As they walked the grounds they met Fei, a sharp-eyed disciple with dusty brown robes and a tight expression.
"This is Fei," Elder Hua said gently. "One of the few who remained loyal to our sect."
Fei gave Sheung a curt nod. "You're the heir?"
Before Sheung could reply, Elder Hua added, "Fei, show him to his quarters."
Turning to Sheung she added "I'll leave you to have some rest in your new home. I'll send Fei to come get you in the morning, when you can meet the Grandmaster of our Taoist lineage."
Before he could say anything Elder Hua retreated with a rustle of robes.
Fei led Sheung deeper into the grounds, past collapsing wooden walkways and overgrown paths. Finally, they arrived at a walled courtyard with a carved gate. Inside stood an elegant, albeit weathered, building with curved tile eaves and engraved pillars.
"This whole place is yours," Fei said with a strange tightness in his voice. "Left to you by your grandfather."
Sheung stared, wide-eyed. "All of it?"
Fei nodded, forcing a smile. "Welcome home….brother"
As Fei left, a flicker of jealousy glinted in his eyes.
After Fei's footsteps faded down the stone path, Sheung stood alone in the courtyard of his new home.
The silence was immense.
He stepped inside the building. The air smelled faintly of dust, aged paper, and sandalwood. Shadows stretched across wooden floors, cast by the moonlight slipping through ornate lattice windows. The rooms were spacious, elegant in their disrepair—clearly built for someone of importance long ago.
Sheung sat down on the edge of the raised bed, letting his brush rest in his lap.
He had been pulled through a portal, introduced to a secret world of magic, told he bore a dragon bloodline, and dropped into a forgotten sect. It was too much. Too fast. His hands trembled slightly, though his mind felt strangely calm.
There was weight in the air here.
Like a quiet voice telling him: You're home.
He exhaled slowly, looking around.
"Okay gramps" he said aloud to no one. "Let's see where this goes."