Morning mist clung to the trees like a quiet memory that refused to fade.
At the foot of Mount Lingqiu, a small village lay hidden beneath its pale shroud.
The roofs were damp, the air thick with the scent of rain and earth, it was the kind of morning where even time seemed to move slower.
Ren Yi trudged down the dirt path with a bow slung over his shoulder and a tired look in his eyes.
A single rabbit dangled from his hand, not much, but enough to keep him alive another day.
He yawned, kicking a small stone that rolled across the muddy ground. "Guess the forest's empty again," he muttered to no one.
At the edge of the road, Bai Lian waited outside a small hut. She wore a grey robe, her dark hair tied in a loose knot. Her hands moved with the precision of someone who had practiced healing far too long, though her eyes sharp and distant, betrayed that she was no ordinary village healer.
"You went too far again," she said, not looking up from the herbs she was grinding.
Ren Yi grinned. "If I don't, we don't eat."
"And if you go deeper into that fog, we'll be burying what's left of you," she replied flatly.
He chuckled, pretending not to notice the warning in her tone. "People say it's just weather. Fog rolls in from the valley, that's all."
Bai Lian's hand froze. "That valley was never just a valley."
The silence that followed carried weight, as if the mist itself was listening.
By noon, the sun was still nowhere to be seen. Ren Yi returned to the woods, curiosity pulling him more than hunger.
The deeper he went, the quieter it became. Even the birds seemed afraid to sing.
Then the mist moved.
Not with the wind, but with purpose.
Ren Yi stopped. "Hello?" he called out, half-expecting an echo. None came.
Through the haze, he saw a stone half-buried in moss, carved with faint symbols. He reached out and brushed the surface with his fingers. The stone pulsed, warm and alive, and a flash of light filled his vision.
For a heartbeat, he saw a man walking across a lake, eyes glowing black and white.
Then the vision shattered.
Ren Yi stumbled back, clutching his right hand, a faint spiral mark burned into his skin.
"Who… are you?" he whispered. But the fog only rippled, mocking him with silence.
That night, Bai Lian sat by the lantern's glow, listening to the rain tapping softly against the roof.
A knock came at her door. Calmly, she said, "Come in."
A tall man stepped inside, wrapped in a dark cloak, his face hidden behind a cold metal mask.
"It's been a while, Bai Lian." His voice was steady, detached, like someone who'd long forgotten warmth.
"You're still alive," she replied quietly.
"And you're still hiding among peasants," he said. "Our Sect has been searching for you, and for someone else. A man who left the valley."
Her gaze flickered. "Jian Wu."
The masked man tilted his head. "You know the name."
"I know enough to stay out of your shadow," she answered, a faint smile tugging her lips. "The Black Sky Sect never learns."
His blade flashed faster than lightning, but Bai Lian's fingers were faster. A silver needle clinked against the dagger, throwing sparks.
Her tone stayed calm. "I'm no longer one of you. Leave before you regret remembering me."
For a moment, neither moved. Then he stepped back into the rain, vanishing into the night.
Bai Lian sighed softly, staring at the trembling lantern flame. "The past never forgets," she whispered.
Dawn came grey and cold. Two travelers appeared at the edge of the village, a young man with steady eyes and a woman leading a horse.
Ren Yi froze. He knew that face. The man from his vision. Jian Wu.
He didn't dare approach. But Bai Lian came forward, her steps measured.
"Strangers don't wander into this place by accident," she said.
Mei Xue bowed politely. "We're just looking for rest."
Bai Lian nodded. "Then rest. But don't stay too long. The mist here has a memory, and lately, it's been remembering too much."
Ren Yi felt the mark on his palm throb faintly. He didn't understand why, but something inside him whispered that the man before him would change everything.
That night, the mist thickened faster than ever.
A low sound rumbled through the valley not thunder, not wind, but something deeper. Something alive.
Ren Yi stepped outside, heart pounding. The fog swirled, and through it, two pale eyes glowed faintly back at him.
He took a step back.
Those eyes weren't Jian Wu's.
And somewhere, far beneath the earth, something ancient stirred, as if the valley itself had begun to dream again.