That Evening – Campfire (continued)
The sect sat around the fire, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
"We really did it," Han Li said softly. "Helped people."
"Technically we gassed a barn and lied to criminals," Yun Xi replied.
"I prefer the term 'strategic deception,'" Lin Fan added, roasting spirit beans over Bubba's still-warm hatch.
"It counts," Xue Rong said firmly, arms crossed. "We stood together. We fought as a unit."
"You threw a man into a chicken coop," Yun Xi deadpanned.
"He yielded."
Everyone chuckled—except Shen Mo.
He was silent, gazing into the fire.
Yun Xi noticed first.
"You okay?" she asked.
"...I didn't think it would feel like this," Shen Mo said.
"Like what?"
"To help people."
"You accidentally helped people," Lin Fan reminded.
"Still," Shen Mo muttered, "they called me 'Master Shen' with respect."
He looked at his hand, the one that had activated the binding array.
In his previous life, this hand had done far darker things. Silent kills. Poison trades. Sabotaged alliances. He had used that same calm voice to end families.
And now?
He was building something.
Even if by accident.
A flicker of something not-quite-evil stirred in his heart.
[System Notification:]
Black Sky Fragment Pulse Detected
Soul Resonance: 2%Trait Unlocked: Whispers of the Lost Inheritor
Ability Gained: Occasionally glimpses remnants of ancient techniques once tied to the Black Sky War. May appear as dreams, thoughts, or instinctual movements.
⚠ Warning: Unknown entity has detected fragment activation.
Far from Grain Village…
A pair of golden eyes opened in the dark.
"He has the fragment."
The voice was ancient. Disbelieving.
"Then the Black Sky Path… has begun again."
Back at the campfire
Shen Mo rubbed his temples.
For just a second, he'd heard something—an ancient melody, as if sung by ghosts through steel.
"Master Shen?" Han Li asked.
"We should rest," he replied, shaking off the feeling. "Tomorrow, we return to the mountain. We've got work to do."
"What kind?" Lin Fan asked.
"Recruitment. Construction. And maybe…" Shen Mo looked at the starry sky, "...we prepare for our first visitor from a noble family."
"We're getting noble attention already?" Yun Xi asked.
"Soon. Our name's spreading."
"That's good… right?"
Shen Mo smiled faintly.
"Depends on the nobles."