The warehouse still smelled faintly of rain-soaked timber and old incense. The faint light of dawn seeped through the cracks in the shutters, painting thin blades of gray across the dusty floorboards. Li Wei's steps were soft but carried the weight of fatigue, as his robes were still damp from the lake, the faint scent of ozone clinging to him.

Leng Yue stood near the far table, her figure half-shrouded in lamplight. Her hands rested on a teapot grown cold, the steam long vanished. Opposite her sat Pei Wong, the late councilman's son with a rigid posture, eyes unfocused. His garments were muddied, one sleeve torn, the faint crimson stains of his father's blood still dark on his cuff.

Li Wei paused at the threshold for a moment, letting the silence breathe between them before stepping forward. The boards creaked softly under his weight. ~Creak…~

Leng Yue turned, relief flickering briefly in her weary eyes. "You're back."

"Yes," Li Wei replied. He set his staff against the wall and glanced toward Pei Wong. "You found him." Leng Yue nodded. "I barely made it, The square was already cordoned when I arrived. The adjudicators had formed a circle, they didn't even grant Pei Zhen a proper burial rites." Her voice faltered at the name. "The people watched from their windows but none dared intervene."

Pei Wong lifted his head slowly, his gaze meeting Li Wei's. There was no malice there, only a hollow sort of shock. "He… he never screamed," the young man said quietly. "Even when they branded him. He looked up at the sky until the last breath left him. Said he hoped Heaven would notice this time."

Li Wei's expression remained still, but something in his eyes softened. "Heaven notices all things," he murmured, "but seldom acts when mortals most need it." The young man's hands trembled against the table's edge. "Then what are we to do? Just keep running?"

"Running buys time," Li Wei replied, moving past him to the far corner. He lifted a tarpaulin, revealing a lacquered chest engraved with talismanic script. "Time enough to act when action bears fruit."

He knelt and opened the chest carefully. Inside, wrapped in layers of silk, lay a small carpet of woven red-gold threads, faintly shimmering with a residual hum of qi. "You will take this," Li Wei said, lifting it with both hands. The carpet unfurled in the dim light, its edges curling as if stirred by an unseen wind.

Pei Wong blinked, momentarily distracted by the relic's beauty. "A flying carpet?"

"A relic from the Western Isles," Li Wei said. "It answers only to will, not command. Treat it with respect, and it will bear you across the skies unharmed."

The young man's gaze lingered on it, then on Li Wei. "And you would trust me with this? After everything your Council has lost because of mine?"

Leng Yue shifted, her eyes narrowing slightly. But Li Wei only smiled faintly, a tired curve of lips. "Your father stood against the serpent's shadow when none else would. That alone earns you my trust. Besides," he added, rolling the carpet gently and placing it in Pei Wong's arms, "I have no other courier who could move unseen."

Pei Wong's fingers tightened around the relic. His voice cracked slightly. "You are sending me alone…"

Li Wei rose, dusting off his knees. "You are not alone, Pei Wong. You carry your father's name, and that name still commands respect among the outer clans. In Crescent Moon City, seek the Liu compound. There, you'll find three disciples of mine- Jia Lin, Mei Yu, and Ning Xue. Tell them the serpent's heart has bled through the seal."

Pei Wong swallowed hard. "And if the Council has already reached them?" Li Wei's eyes, weary yet tranquil, met his. "Then trust your instincts. Burn the seal parchment if capture seems imminent. They'll understand the signal." Leng Yue moved closer, her hands brushing Li Wei's sleeve. "You're asking too much of him," she said softly. "He's just lost everything."

Li Wei turned to her. "We all have, Yue." His tone was gentle, but beneath it ran iron. "If we do nothing now, we lose what little remains." The words hung heavy between them. For a long while, only the faint crackle of the oil lamp filled the silence. ~Tkk… tkkk…~

Pei Wong drew a shaky breath, then stood, steadying himself. "If this is what must be done… then I'll do it. My father believed in the old order. I'll see if it's still worth saving." Li Wei gave a short nod. "Good. Dawn approaches. You should leave before the city wakes."

The young man bowed stiffly, clutching the rolled carpet to his chest. Leng Yue fetched a small pouch of spirit stones and pressed it into his hand. "To avoid energy depletion. And this—" she added, sliding a slender charm from her wrist, "As a safety precaution."

He hesitated, then took it, eyes lowering in gratitude. Without another word, he turned and strode toward the rear exit, disappearing into the gray light beyond the warehouse doors. ~Creak… thud… silence.~

When he was gone, Leng Yue leaned against the table, exhaling. "He's walking into a viper's nest," she said. "Even the Liu clan can't stand against the Council if the serpent's influence spreads that far." Li Wei said nothing for a moment. He walked to the shuttered window, pressing a hand against the damp wood.

The faint morning wind carried the scent of burned offerings from the square beyond. "The Council has already lost its will to act without certainty," he said quietly. "Every decision they make now feeds the serpent. It won't be long before the cities themselves turn hollow."

Leng Yue crossed the room, setting the cold teapot aside. "You've seen it, haven't you? Beneath the lake." He turned slightly, eyes glinting. "I saw what remains of the serpent's husk… and the shadow it left behind. Its essence is diffused through the ley lines now. Each tremor, each surge of qi instability across the provinces—that's its pulse."

She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Then there's no stopping it."

"There is always a way." Li Wei's hand strayed briefly to the spirit pearl embedded in his staff. It had dimmed to a faint, smoky hue. "But it will cost more than I'm willing to pay." Leng Yue looked at him searchingly. "You mean the *Mirror Seal*, don't you? That is a forbidden art."

Li Wei's gaze dropped. "If the serpent regains its corporeal form, it won't just consume cities—it will erase their inhabitants. The Mirror Seal is the only art that can bind a soul across realms, but…" He trailed off, his hand tightening on the staff. "It requires a living anchor."

She stepped closer, voice softening. "You're thinking of offering yourself."

Li Wei's silence was answer enough.

For a moment, Leng Yue's composure broke. She turned away, pressing a hand to her face. "You always take the burden alone," she said bitterly. "Even when the heavens themselves turn deaf, you carry their silence like penance." Li Wei's lips curved faintly, though not in amusement. "And you always notice when I try to hide it."

The lamp sputtered, its flame wavering. A faint sound came from the rafters—a shifting, like cloth brushing wood. ~Scrrchhh…~

Li Wei's head snapped up, as Leng Yue watched the young master slowly raise his staff. The pearl flared weakly, casting pale light upward. From the shadowed beams above, something unfurled—a paper talisman, blackened around the edges, dangling from a thread of crimson silk.

He extended the tip of his staff, touching it lightly. The paper ignited instantly, releasing a hiss. Within the brief flame, an image flickered—a mark resembling a coiled serpent devouring its own tail. Then, smoke.

Leng Yue's breath caught. "A surveillance charm."

"Imperial grade," Li Wei muttered. "They've already marked this place." He turned sharply toward the table, gathering a few sealed scrolls and tucking them into his robe. "We must move."

"Where?"

"West," he replied. "Beyond the river. There's a hermitage at the base of Mount Lian. If the serpent's qi is truly spreading, it'll converge there within days."

Outside, the wind had risen. The first true rays of dawn broke through the clouds, casting a brittle light across the village rooftops. Somewhere far off, a bell tolled—the warning for the day's first summons. ~Gong… gong…~

As they stepped out into the narrow street, Li Wei paused once more, glancing toward the horizon where the lake lay hidden beneath the mist. For a moment, he could swear he saw it shimmer again, faint and red, as if something vast beneath its surface had opened a single, unseen eye.

They turned their backs to the rising sun, vanishing into the labyrinth of alleyways as the morning bells continued to sound. Wind sighing through broken shutters… distant chatter in the early hours of a new day.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.