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Ghost in the palace

Chapter 367: The Man Beneath the Hood · Nov 02, 2026

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Chapter List (462)

Page number / 10

351 Chapter 351: The Message in the Night 2026-11-02
352 Chapter 352: The Dowager’s Warning 2026-11-02
353 Chapter 353: the kingdom uneasy 2026-11-02
354 Chapter 354: the kingdom in the brink 2026-11-02
355 Chapter 355: The Forgotten Shadow 2026-11-02
356 Chapter 356: whisper in the garden 2026-11-02
357 Chapter 357: the women who returned from the forest 2026-11-02
358 Chapter 358: the trails lead to north 2026-11-02
359 Chapter 359: Whispers Across the Kingdom 2026-11-02
360 Chapter 360: hunt for the hidden cult 2026-11-02
361 Chapter 361: The Suggestion No One Had Considered 2026-11-02
362 Chapter 362: midnight inspection 2026-11-02
363 Chapter 363: The Traitor’s Letter 2026-11-02
364 Chapter 364: The Empire Stands Firm 2026-11-02
365 Chapter 365: The Fallen Minister 2026-11-02
366 Chapter 366: The Shadow on the Terrace 2026-11-02
367 Chapter 367: The Man Beneath the Hood 2026-11-02
368 Chapter 368: Unnamed A New Shadow 2026-11-02
369 Chapter 369: The Mysterious Letter 2026-11-02
370 Chapter 370: The Hand Behind the Shadows 2026-11-02
371 Chapter 371: The Man Who Walked Among Ghosts 2026-11-02
372 Chapter 372: doomed 2026-11-02
373 Chapter 373: The Letter of Doom 2026-11-02
374 Chapter 374: – The Price of Dark Magic 2026-11-02
375 Chapter 375: The Second Phase 2026-11-02
376 Chapter 376: The Shadow Over the Kingdom 2026-11-02
377 Chapter 377: The Shadow in Princess Zhi’s Courtyard 2026-11-02
378 Chapter 378: A Shadow of Death 2026-11-02
379 Chapter 379: The Black Magic Plague 2026-11-02
380 Chapter 380: The Courtyard Without Life 2026-11-02
381 Chapter 381: ghost staring 2026-11-02
382 Chapter 382: A Dangerous Truth 2026-11-02
383 Chapter 383: the empty cotyard 2026-11-02
384 Chapter 384: doubt 2026-11-02
385 Chapter 385: the trap 2026-11-02
386 Chapter 386: The Trap Behind the Trap 2026-11-02
387 Chapter 387: The Rumor That Set the Capital Ablaze 2026-11-02
388 Chapter 388: The Ministers Who Demanded Judgment 2026-11-02
389 Chapter 389: The Ministers’ Demand 2026-11-02
390 Chapter 390: The Missing Talisman 2026-11-02
391 Chapter 391: — A Midnight Visit 2026-11-02
392 Chapter 392: Fen Yu’s Terrible Date 2026-11-02
393 Chapter 393: The Silent Courtyard 2026-11-02
394 Chapter 394: The Ghosts Who Would Not Stop Fighting 2026-11-02
395 Chapter 395: The Court Demands Blood 2026-11-02
396 Chapter 396: The Whisper That Turned Into a Storm 2026-11-02
397 Chapter 397: The Mystery Beneath the Palace 2026-11-02
398 Chapter 398: The Maid Who Wasn’t What She Seemed 2026-11-02
399 Chapter 399: Whispers Beneath the Moon 2026-11-02
400 Chapter 400: The Black Altar 2026-11-02

The capital had always been a city that slept lightly.

Even after midnight, lanterns glowed outside teahouses, patrols crossed the streets, and merchants prepared for the following day’s business.

But during the past several nights...

Something strange had begun to spread across the kingdom.

Not a disease.

Not a rebellion.

A rumor.

A whisper.

---

”It happened again.”

”I saw him.”

”No... it couldn’t have been him.”

”I swear on my ancestors, I saw a man in a black hood.”

The whispers spread from tea stalls to marketplaces, from noble mansions to humble cottages.

Every storyteller seemed to have a different version.

Some claimed the hooded man was a wandering immortal.

Others insisted he was an assassin.

A few believed he was the ghost of an ancient general who had returned to seek revenge.

No one knew the truth.

Because no one had ever seen his face.

---

Near the eastern market, two night-watch guards walked their usual patrol.

The younger guard yawned.

”I can’t wait for sunrise.”

His companion chuckled.

”You complain every night.”

Before either could say another word...

A figure appeared at the far end of the street.

Tall.

Clothed entirely in black.

A hood concealed his face.

He walked calmly beneath the lanterns as though the entire city belonged to him.

The younger guard froze.

”...There.”

The older guard followed his gaze.

His expression changed instantly.

”The hooded man.”

Without hesitation, both guards ran forward.

”Stop!”

The mysterious figure never looked back.

His pace remained slow.

Steady.

Almost leisurely.

The younger guard stretched out his hand.

He was only a few steps away.

”Don’t let him escape!”

The hooded man turned into a narrow alley.

The guards followed immediately.

But when they reached the corner...

The alley was empty.

No doors had opened.

No walls had been climbed.

No footsteps remained.

Only silence greeted them.

The younger guard looked around wildly.

”Where did he go?”

The older guard’s face turned pale.

”He... disappeared.”

---

By dawn, the story had spread through the eastern district.

By noon...

The entire capital was discussing it.

---

Inside a busy teahouse, customers leaned across wooden tables.

”I heard four guards chased him.”

”They couldn’t catch him.”

”My cousin says the man vanished into thin air.”

”Nonsense.”

”Then explain why no one has caught him.”

No one could.

---

Farther south, an old woman selling flowers nodded knowingly.

”I’ve lived for seventy years.”

”I’ve seen strange things.”

”That man is no ordinary traveler.”

The children surrounding her widened their eyes.

”Grandmother, is he a ghost?”

She smiled mysteriously.

”Perhaps.”

The children immediately screamed in excitement before running off to tell their friends.

---

By evening, the rumors had grown even stranger.

”He walks without making a sound.”

”He never casts a shadow.”

”His eyes glow beneath the hood.”

”He appears wherever the moonlight touches.”

Each story became more unbelievable than the last.

Yet every storyteller ended the tale the same way.

”No one catches him.”

---

At the western gate, several merchants prepared to leave before sunrise.

One young merchant whispered,

”If I see him, I’m running.”

His older companion laughed.

”You’ve never even seen him.”

”I don’t need to.”

”The stories are enough.”

The others laughed nervously.

Even those who mocked the rumors found themselves glancing over their shoulders.

---

Inside the palace, the Imperial Guards exchanged uneasy looks.

Captain Zhao placed several reports upon his desk.

”Again?”

A soldier nodded.

”Three separate sightings.”

”The descriptions match?”

”Exactly.”

”Black robes.”

”Hood.”

”Male.”

”Walking calmly.”

”And every pursuit failed.”

Captain Zhao frowned.

”Increase the night patrols.”

”Yes, Captain.”

---

Not far away...

In a quiet courtyard...

Shin Gu stood beside a window.

A maid entered and bowed.

”My Lady.”

”The city is speaking of nothing else.”

Shin Gu pretended surprise.

”The hooded man?”

”Yes.”

”They say he cannot be caught.”

Shin Gu looked out toward the darkening sky.

”I see...”

The maid shivered.

”Do you think he’s dangerous?”

Shin Gu answered calmly.

”I think...”

”...people fear what they cannot understand.”

The maid nodded before leaving.

Once the room was empty...

A faint smile appeared on Shin Gu’s lips.

”So...”

”The rumors have spread.”

---

Outside the capital...

A farming village settled into the night.

A young shepherd walked home carrying a lantern.

As he crossed an old stone bridge...

He noticed someone standing at the opposite end.

A hooded figure.

Perfectly still.

The shepherd called out,

”Who’s there?”

No reply came.

Gathering his courage, he approached.

Step by step.

When he was only ten paces away...

A cloud drifted across the moon.

Darkness covered the bridge for only a heartbeat.

When the moonlight returned...

The figure was gone.

The shepherd dropped his lantern.

The next morning, he told everyone in the village.

By afternoon...

Traveling merchants carried the story to neighboring towns.

The legend grew.

---

Within days, the entire kingdom buzzed with speculation.

”He was seen near the northern forest.”

”No, near the western mountains.”

”My uncle saw him outside the capital.”

”My brother swears he crossed the river without a boat.”

Truth mixed with imagination until no one could separate one from the other.

---

Children began daring one another to stay outside after sunset.

Poets composed mysterious verses.

Travelers avoided lonely roads at night.

Even seasoned soldiers instinctively tightened their grip on their swords whenever they spotted a dark cloak in the distance.

The hooded man had become more than a person.

He had become a mystery.

---

Late one night...

On a deserted hill overlooking the sleeping capital...

The hooded man stood alone.

Below him, thousands of lanterns illuminated the city.

He quietly observed the kingdom.

A soft breeze stirred the hem of his cloak.

After a long silence, he spoke to himself.

”They’re beginning to look.”

”They’re asking questions.”

”They’re watching the night...”

He slowly turned away from the city.

”...which means they’ve stopped watching where it truly matters.”

Without another word, he disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the whispering wind behind.

And throughout the kingdom, the legend of the hooded man continued to grow, with every sighting making him seem less like a man... and more like a shadow that no one could ever catch.

The palace, usually bustling with orderly activity, was unusually restless that afternoon.

Servants hurried through the corridors, their voices lowered to cautious whispers.

Palace maids gathered in small groups before quickly scattering whenever a senior official approached.

Even the imperial guards seemed more alert than usual.

One rumor had spread through the capital like wildfire.

”A hooded man...”

”They say he vanished into thin air.”

”It happened in broad daylight.”

”No one could catch him.”

Every version of the story grew more unbelievable.

---

At the eastern palace gate, two guards stood discussing the incident.

”I swear I saw him.”

The younger guard lowered his voice.

”He was dressed entirely in black.”

”The moment Captain Zhao ordered everyone to surround him...”

”He disappeared.”

The older guard frowned.

”Disappeared?”

”As if swallowed by the wind.”

The younger guard nodded nervously.

”There wasn’t even time to blink.”

---

Nearby, a maid carrying a basket overheard them.

She gasped.

”So the rumors are true?”

Another maid quickly whispered,

”My cousin serves near the Imperial Library.”

”She said more than twenty guards witnessed it.”

The first maid hugged herself.

”Could it be... a ghost?”

”Don’t say such things!”

”But how else could someone vanish?”

---

Soon the story spread through every palace courtyard.

Some claimed the mysterious figure was an assassin.

Others believed he was a spy from a neighboring kingdom.

A few elderly servants quietly muttered about forbidden cultivation and ancient dark arts.

No one knew the truth.

But everyone was talking.

---

Inside the Ministry Hall, several ministers had also heard the reports.

One elderly official stroked his beard.

”This is deeply concerning.”

Another nodded.

”If someone can enter and leave the palace unnoticed, the imperial family’s safety is at risk.”

A younger minister added,

”Perhaps the reports are exaggerated.”

An older general shook his head.

”The guards involved are experienced veterans.”

”They would not invent such a story.”

Silence settled over the room.

---

Outside, Captain Zhao was being questioned once again.

A senior commander asked,

”Tell me exactly what happened.”

Captain Zhao took a slow breath.

”We received reports of a suspicious man near the eastern gardens.”

”My squad surrounded him from every direction.”

”There was nowhere for him to escape.”

He paused.

”Then...”

”He looked at us.”

”And in the next heartbeat...”

”He was gone.”

The commander narrowed his eyes.

”You lost sight of him?”

Captain Zhao slowly shook his head.

”No.”

”He wasn’t running.”

”He simply... wasn’t there anymore.”

The commander remained silent.

He had fought in wars for decades.

He had seen skilled assassins.

Master archers.

Shadow agents.

But never anything like this.

---

By evening, the news reached the Inner Palace.

Concubines gathered together over tea.

One of them whispered excitedly,

”They say he wasn’t even human.”

Another immediately covered her mouth.

”Don’t speak nonsense.”

”But everyone is saying it.”

A third woman quietly remarked,

”Whether man or ghost...”

”He managed to enter the palace.”

”That alone is frightening.”

The room became silent.

---

Far away, hidden within a deserted pavilion beyond the palace walls, a cloaked figure stood beneath the fading sunlight.

His face remained hidden beneath a dark hood.

He looked toward the palace.

Without moving.

Without speaking.

Only after several moments did a faint smile appear beneath the shadow of his hood.

”So...”

”They’re afraid already.”

He turned.

His cloak fluttered with the evening breeze.

Then, silently, he disappeared into the forest.

---

Back inside the palace, the whispers only grew louder as darkness fell.

No one knew who the mysterious hooded man was.

No one knew why he had come.

And no one knew...

Whether he had truly vanished.

Or whether he was still somewhere inside the palace...

Watching.

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