but the movement did not match the wind. Qiao Zhi stopped. Another sound came from the next roof, then silence. She looked up and caught a brief glimpse of a dark figure crossing between two buildings. The person's cloak blended into the night, and a strip of cloth covered the lower half of their face. The figure moved with the controlled lightness of a trained cultivator.
Qiao Zhi did not call out. She stepped into the shadow beneath an awning and watched. The figure paused near the rear wall of the medical tent, then looked back toward the street as if checking whether anyone had noticed. A faint pulse of the same corrupted energy brushed the edge of Qiao Zhi's awareness. It was unmistakable now. The figure had either handled the contaminated water or carried the technique that had produced it.
When the intruder dropped from the roof, Qiao Zhi moved.
