Meng Jueyan did not respond immediately. Instead, she spoke after a brief pause, her tone measured.

"I considered the same possibility. I verified her intent through several channels before bringing this to you. There have been no signs of movement against you. No preparations, no covert actions, no shifts in her network that would indicate hostility."

Han Yu listened carefully.

"I believe the letter is genuine," she added.

He tapped the edge of the letter lightly against his palm, his expression thoughtful.

The situation was unusual.

A letter addressed to Ju Fan, arriving anonymously, bypassing all standard channels, and sealed in such a manner was not something that could be dismissed lightly. Under normal circumstances, any attempt to contact him would pass through multiple layers of verification.

The Second Kidney Peak would screen it first, or it would be processed through the sect's official system before reaching Meng Jueyan.

This had done neither.

Which meant only one thing.

It had been delivered through a method that avoided both.

Han Yu's eyes darkened slightly.

That alone made it dangerous.

Yet the identity of the sender complicated matters further.

Lady Rot Rose was not someone who acted without purpose. If she had sent this, then it carried weight. Whether that weight leaned toward opportunity or danger remained to be seen.

He turned the letter over once more, studying the seal carefully.

The cursed energy remained stable.

It had not been tampered with.

It was waiting.

Han Yu let out a quiet breath.

"Interesting," he said softly.

His fingers hovered over the seal for a minute.

Han Yu did not rush.

The letter remained in his hand as he studied the seal one final time, confirming every trace of cursed energy and the structure hidden beneath it. Even though the letter was meant for him, the seal was anything but harmless.

The Cursed Corpse Wax held the Death Bell Powder in a delicate suspension, and disturbing it incorrectly would release a wave of death aligned energy strong enough to cripple an unprepared cultivator.

He raised his hand slightly, and a faint flicker of dark crimson flame appeared at his fingertips.

The Dark Blood Flames moved with quiet intent, coiling around the seal like a living thing. Instead of clashing with the cursed energy directly, Han Yu guided the flames with precision, letting them seep into the microscopic gaps within the wax.

The flames burned slowly, carefully isolating the Death Bell Powder and neutralizing its reactive properties before the structure of the seal was disturbed. A lesser cultivator would have tried to overpower the curse.

But Han Yu dismantled it.

Within a few breaths, the wax darkened and lost its sheen. The faint green mist that had once swirled within it dissipated completely. The symbol etched into it cracked and flaked away, turning into harmless residue that fell onto the ground.

Only then did Han Yu break the seal fully.

The letter within was revealed, plain in appearance, though the faint trace of curse energy lingering on its surface confirmed its origin. He unfolded it without hesitation and began to read.

The contents were brief.

There were no elaborate greetings, no excessive politeness, and no attempt to disguise the sender's tone. It was direct in a way that reflected confidence rather than courtesy.

Legacy Disciple Ju Fan was invited to attend a private gathering.

The wording was careful, though the implication behind it was clear. This was not a casual invitation.

The one inviting him was Lady Rot Rose.

The letter provided a time and a location.

Nothing else.

No explanation. No hint. No purpose.

Han Yu read it twice before lowering the letter slightly, his expression thoughtful.

He handed it to Meng Jueyan without a word.

"Check it," he said.

She accepted it and focused immediately.

Her Ominous Wind Raven eye activated subtly, the dark pupil shifting as it scanned the layers of energy clinging to the paper. Unlike Han Yu, who analyzed through knowledge and experience, her method relied on instinct guided by perception. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

She observed the currents of fate that brushed against the object, searching for distortions, warnings, or anything that suggested danger.

A minute passed in silence.

Then she exhaled softly.

"It is clean, master," she said. "There are no signs of ill intent. No bad omens."

Han Yu took the letter back, folding it slowly.

"I see."

His tone carried neither relief nor concern. Instead, it held a quiet uncertainty.

Lady Rot Rose was not someone who acted without reason.

She was a Legacy Disciple, like him, yet the comparison ended there. Her standing within the sect came from a far older generation. She had held her position for over a thousand years, a fact that alone placed her in a category that few could match.

Time in a sect like theirs was more than just a measure of age. It represented accumulated power, influence, and experience.

Even her real name was unknown to most.

Han Yu had never learned it.

Only the oldest members of the sect, those who had witnessed multiple eras pass, were said to know it. To the rest, she was simply Lady Rot Rose, a title that carried weight on its own.

According to the intelligence Han Yu had gathered over the years, her cultivation had reached the peak of the Dao Shell realm long ago. That information itself was outdated. Han Yu had no doubt that she had continued to grow, and whether she had already stepped beyond that stage remained uncertain.

What was certain was her influence.

She operated quietly, yet her presence could be felt in the subtle shifts within the sect. Alliances that formed and dissolved, resources that moved without clear explanation, and decisions that seemed to favor one side over another all carried faint traces of her involvement.

Han Yu had been cautious of her from the beginning.

Their interactions had never been direct, yet their interests had crossed paths more than once. He had taken in disciples who had previously been under her authority, individuals who had fallen out of favor or been discarded for various reasons.