The wind howled through the gaps in the shutters, carrying with it the bite of snow and the distant, restless rustle of branches. Han Li didn't move from the steps. His breath coiled into the night, vanishing as quickly as it came.
The Midnight Watcher's voice still clung to his ears.
Prepare, or perish.
Lanfen's perfume lingered faintly from earlier—sweet, floral, and distracting—but beneath it, he caught another scent, sharp and metallic. Not from the village. Not from the forest game.
Blood.
The door behind him creaked open. Mianhua stepped out, her shawl wrapped tight around her shoulders. Her face was pale from the cold, but her eyes searched his. "You're not sleeping."
"There's no time for sleep," Han Li said. He kept his voice low, scanning the treeline. "The priest's warning wasn't just fear talking. Something's already moving."
Her gaze drifted toward the dark beyond the fields. "You think they'll come tonight?"
"No," Han Li murmured, "but soon. And when they do, they won't come like the bandit before. This will be worse."
The System shimmered faintly in his vision:
> [Quest Updated: Defend Willow Village]
Threat Level: Rising
Completion Reward: +2 Cultivation Realms, Random Martial Skill
The promise of two realms at once was intoxicating. But Han Li knew what it meant—this wouldn't be a trial of strength alone. This would be survival.
Mianhua's hand found his arm. Her grip was warm despite the cold. "Tell me what you need from me."
He looked at her for a long moment. She trusts me. That trust was a blade—one that could defend or cut, depending on how he wielded it.
"You'll help keep the others calm," Han Li said finally. "Fear spreads faster than fire. If panic takes the village, the fight's lost before it starts."
She nodded once, decisive. "And you?"
"I'm going to see what the priest knows—and what that shrine hides."
---
The forest path was worse at night. The moon had buried itself behind thick clouds, and snow crunched underfoot like brittle bones. Han Li kept one hand close to the hidden knife in his sleeve.
The shrine's clearing was buried under a fresh layer of white, but the stone at its center seemed untouched by frost. The carvings glistened faintly as if dew had frozen mid-drip.
The priest was already there, kneeling before the altar. His head turned as Han Li approached. "You came fast."
"You said we're out of time," Han Li replied. "Tell me what's coming."
The old man's voice dropped low. "A village north of here was wiped out yesterday. Not burned. Not looted. Every man, woman, and child cut down. No survivors. Those who saw it from afar said it was a cultivator gang from the Black Fang Syndicate."
Han Li's pulse slowed, heavy and deliberate. Black Fang. Even the name tasted of ash.
"They've been roaming for months," the priest continued. "But now they've moved into our valley. This shrine… it was built to call on the Root God's protection. Few living know the rites. You—" his eyes narrowed—"might be the only one who can wake it."
Han Li approached the stone. His fingers brushed the carvings, feeling the shallow grooves of ancient symbols. The System's glow brightened until it filled his vision:
> [New Skill Unlocked: Beginner Formation Array]
Description: Allows the creation of basic defensive formations using natural terrain and qi-infused lines.
Han Li almost smiled. Perfect timing.
He left the shrine with the priest's blessing and a head full of new possibilities. Formation arrays required precision—lines dug, stones placed, qi fed into patterns like veins in the earth. Done right, they could turn the village's own fields into a killing ground.
The problem was time.
When he returned, Lanfen was waiting outside his hut, arms crossed, breath steaming in the cold. Her eyes flicked over him. "You went somewhere."
"To plan," Han Li said.
She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a purr. "The priest told you something, didn't he? Something dangerous. I can help you."
"You?"
"I know the land better than most men here. I know where the soil is soft, where the ground hides stone. You need that for whatever you're building." She tilted her head, a faint smile playing at her lips. "Unless you think Mianhua will be enough."
He didn't take the bait. "If you're offering help, fine. But this isn't a game. What I'm about to do will decide whether this village stands or burns."
Her smile didn't fade. "Then I'll stand with you. And when it's over… you'll owe me."
The System pulsed faintly:
> [Emotional Resonance +3]
Side Quest Progress: Win Lanfen's Heart — 28% Complete
By morning, Han Li had the first markers in place—stones at the edge of the rice paddies, furrows dug in deceptively random lines. To the untrained eye, it looked like farming preparation. To him, it was a net waiting to be pulled tight.
Lanfen moved ahead of him, planting flags where the ground dipped or rose, her skirts brushing the frost-covered grass. She kept glancing over her shoulder, smirking whenever she caught him looking.
Mianhua arrived halfway through the work, carrying a basket of bread and boiled eggs. She set them down without a word, her gaze shifting between the two of them.
"You've been busy," she said.
Han Li kept his tone even. "The land will fight for us if we shape it right."
Her eyes softened. "Then I'll bring more men to help you dig."
Lanfen's smirk sharpened. "Careful, Mianhua. If you're not precise, you'll ruin his work."
The air between them chilled more than the winter wind. Han Li straightened, breaking the moment. "Enough. We need hands, not barbs."
That night, Han Li sat at his worktable, sketching the final lines of the array. The System hovered at the edge of his vision, quietly tracking his progress.
Outside, the wind shifted—carrying with it a sound that wasn't the wind.
Distant. Harsh. Screams.
He was at the door in three strides. On the far ridge, faint torchlight flickered. Not many. A scouting party, moving fast.
The System's chime was sharp in his ears:
> [Alert: Hostile Auras Detected]
Count: 5
Estimated Cultivation Level: Mid Body Refinement
They'd be at the village in minutes.
Han Li grabbed his cloak and knife, heading for the fields. If the array wasn't ready, he'd have to use the land as it was. The priest's words echoed in his head. Prepare, or perish.
The torches drew closer, the figures now visible—men in black with jagged fang emblems stitched into their sleeves. Their laughter carried across the frost.
Han Li took position behind a low stone wall, his qi flowing into his limbs. The first of the gang vaulted the fence, boots crunching on frozen grass.
Han Li moved.
The knife flashed once, precise, and the man dropped with a strangled cry. The others hesitated—long enough for Han Li to shove his qi into the earth. The frost cracked, lines racing outward, and the ground beneath their feet buckled.
They cursed, scrambling to regain footing, and Han Li was among them—blade and fists, strikes snapping like whips.
When it was over, four lay still in the snow. One fled, limping toward the mountains.
The System's voice was calm, almost pleased:
> [Objective Complete: Repel First Wave]
Reward: +1 Combat Instinct, Minor Qi Increase
Han Li exhaled, steam curling from his lips. One scout escaping meant news would spread. The next attack wouldn't be five men. It would be fifty.
He glanced back toward the village. The torches there were brighter now—villagers gathering, voices rising in confusion.
Blood was on the horizon. And it was coming fast.