As the wind blew over the wall, just as I was about to step up, the Pendant on my chest suddenly sank, as if someone had gripped my heart area.
I stopped.
It wasn't an illusion. That tremor coming from the north, which had been separated by the Mountain Ridge moments ago, was now crawling along the ground, surging up like a snake wrapping around an ankle.
I pressed back against the wall, my fingers pressing down on the Pendant. It was scalding, not the mild warmth from before, but the stinging pain of hot iron against flesh. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out, only pulling my sleeve down further to cover my wrist—there was an Old Scar there, scorched by Demonic Fire in the Scrap Market three years ago, and now it was throbbing, feeling like it was about to split open.
The eaves bell of the Library Pavilion rang once more.
It wasn't the wind.
Someone was moving inside. Their steps were light, yet each one pressed down on the Brick Crevices, as if deliberately stepping in the gaps between the Alarm Bells.
I held my breath, slowly stepping back half a pace, leaning against the side pillar. Moonlight cut across the threshold, illuminating a slanted shadow—the toe of a boot capped with black iron, the pattern being the snake-head Totem of the Yin Fire Gang.
Situ Lie hadn't left.
His earlier question, "Aren't you afraid?" wasn't an inquiry; it was a Hook. He was waiting for me to relax, waiting for me to turn back to confirm he was gone, so he could bite from behind.
I clenched the Grass Ash inside my sleeve. I had balled up that bit of ash, its edges digging into my palm. The sword shape I had drawn was still in my mind, but I couldn't afford to focus on it now. I had to judge whether he intended to capture me or silence me directly.
A sliver of light leaked from the door crack, grayish-green, flickering.
The Soul Devouring Lamp was lit.
I didn't move. As long as I didn't enter, the Alarm Bell wouldn't sound, and the Hall of Deacons wouldn't come. But he couldn't get out either—the silent Barrier was still active; if he forced the door, the entire pavilion would shake.
He wasn't in a hurry.
The Lamp Flame slowly moved toward the high window, illuminating that patch of black ash on the floor. The sword shape I had drawn had a corner blown away by the wind, but the outline remained.
The Lamp Flame stopped moving.
Then, it suddenly flickered, as if seized by something, and lunged violently toward that patch of ash.
My reaction was faster than my thoughts; I rolled away.
Just as my back left the wall, a stream of Black Flame swept past my nose, slamming into the brick wall behind me. The brick surface instantly turned scorched black, spiderweb cracks spreading across it, and a smell of rotting flesh mixed with Rust flooded my nostrils.
He made his move.
I rolled behind a bookshelf, bracing my hands on the floor to rise, when the Pendant suddenly burst forth with Golden Light. A thin Shield sprang up behind me, barely blocking the second blast of Black Flame. With a boom, the fire struck the Golden Light, exploding into scattered stars that splashed everywhere.
The Protective Shield wavered but did not break.
But I could feel it trembling, like a string about to snap.
The bookshelf was ignited by the splashed flames, the fire climbing up the oil-paper book covers. Smoke began to rise, yet the Alarm Bell still hadn't rung—the Barrier was being suppressed by some kind of power.
I gritted my teeth and pressed the Pendant against my chest. It was so hot it felt like it was branding my flesh, but the Golden Light stabilized for a moment instead.
"The scent on you," his voice came from the shadow, unhurried, "I smelled it once thirty years ago."
I remained silent, only watching the fire. Two escape routes were blocked: to the left was a burning bookshelf, and to the right was a broken corridor; jumping down would break my legs.
"The Academy Instructor arrived quite quickly," he gave a Cold Laugh.
I didn't turn around, but my Heartbeat skipped a beat.
He wasn't speaking to me.
He was addressing the roof.
I looked up sharply.
A Silver Light descended from the sky, like Star Particles falling to earth, striking directly at the Soul Devouring Lamp.
Boom!
The entire Library Pavilion shook, and a large hole blasted open in the roof, sending broken tiles raining down. That Silver Light did not stop; it pierced straight down, its Sword Qi sweeping through, instantly slicing the Black Flame into two halves.
Lu Jiuxuan landed in the center of the Fire Scene, his Black Battle Robe untouched by smoke or dust. He held his sword in one hand, the other hanging by his side, his knuckles slightly white, as if forcefully restraining something.
Situ Lie retreated half a step, the Lamp Flame retracting into his palm.
"Instructor Lu," his voice lowered slightly, "Interfering in others' business, aren't you afraid the Seal will crack faster?"
Lu Jiuxuan didn't answer. He only glanced at me, his gaze lingering on the throbbing scar on my wrist before moving to the Pendant.
I understood what he meant.
I couldn't hold on any longer.
The Protective Shield was already starting to crack, the Golden Light breaking apart like a dried riverbed. I gritted my teeth, forcing the last bit of strength into my palm, trying to hold on for one more breath.
But just then, the Pendant trembled violently, and the Golden Light instantly vanished.
The Black Flame seized the opportunity and lunged forward.
I closed my eyes, preparing to take the hit head-on.
But the expected burning pain didn't come.
A rush of wind swept past my ear; someone grabbed my wrist with a force so great it felt like my bones would be crushed.
I opened my eyes. Lu Jiuxuan was already standing in front of me, his sword held horizontally before him, the Sword Edge facing outward. He didn't look at me, only staring at Situ Lie, his voice cold as ice: "Go."
I didn't hesitate, grabbing the remaining Grass Ash in my sleeve and scattering it into the fire. The ash met the fire, rising in a thick cloud of smoke that obscured the view.
He pulled me back a step, and the Green Bricks beneath our feet suddenly cracked open. A Sword Shadow shot up from underground, aiming straight for Situ Lie's face.
Situ Lie raised the lamp to block; the Lamp Flame collided with the Sword Qi, blasting out a ring of airwaves. The bookshelves crashed down, scattering the flames everywhere.
Lu Jiuxuan used the momentum to leap up, pulling me onto a slanted beam. The other hand formed a hand seal, and the Ancient Sword at his waist hummed, instantly transforming into a thirty-foot-long rainbow suspended above our heads.
"Hold tight."
As soon as I grabbed the corner of his robe, he leaped onto the Sword Body. The Sword Light soared into the air, piercing through the hole in the roof and shooting straight into the night sky.
Below, the Firelight raged, and bookshelves collapsed one after another. Just behind the last row of burnt-out shelves, a Stone Slab was revealed. Its surface was carved with several winding patterns, resembling a Star Track or some kind of Rune.
I looked back, memorizing the shape.
Once the sword flew out of the Library Pavilion's perimeter, Lu Jiuxuan slightly eased his speed. The wind howled past my ears. I looked down at my palm; the Pendant was still pressed against my skin, hot and red, but the tremor from the north hadn't followed us.
"You should have left long ago," he suddenly said, his voice very low.
"I know," I managed to breathe, "but what did he want me to see?"
"What?"
"That Stone Slab." I stared at the outline of the Academy in the distance. "I saw those markings once in the Scrap Market—on a piece of Broken Jade, it said 'Gate of Starfall'."
He didn't speak, only tightening his grip on the sword.
The wind grew stronger, blowing a strand of his Silver Hair loose, which brushed across the back of my hand. In that instant, the Pendant pulsed gently once more, as if responding to something.
We landed near the Cliff at the back mountain. The Sword Light retracted, transforming into a foot-long Short Blade and sheathing itself. He released my hand and turned to look toward the Library Pavilion. Most of the fire had been extinguished, and figures from the Hall of Deacons were moving across the rooftop.
"Why did you come?" I asked.
"The spiritual wave from the Pendant," his profile was stern. "It absorbed the Star Map, and the fluctuation traveled into my sword."
I looked down at my chest. The Pendant had quieted down, but the burning sensation remained.
"It is no ordinary Relic," he said. "You had better stay away from the Library Pavilion."
"But the Stone Slab—"
"It will still be there tomorrow," he interrupted me. "If you go back now, you will only die."
I opened my mouth but didn't argue further.
He took out a Small Porcelain Bottle from his sleeve and handed it to me: "Apply this to the scar to suppress the Demonic Qi."
I took it; the bottle was slightly cool, and the medicinal scent was faint.
"Thank you," I said.
He didn't reply, only looking up at the sky. The Star Particles were sparse, and the Big Dipper was shifted by half a degree.
Following his gaze, I suddenly realized that the tremor from the north had vanished.
It hadn't retreated.
It had stopped.
As if something had already reached the entrance.
I gripped the Small Porcelain Bottle, my knuckles turning white.
Lu Jiuxuan slowly drew his sword, the Sword Edge pointing north.
The mountain wind abruptly ceased.
The treetops were still.
Even the smoke from the distant fire hung suspended in mid-air.
I heard an extremely faint sound—like a Lamp Wick being lit.