Rong Zheng sought three rare treasures.

The Bone-Illuminating Mirror reflects one's true self and countless images.

The Jade-Hiding Altar contains potent medicine that can cure severe illnesses.

The Snow-Embroidered Sword, true to its name, is frosted with snow between its blade, cutting jade like mud. It is a renowned sword forged by Elder Hongyan.

The Bone-Illuminating Mirror was once a treasure of the Floating Pavilion but was stolen by a servant and its whereabouts became unknown. Rumor has it that recently it was acquired by the Thousand Lantern Tower from a dying old demon, but it hasn't been displayed yet, and no one knows when it will be.

The Jade-Hiding Altar is sealed in a secret chamber of the Mist Tower, heavily guarded.

The Snow-Embroidered Sword was Rong Zheng's usual sword, or rather, it used to be.

"If it was your sword, how did it end up elsewhere?" Tao Mian couldn't help but ask.

Rong Zheng pursed her lips, her hands forming hollow fists.

"It was taken."

After a pause, she told Tao Mian that the Snow-Embroidered Sword was a gift from Du Hong when he appointed her as the head of the Twelve Shadow Guards. Her title was stripped, and the sword was forcibly given a new owner.

Rong Zheng intended to reclaim it.

"It sounds like the last one would be easier to get," Tao Mian thought for a moment, "Why don't we get the sword first, then steal the Jade-Hiding Altar, and finally wait for the Thousand Lantern Tower to release news and buy the Bone-Illuminating Mirror?"

Rong Zheng had no objections.

Tao Mian carefully inquired about the whereabouts of the Snow-Embroidered Sword, asking if his disciple had any guesses.

Rong Zheng quietly pondered, eliminating candidates in her mind.

"Although the Snow-Embroidered Sword isn't unparalleled, Du Hong put in quite an effort to obtain it back then."

At that time, the relationship between Kite and the young pavilion master was still close. Du Hong rarely spoke much, but he was never stingy with rewards for Rong Zheng.

In his early twenties, Pavilion Master Du had genuine feelings for his loyal Shadow Guard, and this Snow-Embroidered Sword was personally requested by Du Hong from Elder Hongyan.

Elder Hongyan only forged one sword every ten years, and this rare opportunity was given to the eldest son of the former master of the Illusionary Truth Pavilion. The Floating Pavilion had to wait for another ten years.

But Rong Zheng had just resolved a major threat for Du Hong and was severely injured, needing to rest in bed for over three months.

Even if Du Hong was cold-hearted, he couldn't help but be moved.

He thought that if Rong Zheng had a sharper sword, she wouldn't be so gravely injured and could protect herself better.

So Du Hong made what might be the most daring move of his life. He left the newly stabilized Floating Pavilion for several months, working odd jobs at Elder Hongyan's place, enduring hardships, and finally persuading the elder to make an exception and forge the Snow-Embroidered Sword for him.

He personally named the sword. He chose the name "Snow-Embroidered" because when he first met Rong Zheng, it was the coldest part of winter, and the snow was dense like woven fabric.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

The slender girl turned back in the wind and snow, her clothes white, her boots too, her black hair adorned with large snowflakes, her skin the color of the snowy ground. Only the tip of her nose was a bit red from the cold.

She sneezed, accidentally bumping her forehead against the shoulder blade of the companion in front of her. Just as she was about to apologize, she sneezed again, bumping twice, leaving her with drooping brows and eyes, feeling aggrieved.

At that time, she wasn't yet Kite.

She was about to become Kite.

Du Hong returned with the sword and came to the bedridden Rong Zheng, explaining the origin of the sword's name and recounting that past.

Rong Zheng's face was pale, her lips slightly curved, tired but forcing herself to listen.

She thought then that the pavilion master must have mixed up the memories.

They had clearly met in the height of summer.

But Rong Zheng said nothing; she was used to not contradicting Du Hong.

Years later, looking back, Rong Zheng realized with self-mockery that Du Hong occasionally showed his true feelings in his early years.

However, it no longer mattered; she just wanted to reclaim what was rightfully hers.

"The sword was probably passed to the current head of the Twelve Shadow Guards, a man named Chen Yan, who was once my junior brother."

The Twelve Shadow Guards of the Floating Pavilion are called "shadows" because they come and go without a trace.

Tracking their movements is no easy task, especially the leader.

However, Rong Zheng was confident; she said she knew where Chen Yan was.

Tao Mian thought his disciple would take him to some illegal place, but instead, she brought him to a nameless mountain on the border between the Demonic Realm and the human world.

The mountain was neither high nor vast. Its only feature was an unusually large rock at the summit.

The rock was so big that its grandeur could be seen from the foot of the mountain.

It resembled a stable, round egg, unmoved by wind or thunder.

Because of this big rock, Tao Mian decided to call the nameless mountain Big Stone Mountain.

The two climbed to the top without much effort.

Up close, the rock's surface was smooth, its color a brownish hue, even more like a boiled egg.

Rong Zheng said her junior brother liked to come here to wash the rock when he had no tasks.

"…Wash the rock?"

"Yes," Rong Zheng searched around and finally found a copper watering can among some low shrubs, "He uses this to wash it."

Then she stood up and pointed to a spring they had passed on their way up.

"Fetch water from there."

"…"

Tao Mian couldn't help but hold his forehead, unable to imagine the work pressure faced by the assassins of the Floating Pavilion.

The former head of the Shadow Guards seemed a bit schizophrenic, and the current head had obvious compulsive behaviors.

Rong Zheng was full of confidence.

"Junior Brother Chen Yan has no friends and doesn't like romantic affairs. As long as he's not on a mission, he'll definitely be here. We just need to wait for a chance."

Tao Mian wanted to understand Chen Yan's stance further.

"Though he's your junior brother, he's still part of the Floating Pavilion. Little Hua, regardless of what Du Hong thinks, you're currently wanted by the Floating Pavilion. Won't you be walking into a trap?

If you think a fight is unavoidable, remember to tell your master in advance."

Tao Mian was thinking of his disciple, and Rong Zheng understood his good intentions, but she firmly shook her head.

"The task of capturing me was given to other Shadow Guards, not under Junior Brother Chen Yan's jurisdiction. If it's not his duty, he won't interfere; that's just his nature."

"Alright then."

Initially, Tao Mian thought his disciple was being too naive, trusting her former colleague too much.

But when he met Chen Yan in person, he found him quite different from what he had imagined.

Chen Yan was short, only reaching the lowest rib of an average adult male, but he was lean, clearly someone who had trained diligently for years.

His right foot was lame, though it was unclear if it was congenital or from an injury.

But this injury didn't seem to affect his foundation; otherwise, the meticulous Du Hong wouldn't have elevated him to the head of the Shadow Guards.

He was very silent, and when he saw two strangers by the big rock on Big Stone Mountain, he wasn't surprised. Instead, he ignored them, retrieving his watering can from the shrubs and limping down the mountain to fetch water.

With his skills, a few leaps down the mountain wouldn't be difficult. But he seemed to insist on making it hard for himself, sticking to the uneven mountain path.

Tao Mian used his eyes to ask Rong Zheng, who shook her head and pressed a finger to her lips, signaling him not to speak.

Once Chen Yan's figure disappeared, Rong Zheng began to explain.

"Little Tao, don't rush. We don't need to state our intentions. Once Chen Yan figures it out, he'll tell us the answer."

Tao Mian immediately understood what kind of person Chen Yan was.

He was methodical, walking down the mountain to fetch water, not interfering with others' tasks, showing he was a person with his own principles, and he adhered to them resolutely.

Though asking directly would be clearer, disrupting Chen Yan's principles might make him unwilling to speak.

So Rong Zheng wanted to give Chen Yan time to think.

If you stripped away the identity of a Floating Pavilion assassin, Chen Yan was like an ascetic monk born on this mountain. He methodically fetched water, climbed the mountain, washed the rock, and then went down to fetch water again.

The watering can's capacity was limited, only wetting a small area each time. The wind blew, and the muddy sand covered it, making it seem like a futile effort.

But Chen Yan didn't care about the results or meaning of this task; he just did it.

The trickle washed, the sand covered. Washed again, covered again. Chen Yan's soul, like the rock, gained texture.

This was his own cultivation.

As two intruding outsiders, they naturally couldn't disrupt his cultivation.

After several rounds of descending and ascending, the rock was wet and dry, dry and wet again, finally revealing an area about the size of a person.

Tao Mian was on the side, destroying plants and trees, leaving the grass bald.

Rong Zheng's area was already completely bald.

Time passed silently between them. As dusk approached, Chen Yan finally spoke his first words.

"Sister Zheng, the Snow-Embroidered Sword is not in my possession.

Nor is it in the hands of the other eleven brothers.

The pavilion master gave it to someone else."

Chen Yan spoke slowly, with pauses different from others, but his words were exceptionally clear.

Even though Rong Zheng hadn't asked a single question, he answered all her queries perfectly.

After he finished, Rong Zheng's face suddenly turned pale.

"I understand, thank you, Junior Brother Chen Yan."

She already knew the whereabouts of the Snow-Embroidered Sword; it could only have been given by Du Hong to that person.