The cave entrance started to glow.
A thin line of light crawled over the stone, like a knife searching for a crack.
Outside, boots stopped.
Voices became whispers.
Then Young Master Han spoke again, calm and sure.
"Break it," he said. "He is inside."
Lin Xue's eyes sharpened.
"They are using a forcing spell," she whispered.
Wei Chen held his fan tight.
His new mark—half sun, half snowflake—felt warm on his wrist.
He looked at Lin Xue.
"We can't fight a whole group," he said.
Lin Xue's jaw clenched.
"I can kill some," she said. "But I am still weak."
Wei Chen nodded.
"And I am still burning," he said. "Not as bad as before… but still."
The stone at the entrance cracked.
A small piece fell onto the snow with a quiet tap.
The light grew brighter.
Wei Chen took one slow breath.
"Then we don't fight them all," he said.
Lin Xue frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Wei Chen pointed his fan at the floor.
"The formation you drew," he said. "Can you change it?"
Lin Xue looked at her frost lines.
"This is only a warning seal," she said. "It stings. It does not stop."
Wei Chen crouched and touched the lines with one finger.
He sent a thin thread of Yang into the frost marks.
The frost did not melt this time.
It accepted the heat.
The lines turned brighter, like they woke up.
Lin Xue's eyes widened slightly.
"Our bond mark… it lets our qi mix," she whispered.
Wei Chen nodded.
"Good," he said. "Then we make something bigger."
Outside, the spell hit again.
CRACK.
More stone broke away.
A cold wind rushed in.
Han's men were almost inside.
Lin Xue swallowed hard.
"What bigger thing?"
Wei Chen looked around the cave.
He saw loose rocks.
He saw a low ceiling.
He saw narrow space.
A smile touched his lips—small and dangerous.
"We trap them," he said.
Lin Xue stared.
"You want to trap a whole squad in a cave?"
Wei Chen opened his fan.
Nine suns stared up like eyes.
"I want to make them regret coming in," he said.
Lin Xue's voice went flat.
"This is foolish."
Wei Chen looked at her.
"Do you have a better idea?"
Lin Xue's mouth tightened.
She hated it… but she didn't.
Not fully.
Because she knew he was right.
Lin Xue stepped closer and put her hand on his wrist.
Her touch was cold.
His skin was warm.
The mark on both of them glowed faintly.
Lin Xue spoke fast.
"If we do this," she said, "we do it clean. We do it smart."
Wei Chen nodded.
"Always," he said.
Lin Xue pointed at the ceiling.
"The rocks above are weak," she said. "If I freeze them the right way, they will crack and fall."
Wei Chen's grin came back.
"And if I heat the cracks," he said, "they will explode."
Lin Xue looked at him like she didn't want to admire him.
But her eyes did.
"Fine," she said. "We do it."
The cave entrance cracked wider.
A hand appeared in the gap, pushing the stone.
Wei Chen moved quickly.
He drew a circle with the tip of his fan.
A golden line appeared on the ground.
Lin Xue added frost lines around it.
Together, they made a new seal.
Not big.
Not perfect.
But real.
Wei Chen whispered, "When they step in, we trigger it."
Lin Xue nodded, eyes sharp.
"I will drop the ceiling."
Wei Chen pointed at the back of the cave.
"And we escape through that crack," he said. "I saw it earlier. It leads to the cliff side."
Lin Xue blinked.
"You saw that in the dark?"
Wei Chen tapped his own head with the fan.
"I look like I only think about girls," he said. "But I also think about living."
Lin Xue almost rolled her eyes.
Almost.
Then—
The stone broke open.
A bright lantern flashed into the cave.
A disciple stepped in, sword raised.
"Found—!"
His words cut off.
Because his foot landed on the seal.
The circle flashed.
A burst of mixed power hit him—hot and cold at once.
He yelped and jumped back.
"What is that?"
More men rushed in behind him.
They filled the entrance.
They didn't wait.
They didn't think.
They stepped right into the seal.
Wei Chen snapped his fan shut.
"Now," he said.
Lin Xue lifted both hands.
Frost shot upward like spears.
It hit the ceiling cracks.
The stone above turned white with ice.
Then Wei Chen thrust his fan up.
A thin wave of heat followed.
The frozen cracks expanded fast.
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!
The ceiling gave up.
Rocks dropped.
One big stone smashed down right at the entrance.
Men shouted.
Swords clanged.
Lanterns fell and broke.
Dust filled the air like smoke.
Wei Chen grabbed Lin Xue's hand.
"Move!" he said.
They ran deeper into the cave.
Lin Xue's robe brushed stone.
Wei Chen's shoulder hit the wall.
They found the crack at the back—thin, tight, and dark.
Lin Xue looked at it and grimaced.
"This is too small," she said.
Wei Chen pushed first.
"I am skinny," he said. "You are… not fat. Just tall."
Lin Xue glared at him.
"Say that again," she warned.
Wei Chen squeezed through the crack.
It scraped his arms.
Cold air hit his face.
He came out on a narrow ledge outside the mountain.
Below was a deep drop.
Above was a cliff wall.
Snow blew into his eyes.
He turned and reached back.
"Come," he said.
Lin Xue followed.
She fit, but barely.
Her robe snagged once.
Wei Chen pulled her gently.
Lin Xue's breath caught as her body pressed close for a moment.
The mark on their wrists warmed.
Lin Xue's eyes narrowed like she hated her own reaction.
Then she stepped out onto the ledge.
They stood side by side in the storm.
The cave behind them rumbled again.
Inside, someone shouted, "Clear the rocks!"
Another shouted, "He escaped!"
Young Master Han's voice sliced through the chaos.
"Don't let them run!" he yelled. "Follow the ledge!"
Wei Chen looked left and right.
The ledge was narrow.
If they ran too fast, they would slip.
If they went too slow, they would be caught.
Lin Xue's face turned cold as steel.
"I can freeze the ledge behind us," she said. "Make it slippery for them."
Wei Chen shook his head.
"That also makes it slippery for us," he said.
Lin Xue's eyes flashed.
"Then what?"
Wei Chen stared at the storm.
Snow moved like a wall.
Visibility was low.
That could help them.
Or kill them.
Wei Chen lifted his fan and flicked it open.
He held it like a shield.
"Stay close," he said.
Lin Xue frowned.
"Why?"
Wei Chen glanced at her wrist mark.
"Because the bond helps our qi," he said. "If we split, we weaken."
Lin Xue's throat moved.
She didn't like it.
But she didn't argue.
They moved along the ledge together.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Wind howled.
Snow hit their faces.
Wei Chen's feet slid once.
Lin Xue grabbed his sleeve fast.
He steadied.
Wei Chen breathed out.
"Good," he said. "We don't die today."
Lin Xue snapped, "Stop talking."
Wei Chen smiled.
"Ah. Back to normal," he said.
Behind them, the cave entrance cracked open again.
Lantern light spilled onto the ledge.
Three disciples climbed out first, swords ready.
Then more.
Then Han.
Han's robe was clean even in the storm.
His smile was warm like poison.
"There you are," Han called. "Running with a woman in white. How romantic."
Wei Chen's eyes went cold.
"You really like chasing me," Wei Chen said.
Han laughed.
"I like finishing what I start," he replied.
Lin Xue stepped forward.
Her cold aura flared, pushing snow away from her like a small storm.
Han's eyes flicked to her.
"And you must be the famous ice elder," he said. "You look weaker than the stories."
Lin Xue's voice was flat.
"And you look uglier than your confidence."
A few disciples behind Han snorted.
Han's smile twitched.
Wei Chen leaned slightly toward Lin Xue.
"Nice," he whispered.
Lin Xue didn't look at him.
"Focus," she whispered back.
Han raised a hand.
"Bring them," he said.
The disciples advanced, swords up.
Wei Chen lifted his fan.
Lin Xue lifted her hand.
Hot and cold.
Yang and Yin.
They stood back-to-back on a narrow ledge over a deadly drop.
Wei Chen spoke quietly.
"Remember our rules," he said.
Lin Xue answered, just as quiet.
"Don't die."
Wei Chen almost laughed.
"Also that," he said.
The first disciple rushed.
Wei Chen flicked his fan.
A hidden blade shot out like a silver tooth.
It cut the man's sword strap, not his body.
The sword slipped from the man's grip and clattered off the ledge.
The man panicked and stepped back—
Lin Xue's frost hit his boots.
His feet locked.
He fell backward, arms waving, into his own men.
Two more stumbled.
Wei Chen moved like a shadow.
He tapped one man's chest with the fan tip.
A small golden seal flashed.
The man's qi stuttered.
He gasped and dropped to one knee, shocked.
Wei Chen did not kill him.
He didn't need to.
He only needed space.
But there were too many.
More men poured out.
Han watched like he was enjoying a show.
Then Han sighed.
"Enough," he said.
He pulled out a small black bead.
A dark scent spread in the air.
Lin Xue's eyes widened.
"That is a Beast Lure," she snapped.
Wei Chen frowned.
"A what?"
Lin Xue grabbed his wrist.
"It calls nearby monsters," she said. "He wants them to attack you."
Wei Chen stared at Han.
Han's smile grew.
"You finally understand," Han said.
Wei Chen's jaw tightened.
"You want the beasts to kill me," Wei Chen said, "so your hands stay clean."
Han bowed his head a little, like he was proud.
"Exactly," he said.
The black bead cracked.
A pulse spread through the storm.
Far away, something roared.
Not a normal roar.
It was deep.
Old.
Hungry.
Lin Xue's breath turned thin.
"That sound…" she whispered.
Wei Chen felt his skin tighten.
Because the sound felt familiar.
It felt like the shadow from the forest.
And it was coming closer.
Fast.
Han stepped back behind his men.
"Keep them there," he ordered. "Let the mountain eat them."
Wei Chen's eyes narrowed.
"We can't stay on this ledge," he said.
Lin Xue looked toward the cliff wall.
"There is no path," she said. "Only down."
Wei Chen glanced over the edge.
It was a long fall into white fog.
"You can fly?" he asked.
Lin Xue gave him a look like he was a child.
"I am sealed by my curse," she said. "Not enough qi."
Wei Chen hissed.
"And my dantian is still half-locked," he said.
The roar came again, closer.
Snow blew sideways.
Then the shadow appeared.
It crawled out of the storm like a nightmare.
But now Wei Chen could see its shape better.
It was not smoke.
It was like a black animal made from broken darkness.
It had long arms.
Too many joints.
Its head was wrong.
Its mouth opened, and there were no teeth—only empty space.
It stared at the ledge.
It stared at Han's men.
But then it focused on Wei Chen and Lin Xue.
Because their mixed Yin–Yang aura was bright.
Like food.
Han's eyes lit up.
"Yes," he whispered. "Good."
The shadow-creature hissed.
It stepped onto the ledge.
The stone did not crack.
It was light, like it didn't weigh anything.
Lin Xue's hands trembled.
Wei Chen's nine sun-marks pulsed under his skin.
Not in desire.
In alarm.
The creature leaned closer.
It inhaled.
And Wei Chen felt it.
It was trying to drink the bond seal.
Like it wanted to pull their Yin and Yang apart and swallow it.
Wei Chen clenched his teeth.
"It feeds on our clash," he said.
Lin Xue's voice was tight.
"It feeds on everything," she whispered.
Han shouted from behind his men, "Don't let it reach me! Keep it on them!"
The disciples froze.
They did not want to be near that thing.
But they also feared Han.
So they stayed.
Like trapped dogs.
Wei Chen looked at Lin Xue.
"We need one big move," he said.
Lin Xue swallowed.
"We don't have strength," she whispered.
Wei Chen lifted their joined wrists.
The bond mark glowed faintly.
"We have this," he said.
Lin Xue stared at the mark.
Then she closed her eyes for one breath.
When she opened them, her gaze was hard.
"Tell me what to do," she said.
Wei Chen spoke fast.
"Give me your cold," he said. "All you can, just for a moment."
Lin Xue blinked.
"If I do that, my curse—"
Wei Chen cut in, calm but firm.
"I will give you heat back," he said. "I promise. Trust me."
Lin Xue's throat moved again.
She hated trusting.
But she also hated dying.
Lin Xue nodded once.
"I choose this," she said.
Wei Chen nodded.
"Good," he said. "Then hold on."
Lin Xue grabbed his sleeve.
Wei Chen stepped forward, facing the creature.
He raised his fan.
Lin Xue pushed her frost into him through the bond.
Cold flooded Wei Chen's veins.
His burning marks shivered.
Pain stabbed his chest.
Wei Chen almost dropped his fan.
But he held it.
He forced the cold into the fan's nine suns.
The painted suns turned pale.
Then sharp.
Then bright.
Lin Xue whispered, shaking, "Hurry."
Wei Chen whispered back, "Now."
Wei Chen snapped the fan open wide.
He spoke one simple line.
"Sun-Frost Cut."
A blade of mixed power flew out.
It was not just heat.
It was not just ice.
It was both, twisted together like a rope.
It hit the shadow-creature.
The creature screamed without a mouth.
Its body tore open like cloth.
Black smoke spilled out.
The wind pulled it away.
The creature fell back, shaking.
For one heartbeat, the ledge was clear.
Wei Chen grabbed Lin Xue.
"Jump!" he shouted.
Lin Xue's eyes widened.
"Where?!"
Wei Chen pointed down.
"Into the fog!" he yelled. "I see a lower ledge!"
Lin Xue looked.
She saw nothing.
Only white.
"You can't see that," she snapped.
Wei Chen's voice was hard.
"I can," he said. "Trust me!"
Behind them, Han shouted, "Stop them!"
The disciples rushed again.
The shadow-creature started to reform.
The fog below swirled like a hungry mouth.
Wei Chen held Lin Xue's hand tight.
Lin Xue's face was pale.
"If you are wrong," she whispered, "we die."
Wei Chen stared at her.
"I won't be wrong," he said.
Lin Xue's fingers tightened.
Then she whispered, very small:
"I choose you."
Wei Chen jumped.
And pulled her with him.
They fell into the white fog—
And the bond mark on Wei Chen's wrist suddenly burned like fire.
So hot it felt like it would split his skin.
Wei Chen gasped mid-fall.
Lin Xue cried out.
And deep inside Wei Chen's body…
One of the nine suns cracked open fully.
Like a locked door just broke.
A burst of golden light exploded around them.
The fog tore apart.
And below—waiting like a mouth—
Was not a ledge.
It was a giant stone altar carved into the cliff side.
Covered in old symbols.
And standing on that altar…
Was someone.
A woman in dark red silk.
Her lips were painted like a fresh wound.
Her eyes glittered.
She smiled up at Wei Chen like she was happy.
"So," she purred, "the Nine-Suns boy finally fell into my hands."
Wei Chen's stomach dropped harder than his body.
Because he knew that voice.
He had never met her.
But every story warned him about her kind.
A demon cultivator.
And she was waiting like this was planned.
Wei Chen and Lin Xue slammed onto the altar.
The ancient symbols lit up.
A cage-like light rose around them.
The demon woman stepped closer.
Her smile widened.
"Welcome," she said softly. "Now… let's see how long your bond lasts."
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
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