Wei opened his eyes to darkness. Not the darkness of death or the time vortex, but the simple darkness of night. His hands clutched at soft bedding instead of bloodied stone. Above him, moonlight filtered through a familiar latticed window.
He was back at Azure Peak. Again.
The second star on his chest pulsed with dull pain as he sat up, disoriented. Unlike his first return which had delivered him to the morning of an assembly, he had arrived in the depth of night. The sect slumbered around him, unaware of its fate.
Wei touched his chest, fingers tracing the two star-shaped scars. The first remained a vibrant azure, while the second glowed with a fainter, more subdued light. With it had gone... what? He struggled to remember. Something about his childhood. His earliest memories felt like impressions in sand after a wave, just shapes without detail.
"I need to be smarter this time." he whispered to himself, the sound of his own voice grounding him. "Slower. More deliberate."
He lit a small lamp and examined his surroundings. The calendar on his desk showed a date three weeks before his previous return and nearly a month before the attack. This time, he had breathing room.
Wei retrieved the jade pendant Ruoxi had given him in the previous timeline. It remained intact, having somehow traveled with him. Running his fingers over its smooth surface, he felt a faint resonance with his spiritual energy, but nothing more. Whatever secrets it contained would require time to uncover.
Morning brought a clarity that night had denied him. Wei had arrived during the sect's autumn meditation retreat, a ten-day period of minimal activity. Perfect for reconnaissance without arousing suspicion.
After morning cultivation, Wei made his way to the sect library. If he was to prevent the coming disaster, he needed information. Not just about Zhao Moying and the Shadow Concord, but about the Seven Stars Formation itself.
"Senior Brother Wei." a young disciple greeted him with surprise as he entered the records section. "I didn't expect to see anyone here during retreat."
Wei recognized the boy after a moment. Chen Xu, who would later die trying to evacuate the youngest disciples. "I'm researching something important." Wei said, forcing casualness into his voice. "Are the historical records accessible?"
"Of course. Elder Feng asked me to reorganize them last month." Chen Xu gestured to the far corner. "Records dating back to the sect's founding are in the sealed cabinets. Do you need assistance?"
Wei hesitated. Having help might speed his search, but involving others carried risk. "No, but thank you. I prefer to work alone."
Hours later, surrounded by scrolls and ancient texts, Wei had confirmed what he suspected: the Seven Stars Formation predated the Ascending Azure Sect itself. References appeared in fragments, often disguised as cultivation techniques or battle formations, but the pattern was unmistakable.
One particular scroll, brittle with age, contained a partial warning: "...each star burns away what makes the vessel who they are. Seven stars, seven sacrifices, before the vessel becomes merely a carrier for the will that remains."
Wei shuddered. A vessel for what will? The text didn't specify.
His research was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"I didn't know you were interested in ancient history."
Wei looked up to find Yun Lihua standing before him, arms crossed, head tilted curiously. Seeing her alive again and without the knowledge of her sacrifice in his previous attempt made his breath short.
"Lihua." he said, struggling to keep his voice even. "I'm... broadening my studies."
She raised an eyebrow, glancing at the texts spread before him. "The Ancestral Formations? That's quite a departure from your usual focus on sword techniques."
Wei gathered the scrolls quickly. "Sometimes we need to look backward to move forward."
"A surprisingly philosophical statement from you." She sat across from him, studying his face. "You seem different today."
Wei carefully controlled his expression. "Do I?"
"Mmm." She reached for one of the scrolls he'd been reading. "The Seven Celestial Alignments. This is related to astronomical divination, not swordplay."
"Everything connects eventually." Wei said, gently reclaiming the scroll. "How is your research progressing? The... fire techniques?"
Lihua's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't recall mentioning my current research focus to you."
Wei silently cursed his carelessness. In the original timeline, Lihua had developed a forbidden flame technique that she used in her final moments against Zhao. But that research would have been conducted in secret.
"Elder Lu mentioned it." he improvised. "She speaks highly of your innovations."
Lihua seemed to accept this explanation, though skepticism lingered in her eyes. "The Azure Consuming Flame is proving... challenging. The spiritual backlash is considerable."
"Because it burns the user's core along with the target." Wei said before he could stop himself.
Her expression froze. "That's not information Elder Lu would know. I haven't documented that finding yet."
Wei set down the scrolls, meeting her gaze directly. The moment stretched between them and he could continue lying or take a calculated risk.
"Lihua." he said quietly, "if I told you something impossible, would you at least consider it before dismissing me as mad?"
She studied him, then glanced around the empty library. "That would depend on the impossibility."
Wei loosened his robe just enough to reveal the star-shaped scars on his chest. "I'm not the Wei Jianming you spoke with yesterday. I'm from a future where this sect falls. Where Zhao Moying returns with an army and destroys everything we care about."
To her credit, Lihua didn't immediately laugh or call for help. She stared at the scars, her analytical mind visibly working through implications.
"Those marks correspond to the seven stars of the Northern Dipper." she observed, her voice carefully neutral. "The celestial configuration associated with fate manipulation in ancient texts."
"They're the price of traveling back," Wei explained. "Each use costs... something personal. Memories. Perhaps more eventually."
"And you expect me to believe this based on unusual scars and your changed demeanor?" Her tone wasn't dismissive, merely cautious.
"No." Wei admitted. "But I know things I shouldn't. About your research. About Song Ruoxi's work on temporal manipulation. About the attack that's coming in less than a month."
Lihua's composed expression slipped momentarily. "Ruoxi's research is classified. Only three people in the sect know its true nature."
"Four, now." Wei corrected gently. "Because she succeeded, Lihua. And in my timeline, Zhao somehow learned about it. That's why he attacks and tries to capture her and steal the technique."
"If what you're saying is true." Lihua said after a long moment, "Why come to me? Why not go directly to Elder Lu or the Sect Leader?"
Wei's laugh held no humor. "I tried that approach in my first return. They had me confined to the medical pavilion for 'delusions' but itt was too late anyways."
"First return..." Lihua's eyes returned to the scars. "How many times have you come back?"
"This is my second attempt. I failed catastrophically the first time." Wei didn't elaborate on how he'd watched her sacrifice herself.
Lihua reached out suddenly, her fingers brushing one of the star scars. Wei flinched at the unexpected contact.
"It's warm." she murmured. "And pulses with spiritual energy unlike anything I've encountered." She withdrew her hand, eyes meeting his. "Let's say I believe you—or at least, that I'm willing to entertain the possibility. What do you propose?"
"I need to see Ruoxi." Wei said immediately. "If anyone can help me understand these marks and what I'm risking with each use, it's her."
Lihua shook her head. "Ruoxi is in closed cultivation for her breakthrough attempt. Interrupting would be dangerous for her."
"When will she emerge?"
"Four more days, assuming all goes well."
Wei considered this. "Then we have four days to prepare in other ways. The southern ward stones need inspection, Zhao's people tampered with them in my previous timeline. And we need to learn everything we can about the Shadow Concord's movements."
"You're asking me to commit treason against the sect." Lihua pointed out. "Acting on information from a claimed future without authorization."
"I'm asking you to help me save everyone." Wei corrected. "If I'm wrong, what's the harm in checking defenses and gathering intelligence?"
Lihua stood, pacing the small area between bookshelves. "You realize how this sounds? If you're genuinely Wei Jianming from the future, prove it with something only the future you would know."
Wei thought carefully. Most of his proof involved knowledge of deaths that hadn't occurred yet which was hardly comforting evidence.
"In three days." he said finally, "A merchant caravan will arrive from Lushui City. Among their goods will be a shipment of spirit stones that contain traces of impurities making them dangerous for certain cultivation techniques. Elder Feng will detect this during inspection and have the entire shipment returned."
Lihua frowned. "That's oddly specific."
"It caused quite a stir. The merchant guild sent formal apologies and additional compensation."
"And you remember this minor incident from over fifty years ago?"
Wei smiled ruefully. "It wasn't minor to me. I'd pre-purchased stones from that shipment for a breakthrough attempt. The delay set my training back by months."
Lihua studied him intently. "Three days. If your prediction proves accurate, we'll speak with Ruoxi together when she emerges."
"And until then?"
"Until then, I'll help you check the southern ward stones, discreetly. But nothing more until I have reason to truly believe you."
It wasn't everything Wei wanted, but it was a beginning. "Thank you."
As Lihua turned to leave, Wei called after her softly. "Lihua... in my timeline, you and I were never close. I regretted that greatly, after."
She paused, looking back at him with an unreadable expression. "Perhaps the future isn't as fixed as you believe, Wei Jianming."
***
The southern ward stones were precisely where Wei remembered them. A circle of thirteen carved pillars embedded into the mountainside, each inscribed with ancient formations that powered the sect's protective barrier. Reaching them required a treacherous climb down a cliffside path rarely used by disciples.
"These look intact to me." Lihua observed as they examined the third stone. "No signs of tampering."
Wei ran his hand over the surface, feeling for disruptions in the spiritual energy flow. "The sabotage was subtle. Not physical damage, but spiritual contamination. Like introducing a single false note into a musical sequence."
Lihua raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you understand formation theory at this level? The Wei I know can barely maintain his own sword array."
"Fifty-three years gives one time to learn," Wei replied dryly. "After the sect fell, I spent decades trying to understand what happened. How Zhao broke through defenses that should have been impenetrable."
He moved to the seventh stone and stopped, his hand hovering over the surface. "Here. Feel this."
Lihua placed her palm beside his. After a moment, her eyes widened. "There's a dissonance in the energy flow. Almost imperceptible."
"It disrupts the harmonic resonance between stones, creating a weak point in the barrier. Individually, it's nothing. But combined with similar manipulations to other stones..."
"It creates a structural flaw that could be exploited." Lihua finished. "But this is sophisticated work. It would take weeks of careful manipulation to achieve without detection."
Wei nodded grimly. "Zhao didn't just decide to attack on a whim. He's been planning this for months, maybe years."
They inspected the remaining stones, finding three more with similar subtle tampering.
"Can they be cleansed?" Wei asked as they finished.
Lihua frowned in concentration. "Yes, but it requires specialized knowledge. And if we simply repair them, whoever is responsible will know they've been discovered."
"Which might force them to accelerate their plans." Wei realized. "Or change tactics entirely."
"What did you do in your previous attempt?" Lihua asked.
Wei's expression darkened. "I didn't discover the tampering until it was too late. By the time I returned and warned people, Zhao was already launching his attack."
They made their way back up the cliff path as afternoon shadows lengthened across the valley. Wei moved with the careful precision of his younger body, but his mind carried the strategic caution of decades.
"We need to inform someone with authority." Lihua said as they reached the top. "Elder Lu, at minimum."
"Not yet." Wei countered. "Without proof of my foreknowledge, they'll wonder how we discovered the tampering. Why we were inspecting the ward stones during the meditation retreat."
"So we wait for your merchant caravan prediction?"
Wei nodded. "Three days. Then we bring this to Elder Lu, together with Ruoxi if possible."
As they approached the main compound, a figure stepped from the shadows of a pavilion. Elder Feng, the chief instructor of formation theory, stood watching them with narrowed eyes.
"Disciples Wei and Yun," he greeted them, his tone deceptively mild. "An unusual time for a walk along the cliffside paths."
Wei bowed respectfully, mind racing. In his original timeline, Elder Feng had died defending the youngest disciples. But now, seeing him through the lens of his future knowledge, something felt... off.
"Elder Feng." Lihua responded smoothly. "Senior Brother Wei was helping me collect seven-day spirit moss for my research. It only grows on the southern cliffside."
Elder Feng's gaze shifted between them. "Interesting. I don't recall approving resource collection during retreat."
"The oversight is mine." Wei said, stepping slightly forward. "I suggested the expedition without consulting the proper channels."
Something flickered in Elder Feng's eyes. Annoyance, perhaps. Or something deeper.
"I see. In the future, remember that procedures exist for good reasons, Disciple Wei. Even senior disciples must follow sect protocols." He gestured toward the residential halls. "The evening meal will begin soon. I suggest you both prepare."
As they walked away, Wei felt Elder Feng's gaze following them. Only when they were well out of earshot did he speak.
"He was too interested in our movements," Wei murmured.
Lihua frowned. "Elder Feng has always been strict about protocols."
"Yes, but..." Wei hesitated. In his previous life, he'd never suspected Feng of anything untoward. But now, with the benefit of hindsight and a cultivator's instinct honed by decades of survival... "We should be careful what we say around him."
"You suspect Elder Feng?" Lihua sounded incredulous. "He's served the sect for forty years."
"And Zhao was once the sect's most promising disciple" Wei reminded her. "Loyalty can change, given the right incentives."
Lihua looked troubled but didn't argue further.
That night, in the privacy of his quarters, Wei examined the jade pendant Ruoxi had given him in the previous timeline. Its smooth surface revealed nothing under normal scrutiny, but when he channeled spiritual energy into it, faint characters appeared within its depths.
"Remember what remains." he read aloud. The characters faded, replaced by others. "The cycle changes but never breaks."
Cryptic, like Ruoxi herself. What had she meant about cycles? Did she know something about the Seven Stars Formation that she hadn't shared?
Wei closed his eyes, trying to recall their exact conversation from the previous timeline. Her words had been strange: "Not worse, just different. The cycle continues, but the pattern changes."
As if she had expected his return to fail.
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts. Wei quickly concealed the pendant and opened the door to find Liu Cheng, the young disciple who had died first in the original attack.
"Senior Brother Wei." Liu said with a bow, "Elder Lu requests your presence tomorrow at dawn. She wishes to discuss your progress with the Azure Sword Array."
Wei tensed. Had Elder Feng reported their cliffside excursion? "Did she mention any particular reason for the meeting?"
Liu shook his head. "Only that it's regarding the demonstration expected during the Autumn Gathering."
The Autumn Gathering was a display of the sect's techniques for allied sects and prominent cultivator clans. In the original timeline, Wei had performed the Azure Sword Array as a showcase of the sect's sword cultivation path. It had occurred just days before the attack.
"Thank you, Liu Cheng." Wei said, suddenly struck by the young man's earnest expression. In another timeline, this boy had died trying to warn others, his throat cut before he could raise the alarm. "You're progressing well with your foundation techniques. Your footwork has improved significantly."
Liu's eyes widened at the unexpected praise. "Thank you, Senior Brother! I've been practicing the pivoting form you demonstrated last season."
Wei felt a pang of something between grief and affection. "Keep it up. Consistent practice builds lasting foundation."
After Liu departed, Wei returned to his contemplation of the pendant and what lay ahead. Tomorrow's meeting with Elder Lu would be a test. Could he interact with her normally, without revealing his foreknowledge? More importantly, could he begin laying groundwork to warn her about the coming attack?
The next three days would be critical. If his prediction about the merchant caravan proved accurate, he might gain Lihua's full trust. With her support and Ruoxi's expertise, perhaps they could devise a defense that wouldn't end in flames and sacrifice.
Wei opened his window, gazing at the stars above Azure Peak. The seven stars of the Northern Dipper shone especially bright, as if watching him.
"I won't waste this chance." he whispered to the night sky. "Not again."
On his chest, the two star scars pulsed in resonance with their celestial counterparts, this was a constant reminder of what he had already sacrificed and what remained at stake.