Chapter 26 - Wine on the Wind, Tea by the River

The village inn was livelier than Jiang Hao had expected. A creaky building with red lanterns swaying outside, the smell of fried dumplings and hot wine drifting into the night. A few traveling merchants clinked cups and bellowed songs about lost fortunes and stubborn wives. Someone strummed a lute badly in the corner, and a dog barked at the firewood pile like it owed him money.Jiang Hao slid into a seat by the window, propping his elbow on the table with the air of a man clocking out after a long day. Lin Xueyao sat across from him, silent but watchful, while Mei Ling plopped down beside him, grabbing a wine jug before he could stop her."This," Mei Ling declared, pouring generously into her cup, "is called living. We should thank the Demon Sect for giving us an excuse to travel. If not for their raids, I would still be stuck in boring lectures about sword posture!"Jiang Hao raised an eyebrow. "Most people don't thank their enemies for trying to kill them.""That's because most people don't have you sitting beside them," Mei Ling shot back with a grin. "With Senior Brother Jiang here, even assassins are just noisy mosquitoes."Lin Xueyao, as always, didn't smile, but her hand paused over her tea cup. The faintest flicker of amusement touched her lips before vanishing like a ripple in calm water."Mosquitoes or not," she said quietly, "you should still be cautious. Mosquitoes can carry disease."Jiang Hao nearly choked on his tea. Mei Ling laughed so hard she spilled her drink.The night stretched warmly after that. Plates of spiced meat and fried vegetables cluttered the table, the wine flowed, and the chatter around them blurred into a background hum. For once, Jiang Hao didn't feel like a man hiding beneath layers of sealed power. He felt… ordinary. Just a young man drinking wine with two companions beneath lantern light.It was Mei Ling, of course, who broke the illusion."So, Senior Brother," she leaned in, cheeks flushed from drink, "tell me something—when you stare at the stars at night, do you sigh about lost loves, or do you sigh about paperwork piling up at Azure Heaven Sect?"Jiang Hao coughed. "Neither.""Then what?"He glanced at her, then at Lin Xueyao, who was pretending to be absorbed in her tea. "I sigh," he said slowly, "because the stars remind me of overtime. Endless, unreachable dots that want me to keep working."Mei Ling slammed her palm on the table. "You—! That's cheating! You can't twist every answer into a joke about work!"Her protest was loud enough that the merchants at the next table chuckled.Lin Xueyao hid her smile behind her teacup.Jiang Hao only smirked and refilled her cup.Outside, the moon climbed higher, pale light spilling across the cobblestone street. Somewhere beyond the village, the night wind carried a low rumble that didn't quite belong to the earth.Later, when the inn had quieted and most of the patrons had staggered upstairs or collapsed on benches, Jiang Hao led his companions outside. The air was crisp, tinged with pine and river mist. Fireflies drifted lazily above the grass, winking like stars come down to play.The three of them wandered along a dirt path that wound past the riverbank. Mei Ling, drunk enough to hum off-key but not enough to stumble, swung the empty wine jug like a weapon. Lin Xueyao walked a pace behind, silent as always, though her eyes lingered on Jiang Hao more often than the scenery."Do you ever wonder," Mei Ling said suddenly, "what's out there? Beyond the sects, beyond the mountains. Maybe an ocean where fish drink wine instead of water. Or a city made of glass."Jiang Hao tilted his head. "Or a ruined temple where drunk swordswomen trip over their own feet."Mei Ling gasped and nearly swung the jug at him. "You—!"Lin Xueyao's lips twitched again.They followed the river until it curved into a shadowed grove. Old stone markers jutted from the ground, covered in moss. A crumbling archway, half-swallowed by vines, stood at the edge of the trees. The air here was heavier, as if the forest itself was holding its breath.Jiang Hao stopped, his smile fading just slightly."What is this place?" Mei Ling whispered, sobering a little."An old outpost," Lin Xueyao murmured. "Abandoned during the last great war against the Demon Sect." Her fingers brushed the moss-covered stones. "Many lives ended here."The night wind picked up, carrying with it the faintest echo of thunder.Jiang Hao looked at the archway, at the dark path leading deeper into the forest. For a moment, he thought he saw faint sparks of light flickering in the shadows—like eyes watching.He turned to his companions, forcing a small smile. "Well. Looks like overtime found me anyway."Mei Ling groaned. "Don't joke about it now! That was creepy."But her hand tightened on the wine jug. Lin Xueyao's calm gaze sharpened, her posture shifting ever so slightly toward readiness.The peaceful night of wine and laughter thinned into something else—anticipation, tension, the sense that the world was stirring awake in the dark.And somewhere above, thunder rolled again. Louder this time.The first bolt of lightning split the sky as soon as Jiang Hao stepped beneath the vine-covered archway.It wasn't natural lightning. Its edges glowed red, its core black as pitch, and when it struck the ground ahead, the earth hissed as if burned by acid. The ruined outpost groaned awake—old stone markers cracking, moss shriveling under the heat.Figures melted out of the shadows. Dozens of them. Black-robed, faces painted with crimson sigils, weapons glinting with poison. Demon Sect assassins.Mei Ling swore under her breath, gripping her jug in both hands like a hammer. "I knew the creepy thunder wasn't for ambiance."Lin Xueyao drew her sword, its edge singing faintly. Her voice was calm, though her stance said otherwise. "Too many. Their qi is twisted… these aren't common grunts."The lead assassin stepped forward, his aura pressing down like a mountain of bile. His eyes gleamed with hungry malice. "Azure Heaven's little lambs. Our orders were to strike quietly… but since you've wandered into the slaughterhouse, we'll take our time."Jiang Hao exhaled through his nose, steady and unshaken. He counted quickly—thirty-six enemies, all of them Core Formation and above. Not the sort a casual patrol should meet.But then again, he was no ordinary patrol.He rolled his shoulders as though annoyed about extra paperwork. "You people really like interrupting my leisure."The assassins laughed. Mei Ling nearly choked. "Leisure?! Senior Brother, this is thirty-six people who want to turn us into dumplings!"Jiang Hao smiled faintly. "Then let's serve them wine instead."He raised his hand. For the first time in years, he loosened the lock on his body's seal.A sound like breaking chains echoed—not outside, but within his bones. His aura surged, flooding the ruined grove like a rising tide. The moss withered. The cracked archway trembled. Even the assassins faltered for a breath, their jeers turning into stunned silence.Jiang Hao's appearance shifted. His dark hair shimmered with faint silver streaks, his eyes deepened into a starlit glow, and his every movement carried an unearthly grace. Handsome was too small a word; in that moment, he looked like an immortal descended from the heavens, draped in moonlight.Lin Xueyao's sword lowered half an inch before she caught herself. Mei Ling's jaw literally dropped.The assassins regained their nerve with a chorus of snarls, charging at once.Jiang Hao moved.He didn't shout, didn't brandish a sword. He simply stepped forward, his palm sweeping through the air.The nearest three assassins slammed into the ground, bones shattering as if a giant's hand had crushed them. Another lunged from the side—Jiang Hao flicked a finger, and the man's poisoned blade snapped like a twig before driving back into its wielder's throat.The grove became a storm. Blades clanged, qi clashed, and through it all Jiang Hao flowed like water, untouchable, effortless. He struck with precision, no wasted motion, no unnecessary flourish.Seal Two was open, and it was more than enough.Yet with every strike, a faint ringing built in his skull. His vision shimmered at the edges, and a metallic taste coated his tongue. The seal's backlash.Not now. Not in front of them.He pressed on, his hand glowing faintly as he tore through the next wave of assassins.Mei Ling yelled over the chaos, half-furious, half-awed: "Senior Brother! Since when did you become… become THIS?!"Jiang Hao caught a blade barehanded, snapped it in two, and pushed the wielder into the dirt. His starlit eyes flicked her way. "Since I decided not to work overtime."Even Lin Xueyao nearly stumbled at that.But when Jiang Hao turned again, another thunderbolt ripped down from the sky, shattering what remained of the ruined archway. More assassins poured forth, chanting in guttural voices, summoning something darker from the fissures beneath the stones.Jiang Hao exhaled once more, tightened his grip on the seal—knowing the backlash would worsen—and prepared to end it.