Jian Feng steadied himself, breath ragged, as the young miss clung to him like a frightened child. Her trembling fingers dug into his robe, too terrified to lift her head. His legs shook beneath the weight of fatigue and fear, yet his qi still surged, ready to move at the faintest sign of danger.
Then, through the stillness, he sensed two familiar auras racing toward him. A heartbeat later, faint cries reached his ears.
"Jian Feng! Young Miss!"
His chest loosened at the sound of their voices. Jing Hua. Ling Yue. Alive. Relief struck so suddenly it nearly brought him to his knees.
"We're here!" he shouted back, tightening his hold on the trembling girl in his arms. "We're safe!"
From beyond the smoke, two figures burst into view, darting through the ruined forest. Their robes were torn, their faces pale, but their eyes lit up when they saw him standing there, unscathed, holding the young miss.
Yet the reunion was not the one Jian Feng imagined.
Instead of joy, Jing Hua's face twisted with fury. Blood ran down her arms and stained her torn dark garments, yet she wasted no breath on her own injuries.
"Why are you standing here like a fool?!" she shouted, voice hoarse and cracked. "Run! The drake is right behind us!"
Her words made the young miss stiffen in Jian Feng's arms. He looked at the bloodied warrior, concern cutting deeper than her anger.
"You're wounded. Jing Hua, you—"
"We don't have time for this!" Jing Hua snapped, staggering forward, twin blades clenched tight in her shaking hands. "Save your concern! We move now or we die here!"
Ling Yue, gasping, tried to steady her companion, but her pale face betrayed the same fear. The two were ready to keep running, but Jian Feng spoke firmly before they could take another step.
"The earthbound drake is gone."
All three froze.
"What?" The young miss whispered, her wide eyes peeking from the safety of his chest.
Ling Yue's expression faltered, confusion shadowing her delicate features. Jing Hua, however, nearly erupted.
"Gone?" she shouted, her voice cracking. "Have you lost your mind? Did that blast not prove it's alive and well?! Do you think a beast like that dies so easily?"
Her tone was venom, her exhaustion fueling her anger. Jian Feng clenched his jaw. He could not tell them that a house decoration had erased the creature from existence — they would think his mind had shattered under the strain.
"Just… stop for a moment," he said. His voice was steady, though his chest tightened. "Don't run. Listen. Look around you."
"What nonsense are you—" Jing Hua began, but Ling Yue raised a trembling hand, pressing her fingers lightly to Jing Hua's lips.
"Quiet."
The night answered.
No rumbling footsteps shook the ground. No guttural growl rolled across the mountains. No snapping trees or cracking stone warned of the beast's pursuit.
There was only silence.
The cold wind carried the scent of smoke and ash, whispering through the ruined forest. Above them the sky was wide and star-strewn, the moon pale and distant.
Ling Yue's eyes widened. She drew in a slow breath, her qi surging through her veins. She sensed nothing. No malice. No dread. Only emptiness.
Even Jing Hua, teeth gritted in defiance, finally extended her senses. The truth struck her like ice in her lungs. The mountain was bare. The beast was gone.
"…How?" Ling Yue whispered, her pale lips trembling. "Where… where did it go?"
Jing Hua shook her head violently. "That thing doesn't just vanish. It was stronger than anything I've ever faced. What trick is this?"
The young miss tugged timidly at Jian Feng's robe, her jade-like eyes lifting toward him with hesitant trust. "Jian Feng… tell us. Please. What happened?"
He hesitated, throat tight. His heart told him to stay silent, to avoid the truth that would sound like madness. But their gazes weighed heavily on him — Ling Yue's pale, searching eyes, Jing Hua's fiery suspicion, and the young miss's fearful plea.
At last, he exhaled slowly and raised his hand.
"Look."
He pointed to the slope above.
The three women followed his gesture, their gazes falling on the distant siheyuan house. The path leading to it was nothing but a charred scar, the forest around it obliterated into ash and molten stone.
And yet the house stood unscathed. Not a single tile cracked. Not a single lantern extinguished.
The three women froze. Their qi surged unconsciously, as if to shield themselves from the unnatural sight.
"That… that cannot be." Ling Yue's voice quivered, a whisper between disbelief and fear. "Even the sect's barrier formations would falter under such an attack. How can a simple house remain?"
"Unless…" Jing Hua's sharp eyes narrowed, but her voice betrayed unease. "…this is no ordinary dwelling. Could it be… the abode of a hidden master?"
The young miss's grip on Jian Feng tightened. Her voice shook with innocent curiosity and fear. "Jian Feng… whose house is that? Who lives there? Is there… truly someone so powerful?"
Her words pierced deeper than the drake's roar. Jian Feng's lips trembled. He remembered the dragon's eyes flaring, the beams of light tearing through the night, the silence after the drake's death.
But how could he explain that a carving on a gate had annihilated a ninth-tier mortal realm beast? How could he put such madness into words?
His mouth was dry, but he forced himself to speak. "I… saw it. The dragon on the gate. It moved. Its eyes lit like stars… and from them came a power I cannot describe. The drake resisted with everything it had, but it was… erased. As if it had never lived."
Silence followed.
Ling Yue's lips parted, but no sound came. Jing Hua's hands trembled on her blades. The young miss buried her face in his chest again, whispering softly, "Impossible…"
And yet the siheyuan house still stood.
_____________________
The four survivors walked in silence, their steps crunching over scorched earth and brittle stone. The air carried the acrid stench of charred wood and molten rock, a reminder of how close they had come to death. Lantern light from the distant siheyuan flickered faintly through the smoke, like an otherworldly beacon.
The young miss no longer clung to Jian Feng's chest. With Ling Yue and Jian Feng on either side, she steadied herself, taking each step across the uneven land with quiet determination.
Jian Feng, however, could not silence the storm inside his chest. As the crimson gate loomed closer, his thoughts spilled out in a halting voice.
"Jing Hua… are we truly going to approach this place? What if this is no benevolent master but a hermit driven mad by solitude? What if he takes offense at the mere sight of us? What if he…" His words caught in his throat. "…what if he crushes us like insects for daring to trespass?"
Ling Yue's lips tightened, the unease in her heart echoing his. Even the young miss's pale face darkened at the thought. They all remembered the dragon carving that had annihilated a beast beyond their comprehension. If such power truly belonged to a single man, then their lives were fragile threads in his hand.
Jing Hua finally stopped and turned, her expression fierce despite the blood crusting her clothes. The twin blades on her back caught a faint glimmer from the stars above.
"If this master wished us dead, Jian Feng, we would already be corpses," she said with the sharp finality of an elder sister. "Do not let fear rob you of reason. We have no carriage, no supplies, and no city within a hundred of a kilometer. The wilderness here is called the Peaks of Gukichi for a reason, every valley and ridge carries the name of a beast. Would you rather sleep on this cursed mountain and wait for the next predator to sniff us out?"
"But what if this is all an elaborate lure?" Jian Feng pressed, his voice rising in nervous defiance. "What if the master enjoys toying with prey before the kill—"
His words ended in a sharp thud. Jing Hua's fist had found the top of his head.
"You think too much," she growled, exasperation cracking through her tone. "If he is cruel, we die. If he is kind, we live. Which fate do you prefer?!"
Jian Feng rubbed his head, cheeks flushed. His lips pressed into silence, though his eyes still darted anxiously toward the red gate.
Ling Yue lowered her gaze, ashamed, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes. Conflict drained her strength quicker than wounds ever could. The young miss, sensing the tension, only held tighter to Ling Yue's sleeve.
At last they stood before the siheyuan's gate. The red wood gleamed with age, its surface carved with intricate patterns that shimmered faintly in the lantern light. Two massive iron rings hung from the center like the eyes of a slumbering beast.
And at the top, bronze and unmoving, was the dragon.
Jian Feng swallowed hard. His shoulders tensed as he stared at the carving. If it moved again, he thought, he would not resist. He could only hope that in the next life he would eat warm, simple meals with the people he loved.
Jing Hua mounted the short steps and lifted one of the iron rings. The sound of her knuckles striking wood echoed like thunder in the still night. She rapped four times, steady and respectful, then stepped back.
The others waited with bated breath.
Nothing stirred.
Only the mountain wind sighed between them.
Jing Hua raised her hand again, but before she could knock, the doors opened of their own accord. The two great panels swung inward with slow, deliberate grace.
The four froze.
Lantern glow spilled across the threshold, illuminating the entryway of the siheyuan. Jing Hua looked back at her companions, her expression firm but cautious. She gestured once, then stepped inside.
One by one, the others followed. Jian Feng lingered a heartbeat at the threshold, casting a final glance at the dragon carving. When the doors closed softly behind them, his heart lurched. He bowed his head, muttering a prayer for mercy.
The courtyard within was unexpectedly tranquil. Lantern posts lined the walls, their light warm and gentle. The sound of leaves drifting from an autumn tree whispered against the night. Rooms framed the courtyard on every side, their windows glowing softly with candlelight.
Jing Hua led them across the stone path toward a festooned inner gate. Beyond its open frame they caught sight of movement.
A rocking chair swayed rhythmically, its old wood squeaking faintly. Beneath the shade of the autumn tree, half-veiled in its falling leaves, sat a man. His face was hidden in shadow, his posture relaxed, as if the world outside his courtyard had never existed.
Jing Hua stopped short, then bent forward in a respectful bow. Her voice rang steady, carrying both humility and gratitude.
"This humble one is Jing Hua. These are my companions, Ling Yue, Jian Feng, and our young lady. We beg forgiveness for disturbing your peace and offer our thanks for saving us. If it would not displease you, we ask only for shelter until our sect's rescue arrives."
Ling Yue stepped forward next, bowing gracefully. Jian Feng followed, pulling the young miss gently into a low salute, their voices quiet but sincere.
The man in the rocking chair ceased his swaying. Slowly, deliberately, he rose to his feet. His steps were unhurried, each one echoing softly on the courtyard stones.
When he reached the edge of the lantern light, his face was revealed, calm, unreadable, and touched with a serenity that felt more dangerous than any blade.
His gaze lingered on them briefly before he lifted his chin to the night sky. His voice was deep, measured, and carried with it the cadence of someone who wished to be profound.
"The moon drifts across a sea of smoke, yet still it guides the lost. Stars fall, beasts perish, and fate delivers travelers to my door. I had expected your arrival… though the night is late."
The words hung in the air like an oracle's verse.
Then, with a faint smile that neither comforted nor threatened, he lowered his gaze and spoke once more.
"Stay, if you wish. But every shelter carries its price. Tell me…" His eyes gleamed faintly. "What will you offer in exchange?"