Li Wei's alarm blared at 6:30 a.m., dragging him from a fitful sleep filled with visions of crimson shards and burning gates. The golden bracelet on his wrist pulsed faintly, Longyuan's presence a low hum in his mind. The gate stirs, the dragon whispered. Your blood woke it. He shoved the thought aside, rubbing his eyes as he stumbled out of the cot in the Hidden Fang Squad's headquarters.
His phone buzzed with a reminder: Modern Lit lecture, 8:00 a.m. Li Wei groaned, the weight of his double life settling in. Demons, shards, and a 2,000-word essay on Lu Xun due tomorrow. Perfect.
In the main room, the squad was already in their morning routines, a patchwork of normalcy amidst the chaos. Zhao Yanying leaned against the wall, stretching her arms with a dagger balanced on her finger like a toy. Her tank top revealed more scars, a map of battles fought long before Li Wei joined. "You look like death," she said, spinning the dagger. "Late night studying or dragon nightmares?"
"Both," Li Wei muttered, grabbing his backpack. "I've got class."
Zhao snorted. "College boy. Don't flunk out before the demons eat you."
Mei Xuan sat at the table, sketching in her pad, her tattoos glowing softly under a loose cardigan— a whip curling around her shoulder, a bow shimmering on her wrist. She sipped coffee, her hair pinned up in a way that made her look effortlessly elegant, like she'd walked out of a gallery instead of a demon fight. "I'm heading to the community center after breakfast," she said, not looking up. "Got a watercolor class to teach. You should drop by, Li Wei. Might loosen you up."
Li Wei managed a weak smile. "Maybe after I survive my professor's lecture."
Chen Mu was in the corner, watering his bonsai with a small can, his broad frame hunched gently over the tiny tree. His face was calm, a stark contrast to the six-armed, hulk-like beast he'd become in the shrine. He caught Li Wei's eye and scribbled in his notebook: Good luck. Study hard
"Thanks," Li Wei said, surprised by the warmth in his chest. He glanced at Sun Hao, who was slumped over his laptop, muttering about a client's buggy website. "You ever sleep, Sun Hao?"
"Sleep's for people who don't have to pay rent," Sun Hao replied, his shield flickering as he typed. "Freelance coding's my day job. Demons are just overtime."
Huang rolled in, a thermos of tea in one hand, his cane across his lap. "Clinic appointment this morning," he said gruffly. "Sun Spirit's burns are acting up again. Li Wei, you're back here after class. We've got another shrine to check tonight."
Li Wei nodded, his stomach twisting. College, demons, and Longyuan's cryptic warnings. He wasn't sure how much more he could juggle.
The lecture hall at Peking University was a sea of tired faces, the air thick with the smell of coffee and damp raincoats. Li Wei slid into a back row, his backpack heavy with textbooks and the weight of last night's fight. His shoulder still stung where the demon had grazed him, but the black jacket hid the bandage. He opened his notebook, trying to focus on the professor's drone about Lu Xun's irony, but Longyuan's voice kept intruding. The gate knows your blood. It calls.
He scribbled notes to stay awake, his handwriting shaky. A classmate, a girl with round glasses, leaned over. "You okay, Wei? You look like you haven't slept in a week."
"Rough night," he mumbled, forcing a smile. "Just… studying."
She raised an eyebrow but didn't push. Li Wei stared at his notes, the words blurring. How was he supposed to care about literature when shards were waking demons and Lei Feng was planning a city-wide rally to mask his schemes?
After class, he grabbed a steamed bun from a campus vendor and ate it on the way to the library, dodging puddles. He needed to at least start his essay before the squad's next mission. Sitting at a corner table, surrounded by towering bookshelves, he felt a fleeting sense of normalcy—until the bracelet warmed, and Longyuan's voice hissed, You cannot hide in books forever.
"Shut up," Li Wei whispered, earning a glare from a nearby student. He hunched over his laptop, typing fragments of an essay, but his mind kept drifting to the shrine, the blood lock, and Mei Xuan's warning about Lei Feng.
By dusk, Li Wei was back at HQ, his essay half-finished and his head pounding. The squad was gearing up, the air tense with purpose. Zhao Yanying strapped daggers to her thighs, her movements sharp and restless. "Another shrine, huh? This is getting old."
Mei Xuan stood by the map, her tattoos glowing under a fitted jacket. "I scouted the next one this afternoon," she said, her voice steady. "Solo run while you were all busy. It's a small shrine near the river—same energy as the last, but stronger. I didn't engage, but I saw shadows moving inside."
Huang's eyes narrowed. "You went alone again?"
Mei Xuan met his gaze, unflinching. "I'm faster on my own, Huang. You know that. Besides, my tattoos handled the recon just fine." She tapped the dagger tattoo on her forearm, a faint smirk playing on her lips.
Huang grunted but didn't argue. "Fine. You, Zhao, and Li Wei hit the shrine tonight. Chen Mu, Sun Hao, you're on comms and perimeter."
Chen Mu nodded, his notebook already open, while Sun Hao adjusted his earpiece, his shield humming faintly.
Li Wei grabbed his black jacket, the weight of the mission settling in. "What if it's another blood lock?"
"Then we deal with it," Mei Xuan said, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Let's move."
The riverside shrine was smaller than the others, its stone walls slick with moss, the air heavy with the scent of mud and decay. The hum was louder here, a low thrum that made Li Wei's teeth ache. Longyuan stirred, its voice sharp. This one is older. Stronger.
Mei Xuan led the way, her whip tattoo glowing as she summoned it, the cord coiling in her hand like a living thing. Zhao flanked her, daggers drawn, her eyes scanning the shadows. "If I get clawed again, I'm blaming you, rookie," she muttered.
Li Wei managed a weak grin. "Noted."
Inside, the shrine was a single chamber, its walls etched with faded dragon carvings. A blackened shard floated above a cracked altar, its crimson glow pulsing like a heartbeat. But this time, a single demon waited—a towering figure of bone and smoke, its six eyes gleaming, its body rippling with muscle.
"Big one," Zhao whispered, her grip tightening on her daggers.
Mei Xuan's whip snapped forward, wrapping around the demon's arm. "Li Wei, the shard! Zhao, keep it busy!"
Zhao lunged, her daggers slicing into the demon's side, but it barely flinched, swinging a massive claw that sent her skidding across the floor. She cursed, rolling to her feet. "This thing's tougher than the last!"
Li Wei dove for the altar, the bracelet burning as Longyuan's power surged. Gold light flared, but the shard pulsed, resisting. Blood, Longyuan hissed. Now.
He hesitated, then pressed his thumb against the bandage on his shoulder, smearing fresh blood onto the shard. The glow intensified, and the demon roared, its body shuddering as Zhao carved into its legs.
Mei Xuan summoned a spear from her thigh tattoo, driving it into the demon's chest. "Li Wei, hit it again!"
He slammed his fist into the shard, gold light erupting. The vision came—burning gate, endless eyes, a voice whispering power. The shard shattered, and the demon collapsed into ash, the shrine falling silent.
Zhao panted, wiping blood from her cheek. "Okay, that was too close."
Mei Xuan's spear dissolved back into her skin, her eyes fixed on the altar. "These locks… they're not random. Someone's using them to channel the gate's energy."
Li Wei's heart raced, his hand still tingling. "Lei Feng?"
Mei Xuan's expression darkened. "Who else?"
Back at HQ, the squad debriefed, the air heavy. Huang leaned forward, his cane tapping the floor. "Blood locks mean someone's tampering with the seals. The rally tomorrow—Lei Feng's going to use it as a distraction."
Zhao sheathed her daggers, her jaw tight. "Then we crash it. I'm done playing defense."
Mei Xuan nodded, her tattoos glowing faintly as she sketched the shrine's carvings. "I can scout the rally site tonight. Alone. I'll blend in, get a read on his setup."
Huang hesitated, then nodded. "Be careful, Mei."
She flashed a grin, her confidence unshaken. "Always am."
Li Wei sank into a chair, his essay still unfinished, the weight of college and demons pressing down. Zhao tossed him a water bottle. "Get some sleep, rookie. You've got class tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah," he said, his voice hollow. "And probably more demons."
Chen Mu scribbled in his notebook: You'll survive. We all do.
Li Wei hoped he was right. The rally loomed, and with it, the shadow of Lei Feng's plans—and the gate that knew his blood.