Chapter Twenty-Two: Poison and Treachery

A pale streak brightened the eastern sky as dawn approached. The autumn wind brushed through the mountains and forests, carrying with it a trace of chill. Beneath the white archway of Azure Cloud Sect, two tall figures appeared almost simultaneously.

Tia, carrying a bag of groceries, ascended the steps and said, “Something major happened at the Celestial Treasure Pavilion in Shanghai last night—a draconic shapeshifter killed and escaped, leaving many wealthy young men dead. Even Iron Hand himself was drawn out to pursue the culprit.”

“Is that so?” Liu Shuangling’s face showed her surprise. “It seems this draconic shapeshifter is no ordinary being, to have escaped Iron Hand’s pursuit.”

“Indeed.” Tia’s lips curled into a faint smile. “The victims were heirs of several prominent families, throwing the city’s elite into panic. Everyone is speculating who’s targeting them. Yet, the transaction records at Celestial Treasure Pavilion were wiped from the net ahead of time. No one can find detailed information on the shapeshifter.”

A hint of schadenfreude played across Tia’s face. She was the sort who thrived on chaos, wishing nothing more than to sit by the riverside and watch corpses drift past without lifting a finger herself. In her eyes, the more the strong slaughtered one another and rivers ran red, the fewer obstacles remained between her and her ascent to heaven.

The two chatted idly as they climbed the mossy stone steps. Traditional buildings rose over the walls, and the courtyard