The communication talisman activated at dawn. Priority classification.
Shen Qing read the orders.
*Formation degradation detected. Seal integrity declining. If the entity emerges uncontrolled, containment is not guaranteed. You are authorized to perform immediate excavation of the secondary formation. The integrity of the civilian population is secondary to the integrity of the seal assessment. Civilian casualties are acceptable if necessary to preserve seal stability.*
He read it again.
He folded the talisman and put it in his coat.
He went to the square and called his team.
---
They stood in a circle near the well. Shen Qing read the critical line aloud. "Civilian casualties are acceptable if necessary to preserve seal stability."
Jiang He's jaw tightened. He looked at the ground.
Shu Yan was already looking at the ground.
Yun Xiao said, "There must be another way."
"Explain the formation's fuel source," Shen Qing said to Shu Yan.
Shu Yan spoke without looking up. "The secondary formation draws on the emotional bonds of the people living above it. Warmth, connection, attachment. That's the fuel. The stronger the bonds, the more stable the seal."
"Can we evacuate the village and excavate with them at a safe distance?"
"Moving them physically doesn't sever the bonds. The people are connected to each other, not to the ground. A mother two miles away is still connected to her child." She stopped. "Excavation means disrupting the secondary formation directly. That means disrupting the emotional bonds it feeds on. Forcibly."
"What happens to the people when the bonds are disrupted?"
"I don't know."
Shen Qing looked at his team. Six faces. Jiang He was looking at the dirt. Shu Yan was holding her notebook against her chest. Yun Xiao was looking at him.
"We have orders," Shen Qing said. "I am offering one hour for voluntary evacuation. Anyone who leaves the village perimeter will be escorted to the road."
---
Grandmother Liu was in the square.
She had heard them. She stood with her arms at her sides. The basket of beans was on the ground beside her.
"You're telling us to leave," she said.
"I'm telling you you can leave. One hour."
"This village has been here longer than your sect."
Shen Qing did not answer.
"Where would we go?" she said. "This is where we live."
She picked up the basket and went back to her stool. She sat down. She started shelling beans.
Uncle Bao came and stood beside her. His arms were crossed. He did not say anything.
---
Tao came to the square. He had heard from one of the cultivators.
He went to Mingzhu. They talked in low voices. Shen Qing could see Tao's hands moving. Mingzhu shook her head. Tao said something else. She shook her head again.
He put his hand on her belly. She covered his hand with hers.
They did not leave.
---
Shen Qing walked the village.
He told every household. One hour. Voluntary evacuation. The road is open.
Some asked why. He told them the formation work carried risk. He did not say what risk. He did not use the word casualties.
Some started packing. Most did not.
Old Wei was on the northern terrace path. He was standing with his hands at his sides. He had not packed anything. He was standing where he had repaired the wall.
"Wei," Shen Qing said.
Old Wei looked at him.
"The road is open."
Old Wei looked at the terraces. He looked at the wall he had built. He stayed where he was.
---
Desheng was at the north wall throwing rocks. Nobody had told him.
Yun Xiao went to him. She knelt down and talked to him. Shen Qing could not hear what she said.
Desheng looked at her. He looked at the boulder. He kept throwing.
---
The hour ended.
Eleven villagers had walked to the road with bundles on their backs. Grandmother Liu watched them go from her stool. She did not stop shelling beans.
One hundred and ninety-two remained.
Shen Qing told Shu Yan to begin the excavation sequence.