The small boat glided through the night, soundless and traceless, as light as a leaf drifting upon the water. The night was as thick as ink; only the silver moonlight and myriad glittering stars in the firmament illuminated the endless river, forming a shimmering silver galaxy. The night wind blew past, carrying the cool moisture and the fragrance of vegetation from the banks, washing away the stench of blood and the smoke of Lac Nam Town left behind.
This tranquility, to the trio of Tran Kien, Lam Vy, and Trinh Cong, felt like the suffocating silence following a raging storm.
Trinh Cong had bandaged his wounds, though his complexion remained deathly pale. He sat in a corner of the boat, his gaze complex as he looked toward Uncle Sword sitting at the bow, his back as straight as an ancient sword concealed within its sheath. Lam Vy, after experiencing sheer terror, had now calmed down. The little girl no longer displayed her usual mischievous and stubborn demeanor; instead, she sat silently beside her grandfather, her large, round eyes staring into the boundless void, seemingly pondering the events that had just transpired and her true identity.
Tran Kien sat at the stern, leaning against the side of the boat, his eyes half-closed as if resting his spirit. However, in truth, his mind was operating at lightning speed. He was digesting a massive amount of information and rearranging the entire chessboard.
The Dingguo Ducal Estate, the Marquis of Vinh An's Estate... he muttered inwardly. Through the unofficial histories in the Myriad Books Pavilion, he knew these were two of the most noble and powerful clans in the current royal court of Great Viet. One controlled the military, guarding the borders. The other held monstrous authority within the court. Their struggle was no longer merely a simple grievance of the martial world, but a political undercurrent that could affect the very destiny of the nation.
Lam Vy was the Young Lady of the Dingguo Ducal Estate, the daughter of the deceased Heir Apparent. Trinh Cong was a loyal retainer. The one pursuing them, Ly Thuan, was the Grand Steward of the Marquis of Vinh An. The Marquis's goal in capturing Lam Vy was likely to threaten them or to eliminate a potential disaster for his own son.
Tran Kien connected the events. This chessboard, compared to the schemes of the Black Dragon Stronghold or the Divine Weapon Pavilion, was a hundred times more complex and perilous. He was merely a passerby, yet he had been dragged into the very eye of the storm.
"Little boy," Uncle Sword's tranquil voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Tran Kien's train of thought. "The internal Qi within your body is in chaos, and you bear unhealed old wounds. Why are you not meditating to regulate your Qi, instead of letting your mind be in such turmoil?"
Tran Kien opened his eyes, meeting the profound gaze of the middle-aged man. Under the moonlight, he could see Uncle Sword's face more clearly. It was a resolute face, etched with the marks of wind and frost, yet his eyes were as bright and tranquil as a placid lake without a single ripple.
"Senior," Tran Kien cupped his hands. "Junior is merely pondering how to walk the path ahead."
Uncle Sword chuckled softly. "Your path, is it not to journey to the Indigo Capital to seek the Lac Viet legacy? Just keep walking."
Tran Kien was shaken. This old man... could actually see through his purpose?
"There is no need to be so astonished," Uncle Sword seemed to read his thoughts. "The aura upon your body possesses both the steadiness of the Dao of Body Cultivation and the radiance of a Lac Viet relic. Furthermore, you are heading west, where the Indigo Capital lies—the birthplace of the dynasty, and also the place where the most ancient secrets are buried. Guessing your purpose is not a difficult matter."
He paused, looking out over the shimmering river. "But perhaps you do not know, your path to the Indigo Capital and the Young Lady's path to the Indigo Capital are inherently the same path."
"What does Senior mean?" Tran Kien asked in surprise.
This time, Trinh Cong spoke up, his voice somewhat weary: "Young Hero Tran, you have saved the lives of this old man and my young miss, so I will no longer hide anything from you. The Young Lady's mother, the Princess Consort, was also a descendant of the Lac Viet bloodline. Her dying wish was that when the Young Lady grew up, she must travel to the Indigo Capital to retrieve the family's token. The reason the Marquis of Vinh An wishes to lay hands on the Young Lady, aside from struggling for power, is partly because he also covets the secrets of the Lac Viet people."
Tran Kien was stunned. So that was it. All the events, seemingly coincidental, were connected by an invisible thread of destiny. In saving Lam Vy, he was not just saving an ordinary little girl; he was saving someone who shared the same goal and the same path as himself.
"Then what is that token?"
Trinh Cong shook his head. "That matter is only known to the Young Lady. It is a secret the Princess Consort passed down solely to her."
All eyes turned toward Lam Vy. The little girl, after a moment of silence, finally raised her head. Her large, round eyes no longer held fear, replaced by an extraordinary resolve.
She took an object from a brocade pouch worn around her neck. Under the moonlight, the object was revealed. It was no precious treasure, but merely a broken shard of pottery, bearing the image of a Lac bird spreading its wings, looking incredibly ancient.
"My mother said," Lam Vy spoke, her voice still trembling slightly but incredibly clear. "When I find someone who can make this pottery shard glow, that person is the one chosen by the ancestors to inherit the legacy. And that person will be my protector."
Saying so, she looked straight at Tran Kien.
Tran Kien fell silent. He had never expected to be drawn into such a vortex of destiny.
"Little boy," Uncle Sword spoke again, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "Why not give it a try?"
Tran Kien hesitated for a moment. He did not wish to involve himself too deeply in these struggles for power. But looking into Lam Vy's eyes, full of anticipation and trust, he could not bring himself to refuse.
He slowly reached out his hand. His finger lightly touched the Lac bird pottery shard.
In that instant, there was no blinding light, no heaven-shaking anomaly.
Only the shard of the Sun Essence Guardian in his chest and the Shaman's beast-skin map vibrated violently in unison. An ancient, primordial aura emanated from the three objects of the same origin, resonating with one another.
The Lac bird pottery shard in Lam Vy's hand slowly, slowly... emitted a gentle, jade-green halo, as warm as the morning sun.
The entire small boat sank into absolute stillness, save for the murmuring sound of the flowing water.
Trinh Cong and Lam Vy watched the scene, their eyes filled with overwhelming shock and boundless joy.
Uncle Sword nodded slightly, and within his profound eyes, a genuine smile finally appeared.
"It seems," he murmured. "This trip to the Indigo Capital will no longer be boring."