The Silent Valley lived up to its name. There were no birds, no insects, only the sound of wind
whistling through hollow stalagmites of ice.
Li Wei stood in the center of a clearing, shivering violently. It wasn't just the cold; it was the
"Dragonblood Fruit" he held in his trembling hand.
The System had provided it for 200 Points. It smelled like fresh meat and old iron—an
irresistible scent to the Frost-Scaled Python that guarded the Spirit Vein.
"Stand still, husband," Su Mei's voice echoed from the cliffs above. She was hidden,
camouflaged by the Hidden Breath Amulet. "If you move, the beast might sense the trap."
"I'm trying," Li Wei chattered. "But it's... terrified me."
"Fear is just a reaction," she whispered, her voice devoid of comfort. "Control it."
Li Wei wanted to laugh hysterically. Control it? He was a mortal man standing in the feeding
ground of a Foundation Establishment beast. He wasn't a hero. He was a shopkeeper.
The ground beneath him vibrated.
Crunch. Crunch.
Something massive was sliding over the ice. Two glowing yellow eyes, the size of carriage
wheels, emerged from the mist. The python was thirty feet long, its scales the color of bruised
glaciers.
It hissed, the sound smelling of rotten fish. It locked onto the fruit in Li Wei's hand.
Li Wei froze. His instincts screamed at him to run, to throw the fruit and flee. But Su Mei had told
him: Wait until it lunges. Expose its neck.
"Now!" Li Wei's mind screamed, but Su Mei didn't strike.
The snake coiled, preparing to strike. It looked at Li Wei not as a threat, but as a garnish for the
fruit.
"Su Mei?" Li Wei whispered.
The snake lunged.
Time slowed. Li Wei saw the open maw, the rows of serrated teeth, the black void of its throat.
He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for death.
SHING.
A streak of blue light descended from the heavens.
Su Mei dropped from the cliff, her sword—a Low-Grade Spirit Weapon bought with their last
funds—extended like a fang. She didn't aim for the head. She aimed for the point seven inches
below the skull, the beast's vital spot.
The sword pierced the scales. Ice blood sprayed, hot and corrosive.
The snake thrashed, its massive tail whipping around in a death spasm.
"Move!" Su Mei shouted.
Li Wei tried. He really did. But he was mortal. The shockwave of the tail hitting the ground sent
him flying. He slammed into a rock wall, his ribs cracking with a sickening crunch.
The world went white, then black.
When Li Wei woke up, the pain was a dull throb. A warm energy was circulating in his chest.
He opened his eyes. Su Mei was kneeling over him, her hand pressed to his sternum. She was
channeling Qi to knit his bones.
"You're awake," she said. She didn't look relieved. She looked focused.
"Did... did we get it?" Li Wei wheezed.
Su Mei nodded. She gestured to the side. The massive corpse of the python lay gutted. In her other hand, she held a fist-sized blue crystal—the Beast Core.
"It is a perfect core," she said, admiring the object. "With this, and the Spirit Vein inside the
cave, I have an 80% chance of reaching Foundation Establishment."
She looked back at him. "You were slow, Li Wei. You almost ruined the angle of my strike."
Li Wei stared at her. He touched his chest. "I broke three ribs, Mei'er."
"And I fixed them," she replied calmly. "It cost me two hours of meditation time. But you are
functional now."
She stood up and brushed the snow from her robes. "Can you walk? We need to enter the cave
before scavengers smell the blood."
Li Wei pushed himself up. His side burned. His heart felt cold.
"I can walk," he said.
"Good." She turned her back to him, walking toward the dark mouth of the cave. "Next time, try
to roll to the left. The beasts usually strike with their right side dominant."
Li Wei watched her go. She hadn't asked if he was scared. She hadn't kissed him. She had
analyzed his performance like he was a faulty tool.
He looked at the dead snake, then at his own hands. They were shaking.
[System Alert: Host Trauma Detected.] [Reward: 'Pain Suppression Pill' (Mortal Grade).]
Li Wei swallowed the pill. The physical pain vanished. The emotional pain remained, sharp and
clear. He followed his wife into the dark.