After three days confined within the sect grounds, Yuan Yu finally stepped outside again, taking slow but steady steps back into the world.
The morning sun filtered through the high walls, casting a warm glow over the stone pavement. The air was fresh, filled with the sound of birds. For a brief moment, everything felt calm.
To hide the marks on his wrists, he wore a thin but long-sleeved robe. Summer was approaching quickly, and the heat pressed against him, but he endured it. No one could be allowed to see those marks.
As he passed through the great sect gate, his uncle Yuan Han called out to him.
"Yuan Yu, come here. We need to talk."
Yuan Yu stopped at once.
His uncle's expression was serious.
"You've been neglecting the younger members lately. Their training needs your attention. And I don't like what I'm hearing about the Tiger Sect," he said. "They are planning to formally invite you as a guest."
Yuan Yu's heart tightened.
Another problem.
I hope they summon me after Han Liang leaves…
The time I have with him is already so limited.
"I have a small errand at the market," Yuan Yu said calmly. "After that, I'll return and continue the training."
His uncle nodded, but did not look entirely satisfied.
"The youths are important. We must strengthen the sect. Soon, you will need a reliable aide at your side. You cannot keep moving alone," he said. "There are candidates here, but I will also bring in stronger men from outside. If you find someone suitable, choose him as your lieutenant."
Yuan Yu gave a small smile.
"Understood, uncle."
As he walked away, he took a quiet breath. The weight of responsibility pressed heavily on him. The sect was growing, quietly and carefully. Even the Tiger Sect knew nothing of the forty or fifty hired men with special abilities that his uncle had secretly gathered.
He had seen the secret camp once.
The inner sect was growing crowded as well.
But his thoughts kept drifting elsewhere.
Han Liang.
As he walked through the streets, one impulse overcame him. Without hesitation, he stopped by the inn where Han Liang was staying.
Seeing Han Liang's horse still tied outside the inn eased something in Yuan Yu's chest.
Yuan Yu handed the innkeeper a folded note.
"Give this only to Han Liang," he said quietly. "No one else."
Without waiting, he turned and left.
At the market, he bought medicine for his wrists. The marks had to heal quickly. Once he finished, he returned straight to the sect.
Back in his room, his gaze fell once again on the golden tea set resting on the shelf. The delicate engravings caught the light, beautiful yet unsettling.
They reminded him of the Tiger Sect leader.
He reached out and touched the cup lightly, but could not bring himself to hide it.
By noon, Yuan Yu was at the training grounds with the younger members.
There were twenty-five of them, boys between fifteen and twenty. Most came from poor families, brought into the sect with their families' approval. Their families were supported in return, and the boys were given full access to the sect's resources—raised with care, trained with discipline, and taught loyalty from a young age.
Yuan Yu trained them in both swordsmanship and study.
They respected him. Admired him. And he knew it.
After four hours of training, Yuan Yu returned to his room. His strength was slowly returning, though his body still felt the weight of the past days.
That evening, he chose to eat alone.
Has he received my note?
The thought stirred something warm inside him.
He took out an empty notebook and began writing. The day's events flowed onto the page. By now, he had filled five or six journals, each one carefully locked away when finished.
Writing calmed him.
The dim light of the room flickered softly against the walls. Shadows moved across the ceiling as his thoughts drifted once again.
Where is Han Liang now?
No matter how he tried to push the thought away, Yuan Yu could not stop wondering whether Han Liang was thinking of him too.
At that very moment, far away, Han Liang was enduring his fourth day without Yuan Yu…