strategic Royal Audience, convened solely at the will of the Crown Prince.Seated at the base of the throne dais were General Earlton, Lady Thea Walton, and four court physicians. The rest of the benches were filled by trusted intelligence officers, security masters, and two elders summoned at the last hour.At the center of the chamber stood Alex Cole, his posture straight, his expression unreadable. He wore the same black-silver robe gifted to him during the flower refinement trial. The inner hall lighting gleamed faintly off the phoenix embroidery on his collar.The whispers had
Chapter 178
Later, in the quiet of the strategy garden, the Crown Prince sat with Alex beneath the phoenix blossom tree. The sun had softened, casting golden light through the leaves. “You were not wrong to speak bluntly,” the Prince said. “But it will draw more enemies,” Alex replied. The Prince nodded. “I am used to them.” He looked up at the sky. “There was a time I believed in peace. In balance. But now… I see we are all pieces on a board shaped by men like Bourne.” Alex’s voice was low. “Then let us be the ones who flip the board.” The Prince smiled faintly. “You remind me of my uncle when he was young.” “Was he wise?” “He was brave,” the Prince said. “And now he is dead.” They sat in silence. Then the Prince stood. “I have a favor to ask.” “Speak it.” “Continue your research on flame Qi,” the Prince said. “There is a legend I need verified. One that involves your seal… and my mother.” Alex raised a brow. “What legend?” The Prince’s voice lowered. “That the Phoenix Line o
Chapter 177 - Dangerous waters
The banners of the Jade Pavilion fluttered in the late morning breeze as the Imperial Court of Elders convened for an unscheduled session.It was rare for the Crown Prince to summon the council without imperial prompting. Rarer still for him to do so on temple day, when most elders were expected to attend prayer offerings or engage in scholarly review. Yet all thirteen robed figures arrived within the hour, none bold enough to decline the Crown Prince’s personal seal.At the center of the grand chamber, a long half-moon dais faced a raised seat where the Crown Prince now sat, flanked by two incense-bearing ministers. Behind him stood Alex Cole, dressed once again in black and silver robes, his face calm though his presence sent a ripple through the room.The court was not used to outsiders.Certainly not ones who stood without kneeling.Yet none called it out.They had heard of him.They had heard of the poisoned assassin.The Crown Prince stood.His voice was steady, rich with the
Chapter 176 - Half brother
The first light of morning filtered through the lattice windows of the Crown Prince’s private strategy hall, casting long golden bars across the polished floor. Outside, the palace was waking. Gardeners swept fallen petals. The temple bells rang softly in the distance. Couriers moved with quick steps, carrying missives sealed in jade tubes.But inside, the tension was suffocating.Alex Cole stood near a long scroll table, arms folded across his chest. He had cleaned and dressed his wounds, though the bandage around his left bicep was still fresh. His expression was unreadable.Across from him stood Thea Walton, her cloak removed and tossed across the nearest chair. Her uniform was partially undone, revealing the tight linen beneath, but she looked less like a war general today and more like a woman on the edge of something personal.The Crown Prince sat at the head of the room, leaning slightly on his right arm. His sword, wiped clean of the assassin's blood from the night before, la
Chapter 175 - Alex goes down
Moonlight spilled across the cobblestone pathways of the imperial courtyard like liquid silver. The garden here, nestled between the east wing of the inner court and the outer temple pavilions, was designed for silence. No servants wandered here after dusk. The lanterns had been dimmed to faint embers, and only the distant rustling of wind-touched bamboo broke the stillness.Alex Cole stood alone beneath the blossoming night cherry tree at the garden’s edge.His breath was shallow. Fatigue gnawed at his bones.He had not rested since the completion of the cure. The strain of channeling high-tier flame Qi during refinement had pushed his meridians close to overload. Though he had masked it well, his energy was fractured. Spiritual channels that usually ran like rivers now trickled slowly, choked by internal strain.Still, something had drawn him outside.A whisper at the back of his mind. A prickle at the base of his neck.He had sensed it earlier at his window—a shift in the palace’s
Chapter 174 - Wraith Needle
The lanterns had long dimmed across the inner court, but in a secluded corner of the Physician's Wing, a single chamber glowed with light. Alex Cole sat at a low lacquered table, the air thick with the fragrance of crushed herbs and warmed spiritual energy. Golden runes shimmered faintly across the floor in a formation meant for concentration and Qi stabilization. The walls were lined with jade tiles, each engraved with protective symbols inscribed by royal talisman artisans. This was no ordinary guest chamber. The Crown Prince himself had ordered it prepared. Alex’s robe had been shed and folded neatly at the side of the table. A light inner tunic clung to his body, damp with sweat. Before him lay a tray of rare ingredients: the White Snake Flower, now fully harmonized; a dish of powdered Thunder Leaf; and a sealed vial of jade resin, freshly extracted from the spiritual trees near Mount Qingshan. Everything had been checked for purity three times. Still, Alex performed his
Chapter 173 - The princess’s offer
The Grand Celestial Hall was radiant.Golden lanterns floated high above, suspended by unseen formations, casting a warm light that made the entire space shimmer like sunlight on water. Court nobles stood dressed in their most formal silks, their heads adorned with jade pins, gold-threaded hats, or embroidered veils depending on their rank. The occasion was an impromptu court gathering organized by the Crown Prince. It had been called to celebrate the stabilization of his condition and to officially welcome a guest who had become the subject of whispers in every corner of the palace.That guest was Alex Cole.He stood at the far end of the hall, flanked by two royal aides. His robe was midnight blue, gifted by the Crown Prince himself. It bore no family crest but was trimmed with silver lining and celestial cloud embroidery that marked him as someone favored by the highest echelons of power.He did not seek the attention of the room.But the room gave it to him all the same.Dozens
Chapter 172 - Spirit Guardian
The greenhouse was silent.Too silent.Alex Cole stood motionless, the crystal case housing the White Snake Flower still warm in his palm. Princess Serena had vanished into the maze of luminous vines to inspect a sacred fern said to release spiritual mist under moonlight. The glass dome above shimmered, reflecting the glow of suspended spirit-lanterns, yet the energy inside the room had changed.He felt it first in his skin like a static charge in the air.Then, deeper within his core.The Qi of the White Snake Flower… was no longer calm.Alex frowned.The flower in his hand pulsed unnaturally. Instead of the gentle rhythm of a living plant, its spiritual essence felt… jagged. Fractured. Like a song suddenly off-key.He set the crystal case on a stone pedestal and knelt beside it. His fingers hovered just above the jade-sealed latch as he closed his eyes, letting his senses extend outward.At first, he sensed nothing unusual.But the deeper he probed into the flower’s essence, the mor
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