✦ Chapter 8: The Man in Black ✦
The peace of the village began to crack when a stranger arrived—dressed in black silk, his face half-hidden behind a silver mask. He walked like someone who knew power... and had once torn kingdoms apart.
He came not with weapons, but with words.
— "I seek the woman called Fu Sheng," he told the village elder. "She holds something that belongs to the gods."
Bai Jiu heard of his presence instantly. And he knew who it was.
— "Hei Mo," he muttered. "He found her."
That evening, Bai Jiu confronted the masked man near the river.
— "You will not touch her."
Hei Mo laughed, the sound cold and hollow.
— "You still protect her after all these lifetimes? Even knowing what her awakening could unleash?"
Bai Jiu's voice was steel:
— "If she awakens, it will be by her choice. Not because you forced it."
Hei Mo took one step forward.
— "Very well. But the seal won't hold forever. And when it breaks... I wonder, Bai Jiu—will you protect her from the truth… or from yourself?"