The maelstrom of golden characters faded, leaving Lee Wei standing dizzily in the silent, dusty library. The jade slip on the desk was now dull and inert. But the presence in his mind was very, very active.
"A janitor?" the voice—Elder Kong, as he'd soon identify himself—thundered, the sound echoing in the private theater of Lee Wei's skull. "My millenia-spanning plan, my ultimate soul-binding array designed to seek out the most cunning and perceptive disciple in the sect... has bonded with the new broom?"
Lee Wei winced. 'Could you please keep your voice down? Internally, I mean.'
"Do not tell me to quiet down, you insignificant speck!" Elder Kong raged. "I, who have eavesdropped on the private councils of Sect Leaders! I, who knew the secrets of the heavens before they happened! I am trapped in the consciousness of a... a piece of furniture!"
'Well, you're welcome to leave,' Lee Wei thought back, his mental tone dry as the dust on the shelves. 'I didn't exactly invite you in. I was just cleaning.'
"Leave?" The ancient soul's fury was replaced by a wave of profound, cosmic weariness. "The array is soul-deep. I am bound to you until one of us dissipates into the void. A fate which, for me, seems increasingly preferable."
Lee Wei began his work, picking up a broom and starting to sweep the floor around the central desk. The physical action was calming. 'Look, Elder Kong. It seems we're stuck with each other. My name is Lee Wei. I'm from Azure Willow town. And my only goal in this life, or any other, is to have a peaceful, quiet existence. So if you could please refrain from causing any dramatic internal explosions, I'd be grateful.'
Elder Kong was silent for a long moment, observing as Lee Wei methodically cleaned. "A seeker of peace... in the Verdant Cloud Sect?" he finally said, his tone laced with sarcastic disbelief. "Child, you have chosen the worst possible hiding place short of a active volcano. This sect is a nest of vipers, political schemers, and young masters with more ego than brain cells."
'I'm beginning to realize that,' Lee Wei thought, sweeping a pile of dust and a few dead beetles into a pan.
"But..." Elder Kong's tone shifted, becoming thoughtful, almost calculating. "This talent of yours... this profound... nothingness. It is unnatural. Even now, as I reside within you, I have to focus intensely to remember you are there. My divine sense wants to slide right off. It's fascinating."
'It's kept me alive,' Lee Wei replied simply.
"It has," Elder Kong conceded. "And it may yet have its uses. Very well, Lee Wei. We have a accord. I will not alert the entire sect to my presence—which would undoubtedly get you dissected by curious elders—and in return, you will... well, you will continue to be yourself. And occasionally, you will go where I tell you to go."
'What? Why?'
"Because, you foolish boy, while you were napping in your crib, I was gathering secrets! I may be a remnant soul, but I am a remnant soul with a purpose! There are plots unfolding, treasures hidden in plain sight, and truths that could shatter this sect! And you... you can walk through it all completely unseen. You are the ultimate spy."
Lee Wei felt a deep sense of dread. This was exactly the kind of plot-heavy drama he wanted to avoid. 'No. Absolutely not. I'm not a spy. I'm a janitor.'
"You are my vessel!" Elder Kong insisted. "And your first task is to find a specific text for me. A memory log I hid in the 'Restricted' section on the third floor. It contains vital information about the current Sect Leader's... vulnerabilities."
'The Restricted section? I'm a janitor for the public areas! I can't go up there!'
"Precisely why it is the perfect place to hide something! Now, stop complaining. I will guide you. Your unparalleled talent for being ignored will be our key."
For the next week, Lee Wei settled into a bizarre routine. By day, he would dutifully sweep and dust the first floor of the pavilion, a model of unassuming diligence. By night, in his mind, he would be subjected to Elder Kong's impatient lectures on sect history, the layout of the upper floors, and the rotational schedules of the few elders who actually visited this forgotten place.
"The key," Elder Kong drilled into him, "is not to be sneaky. Sneaky people get caught. The key is to be so boring, so inherently part of the background, that the very concept of you doing something wrong is laughable."
It was, Lee Wei had to admit, a philosophy he could get behind.
The time came for his first "mission." An elder from the Alchemy Peak was scheduled to spend the afternoon in the second-floor herbology section, which meant the third-floor Restricted section would be completely empty for a few hours.
"Now," Elder Kong's voice was a tense whisper in his mind. "Take your cleaning supplies and walk up the main staircase. Do not tiptoe. Do not look around furtively. Look bored."
Lee Wei hefted his bucket of water and a rag. He trudged up the grand, central staircase as if he'd done it a thousand times, his face a mask of placid indifference. He reached the second-floor landing without incident. The door to the Restricted section on the third floor was a massive thing of dark ironwood, sealed with a simple locking talisman—a slip of paper with glowing characters that would alert the Law Enforcement Hall if broken.
"A child's toy," Elder Kong sniffed. "The real lock is the spiritual formation woven into the wood. Fortunately, I designed it. The flaw is in the bottom left corner. Channel a wisp of spiritual energy—yes, even your pitiful amount will do—right... there."
Lee Wei, under the guise of wiping down the banister, let his fingers brush the spot Elder Kong indicated. There was a nearly imperceptible shimmer, and the talisman on the door glowed softly for a second before returning to normal.
"It's disarmed for sixty breaths. Go."
Lee Wei pushed the heavy door open just enough to slip through, then closed it behind him. The Restricted section was even darker and dustier than the floor below. The air was thick with the weight of old secrets and powerful Qi.
"No time to gawk!" Elder Kong barked. "Seventh shelf on the left. Behind the scroll titled 'The Metaphysical Paradoxes of Dual Cultivation.' It's a hollowed-out space."
Lee Wei hurried over, finding the scroll. He reached behind it, and his fingers closed around a small, smooth cylinder of polished bone, no larger than his thumb. He slipped it into his inner pocket.
"Done! Now, out!"
He moved back towards the door, his heart finally starting to pound now that the task was nearly complete. Just as he reached for the handle, he heard voices on the other side. Two disciples, their conversation clear as day.
"—so I told him, if you can't handle a simple spirit grass sorting duty, you'll never make it as an alchemist!"
Lee Wei froze. They were right outside. If he opened the door, he'd walk directly into them.
"The window," Elder Kong said urgently.
Lee Wei turned. A large, arched window offered a view of the Misty Peaks in the distance. It was locked with a similar, but simpler, talisman.
"Disable it and climb out. There's a narrow maintenance ledge that runs the length of the pavilion. It will lead to a drainpipe you can shimmy down."
This was escalating far beyond his desired pay grade. But he had no choice. He channeled another wisp of energy, disabling the window lock, and swung it open. A cold wind whipped into the room. He climbed out onto the stone ledge, his back pressed against the cold wall. It was barely a foot wide.
He inched along, trying not to look down at the three-story drop. He could still hear the disciples chatting by the door. After what felt like an eternity, he reached the rusted iron drainpipe. He grabbed it, testing his weight. It held.
He began to climb down, his movements slow and careful. He was just passing by a second-floor window—an open window leading to a private study—when he heard voices again. Familiar, authoritative voices.
He risked a glance inside.
Sect Leader Zhang and the stern Law Enforcement Elder, Hong, were standing over a map spread on a table.
"The spy we planted in the Blood Tiger Sect has gone silent," Sect Leader Zhang said, his voice heavy. "If we cannot find a way to get a message into their fortress undetected, we are doomed. They are massing for an attack at the new moon."
Law Enforcement Elder Hong stroked his chin. "We cannot send a powerful disciple. Their aura would be detected instantly. We need someone... insignificant. Someone so beneath notice they are effectively invisible."
Lee Wei's blood ran cold. He stopped moving, clinging to the drainpipe, hoping his grey robes would blend with the stone.
The Sect Leader sighed. "Do we even have such a disciple?"
Elder Hong was silent for a moment, his gaze distant. Then, his eyes flickered, almost unconsciously, towards the window. His sharp, predatory gaze swept over the exterior wall.
It passed directly over Lee Wei, seeing nothing but stone and rusted iron.
He turned back to the Sect Leader, a slow, grim smile spreading across his face.
"It is no one, Master," he said. "But your problem is solved. I have just had the most perfect, undetectable idea."