The fire burned low within the hidden chamber of Yuchuan Secret Archive.
Scrolls lay scattered, their seals cracked open under Lin Xiyan's hand. Each fragment held names—long-forgotten alliances, coded messages, and transactions paid not in gold, but in blood.
"This one," Lin whispered, tapping a scroll bearing a crimson lotus watermark, "confirms it. The Lotus Pact was never just a peace accord. It was a purge."
Shen Liufeng frowned. "A list of targets?"
"Dissenters. Sect leaders. Even our former shifu's name is here," Lin said, his voice tight.
"Marked for elimination." Shen's hands curled into fists. "All orchestrated from the shadows."
A faint groan broke their focus.
The wounded man they'd carried here stirred, eyes flickering open.
Lin knelt beside him. "You're awake. What's your name?"
The man coughed, blood flecking his lips. "Xu… Xu Mian. Inner circle. I ran when I saw who the true head was…"
"Who?" Shen leaned in.
Xu Mian's eyes burned. "He's not just a puppet. He owns the pact. Controls the sects. And he's—"
His body convulsed.
Dark veins crept up his neck.
Lin's eyes widened. "Poison backlash!"
Shen didn't hesitate. He bit into his own thumb, pressing the blood against Xu Mian's chest, using every drop of his inner energy to force the toxins back.
The strain showed instantly. Sweat beaded on Shen's forehead. His limbs trembled.
"Stop!" Lin shouted. "You'll cripple your meridians!"
"He has the answers," Shen gritted out. "I won't lose him."
"Then you'll lose yourself!"
Without thinking, Lin grabbed Shen's wrist—and closed his eyes.
A surge of warmth burst forth from Lin's palm. Not the crisp internal energy of a standard practitioner, but something older, deeper—pure spiritual force, long considered extinct.
The poison hissed, and Xu Mian's body jerked before falling still—alive, barely breathing.
But Shen had already collapsed.
"Shen!" Lin caught him, hands trembling.
Shen blinked up at him, breath shallow. "Your energy… it's not ordinary."
Lin's voice shook. "It's a technique from my mother's line. I never used it before… it was said to burn the soul if wielded fully."
Shen's gaze softened, even in pain. "And you used it… for me."
Lin pressed his forehead to Shen's. "I would use my life for you."
A low rumble echoed through the chamber.
Behind the bookshelf, a hidden panel slid open, revealing a dark stone stairwell descending deep underground.
Xu Mian stirred again, weakly gasping, "He… he stored the truth down there… the name of the one who commands us all."
Shen struggled to sit. "Then that's where we go."
Lin helped him up, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Side by side."
Together, they stepped into the darkness—toward the poisoned name that would shake the entire Jianghu.
The fire burned low within the hidden chamber of Yuchuan Secret Archive.
Scrolls lay scattered, their seals cracked open under Lin Xiyan's hand. Each fragment held names—long-forgotten alliances, coded messages, and transactions paid not in gold, but in blood.
"This one," Lin whispered, tapping a scroll bearing a crimson lotus watermark, "confirms it. The Lotus Pact was never just a peace accord. It was a purge."
Shen Liufeng frowned. "A list of targets?"
"Dissenters. Sect leaders. Even our former shifu's name is here," Lin said, his voice tight.
"Marked for elimination." Shen's hands curled into fists. "All orchestrated from the shadows."
A faint groan broke their focus.
The wounded man they'd carried here stirred, eyes flickering open.
Lin knelt beside him. "You're awake. What's your name?"
The man coughed, blood flecking his lips. "Xu… Xu Mian. Inner circle. I ran when I saw who the true head was…"
"Who?" Shen leaned in.
Xu Mian's eyes burned. "He's not just a puppet. He owns the pact. Controls the sects. And he's—"
His body convulsed.
Dark veins crept up his neck.
Lin's eyes widened. "Poison backlash!"
Shen didn't hesitate. He bit into his own thumb, pressing the blood against Xu Mian's chest, using every drop of his inner energy to force the toxins back.
The strain showed instantly. Sweat beaded on Shen's forehead. His limbs trembled.
"Stop!" Lin shouted. "You'll cripple your meridians!"
"He has the answers," Shen gritted out. "I won't lose him."
"Then you'll lose yourself!"
Without thinking, Lin grabbed Shen's wrist—and closed his eyes.
A surge of warmth burst forth from Lin's palm. Not the crisp internal energy of a standard practitioner, but something older, deeper—pure spiritual force, long considered extinct.
The poison hissed, and Xu Mian's body jerked before falling still—alive, barely breathing.
But Shen had already collapsed.
"Shen!" Lin caught him, hands trembling.
Shen blinked up at him, breath shallow. "Your energy… it's not ordinary."
Lin's voice shook. "It's a technique from my mother's line. I never used it before… it was said to burn the soul if wielded fully."
Shen's gaze softened, even in pain. "And you used it… for me."
Lin pressed his forehead to Shen's. "I would use my life for you."
A low rumble echoed through the chamber.
Behind the bookshelf, a hidden panel slid open, revealing a dark stone stairwell descending deep underground.
Xu Mian stirred again, weakly gasping, "He… he stored the truth down there… the name of the one who commands us all."
Shen struggled to sit. "Then that's where we go."
Lin helped him up, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Side by side."
Together, they stepped into the darkness—toward the poisoned name that would shake the entire Jianghu.