The fires had burned low in Whispering Valley, leaving only smoke and silence behind—but this time, it was the kind that came after storm and cleansing.
Li Fan stood on the ridge above the village, watching the villagers rebuild their shrine with bare hands and quiet prayers. No longer did they avert their eyes. The children laughed again, unsure why the fear had lifted, only that it had.
But Li Fan felt no triumph.
His blade still stank of blood—some from cultists, some from innocents. Even in victory, his path left scars.
Behind him, Zhao wrapped his sword in linen, muttering, "We've buried twenty-seven. Most were missing their tongues."
Jiao handed Li Fan a cloth. "The Speaker's altar was feeding on more than spirit. Some of the remains were… children. They weren't spared."
Li Fan's grip tightened.
"There's nothing just about this world," he said, quietly. "Only what we make."
Jiao glanced at him. "And what do we make when we kill one cult, and ten more grow in its place?"
"We make ourselves a warning," Yue replied softly as she joined them. "A shadow that hunts shadows."
By afternoon, the Assassin Hall's insignia had been burned discreetly into a stone by the village's gate—a black-leaf sigil, known only to those who needed to know. A mark of liberation. A mark of quiet vengeance.
Li Fan didn't wait for thanks. He never did.
The four of them packed supplies and began the journey north, their next route unknown—but then, few things in their lives were ever set in stone anymore.
But fate had other plans.
They were barely a day's march from Whispering Valley when they saw the banner on the trail.
Silk black as soot. Embroidered with a single jade lotus.
Yue narrowed her eyes. "That's a sect crest. Not local. High-tier sect."
Zhao grunted. "Jade Lotus Sect. Mid-tier, based in the Green Carp region. They're known for their poison arts. Rarely interfere in mortal provinces."
As they approached, a lone figure stood waiting at a crooked wooden shrine by the road. He wore travel robes, finely woven, but carried no weapon.
His face was pale, thin, unreadable—but it was his eyes that caught Li Fan's attention.
Unblinking. The kind of eyes that had seen too much and felt too little.
"You are Li Fan of the Assassin Hall," the man said calmly.
Li Fan didn't answer right away. He studied the man, then nodded. "And you are?"
"A message bearer." He bowed. "Elder Su of the Jade Lotus requests an audience. She says your shadow has crossed her garden."
Jiao snorted. "We left a corpse behind. Not a calling card."
The man didn't rise to the bait. "You killed a Silent Court speaker. His corruption tainted more than one village. One of those villages paid tribute to Jade Lotus. Now, Elder Su wants to speak."
"Or threaten," Zhao said flatly.
The man shrugged. "Interpret it as you will. But I have a letter."
He extended a thin scroll sealed with black wax. Li Fan took it, broke the seal, and read in silence.
The words were brief.
To the Blade Without Sect—You move without banners, without elders, without permission.Yet you cut cleanly.The Whispering Valley was ours to cull in time, but you were swift.Come. Let us discuss the difference between weeds and roots.—Elder Su
"What does she want?" Jiao asked.
Li Fan folded the scroll. "To see if we're a threat. Or a tool."
Yue's eyes were distant. "Jade Lotus rarely deals directly. If she's calling for a meeting, it means one of two things. Either she sees value… or she wants control."
Zhao spat. "We don't bend the knee."
"We don't," Li Fan agreed. "But we don't ignore an invitation either. It's not about pride. It's about knowing the battlefield."
He turned to the messenger. "Where?"
"Mount Nanzhao. The Green Carp Valley. Three days' ride if you're quick."
Li Fan nodded. "Then we ride."
That night, beneath a moonlight sky, the four sat around a small flame.
The stars were clearer than they'd been in days. No screams, no rituals, no cursed altars humming through the ground.
But peace was never peace for long.
Zhao stirred the embers. "If they try anything, we cut our way out."
Jiao looked up. "What if they don't threaten? What if they offer a seat? A sponsorship?"
Yue whispered, "Then it's a test of will. Li Fan's will."
They all looked to him.
He stared into the fire, eyes distant. "We're not a sect. We're not part of the games they play."
Zhao raised an eyebrow. "Then what are we?"
Li Fan answered slowly. "We're the reminder."
Yue tilted her head. "To who?"
Li Fan didn't blink.
"To everyone who forgets what they've done."