The body lay still.
Face down.
Unmoving.
Blood spread slowly across the stone floor.
Dark.
Thick.
Wei Liang stood over it.
Breathing steady.
Unchanged.
The night returned.
As if nothing had happened.
But—
Everything had.
Wei Liang looked at his hands.
Blood.
Warm.
Real.
Then—
He moved.
Not in panic.
Not in haste.
Methodically.
He dragged the body to the side.
Into the shadows of the courtyard wall.
Careful.
Precise.
No unnecessary noise.
No wasted movement.
The blade—
Still in his hand.
Wei Liang cleaned it first.
Using cloth.
Water.
Slow.
Thorough.
No trace.
Then—
He checked the body.
Quick.
Efficient.
No identity marks.
No tokens.
Professional.
Wei Liang's eyes narrowed slightly.
So this wasn't random.
Not a test.
An order.
Someone wanted him dead.
And not openly.
Which meant—
Internal conflict.
Wei Liang exhaled slowly.
Good.
Because hidden enemies—
Were easier to use.
He lifted the body again.
This time—
Over the wall.
Not thrown.
Placed.
Outside the courtyard.
Where discovery—
Would be delayed.
Not prevented.
Wei Liang stepped back.
Closed the gate.
Then—
He cleaned again.
The ground.
The wall.
Every trace of blood.
Gone.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
The rest—
Would fade.
He returned to the center of the courtyard.
Sat down.
As if nothing had happened.
But inside—
Everything had changed.
He waited.
Not long.
Footsteps.
Soft.
Controlled.
Wei Liang didn't open his eyes.
"…You're late," he said calmly.
Silence.
Then—
The door opened.
Shen Yuxiu stepped inside.
She didn't speak immediately.
Her gaze moved.
Across the courtyard.
The ground.
The walls.
Then—
Stopped.
On Wei Liang.
"…There was killing intent here," she said.
Not a question.
Wei Liang opened his eyes.
Calm.
"Yes."
Silence.
Then—
"…Where is it?"
Wei Liang didn't answer immediately.
Just looked at her.
Then—
"Gone."
A pause.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You handled it."
Wei Liang inclined his head slightly.
"Yes."
Another silence.
Longer this time.
She stepped forward.
Closer.
The pressure around her—
Sharper.
"…How?"
Direct.
No emotion.
Wei Liang met her gaze.
"Carefully."
That answer—
Was not enough.
But it was all she would get.
Shen Yuxiu studied him.
Long.
Then—
She looked at the ground again.
Not a single visible trace.
Her eyes flickered.
"…You cleaned it."
Wei Liang said nothing.
Because—
That was obvious.
Another pause.
Then—
She spoke again.
"…You're more dangerous than I thought."
Not accusation.
Assessment.
Wei Liang tilted his head slightly.
"Is that a problem?"
Silence.
Then—
"…No."
Immediate.
Clear.
Because—
Danger—
Had value.
She turned slightly.
"…You were targeted."
Wei Liang nodded.
"Yes."
"…Do you know who?"
Wei Liang's gaze didn't change.
"No."
Not entirely true.
But—
Enough.
Shen Yuxiu didn't press.
Because—
She already had her own answer.
"…Be careful," she said again.
This time—
Slightly different.
Not instruction.
Acknowledgment.
Wei Liang nodded.
"I will."
She paused at the door.
Then—
"…Next time, don't leave the body outside."
Wei Liang's eyes flickered.
So she noticed.
Of course she did.
"…Understood."
She left.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Wei Liang sat there.
Still.
Then—
Exhaled slowly.
So.
That was the reaction.
Not punishment.
Not questioning.
Acceptance.
Which meant—
This place—
Expected this.
Wei Liang's gaze lowered slightly.
"…Good."
Because that meant—
He didn't need to hide everything.
Just enough.
His awareness shifted inward.
The pagoda.
The second floor—
Stable.
The fragment—
Complete.
And deeper—
Something else stirred.
Not the third floor.
Something beneath it.
Waiting.
Wei Liang's lips moved faintly.
"…Soon."
Because now—
He had crossed the line.
Not just surviving.
Not just adapting.
But—
Killing.
And in this world—
That meant—
He could finally begin.