Chapter 30: Verification of Identity?

Yun Xiange ran while searching her memory for the direction of the Cold Palace, cross-referencing it with the map Xiangcao had prepared for her in advance. She found her way with surprising ease.

While still in prison, she had instructed Xiangcao to investigate. The entire palace was heavily guarded, but the one place left completely unmanned was the Cold Palace. It had been uninhabited for years, and the concubines who once lived there had long since passed away, making it the perfect spot for illicit business.

As she pushed open the palace gates, a thick cloud of dust rushed out to greet her, forcing her into a fit of coughing.

Inside, the hall was desolate and lifeless, thick with grime. There was nothing but a filthy wooden bed, a chipped table, and a crooked, broken lamp. There was nowhere to hide at all.

Resigned, Yun Xiange held her breath and ducked behind a heavy black curtain. It wasn't really a curtain; perhaps the previous occupant, lacking proper drapes, had simply hung a large piece of black cloth over the window.

When Yun Xiyan and her four guards arrived, they waited outside for a long time. Receiving no response to their repeated calls, they entered.

Upon stepping inside, they saw a figure obscured by the black cloth. Though hidden, it was clear the woman was squatting. Yun Xiyan breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Imperial Sister, are you finished yet?"

"Yes, yes, what is with the rushing?" Tired of crouching, Yun Xiange stood up and stepped out from behind the black fabric. "Let's go."

As she spoke, she moved naturally toward Yun Xiyan. Just as Yun Xiyan was about to step over the wooden threshold, Yun Xiange suddenly drew the sword from her sister’s waist. A flash of cold light, swift as a shooting star in the darkness, streaked through the air. With a soft "swish," the throats of all four guards were slit. They didn't even have time to gasp before they collapsed, their eyes wide and staring.

Although they served the Second Imperial Princess, these four were renowned experts in the martial world. As they drew their final breaths, they realized that the princess was not the incompetent fool everyone believed her to be, but a genius.

At that same moment, Yun Xiyan heard them fall and spun around, only for Yun Xiange to strike her pressure points, immobilizing her instantly.

Damn it, she couldn't move! She had been played!

Her face dark, Yun Xiyan spoke with the tone of an accusation rather than a question: "Imperial Sister, you know martial arts?"

Yun Xiange sheathed the sword back into Yun Xiyan’s scabbard and took the bow and arrow from one of the fallen guards, placing them into Yun Xiyan's hands. This was the bow she had used to shoot at her earlier, wasn't it?

She covered her mouth and chuckled, as if kindly reminding her: "Do you know that whatever you owe others, you will eventually have to pay back?"

Yun Xiyan’s deep eyes were filled with scrutiny. "You are not the Imperial Sister. She never knew martial arts. Who are you?"

"I never claimed I didn't know martial arts; you all simply assumed I didn't. If you don't believe me, you can try to verify my identity yourself—if you ever get the chance." Her red lips curled into a cold, sharp smile. Despite the unsightly black and red blotches marring her face, she looked like a phantom of the night—wicked and chilling, yet inexplicably mesmerizing. She leaned in close, whispering into her ear with a breath of bone-chilling frost: "But the prerequisite is that you actually get the chance to verify it."