Zhou Wei woke up sensing a change in the sect around him.
Nothing obvious had shifted. The bells rang at the usual hour. The air still smelled of damp stone and pine carried on the morning breeze. Servants moved through the courtyards in their regular patterns, heads down and hands busy.
And yet.
He sat on the edge of his cot for a long moment, boots unlaced, listening. The warmth inside him was calm, coiled low and dense, no longer flaring at every brush of emotion. It felt settled, as if it had finally found its place.
That was new.
He stood and dressed carefully, moving more slowly than necessary. His body felt different, too. Not lighter, but more grounded. Each movement held a sense of balance he had never known before. He made himself stumble once while tying his robe, just to remember how to look clumsy.
Old habits kept you alive.
When he stepped outside, he noticed the ripples.
A junior disciple argued with an outer disciple near the well, their voices sharper than they should have been this early. Anxiety laced their words, thin and persistent. Near the training yard, a group of inner disciples stood too close together, talking in low tones, their eyes darting toward the inner quarters.
Inspection nerves.
Zhou Wei kept his focus narrow, letting impressions pass without getting caught. The Heavenly Purity presence still lingered like a blade left on the table after a meal. Not always visible, but impossible to forget.
He completed his morning tasks and moved toward the storage yards out of habit. The south wall storeroom was quiet. No guards. No movement. He did not go inside.
Instead, he paused near the herb beds and concentrated gently.
Mei Lin.
Her presence answered immediately. Steady. Awake. Alert, but not afraid. Her emotions no longer surged when he touched the edge of them. Fear existed, but it was layered beneath focus and something firmer.
Resolve.
Zhou Wei exhaled slowly.
Good.
He turned away before lingering became suspicious and almost collided with Elder Zhang.
The elder stood in his path, hands clasped behind his back, his expression mild. His eyes flicked over Zhou Wei, assessing, then settled.
"Servant," Zhang said. "You're moving early."
Zhou Wei bowed, deep and quick. "Elder."
Zhang studied him for a moment longer than necessary. Zhou Wei felt the scrutiny like a hand pressing against his chest, searching for weakness. He drew inward, flattening his presence, letting his breath hitch just enough to suggest nerves.
"I was told to prepare the west sheds," Zhou Wei said. "The rain damaged some of the roofs."
Zhang nodded slowly. His emotions rolled beneath the calm surface, irritation scraping against restraint. Zhou Wei sensed it clearly now. Desire coiled tight, frustrated and sharp.
"You've been efficient lately," Zhang said. "That's good. Discipline is rewarded."
The words made Zhou Wei's jaw tighten, though his face stayed blank.
"Yes, Elder."
Zhang's gaze drifted past him, toward the inner yards. Toward where Mei Lin should have been working.
"Where is the girl?" Zhang asked casually.
Zhou Wei kept his head bowed. "Which girl, Elder?"
Zhang's smile thinned. "The one who cleans the inner chambers. Quiet. Dark hair."
Zhou Wei felt the warmth inside him pulse once, restrained but alert.
"She was reassigned," he said. "Temporary. To assist with inventory after the inspection."
It was not a lie. Not entirely. Reassignments often happened during inspections.
Zhang's eyes narrowed slightly. His desire sense was cruder than Zhou Wei's, but it existed. It searched now, probing for a familiar response that did not come.
"I see," Zhang said.
He stepped past Zhou Wei, his robes whispering softly. As he moved, Zhou Wei felt the elder's irritation sharpen into something closer to intent.
The ripple spread.
Zhou Wei completed his duties under that pressure, careful not to hurry, careful not to draw attention. Everywhere he went, the sect felt tighter. Guards paused longer at corners. Disciples glanced over their shoulders more often. Servants whispered and fell silent when seniors passed.
By midday, the Heavenly Purity elder was visible again, speaking quietly with the sect leader near the main hall. Zhou Wei did not get close enough to hear the words, but he did not need to.
The emotions told him enough.
Suspicion. Focus. Patience.
That was worse than anger.
Zhou Wei returned to the south wall as the sun dipped lower, shadows stretching across the stone. He slipped into the storeroom quietly, closing the door behind him.
Mei Lin stood near the back wall, hands clasped behind her, posture straight. She looked up when he entered, her eyes sharp.
"He asked about me," she said.
"Yes," Zhou Wei replied.
"He didn't like the answer."
"No."
She nodded, accepting that without fear. "I felt it," she added. "When he was close. It was different."
"How?"
"Like he was searching," she said. "Not looking at me. Looking for what changed."
Zhou Wei studied her carefully.
She held herself differently now. Not proud. Not defiant. Just present. The way she met his gaze without flinching would have been unthinkable days ago.
"That means you're suppressing well," he said.
"I'm not hiding," Mei Lin replied. "I'm choosing not to show."
The distinction mattered.
Zhou Wei nodded. "That will help."
She hesitated, then asked, "And you?"
"I'm fine," he said.
She did not accept that. "They're circling you too."
"Yes."
Her eyes hardened. "Because of me."
"Because of what I carry," Zhou Wei corrected gently.
She exhaled through her nose. "You always do that."
"Do what?"
"Take weight that isn't yours alone."
Zhou Wei did not answer right away.
Outside, footsteps passed. Voices murmured. The sect breathed, tense and watchful.
"This is the cost," he said finally. "Once something changes, it creates waves. Even when no one knows why."
Mei Lin looked down at her hands, then flexed them slowly. A faint shimmer of sensation flowed through her, barely visible, but Zhou Wei felt it clearly.
"Then we move carefully," she said.
"Yes."
"And if he comes for me again?"
Zhou Wei met her gaze. "Then he makes a mistake."
The words were not a threat. Just a statement.
Mei Lin nodded once, satisfied.
Zhou Wei left shortly after, careful to keep his time there brief. As he stepped back into the open air, the weight of attention pressed down again, heavier than before.
The Heavenly Purity inspection was no longer routine.
Elder Zhang was no longer patient.
And Mei Lin was no longer invisible.
The ripples were spreading.
Zhou Wei felt them move through the sect, slow and inevitable, and understood one thing with absolute clarity.
This phase was over.
From here on, every step would leave a mark.