By the third day, the Flame Ridge was quiet.
Too quiet.
The spirit beasts had retreated, the smoke had thinned, and even the heat seemed to slacken.
The group was tired — bloodied, bruised, but successful.
Deng Rui carried the orchids.
Wei Lian walked ahead, her hand never leaving her sword hilt.
Han Shun lagged near the back.
And Fang Xi? He walked at the center, his senses sharpened far beyond sight.
This silence isn't peace. It's the hush before a scream.
Ambush in the Ashfall
It came at dusk.
A spike of talismanic fire exploded ahead, followed by the screech of a formation being broken.
Then they appeared — six figures in dark gray robes, faces masked, moving with precision.
Not beasts. Not sect disciples.
But they had cultivation.
Mid and late Qi Gathering at least. Possibly one at early Foundation.
"Leave the orchids," the leader barked. "And no one dies."
Deng Rui laughed and charged. "Come take them, dog!"
He was fast — but not smart.
A blast of icy wind caught his shoulder, sending him sprawling into black rock.
Wei Lian moved next, graceful and cold, blades flashing.
And Bai Mo?
He hid.
Fang Xi's Turn
He could feel one of the masked attackers circling toward him — a woman, fast and careful.
She struck with a twisting blade, aimed not at his chest, but his legs — a disabling blow.
In that instant, Fang Xi activated the rune and slipped into Memory Loop.
Time froze.
He was back in the duel with Liu Yimei, watching her blade curve the same way.
This attacker was faster — but sloppier at the wrist.
There. That's the weakness.
Back in the present, he moved.
His body twisted just beyond the arc, and his dagger slid beneath her elbow, slicing tendon and muscle.
She screamed and fell.
He stepped over her body without a word.
Han Shun's Gamble
Then he saw it — Han Shun, during the chaos, pulling a second talisman.
But this one wasn't meant for an enemy.
It was aimed at Fang Xi's back.
Again? You really don't learn.
The talisman activated — but too slowly.
Fang Xi vanished into the smoke.
And reappeared behind Han Shun.
"You only get to fail twice," Fang Xi whispered.
Han Shun turned.
And Fang Xi struck — not to kill, but to cripple.
He stabbed the boy's thigh, deep enough to sever Qi flow. Then he grabbed the talisman pouch and tore it away.
"Congratulations. You're dismissed from the mission."
The Aftermath
By the time Elder Jun's emissary arrived, the attackers had fled or fallen.
Deng Rui limped but survived.
Wei Lian said nothing, but her eyes flicked to Fang Xi more than once.
Han Shun was carried back by Bai Mo, bleeding and unconscious.
Fang Xi handed over the orchids and said nothing of what occurred.
Only that "they were tested."
A Warning in the Wind
That night, as the group returned to the sect gate, a soft voice echoed from the cliffside.
Not spoken — transmitted, through Qi.
"Interesting… the mark has awakened again."
Fang Xi froze.
But no one else reacted.
Someone watched. Someone knows.
And whoever it was… wasn't done.