The ancient mansion was silent and pitch-black, and when Li Piaoqing walked slowly to the back courtyard with her hand on her sword, the cold stars in the sky were dim.
At noon, when asked, the servant said the back courtyard was off-limits, but now that Li Piaoqing stood here, she understood why. The back courtyard was where the servants resided, and now those silent people were nowhere to be seen.
"Reserved for later use..." After her conversation with Pei Ye had ended, Li Piaoqing murmured to herself, "So... this ritual called [Pass the Decree] is to feed the bloodline of the Yi Family, one by one, to that so-called Mandate Daughter of the gods?"
"Not certain yet," the Black Cat said earnestly, its green eyes fixed ahead, "But the Immortal Lord indeed maintains a sort of 'divine decree' with the Zhushi Sect."
"Divine decree..." Li Piaoqing repeated quietly.