Yao Lao's presence rippled, steadying the boy's trembling hands. "We're leaving," the old spirit said curtly.
Xiao Yan bit down hard, eyes blazing. "Teacher—"
"Now."
Xiao Yan's knuckles whitened. He looked at Wu Chen — at the man still sitting there like nothing had happened, the air around him heavy and still. That look of boredom stung more than defeat.
Wu Chen tilted his head slightly, eyes half-lidded. "Still standing? Impressive. Most people run after they touch death."
The words were soft, almost lazy, yet every syllable dripped with disdain. It wasn't advice — it was dismissal.
Xiao Yan's jaw twitched. For a heartbeat, the flicker of Heavenly Flame tried to flare again, but Yao Lao's spirit clamped down on it.
"Enough," Yao Lao snapped inside the ring. "You'll only humiliate yourself further."
Wu Chen smirked. "Listen to your ghost. He's the only one keeping you alive."
Yao Lao's tone turned glacial. "We'll remember this."
"Good," Wu Chen replied, stretching as if tired of the conversation. "Memories make fine currency."
With that, the cloak turned. The faint hiss of the Heavenly Flame's aura vanished as the two retreated into the corridor's darkness.
When the door clicked shut, the silence that followed felt heavier than the fight itself.
Liu Xi collapsed, gasping. Wu Chen merely sighed and brushed dust from his sleeve.
"Drama everywhere I go," he muttered. "Next time I'm charging entrance fees."
Outside the guest courtyard, under the pale wash of moonlight, two figures stood hidden among the trees.
Xiao Xun'er's golden eyes shimmered faintly in the dark, focused on the now-silent room beyond the paper windows.
"That wasn't Dou Qi," she whispered. Her voice was calm, but her heartbeat wasn't.
The older man beside her — cloaked in plain gray robes — frowned deeply. His aura was well-hidden.
"No Miss. That wasn't anything I recognize. Its flow was… distorted. Not fire, not soul power — it pulled at the energy around it instead of releasing it."
Xun'er's eyes narrowed. "Pulled?"
"Yes," he said quietly. "It wasn't just blocking that secret master of Xiao Yan's power — it was absorbing it. Like a void tearing at the air. I've never felt anything like that before."
The older man's brow furrowed as he stared at the shadowed windows of the guest room. The night air smelled of jasmine and faint smoke, but his mind was far from the garden's peace. He shifted slightly, his gray robes brushing against the leaves, and looked at the young woman beside him.
"Miss," he said quietly, his voice low and steady, "this… anomaly. Should I tell the elders? A power that can consume even a Heavenly Flame—this is serious. The Gu Clan would want to know. If it's dangerous to you, or to young master Xiao Yan…"
Xun'er's golden eyes reflected the moonlight. She didn't answer at once, keeping her gaze fixed on the room where the stranger—Wu Chen, though she didn't know his name yet—had done something impossible. The air there still thrummed faintly, a lingering hunger that made her skin tingle.
"No," she said softly, her voice firm. "Not yet. Keep it to yourself, Ling Ying. The clan doesn't need to hear about shadows in Wu Tan City."
Ling Ying hesitated. He had served the Gu Clan for decades, protecting this girl since she was a child. He knew the weight of her words. But duty pressed at him. "Miss, with respect… if this man is truly what you sense—"
"I said no." Her tone cut sharply, though her face stayed calm, a mask over the storm beneath. She looked at him steadily, wise beyond her years. "Wu Tan is fragile enough without the clan stirring things up. If we interfere, there will be questions we can't answer."
Ling Ying bowed, though worry flashed in his eyes. "As you wish, Miss. I'll watch him closely."
She nodded and dismissed him with a small wave. As he melted back into the shadows, silent as a ghost, Xun'er lingered, fingers brushing her sleeve where a faint chill lingered from the devoured flame.
If I report this… she thought. The elders will summon me back. 'Too dangerous,' they'll say. 'The boy's path is his own—don't risk the young miss in this crumbling city.' And then I'd lose these days with Xiao Yan-ge, watching him rise from nothing. No. This stranger… he's a ripple, not a wave. I'll handle it myself. The Gu Clan doesn't own every secret of my heart.
A soft breeze stirred the branches, carrying the distant murmur of the city settling into uneasy sleep. Xun'er turned away, moving quietly into the night, though her thoughts clung to the guest room like smoke.
Back in the Jia Lie Clan's guest room, the brazier glowed faintly, casting long shadows on the silk-draped walls. Liu Xi crouched in the corner, his hair matted with sweat, robes stiff with dried blood. He hadn't moved since the assassin left, eyes darting to the door as if the blue-white flame might return at any moment.
Wu Chen, by contrast, sat on the bed's edge, one leg crossed, polishing a small jade pendant he had taken from the tray. The system's chime still echoed in his mind, a smug undertone to the night's chaos.
[Greed Points: 697 (stable). Flame Greed Imprint: Active – Fire resistance up; minor flame manipulation unlocked for 24 hours.]
He looked at Liu Xi. The young man flinched like a cornered rat. "You gonna sit there crying all night, or are you going to be useful?"
Liu Xi scrambled forward on his knees, hands clasped. "S-Senior! I… I owe you my life! That flame—that wasn't ordinary. It was a Heavenly Flame! And you… you ate it like it was nothing! Please, let me serve you! I can do alchemy—healing salves, poisons, whatever you need! Just… don't leave me here. The Jia Lie fools will sell me out at dawn!"
Wu Chen's lips curved into a half-smile, more predator than kind. He flipped the jade pendant between his fingers, feeling the faint qi pulse within. Alchemy, huh? Useful. And this one's greedy enough to bleed for points. He let the silence stretch, watching Liu Xi squirm.
"Alchemy," Wu Chen said finally, his voice slow, almost teasing. "Convenient. You alchemists always think your little pills make you important." He paused, eyes narrowing as the system pinged softly.