The path home was long, winding through silent woods bathed in silver moonlight. Snowflakes drifted lazily from above, softening each footstep and cloaking the forest in a hushed reverence. The successful spirit ring hunt should've felt triumphant, yet tension clung to the group like a second skin.
Li Rong walked at the front, his gaze distant.
Each time he shifted his foot, he could feel the energy of the Shadowstep pulsing beneath the surface of his skin, subtle and cold like water ready to become ice. He didn't use it again—not here, not in front of the elder who was still watching him too closely.
Li Jian hadn't spoken a word since their departure from the clearing. But his silence wasn't from peace—it was the quiet of calculation, of judgment.
He's trying to see through me, Li Rong thought. But he won't. Not yet.
Behind him, Li Xue and Ren Yao whispered quietly to one another. Ren's nerves had slowly melted away, replaced by a giddy sort of admiration for what he had witnessed.
"He vanished," Ren whispered. "I swear, even the beast didn't know where he went. It was like watching a shadow become a blade."
Li Xue didn't respond immediately. Her breath fogged the air, her pale lashes catching snowflakes. "He's strong," she said softly. "But it's not just the strength. It's the way he thinks. He doesn't move unless it's deliberate."
"Still..." Ren cast a glance at Li Rong's back. "You think he'll be the next Young Master?"
Li Xue's expression hardened. "He'll be more than that."
Li Rong heard it—but he said nothing.
When the village lights flickered into view through the trees, Elder Li Jian finally broke the silence.
"We will not speak of the ability you used in the forest," he said.
The group halted.
Li Rong turned, his voice flat. "Why?"
Li Jian's eyes met his with cold precision. "Because others will start asking questions—questions you don't want asked. Not yet."
Li Xue frowned. "But the hunt was sanctioned. There's nothing improper—"
Li Jian cut her off. "The rabbit's ring is rare. And a skill like that... one which bends shadow and space... people will not accept that such power came from a single hunt. Not without suspicion."
Li Rong's gaze stayed locked with the elder's. "Then let them wonder. I won't explain myself."
"You misunderstand me." The elder's voice dropped. "I'm not telling you to lie. I'm telling you to be patient. There are eyes within the clan who watch for those who rise too quickly. You are not yet strong enough to meet them head-on."
Li Rong was quiet for a moment, then nodded once. "I understand."
They resumed walking, but the mood had changed. The shadow of clan politics had crept into their victory, tainting it with the cold touch of reality.
By the time they returned to Duskwither Hall, the clan's inner compound was quiet. Snow coated the tiled roofs, and the towering wolf statues that flanked the entrance looked more like ancient guardians than ever before.
A messenger boy approached the group as they passed through the gates. His breath came in heavy puffs as he bowed to Elder Li Jian.
"Elder! The council summons you. There was... an incident during your absence."
Li Jian's brows furrowed. "What kind of incident?"
The boy hesitated, looking between the elder and Li Rong. "Another internal duel, sir. Between the Second Elder's grandson and a younger disciple. It... ended badly."
Li Rong's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly his thoughts stirred.
Lin Feng's faction. They're getting bolder.
Li Jian waved the boy off. "Very well. I will go immediately."
His eyes flicked back to the three youths. "Return to your residences. Rest. Recover. And remember—speak nothing of what you've gained today."
He turned and vanished into the upper hall, his robes trailing behind him like ghostly banners.
That night, Li Rong sat alone in his meditation chamber. A single candle flickered before him, casting long shadows across the wolf carvings that lined the stone walls. He sat cross-legged, shirtless, steam rising off his skin as he channeled soul power through his meridians.
The Shadowstep ability pulsed with clarity.
It was more than just movement. It was awareness—he could feel the bend of space around him, the pause between a heartbeat and a breath, the moment where action could be faster than thought.
But that wasn't all.
As he focused, something else stirred within the spirit ring's residual energy. A subtle flicker, a whisper behind his thoughts.
A second ability?
No—more like an extension. The rabbit's cunning nature had left a mark, not just in power but in instinct. The ability to predict, to bait and deceive.
He would need time to refine it.
At dawn, Li Xue approached him alone in the outer courtyard.
"I didn't tell anyone," she said.
Li Rong nodded. "Good."
She hesitated. "But they'll know soon enough. You won't be able to hide your strength forever."
"I don't plan to," Li Rong replied. "Just long enough to finish what I need to."
She gave him a look. "And what is that?"
He didn't answer. Not directly.
Instead, he looked out across the horizon where the clan's main compound loomed in the distance—cold, vast, full of secrets.
"Everything," he whispered.