"Even quiet towns carry loud secrets."
Part 1: Across the River
Fogridge Crossing appeared after five days of quiet travel—a town nestled at the mouth of a shallow river canyon, its stone bridges stretching across fog-thick waters like weary arms.
Li Wei and Yun Luo arrived at dawn, the girl still pale but conscious.
The town bustled more than Stone Lantern, with both mortals and cultivators weaving through the markets. Spirit beast pelts, low-grade talismans, and alchemical herbs lined merchant stalls.
Above them, wooden banners marked faction-neutral ground. But the tension in the air spoke otherwise.
Li Wei felt it in every glance held too long, every cloaked figure standing too still.
Part 2: Safehouse Shadows
Yun Luo guided him to a quiet alley near the herb district, where a crooked building leaned against the cliffside. Inside, an old herbalist woman accepted them without question and gave Yun Luo a cot in the back.
"She saved my life once," Yun muttered. "I'm just repaying the debt."
Li Wei said nothing.
He spent the night sharpening his blade and circulating the Longevity Technique.
Longevity Technique – Proficiency: (158/200) – Minor Success
The girl slept heavily. Her recovery was slow, but real.
He left at dawn the next day.
Part 3: Whispers in the Market
Fogridge's market was a crowded web of accents and ambition. Li Wei kept his hood low and browsed quietly, gathering supplies.
He overheard:
Rumors of the Ashfire Covenant operating nearby. Talk of disappearances near the canyon trails. Whispers of a "silent butcher" crippling a bounty hunter two towns over.
That last one made him pause.
But he moved on.
Part 4: Blade in the Alley
Near dusk, as he purchased bandages and spirit ink, a group of four approached him in an alley behind the apothecary.
Three were bruisers. One had a slim dagger, and the faint spiritual pressure of early Qi Condensation.
"Silver for your hands," the leader said. "Alive or cold. Doesn't matter."
Li Wei didn't answer.
He stepped forward.
Then vanished.
The first thug dropped with a palm strike to the ribs, the second was swept into the wall.
The dagger-wielder managed to draw—before Li Wei's blade slid past his neck. Not deep. Just enough to bleed.
Bone-Cleaving Form – Proficiency: (39/200) – Minor SuccessSwordsmanship – Proficiency: (124/200) – Minor SuccessSilent Severing Art – Proficiency: (28/100) – Beginner
He left them groaning, alive but broken. No witnesses. No name.
Only silence.
Part 5: The Ledger
Back at the safehouse, Yun Luo sat at the low table, unfolding a piece of parchment.
"This is what I stole," she said.
The paper was lined in coded symbols, encrypted with spiritual ink.
"Names. Places. Ashfire transactions. Not just bounties—spirit root tampering, body experiments, pill smuggling. Some of the people listed here are from legit sects."
Li Wei scanned the page. No names he knew. But the implications chilled him.
Yun Luo continued:
"I know someone who can decode this. A scholar in the Black Reed Archives. East of here, past the Bronzeleaf Valley."
She looked at him directly.
"I won't reach it without help. And you're already in it, whether you like it or not."
Li Wei exhaled.
He had wanted a quiet life. But it was already behind him.
He reached for the blade beside him.
"Then we leave tomorrow."
[Experience Panel]
Name: Li Wei
Age: 23
Cultivation: Martial Dao – Postnatal Realm (Early Stage)
Skills:
• Longevity Technique – Proficiency: (158/200) – Minor Success
• Butchering – Proficiency: (121/200) – Minor Success
• Swordsmanship – Proficiency: (124/200) – Minor Success
• Bone-Cleaving Form – Proficiency: (39/200) – Minor Success
• Silent Severing Art – Proficiency: (28/100) – Beginner
End of Chapter 11