I returned to the palace once again, drifting inside like a bat.

It was the dead of night, quiet and still, and the palace was filled with the crisp sound of dripping water from the hourglass.

I took a turn and was about to leave when I noticed a faint light in the west wing. Strange noises were coming from inside. I approached, punctured the window paper, and looked inside. I wished I could gouge out my own eyes.

The Feather Emperor was favoring a woman, and she repeatedly called him "Your Majesty."

As the saying goes, "Don't watch what is improper." I was about to leave, but the woman suddenly screamed and ran barefoot to the door. However, she was instantly pulled back by something. She struggled for a few moments, then fell silent. I leaned closer and saw something so unsettling that it made my stomach churn, nearly causing me to vomit.

The Feather Emperor was stretching out his tongue and licking the woman's eyes. Her entire body had turned dark, her flesh clinging to her bones, devoid of vitality.

I thought that something was missing from the corpses at the mass graves. It turned out they were all missing their eyes.

Is this Feather Emperor the one responsible for these eerie occurrences?

But the Feather Clan has always practiced the art of music and harmony. They shouldn't be so sinister. Where did things go wrong?

Lost in thought, I didn't expect a dark figure to approach silently and tap me on the shoulder. Startled, I raised my hand to strike, but she removed her hood, revealing herself to be Lingsu.

"Who's there?" the Feather Emperor inside the hall exclaimed, on guard.

Lingsu grabbed my hand and we ran, swiftly escaping beyond the palace walls.

"That person is not my father!" Lingsu panted, supporting herself on her knees.

"The one residing in the Suihan Residence is also not Jiang Shang."

"My father suffered severe injuries in his early years, causing his cultivation to be completely destroyed. He's no different from an ordinary person. He would never practice such dark arts."