Even flowers could bleed, in Linhai.
And some bloomed only under moonlight... when no one was watching.
Two Days Later — Linhai, Lower River District
Rael sat on the stone railing of an old arched bridge, watching coins float down the stream.
Each one carried a whisper.
Wishes. Regrets. Names long forgotten.
The city bustled behind him. Merchants shouted over incense smoke. Disciples bargained for talismans, spirit pills, or information. A few glanced at him curiously, but most simply walked past.
The story had already spread.
> The rogue with no sect broke the Silver Mask. The man with the bow pierced spirit fire. A dead village lives through vengeance.
Rael was quiet.
Until Yue arrived.
She moved like a breeze. Robes a shade lighter than moonlight, veil back on. Still radiant, still playful — but her eyes were sharper now.
"You've stirred the hornet's nest," she said, sitting beside him. "Three inner sects sent scouts. One clan sent a puppet. There's even a bounty in the underground now."
Rael didn't answer.
"You're not scared?"
He dropped a copper into the stream.
It spun twice and vanished under the current.
"No."
Yue leaned on her elbow. "Then what are you waiting for?"
He finally looked at her.
"An opportunity."
---
Elsewhere – Severed Lotus Sect, Jade Petition Court
The court was silent.
Rows of black-garbed elders stood beneath the petals of a stone lotus, watching Gao Shen kneel before the Grand Preceptor — a woman older than mountains, eyes closed in perpetual meditation.
Her voice was calm.
"Why did you challenge him in public?"
Gao Shen's voice trembled, only slightly. "He was provoking—"
"You should have killed him. Quietly. Efficiently. Instead… you bled."
"I underestimated—"
"You were warned. The village was burned, but the sin still festers."
A pause.
Gao Shen bowed lower. "He is insignificant."
"No. He is a crack."
The Grand Preceptor raised a finger.
A servant stepped forward, holding a jade disk — its surface pulsing faintly with blood-red symbols.
"Assign him to the Shadow Trials," she said coldly. "If he survives… perhaps he belongs here. If not, we bury the tale."
---
Midnight – Quiet Bell Inn
A knock.
Three times.
Rael opened the door.
No one was there — only a sealed envelope stuck to the frame with a thorn-shaped needle.
He opened it.
The seal bore no sect name, but inside was a simple message:
> We saw your arrow.
Come to the Black Bloom Garden.
Tonight.
---
Black Bloom Garden – Linhai Outskirts
The garden was rumored to be cursed.
Planted during the war of the Nine Rivers, it never died — even in drought or fire. Its flowers were black as ink, petals soft as ash, and no insects ever touched them.
Rael entered alone.
The path twisted through shadowed hedges and obsidian blossoms. The air was still. Silent.
Then—
A whisper.
"Interesting choice of weapons."
He turned.
A figure stood by the central lotus pond — draped in black and violet, mask shaped like a butterfly. A woman's voice, but distorted by spirit technique.
"You're the one who made Gao Shen bleed."
Rael's hand rested lightly on his bow. "Who are you?"
The figure chuckled. "An offer. That's all."
Another silhouette emerged from behind a bush — this one taller, armored, face hidden.
"We're the Thousand Veins Sect. And we like you."
Rael didn't lower his guard.
"I'm not looking for patronage."
The masked woman tilted her head. "What if it's not patronage? What if it's purpose?"
A scroll floated to him — carried by a breeze, as if the garden itself had hands.
> Trial of the Fractured Root
Location: Eastern Wastes – Forgotten Tomb of the Red Tree
Entry Reward: Qi Essence Crystal (High-Grade)
Completion Reward: Access to Thousand Veins' Inner Library
Rael read the scroll twice.
"Why me?"
"You hunt with hatred," the masked figure said. "But you also learn. You adapt. You didn't kill Gao Shen because you weren't ready."
Rael said nothing.
"You'll need allies, Rael. Or you'll die before you even reach the sect gates."
He looked at the pond.
The water was perfectly still.
No reflection.
Then he turned back. "I'll go."
---
Later – Rooftop Return
Yue was waiting for him again.
She didn't ask this time. Just stood beside him, hands folded into sleeves, veil fluttering gently in the wind.
"You're moving too fast," she murmured.
"So are they."
"Which sect?"
"Thousand Veins."
She looked surprised. Then cautious. "They're assassins, Rael. Blood cultivators. Their techniques are rooted in corruption."
"I'm not joining them."
"Then why go?"
Rael's voice was soft. "To read."
Yue blinked.
He smiled, just faintly.
"I've learned all I can by watching."
She watched his profile under the moonlight.
"You're becoming dangerous," she whispered.
He didn't answer.
She didn't expect him to.
---
Elsewhere – In the Depths
Beneath Linhai, far below the city's foundation, a cavern pulsed with forgotten breath.
A pale flame flickered over a pool of bone-white water.
And in the dark… something shifted.
> "He walks the cursed path."
"He bears the broken brand."
"And still… he remembers the fire."
The echo faded.
The water grew still again.
But the pulse?
It had begun.