The furnace did not stop just because Wei Liang had been chosen.
Fire still burned.
Coal still fed it.
Servants still moved like shadows.
But the eyes had changed.
Everywhere Wei Liang walked—
He could feel them.
Not openly hostile.
Not yet.
But no longer dismissive.
That was more dangerous.
Wei Liang carried his basket across the courtyard.
Step.
Lift.
Throw.
Exactly the same as before.
But this time—
Every small movement was watched.
Measured.
"…That's him."
A whisper.
Too quiet for most.
Not for Wei Liang.
"He's the one chosen for the Shen Family."
"…Why him?"
"Who knows? Probably just sent to die."
Wei Liang didn't react.
He kept walking.
Because reacting meant confirming.
And confirmation meant attention.
Zhao Heng was waiting.
Leaning against the stone brace near the furnace.
Arms crossed.
Watching.
"…So," he said as Wei Liang approached.
Wei Liang stopped.
"Senior."
Respectful.
Neutral.
Zhao Heng smirked.
"Seems you've been blessed," he said. "A servant becoming a son-in-law of the Shen Family."
Wei Liang lowered his gaze slightly.
"It is the sect's arrangement."
Zhao Heng stepped closer.
Close enough to smell the ash and sweat on him.
"You know what that means, right?"
Wei Liang didn't answer.
Zhao Heng leaned in slightly.
"It means you're expendable."
Silence.
Then—
Wei Liang nodded.
"Yes."
That answer—
Again—
Was wrong.
Zhao Heng frowned.
"…You don't seem surprised."
Wei Liang looked at him briefly.
Then:
"It doesn't change anything."
Zhao Heng stared at him.
Trying to find the crack.
There wasn't one.
"…We'll see how long that attitude lasts," Zhao Heng muttered.
Then stepped back.
"Get back to work."
Wei Liang turned.
Walked away.
Expendable.
The word echoed once in his mind.
Then disappeared.
Because it wasn't new.
He had been expendable since the moment he arrived.
Nothing had changed.
Only the stage.
By afternoon—
The courtyard had grown quieter again.
But not calmer.
More… tense.
Because now—
Everyone knew.
And knowledge spreads faster than fire.
Chen Mo approached again near the coal stacks.
"…You're really leaving?" he asked.
Wei Liang didn't look at him.
"Yes."
Chen Mo hesitated.
"…That's good, right?"
Wei Liang picked up a piece of coal.
Turned it slightly in his hand.
"Depends."
"On what?"
Wei Liang tossed it into the furnace.
"Whether I survive."
Chen Mo didn't laugh.
Because it wasn't a joke.
"…You will," he said after a moment.
Wei Liang didn't respond.
But that—
Was the first time anyone had said that to him.
Evening came.
And with it—
A summons.
"All outer servants—report to the lower hall."
The message spread quickly.
Wei Liang arrived with the others.
The hall was small.
Crowded.
Dimly lit.
At the front—
A senior disciple stood with a scroll in hand.
Expression indifferent.
"Three-day preparation," he said.
"Selected individual will be transferred to Coldbrook City under escort."
No name needed.
Everyone already knew.
"You will receive basic provisions," the disciple continued.
"Do not expect anything beyond that."
A few servants shifted uneasily.
Wei Liang stood still.
Listening.
Not to the words.
To what wasn't said.
No protection.
No guarantee.
Just—
Delivery.
The disciple rolled the scroll.
"Dismissed."
The crowd broke.
Voices rose again.
But quieter this time.
Because now—
This wasn't rumor anymore.
Wei Liang stepped outside.
The sky above Ashen Peak was dark.
The fractured heavens stretched wide.
Silent.
Three days.
That was all.
Wei Liang stood there for a moment.
Then turned.
Walked back toward his alcove.
Inside—
He sat down.
Closed his eyes.
The pagoda appeared.
The first floor open.
Waiting.
Wei Liang stepped closer this time.
Not hesitating.
Not testing.
If he was being moved—
Then he needed everything he could take.
"…Let's see what you're hiding."
And for the first time—
He stepped inside.
End of Chapter 11