The heavy rain turned the cemetery earth into mud. Zhì Yuǎn dropped the shovel and stood up. Yù Méi remained standing beside her sister, trembling under her soaked golden dress. Without saying a word, he turned his back on the graves and walked toward the eastern bamboo grove. The two followed him.
The walk was short. When they reached the edge of the clearing, Zhì Yuǎn suddenly stopped and raised his arm, blocking the path.
The Yù family cabin was still standing.
The rest of the valley was craters and ash, but the small house remained intact. The thatched roof was aligned. The fire had stopped exactly at the edge of the courtyard, as if something had protected the property.
It was not luck. It was a warning.
— Stay here — he said, quietly.
Yù Qíng held her sister's hand. Zhì Yuǎn advanced alone through the muddy courtyard. He climbed the bamboo step and pushed the sliding door.
The interior was dark and dry. The bed was still made. The pots were cold. In the center of the table, a dark steel dagger pinned a black parchment against the wood. The blade exuded a subtle chill of Qi.
He pulled out the dagger and opened the leather. The fine calligraphy in carmine ink leaped to his eyes.
"The Unique Path Sect does not forget blood debts.
We discovered that a single person dared to kill two of our disciples, one of them being my favorite disciple. We also discovered that you were traveling through the great cities of the mortal empires at the time. How convenient.
Entering a mortal empire to resolve such a small matter would be… indelicate. There are elders who prefer to live in peace within these empires, and we do not wish them to feel disturbed by our presence. It would be inconvenient for everyone.
Therefore, I left this invitation. Come to the Dark Mist Gorge, nine hundred li to the south. Wash your neck and present yourself.
Regarding your village… my sincerest condolences.
— Elder Gāo."
Zhì Yuǎn crumpled the edge of the parchment in his large hand. The blood of the two cultivators he had killed in the forest had returned to demand payment.
Outside, Yù Qíng lost patience. She pulled her sister by the hand and entered the cabin. The two stopped beside him.
Yù Qíng read the parchment over her husband's shoulder. Her face turned pale.
She quickly glanced at her sister. Yù Méi was still confused, not fully understanding what was happening. Yù Qíng squeezed her fingers tightly. Before the girl could approach, she took a step forward and reached out to take the parchment.
Zhì Yuǎn raised his arm, blocking her path. The gesture was calm but firm. Yù Qíng stopped, her black eyes fixed on him. He shook his head once, slowly.
She bit her lip, but stepped back.
Zhì Yuǎn turned to Yù Méi. His eyes were like stone.
— The guilt for what happened out there is mine, Méi — he said, his voice low and grave. — The trail I left in the forest brought the assassins to your father's courtyard.
The air seemed to leave Yù Méi's throat. Her eyes widened. She took a step back, her boot slipping on the wet wood.
— No… — the whisper came out broken. — No, no…
Zhì Yuǎn reached across the table and offered the parchment. The girl's trembling hands took the leather. She read Elder Gāo's words in silence. Confusion mixed with panic.
— Why? — her voice cracked. She raised her wet face, eyes full of tears. — Why did you kill those two in the forest? They were strangers… this doesn't make sense…
Yù Qíng took a step forward, placing herself between her husband and her sister. Her voice came out low and hard:
— It was to protect me. Those two pigs deserved to die. If A-Yuǎn hadn't killed them, I would have done it myself. Just thinking that I had to touch the filthy skin of one of them… my flesh still crawls with disgust.
Zhì Yuǎn simply turned his face toward her. His gaze was heavy, almost sad. Yù Qíng felt the weight of that look and stopped speaking. The words died in her throat.
He looked back at Yù Méi.
— The reason doesn't matter — he said, his voice low and heavy. — I am guilty of what happened here. To your parents. To your friends. To all of them. I brought this upon you.
The silence that fell inside the cabin was suffocating.
Yù Méi stood still. The parchment still trembled between her fingers. Her brother-in-law's words echoed inside her head, but they seemed to make no sense. She looked at Zhì Yuǎn as if seeing another person. The man who had always been the most reliable person to her… was now saying that he was responsible for her parents' deaths.
The girl's chest began to rise and fall faster. The air seemed to have grown thicker. Her tear-filled eyes scanned his face, searching for any lie, any denial, anything other than that. She found none.
The silence inside her broke.
Yù Méi's sanity snapped.
The girl lunged forward like a wounded animal. She pushed Zhì Yuǎn with all the weight of her body, making his back slam against the bamboo wall of the cabin. The structure creaked loudly.
She didn't stop.
Her fists began to pound against his chest. First slowly, then faster. One. Two. Three. Her knuckles hammered the gray linen without pause. Yù Méi grabbed the fabric with both hands and pulled hard, tearing it in half. The warm skin of his chest was exposed. She kept hitting. Now against flesh. Without stopping.
— Ah… ah… ah…!
The punches were short, desperate, without technique. Only pure pain being unloaded. Her nails scratched his skin, leaving red marks. One of her knuckles cracked and began to bleed, but she didn't even notice.
— AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
The scream tore from the teenager's throat, long and animalistic. The final punch stopped halfway. Her fist remained pressed against Zhì Yuǎn's bare chest, trembling.
The crying exploded.
Yù Méi folded her body forward and pressed her forehead against his chest, sobbing loudly. Tears and snot ran uncontrollably, dirtying the man's skin. Her small body trembled in spasms.
— Snif… snif… ah… ah…
Zhì Yuǎn did not move. He did not defend himself. He did not grab her wrists. He simply stood there, leaning against the wall, accepting it. After a few seconds, he raised his large hands and wrapped them around the girl's head and shoulders, pulling her against him.
He lowered his face to her messy hair and whispered, his voice deep and low:
— You are right to be angry. I deserve the worst for what I did… — He paused briefly. — But first, we have to kill some people. We will take care of those responsible for this.
Yù Méi continued sobbing against his chest. She shook her head from side to side, denying it.
— No… snif… no… it's their fault… snif… all of this… is their fault…
She suddenly stopped crying. She opened her mouth and drew in air forcefully, as if she were drowning. Her chest rose and fell in a long, strangled gasp.
Then she raised her face.
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were completely bloodshot. The white sclera had turned a vivid, feverish red. She looked directly at Zhì Yuǎn, her eyes tearful and wild.
— We are going to kill ALL of them — her voice came out hoarse, scratched. Then it rose into a rough, desperate scream: — Everyone they know will die!!!
The scream seemed to drain what little strength remained in her.
Yù Méi's eyes rolled back. Her body lost all tension at once and she collapsed, limp, fainting in Zhì Yuǎn's arms.
Yù Qíng took a step forward.
Her black eyes were cold. She looked at her unconscious sister as if she wanted to tear her away from there. Her fingers clenched tightly at her sides. But Zhì Yuǎn raised his gaze and shook his head again.
Yù Qíng stopped.
Zhì Yuǎn lowered his body and slipped his arm behind Yù Méi's knees, lifting her with ease. He walked over to the straw bed and laid her down carefully. The girl's breathing was thin, almost ragged. Her chest rose and fell in short, irregular movements.
He stood there for a few seconds, looking at her.
Then he straightened up and turned his face toward Yù Qíng.
The eldest said nothing. Her eyes descended to his chest, where the torn linen still showed the red marks left by her sister's nails. Her gaze lingered there. Then it slowly rose to Zhì Yuǎn's face.
She took a step forward and raised her hand, lightly touching one of the marks on his chest with her fingertips. The gesture was slow.
The rain beat against the thatched roof.
Zhì Yuǎn said nothing. He simply stood there, between the two sisters, his chest exposed and the red marks still visible on his skin.