The pavilion of the Veiled Star Marquis thrummed with shadow and starlight, its black silk walls drinking the glow of floating orbs that pulsed like fading stars. Jian Feng stood before the Marquis, the Nine Serenities Jade silent, its spirit watchful. The air was heavy with Heaven's debt, and the sudden arrival of Clerk Wei, her robes shimmering with silver chains, had turned the encounter into a delicate dance.
"You tread dangerous ground, Marquis," Wei said, her starlit eyes flicking between them. "This boy is Heaven's Debtor, not your pawn."
The Marquis leaned back, his nebula-patched eye swirling. "Clerk Wei, Heaven's chains don't reach the Court. The boy came to me. Let him choose."
Jian Feng's Golden Core trembled, the Debt-Bonds tightening. He saw them—chains weaving through his core, the newest a heavy link from the Star-Thread Divination. The Clerk's presence was no accident; the Ministry of Karmic Ledgers was testing him, their summons a debt disguised as a call.
"I'm no one's tool," Jian Feng said, his voice steady. "Marquis, you spoke of the Stolen Constellation Pearl. If it's my first debt to Heaven, I'll claim it. But I need its truth."
The Clerk's gaze sharpened, but the Marquis raised a hand. "The Pearl," he said, his golden eye glinting, "is a star's heart, stolen from the Ministry of Stellar Alignment by a rogue immortal. It binds realms—or breaks them. Your Ministry wants it to chain the cosmos. I want it for… other ends."
Jian Feng's mind raced. An artifact tied to his debt, contested by celestial powers. "Your price?" he asked.
"A favor," the Marquis said, his voice a whisper. "Sworn on Heaven's Oath, binding your Debt-Bonds to me. I'll call it when I choose."
The Clerk stepped forward, her robes rustling. "An oath to him is a chain you may never break, Jian Feng. The Ministry offers guidance."
Guidance? The Ministry's summons was a command, their debt a cage. But the Court's rules bound him: Trade no favor without a witnessed oath. Jian Feng needed the Marquis's knowledge to survive Heaven's tally.
"I'll swear," he said, "but I need a way into the Vermillion Bird Legion's vaults. Their wards will sense my Debt-Bonds."
The Marquis smirked, producing a black jade scroll etched with pulsing runes. "A Chain-Veil Rite," he said. "It cloaks your Debt-Bonds from Heaven's eyes—briefly. You'll need star essence, voidstone, and resolve. Fail, and Heaven will see you."
Jian Feng took the scroll, its weight like a new chain. The sword's spirit whispered, "It hides you, but deepens the debt."
The Clerk's eyes darkened. "The Pearl is the first of three debts, Debtor. Fail, and the Convergence will claim you." She vanished in a shimmer of starlight.
The Marquis's voice cut the silence. "You've made an enemy, boy. But enemies are currency here. Prepare the rite, and I'll guide you to the vaults."
Jian Feng clutched the scroll, the chains in his soul pulsing with dread and defiance. A shadow moved outside—a crimson-cloaked figure, bearing the Vermillion Bird Legion's emblem. Heaven's tally was watching, and so were they.
To be continued…
Can Jian Feng master the Chain-Veil Rite and evade the Legion's gaze? Who is the crimson figure? Drop a comment and join Jian Feng's fight against Heaven!
Author's Note: What's the Marquis hiding? Is Clerk Wei friend or foe? Share your theories, and vote with Power Stones to break Jian Feng's chains!