Chapter 13: Quiet Knives
Rain washed the mountain clean.
Thin streams ran along stone paths, carrying dust and blood alike into unseen depths. Li Wei stood beneath the eaves of his new residence, eyes half-lidded as he listened to the steady rhythm of falling water. The qi-gathering formation beneath his feet pulsed faintly, drawing energy upward in slow, measured waves.
It was not enough.
Not for what was coming.
He resumed cultivating.
Qi flowed into him, heavy and cold, grinding through his channels like river stones. The residual power from Silent Gorge resisted control, surging unpredictably whenever his concentration wavered. He forced it down through sheer will, compressing it, folding it inward.
Pain followed.
Sharp at first, then deep, spreading through bone and marrow.
He welcomed it.
Hours passed.
By the time the rain softened into mist, his breathing steadied. The qi within him no longer surged blindly. It coiled tight, restrained, waiting.
[Qi circulation efficiency increased.]
[Stability: Moderate.]
He opened his eyes.
Movement flickered at the edge of his senses.
Not hostile.
Observant.
He rose silently and stepped into the courtyard. Yun Qiao stood near the stone wall, arms folded within her sleeves, gaze fixed on the mountains beyond.
"You cultivate like you're being chased," she said without turning.
Li Wei stopped several paces away. "I am."
She nodded, unsurprised. "The outer disciples are talking. About you."
"I don't care."
"You should," she replied calmly. "Fear travels faster than truth."
She turned to face him. Rain-dark hair clung to her cheek, eyes sharp and searching. "Two inner disciples were assigned to observe you today. They won't interfere. Not unless ordered."
Li Wei's expression did not change. "And you?"
"I volunteered," she said. "Observation is my specialty."
He regarded her silently.
She smiled faintly. "Relax. If I meant you harm, you wouldn't feel it coming."
She handed him a small jade slip. "Basic movement technique. Outer disciple tier, but efficient. It will reduce qi leakage during combat."
He accepted it. "Why help me?"
Yun Qiao shrugged. "Because you're honest about what you are."
"And what is that?"
"A blade," she said simply. "Not pretending to be anything else."
She turned to leave, then paused. "Be careful tonight."
Li Wei watched her go.
When darkness fell, the sect changed.
Lanterns glowed softly along stone paths. Patrols increased. Formation nodes shifted, subtly reconfiguring defenses. From his courtyard, Li Wei felt it clearly.
The sect was uneasy.
He checked his weapons methodically. Blade sharpened. Daggers balanced. Poison vials sealed. Nothing wasted. Nothing excessive.
A knock sounded at his door.
Once.
Controlled.
He did not answer.
The door slid open anyway.
A young man stepped inside, robes marked with inner disciple insignia. His face was handsome, eyes cold, posture relaxed in the way of someone accustomed to being obeyed.
"You are Li Wei," the man said.
"Yes."
"I am Zhao Kun," the inner disciple replied. "I have been tasked with assessing you."
Li Wei tilted his head slightly. "Assessment requires consent."
Zhao Kun smiled. "Not here."
The pressure dropped instantly.
Qi surged outward from Zhao Kun, heavy and sharp, pinning Li Wei in place. The stone floor cracked faintly beneath the force.
"Your presence disrupts balance," Zhao Kun continued calmly. "Outer disciples whisper. Elders argue. You attract assassins."
Li Wei met his gaze steadily. "That is not my intention."
"Intent is irrelevant," Zhao Kun replied. "Results matter."
He stepped closer. "So here is your choice. Leave the sect quietly tomorrow. Or be broken slowly until you do."
Silence stretched between them.
Li Wei exhaled.
Then he smiled.
Zhao Kun frowned slightly. "You find this amusing?"
"No," Li Wei said softly. "I find it familiar."
The pressure intensified.
Li Wei's knees bent, stone grinding beneath his boots. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. The system stirred, warning flaring uselessly.
He ignored it.
He shifted his stance.
Qi dropped.
Not outward.
Downward.
Into the ground.
The pressure slid past him, redirected into the formation beneath the floor. The etched lines flared violently, absorbing the excess force before stabilizing.
Zhao Kun's eyes widened.
Li Wei moved.
He closed the distance in a single step, blade flashing upward. Zhao Kun reacted instantly, summoning qi to his palm, deflecting the strike with a burst of force.
The impact shattered a wooden pillar.
They separated.
Zhao Kun's expression hardened. "You dare strike an inner disciple?"
"You entered my room uninvited," Li Wei replied. "You applied force first."
Zhao Kun laughed coldly. "Then I'll end this properly."
Qi roared.
The room shook as Zhao Kun unleashed his cultivation fully. The air vibrated, pressure crushing, walls cracking. This was the difference between realms.
Li Wei retreated, barely deflecting a palm strike that would have shattered his chest. He rolled, came up behind the table, kicked it forward as a distraction.
Useless.
Zhao Kun shattered it midair and advanced.
Li Wei felt his options narrowing.
So he stopped holding back.
He released the compressed qi within him.
Not outward.
Inward.
Every channel burned as the dense energy surged through his body, reinforcing muscle, sharpening perception. Pain vanished beneath clarity.
The world slowed.
Zhao Kun struck.
Li Wei slipped past the blow by a hair's breadth and drove his dagger into Zhao Kun's side. The blade slid through qi, biting shallowly into flesh.
Blood spilled.
Zhao Kun screamed, shock overriding composure. He retaliated wildly, qi flaring unstable.
Li Wei did not pursue.
He retreated.
The goal was not victory.
It was proof.
The door burst open.
Two elders appeared, their presence slamming into the room like a mountain falling.
"Enough!" one roared.
The pressure vanished instantly.
Zhao Kun staggered back, clutching his wound, face pale. "Elder—he attacked me!"
The elder's gaze swept the room, taking in shattered furniture, cracked stone, blood on both men.
He turned to Li Wei. "Is this true?"
Li Wei bowed. "He entered my residence without sanction and threatened me."
Silence followed.
The second elder looked at Zhao Kun. "Did you?"
Zhao Kun's jaw clenched. He said nothing.
The elder's expression darkened. "Return to the inner grounds. Now."
Zhao Kun glared at Li Wei once before leaving, footsteps heavy with fury.
The elders lingered.
"You are troublesome," the first elder said.
"Yes," Li Wei agreed.
"But you did not kill him," the second elder observed. "You could have tried."
Li Wei met his gaze. "That would have crossed a line."
The elders exchanged a glance.
"Rest," the first elder said finally. "You will be reassigned tomorrow."
They vanished.
Li Wei sank to one knee as the residual power faded. Blood dripped steadily from reopened wounds. His breathing came harsh and uneven.
[Severe strain detected.]
[Adaptation threshold approaching.]
He dragged himself upright and closed the door.
Outside, sect bells rang softly, signaling the end of night patrols.
Li Wei sat amid the wreckage of his room and laughed quietly.
"So that's how it is," he murmured.
Not survival.
Politics.
Power.
Expectation.
He wiped blood from his mouth and began cultivating again, ignoring the pain, ignoring exhaustion.
If they wished to test him—
He would give them something worth fearing.
And somewhere, far beyond the sect walls, knives were being sharpened in silence, their owners smiling at news carried through shadow.
The game had only just begun.