Scene 1 – A Chase in the Dark
Night had fully settled, but the road between the market district and the Lin residence lay wrapped in thick, shifting fog. Lantern lights from distant streets were swallowed whole, leaving only silhouettes and shadows behind.
Too quiet.
Lin Xian walked unhurriedly along the stone road, hands clasped behind his back. His pale robes brushed the ground softly, flowing like moonlight caught in motion. On his shoulder, Xiao Jian lounged comfortably, tail swaying back and forth as if the world held nothing worth worrying about.
Yet Lin Xian's steps slowed.
"Strange," he murmured, eyes narrowing slightly. "The spiritual flow tonight… it's filled with killing intent."
The fog around them didn't merely obscure sight—it dampened perception, swallowing sound and dulling spiritual senses. Someone had interfered with the area's natural flow.
Xiao Jian lifted his head, ears twitching—
And then—
A scream tore through the night.
It was sharp, panicked, and filled with desperation.
A figure burst out of the mist ahead, stumbling onto the road as if chased by death itself. The girl's robes were shredded in places, blood staining her sleeve as it dripped steadily onto the stones. Her breathing was ragged, eyes unfocused with fear—until they landed on Lin Xian.
Her pupils shrank.
"Lin Xian?!"
He blinked in surprise, recognition flashing instantly.
"Bai Yusheng?"
Before he could say anything else, she staggered toward him, grabbing at the air as her voice cracked.
"Run! They're after me!"
She barely finished speaking before Lin Xian's expression changed.
The calm, detached presence he carried dissolved like mist under sunlight. In its place rose something cold and oppressive, an invisible pressure that pressed down on the surroundings.
"They…" he said quietly, voice carrying no emotion at all, "…dared to lay hands on my people?"
Killing intent surged outward, heavy and suffocating. The fog around them churned violently, as if repelled by his will.
Xiao Jian hissed softly, fur standing on end. Blue sparks danced faintly around his claws as he leapt from Lin Xian's shoulder and landed lightly beside him, stance alert and ready.
Then the fog parted.
Seven figures stepped out in unison.
Black robes. Masked faces. Movements perfectly synchronized.
Their auras were sharp and restrained, soaked in bloodshed. Not the reckless killing intent of bandits or rogue cultivators—but the disciplined, honed presence of trained assassins.
Bai Yusheng's breath hitched.
Lin Xian stepped forward, positioning himself calmly in front of her.
One man stood alone against seven.
And yet, it was the assassins who hesitated.
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Scene 2 – The Shadow Strikes Back
Lin Xian stood with relaxed posture, one hand still behind his back, the other lazily brushing aside his sleeve.
"Who sent you?" he asked.
His voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
The leader of the assassins recovered first, letting out a cold laugh.
"Not your concern, boy. Hand over the girl, and perhaps we'll grant you a painless death."
Lin Xian tilted his head slightly, studying them as if confirming a suspicion.
"…I see."
His eyes turned icy.
"Ghost Pavilion."
The slightest stiffness rippled through the group.
That was enough.
"Then none of you will leave this place alive," Lin Xian said calmly.
He vanished.
A thunderous boom erupted as golden qi detonated beneath the assassins' feet. The stone road cracked open like shattered glass.
One assassin lowered his gaze in confusion.
There was a fist-sized hole in his chest.
His heart was gone.
"Nirvana Fist—Abyssal Pulse."
The body collapsed before the sound even finished echoing.
Another assassin raised his blade in reflex, barely managing a block before—
Crack.
His weapon shattered as Lin Xian's palm sliced through the air.
From his fingers surged strands of black light, writhing and sharp—Shadowbane, his personal weapon, extending like living darkness.
It screamed softly as it moved.
The blade swept through the mist, silent and merciless.
One throat opened.
Then another.
Blood sprayed, but no screams followed.
Lin Xian moved fluidly, each step precise, each strike perfectly measured. His body blurred and vanished—Shadow Step—reappearing wherever death was needed next.
By the time the final assassin realized Lin Xian had moved behind him—
Heads rolled across the ground.
The fog slowly settled, stained red.
Silence returned.
Bai Yusheng stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat, eyes wide with disbelief.
"You… you're not just an alchemist??"
Lin Xian flicked blood from Shadowbane, the black light dissolving into nothing as he turned slightly.
"Who ever said an alchemist can't kill?"
His pale face was calm, untouched by emotion, moonlight reflecting coldly in his eyes.
Before Bai Yusheng could respond—
A flash of blue lightning ripped across the ground.
"Meow—!"
Xiao Jian pounced on the lone assassin who had survived, crawling weakly away with broken limbs. The cat's claws glowed electric white as he slashed once.
Crack.
The man convulsed, then fell still, neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
Xiao Jian puffed out his chest proudly, tail flicking smugly.
Lin Xian sighed softly.
"You really had to burn him? Now it smells."
Xiao Jian gave an arrogant little "Mrrp."
Bai Yusheng stared at the cat, then at Lin Xian.
"…Even your cat kills like a divine beast."
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Scene 3 – Dinner After Death
The fog thinned. The road was quiet once more.
Bodies lay scattered, blood soaking into the cracks of stone.
Lin Xian turned to Bai Yusheng, who was leaning slightly against a wall, pale but steadying herself.
"Now," he said casually, as if they had merely encountered a minor inconvenience, "care to explain what that was about?"
She exhaled slowly, forcing her racing heart to calm.
"I was ambushed while returning from the Chamber. They appeared suddenly… like they'd been waiting."
"Waiting for you?" Lin Xian shook his head faintly. "No. Waiting for someone tied to me."
A brief pause.
Then—
"Anyway," he added, tone shifting abruptly, "I'm hungry."
Bai Yusheng blinked.
"…What?"
"Dinner," Lin Xian said seriously. "You should treat me. I just saved your life."
Her jaw dropped.
"Me again?! Why is it always me?!"
"Because," he replied calmly, "you owe me at least three dinners by now."
Xiao Jian meowed loudly and trotted ahead toward the food district, clearly in agreement.
"See?" Lin Xian gestured. "Even he remembers."
"He's just a cat!"
"A very wise cat."
Despite herself, Bai Yusheng laughed, the tension finally breaking.
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Scene 4 – Shadows Behind the Laughter
Later that evening, they sat in a quiet corner of the restaurant under the warm light of the lanterns.
Steam curled from dishes as they ate. For a while, laughter replaced fear.
Then Bai Yusheng's smile faded.
"Lin Xian… you need to be careful."
He glanced at her.
"The Zhao Clan may already know that Nine Tails Apothecary belongs to you."
Lin Xian slowly swirled his tea, expression unreadable.
"It was only a matter of time. As soon as they know I'm the one who seized control of the market and destroyed their profits, they'll start plotting revenge."
"If Ghost Pavilion accepted their contract," she continued, voice low, "this won't end here."
The porcelain cup clinked softly as he set it down.
"Then let them come."
His reflection shimmered in the tea—eyes faintly silver, calm and distant, like someone who had already walked past the ending.
"I've been meaning to test something new anyway."
Xiao Jian flicked his tail lazily.
"What?" Lin Xian asked him. "No, after we eat."
Bai Yusheng sighed, shaking her head with a helpless smile.
"You're impossible."
Lin Xian smiled faintly.
"No," he said quietly, "I'm inevitable."
And beyond the lantern light, beneath mist and blood, the shadows began to move once more.
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