They found the vehicle forty-seven minutes later.
Not because of Heaven.
Because Carrion Palace changed cars twice and one driver forgot to remove a toll transponder.
Feng Baoshu tracked it to an abandoned freight road west of Suzhou.
The signal stopped there.
Leng Yao looked at the map on the dashboard.
“Distance to Qiyun?”
“Four hours by road,” Feng said.
“Less if they fly.”
Ji Xueyan sat in the rear with her spear across her knees.
“They won’t.”
Leng Yao looked back.
“Why?”
“If they could move Shen through the air safely, they would not be using cars.”
Shun nodded.
“Fortune interferes with confinement.”
That was the first useful thing he had said in ten minutes.
Duan sat beside him, eyes closed.
“Meaning?”
Shun answered, “Accidents.
Equipment failure.
People making mistakes.”
“Like leaving a toll transponder active.”
“Yes.”
Feng glanced at the road.
“So his Fortune still functions.”
“Partly.”
“The system said disconnected.”
Leng Yao had not told Shun that.
The Saint Child noticed.
“You can still see Heaven’s interface?”
“Yes.”
Shun looked out the window.
“That will matter later.”
“Everything matters later with you.”
Shun ignored him.
The vehicle turned off the motorway.
Ahead, warehouses and abandoned repair yards filled the industrial district.
No traffic.
No pedestrians.
Feng slowed.
The transponder signal came from somewhere inside.
Leng Yao reached for the door.
Ji caught his sleeve.
“Wait.”
He looked at her.
She pointed through the windshield.
One of the warehouse doors was open.
Too open.
No guards.
No vehicles.
Duan opened his eyes.
“Trap.”
“Yes,” Leng Yao said.
Feng parked fifty metres away.
No one moved for several seconds.
Leng Yao studied the buildings.
Six structures.
Three possible exits.
Rail line behind them.
River to the south.
Good place to hide a convoy.
Better place to kill whoever followed it.
“Shun.”
“Yes?”
“How many Carrion Palace cultivators would escort Shen?”
“Six to ten.”
“Spirit Sea?”
“One if Luo considered him difficult.”
“Would he?”
“After kidnapping a Fortune Chosen?”
Shun looked towards the warehouse.
“Yes.”
Leng Yao opened the door.
“Then we assume two.”
Duan smiled.
“Optimistic.”
“No.”
Leng Yao stepped out.
“Practical.”
The first body lay behind the open warehouse door.
White mask.
Carrion Palace.
Dead.
Ji crouched beside him.
Neck broken.
No decay.
No blade wound.
Feng checked the second body.
Same.
Shun walked deeper inside.
“This was not Houshan.”
“No,” Leng Yao said.
The floor showed signs of a fight.
Cracked concrete.
A broken restraint chain.
Blood.
One black van had been left behind.
Rear doors open.
Empty.
Leng Yao found Shen Mingzhi’s blood on the floor.
Then footprints.
Barely visible.
One set dragged.
Another followed.
Then the tracks stopped.
Duan looked towards the ceiling.
“Up.”
A steel maintenance platform crossed the warehouse.
Something moved above.
Ji raised her spear.
“Come down.”
No response.
Leng Yao walked beneath the platform.
“Shen.”
Silence.
Shun looked at him.
“You think he escaped?”
“I think someone did.”
A bolt dropped from above.
Leng Yao moved his head.
It struck the floor where he had been standing.
Not a crossbow bolt.
A screwdriver.
Duan looked up.
“That is insulting.”
A figure appeared over the railing.
Shen Mingzhi.
Blood dried along one side of his face.
Hands unbound.
No shoes.
He held another screwdriver.
He looked down at Leng Yao.
Then at Shun.
His expression hardened.
“You.”
Shun frowned.
“Me?”
Shen threw the screwdriver.
Shun caught it.
The metal sank halfway into his palm before stopping.
Everyone went quiet.
Shun looked at his hand.
Then at Shen.
“That was rude.”
Shen jumped from the platform.
He landed badly.
One knee hit the floor.
He nearly collapsed.
Ji stepped towards him.
He backed away.
“Stay there.”
She stopped.
Leng Yao looked at him.
“You’re injured.”
“I noticed.”
“Can you walk?”
“Yes.”
Shen straightened.
Barely.
His eyes never left Shun.
“He was there.”
“When?”
“At the mill.”
Shun shook his head.
“I wasn’t.”
“White masks.”
“Half the Palace wears them.”
Shen looked at Leng Yao.
“You brought one.”
“He brought himself.”
“That is not better.”
No one argued.
Leng Yao pointed towards the bodies.
“You killed them?”
“Two.”
“There are five.”
“I know.”
“Who killed the rest?”
Shen’s expression changed.
“I don’t know.”
That mattered.
Ji stood.
“What happened?”
Shen looked at her.
He recognised her system signature even if her regional status was damaged.
“You’re Chosen.”
“Suspended.”
“That doesn’t answer anything.”
“It answered exactly what you said.”
Shen looked irritated.
Good.
He was alive enough for that.
Leng Yao stepped between them.
“What happened?”
Shen looked at him.
For a second, old suspicion returned.
The mill.
Hou Yuxin.
The pendant.
Qin’s call.
Then Shen answered directly.
“They grabbed me near a service station.”
“How?”
“Gas.”
“Cultivation poison?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then?”
“I woke up in the van.”
“Bound?”
“Yes.”
“How did you get free?”
Shen looked towards one of the bodies.
“He started choking.”
Shun sighed.
“Fortune.”
Shen frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Leng Yao continued.
“And the others?”
“One opened the door to help him.”
“During transport?”
“Yes.”
“He fell.”
“How?”
“The van hit something.”
“What?”
“A dog.”
Duan started laughing.
Shen looked at him.
“It wasn’t funny.”
“The dog survived?”
“Yes.”
“Then it is slightly funny.”
Ji ignored him.
Shen continued.
“The driver lost control.
We hit a barrier.
I broke the chain.”
“Then?”
“They tried to restrain me again.”
“You killed two.”
“Yes.”
“And the other three?”
Shen looked towards the far wall.
“That.”
Everyone turned.
A hole had been punched through the concrete.
Not broken outward by force.
Dissolved.
The edges had turned grey.
Rot.
Shun’s face changed.
“Who came through?”
“I don’t know.”
“Describe them.”
“Woman.”
“How old?”
“Maybe thirty.”
“Face?”
“No mask.”
“Scar?”
Shen thought.
“Left palm.”
Leng Yao looked at Shun.
“Mei Zhen.”
Shun was already moving towards the hole.
Shen lifted his hand.
“Wait.”
Shun stopped.
“She killed them?”
“Yes.”
“And left you?”
“No.”
Shen’s jaw tightened.
“She tried to take me.”
“Why didn’t she?”
Shen looked at Leng Yao.
“I stabbed her.”
With what?
Leng Yao glanced towards the maintenance platform.
“Where did you get a weapon?”
Shen pointed at a broken piece of railing.
Good enough.
“Where is she?”
“Gone.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
Shun crouched beside a drop of blackened blood near the wall.
His expression became grim.
“She is hurt.”
“Badly?”
“No.”
“Then why leave?”
Shun looked towards Shen.
“Because he wasn’t the real target.”
Leng Yao understood.
Shen was bait.
Again.
Not for Leng Yao.
For someone else.
“Yan Shuo,” he said.
Shun nodded.
“Probably.”
Ji frowned.
“They captured Yan.
Why use Shen?”
“To force Yan to cooperate.”
Shun stood.
“He knows the Gate interruption method.
Mei Zhen knows he will not give it willingly.”
Shen looked between them.
“What Gate?”
Leng Yao answered.
“A Carrion Palace ritual.”
“For what?”
“Opening something they don’t understand.”
Shen stared.
“That is your explanation?”
“Yes.”
“It is terrible.”
“It is also what we know.”
Shen looked at Shun again.
“And him?”
“Carrion Palace Saint Child.”
Shen’s expression changed instantly.
Golden light flickered around him.
Weak.
Unstable.
His system had reconnected.
Hostile faction member identified.
Shun felt it.
He smiled.
“There you are.”
Shen’s fist tightened.
Leng Yao stepped in front of him.
“Don’t.”
“You trust him?”
“No.”
“Then move.”
“No.”
Shen’s Divine Mandate System brightened.
Opportunity: defeat Carrion Palace Saint Child.
Reward: Fortune Vessel Cleansing.
Leng Yao saw the reflection of golden text in Shen’s eyes.
Of course.
The moment Heaven regained him, it offered a fight.
Shen moved.
Leng Yao caught his wrist.
The Mirror Opposition snapped back into place.
Pain ran through both of them.
Shen jerked away.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
The system appeared for Leng Yao too.
Mirror Opposition restored.
Counterpart proximity detected.
Conflict amplification available.
Leng Yao dismissed it.
Shen looked at his own interface.
Then at Leng Yao.
“You can see this?”
“Some of it.”
“How?”
“Long story.”
“Qin said you stole Mandate authority.”
“I did.”
“He said you corrupted regional Judgement.”
Ji answered before Leng Yao could.
“He lied.”
Shen looked at her.
“You’re defending him?”
“No.”
That confused him more.
Ji continued.
“He interfered with Heaven’s administrative claim over my authority.
I kept Judgement.”
“Why?”
“Because it tried to force a verdict before I finished investigating.”
Shen stared at her.
His system immediately appeared.
Warning: compromised Chosen testimony.
Ji saw his expression.
“It just told you not to believe me.”
Shen said nothing.
“That is what mine did too.”
That landed.
Not enough to convince him.
Enough to create space.
Leng Yao released Shen’s wrist.
“We can argue later.”
“About what?”
“Whether I am ruining your life.”
Shen looked at him.
“You keep appearing around it.”
Fair.
Leng Yao pointed towards the warehouse entrance.
“Carrion Palace is moving Yan Shuo to Qiyun.”
“Who?”
“A man they need for the ritual.”
“And me?”
“They wanted you as fuel.”
Shen’s face went still.
Shun added, “They still might.”
Shen looked at him.
“Stop helping.”
“I am trying.”
“You are bad at it.”
Duan laughed again.
Shun glared at him.
Leng Yao continued.
“Go home.”
Shen stared.
“What?”
“Leave.”
“You came to rescue me.”
“Yes.”
“And now you’re telling me to go?”
“Yes.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It does.”
“Explain.”
Leng Yao did.
“If you come to Qiyun, Carrion Palace gets what it wants.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You stay alive.”
“That is your concern?”
“No.”
Shen’s expression hardened.
There.
The wrong answer.
Leng Yao corrected himself.
“It is one of them.”
Shen waited.
“Another is that your presence strengthens the ritual.”
“And another?”
“The Mirror Opposition.”
Shen frowned.
“The what?”
Leng Yao looked at him.
“You didn’t read the name?”
“My system just says Causal Counterpart.”
Different interface.
Same mechanism.
Interesting.
Leng Yao explained only what mattered.
“When you grow, Heaven pressures me.
When I grow, it compensates you.”
Shen’s face changed.
“That happened today.”
“Yes.”
“I broke through after Qin called.”
“Yes.”
“And you felt it?”
“Yes.”
Shen looked unsettled.
“Can we remove it?”
“I am trying.”
“That is not reassuring.”
“It is what I have.”
For the first time, Shen looked at Leng Yao without immediate hostility.
Not trust.
Evaluation.
Better.
Then something crashed outside.
Everyone moved.
Feng reached the door first.
A Houshan scout stumbled inside.
Blood on his shoulder.
“Contact!”
“How many?” Leng Yao asked.
“Eight.
South entrance.”
“Carrion?”
“No.”
The scout looked at Ji.
“Government.”
Ji’s expression changed.
“What agency?”
“Central Mandate enforcement.”
Shun laughed once.
“Qin found us.”
Of course.
Leng Yao looked at Shen.
The timing was too precise.
Central Court had located its protected Fortune Chosen.
And now Leng Yao, an antagonist candidate, stood beside him with a Carrion Palace Saint Child.
The scene looked terrible.
Shen’s system confirmed it.
Emergency directive.
Separate from hostile entities.
Central protection inbound.
Shen looked at Leng Yao.
“Did you call them?”
“No.”
“You?”
Ji shook her head.
Shun said, “I definitely did not.”
Duan lifted his staff.
“I do not own a phone.”
Everyone ignored him.
A voice amplified outside.
“Shen Mingzhi!”
“Remain where you are!”
“Central Mandate Court is conducting extraction!”
Leng Yao looked towards the entrance.
No need to fight them.
Not yet.
“Shen.”
“Yes?”
“Go with them.”
Shen stared.
“What?”
Ji looked at Leng Yao too.
He continued.
“They came for you.”
“You don’t trust them.”
“No.”
“Then why would I go?”
“Because if you stay with us, Qin gets exactly what he wants.”
Shen frowned.
“Which is?”
“A visible alliance between his protected Chosen and the people he already classified as hostile.”
Ji understood.
“He can frame the Qiyun operation as Leng manipulating you.”
“Yes.”
Shen looked towards the doors.
“And if I go with Qin’s people?”
“You are no longer part of our operation.”
“You still plan to go.”
“Yes.”
“To Carrion Palace.”
“Yes.”
“To stop them using me as fuel.”
“Yes.”
“But without me.”
“Yes.”
Shen looked genuinely offended.
“That is unreasonable.”
Leng Yao looked at him.
“You were kidnapped four hours ago.”
“And escaped.”
“By luck.”
Shen’s face hardened.
“That wasn’t luck.”
A dead kidnapper choking.
A van hitting a dog.
A door opening at exactly the right moment.
Leng Yao did not argue.
“You are injured.”
“I can fight.”
“You can barely stand.”
“I am standing.”
Shen swayed slightly.
Duan looked away.
Leng Yao pointed at him.
“That.”
Shen glared.
Then his system flashed.
Recommended action: cooperate with Central extraction.
He looked irritated by that too.
Good.
At least Heaven had made the choice less appealing.
Ji stepped closer.
“Going with them does not mean trusting Qin.”
Shen looked at her.
“It means?”
“Leaving this fight.”
He remained silent.
Feng called from the door.
“They are approaching.”
Leng Yao made the decision for his own side.
“Shun.
Duan.
Rear exit.”
Shun frowned.
“What about you?”
“I stay.”
“Why?”
“To make sure Central Court takes Shen instead of arresting everyone.”
Ji stepped beside Leng Yao.
“So do I.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You are already suspended.”
“And they will use that as an excuse.”
“Exactly.”
“That is why I stay.”
No time to argue.
Duan looked at the rear wall.
“I can make an exit.”
“Do it.”
Shun looked at Shen.
“You really are going to let them take you?”
Shen stared at him.
“I am going to remember your face.”
“That seems fair.”
Duan drove his staff into the weakened wall.
Concrete burst outward.
Shun followed him through.
Feng looked at Leng Yao.
“You?”
“Stay outside their firing line.”
“That was not the question.”
“I know.”
Another piece of the old Feng.
Leng Yao looked at him.
“Trust me.”
Feng’s expression became strange.
The words meant something he could not remember.
Still, he nodded.
“I’ll try.”
He followed Duan.
The black line between them strengthened again.
Leng Yao did not look at it.
Central officers entered seconds later.
Twelve.
Black armour.
Gold-edged insignia.
No masks.
Their leader stopped when he saw Leng Yao.
Hand moved towards his weapon.
“Shadow Sovereign.”
Leng Yao said nothing.
Then the officer saw Ji.
“Ji Xueyan.”
“Captain.”
“You are under review.”
“I know.”
“Step away from Shen Mingzhi.”
Ji did.
Immediately.
That confused him.
Good.
Shen walked forward on his own.
“I am not a prisoner.”
The captain looked at him.
“No.”
“You are taking me to Qin?”
“No.
Protected medical facility.”
“Can I refuse?”
The captain hesitated.
Shen noticed.
“So I can’t.”
“You are under emergency protection.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Leng Yao almost smiled.
Shen was learning too.
The captain lowered his voice.
“Mr Shen, Carrion Palace abducted you.”
“Yes.”
“We are here to secure you.”
“And after?”
“Central review.”
“Qin?”
“Possibly.”
Shen looked back at Leng Yao.
Not for permission.
Just once.
Then he faced the captain.
“I’ll come.”
The system in Leng Yao’s vision reacted.
Counterpart separation detected.
Conflict opportunity reduced.
Primary Antagonist compatibility shifted.
75%.
One percent.
Small.
Useful.
Leng Yao said nothing.
The captain looked at him.
“You will remain here.”
“No.”
Ji sighed.
Leng Yao looked at the officer.
“You came for Shen.”
“Yes.”
“You have him.”
“You are also wanted for Central review.”
“In five days.”
“Immediate detention has been authorised.”
There it was.
Qin had changed the terms.
Shen stopped walking.
“Why?”
The captain looked at him.
“Not your concern.”
Shen turned.
“It became my concern when you came here because of me.”
The captain’s jaw tightened.
“Mr Shen.”
“What did he do?”
Leng Yao watched.
Shen was not defending him.
He was asking.
That distinction mattered.
The officer answered.
“He interfered with protected causality, stole Mandate authority, corrupted regional structures and obstructed lawful correction.”
Shen looked at Leng Yao.
“Did you?”
“Most of it.”
The captain looked almost relieved.
Shen frowned.
“Most?”
“The corruption charge is false.”
Ji said, “Correct.”
The captain snapped, “Silence.”
Silver light flickered around Ji’s spear.
The man immediately reconsidered his tone.
Shen looked back at the captain.
“You have a hearing scheduled.”
“Yes.”
“Then why arrest him now?”
No answer.
Qin had not prepared them for questions from Shen.
Interesting.
Leng Yao stepped towards the side door.
“I am leaving.”
The officers raised weapons.
The Mirror link tightened.
Shen felt it too.
Both men stopped.
A golden warning appeared between them.
Direct counterpart conflict imminent.
Not Leng and Shen fighting.
Conflict around them.
Heaven did not care about the distinction.
It only wanted opposition.
Leng Yao looked at Shen.
Shen looked at him.
For once, they understood the same problem at the same time.
Shen faced the captain.
“If you attack him while I’m here, does my system count that as my conflict?”
The captain went still.
Leng Yao’s eyes narrowed.
Good question.
Shen’s system answered privately.
His expression changed.
“What did it say?” Leng Yao asked.
Shen looked annoyed.
“Yes.”
Silence.
Then he stepped away from the officers.
The captain frowned.
“Mr Shen.”
“I am going outside.”
“You need to stay with us.”
“I will.”
“Then—”
“After they leave.”
Shen pointed at Leng Yao and Ji.
The captain stared.
“You are ordering Central officers?”
“No.”
Shen looked at him.
“I am refusing to stand here while you use me to trigger whatever this link is.”
Direct.
Clear.
Better than Leng Yao expected.
The captain had no answer.
He received something through his earpiece.
His expression hardened.
Then softened.
“Stand down.”
Weapons lowered.
Qin had decided not to push.
For now.
Leng Yao walked towards the side exit.
Ji followed.
At the door, Shen called his name.
Leng Yao turned.
Shen stood between Central officers.
Bloody.
Barefoot.
Still angry.
“If you find out what they wanted me for—”
“I’ll tell you.”
Shen paused.
He had expected resistance.
“Everything?”
“Everything relevant.”
His eyes narrowed.
“That sounds like a loophole.”
“It is.”
Shen shook his head.
“Fine.”
Leng Yao left.
Outside, Feng waited beside the vehicle.
Duan and Shun were already inside.
Ji entered the rear.
Leng Yao took the passenger seat.
Feng started the engine.
“Qiyun?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Four hours.”
Shun looked at the clock.
“Longer if Luo moves the ritual forward.”
Leng Yao looked back.
“Will he?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Shen escaped.”
“So he uses Yan.”
“Or Mei Zhen.”
The name returned.
Tenth Vessel.
Carrion Palace member.
Spirit Sea.
Another piece he did not understand.
Leng Yao looked at the road ahead.
“Call Zhentao.”
Shun’s expression hardened.
“No.”
“Then I will.”
“I said—”
Leng Yao turned.
“You want Luo dead.”
“Yes.”
“You want Yan alive.”
“Yes.”
“You want the Gate stopped.”
“Yes.”
“So does Zhentao.”
Shun’s jaw tightened.
“You don’t know that.”
“Neither do you.”
Silence.
Leng Yao handed him a phone.
“Call.”
Shun looked at it for several seconds.
Then took it.
He dialled.
Zhentao answered on the third ring.
No greeting.
Shun spoke first.
“Father.”
Nothing from the other end.
Then:
“Shun.”
His voice had changed.
Leng Yao looked away.
That conversation belonged to them.
Shun did not give it much room.
“Luo has Yan.”
“I know.”
“He wanted Shen.”
“I know.”
“Shen escaped.”
Pause.
“That will accelerate things.”
“Yes.”
“Where are you?”
“Going to Qiyun.”
“With Yao?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“I told him not to go.”
Shun’s face hardened.
“You always tell other people what not to do after making the mess.”
Feng looked ahead.
Duan stopped smiling.
Zhentao said nothing.
Shun continued.
“Can you stop the Gate?”
“Yes.”
Everyone in the vehicle looked at the phone.
Leng Yao took it from Shun.
“How?”
Zhentao answered immediately.
“Kill Mei Zhen.”
Shun surged forward.
Leng Yao held the phone away.
“Explain.”
“She is the anchor.”
“What does that mean?”
“The Gate ritual requires one stable vessel already linked to the outside.”
“Mei Zhen.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I hoped there was another way.”
Shun grabbed Leng Yao’s wrist.
“There is.”
Zhentao heard him.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Shun.”
“There is.”
Leng Yao looked between the phone and Shun.
“What way?”
Shun released his wrist.
His expression had gone cold.
“Use me.”
Zhentao immediately said, “No.”
Leng Yao ignored him.
“Specific.”
Shun met his eyes.
“I am her son.”
Silence.
Feng glanced back.
Duan’s eyebrows rose.
Leng Yao looked at the phone.
Then at Shun.
“Mei Zhen is your mother.”
“Yes.”
Zhentao spoke through the phone.
“Shun—”
“Stop.”
The Saint Child’s voice changed.
Not louder.
Harder.
“You left that part out too.”
Leng Yao understood why Shun hated his father.
Not completely.
Enough.
“Why is she at Carrion Palace by choice?” Leng Yao asked.
Shun answered.
“Because she believes the Gate can restore what the vessel experiments took from her.”
“What did they take?”
Shun looked out the window.
“Me.”
No one spoke.
Then he corrected himself.
“My childhood.”
Better.
Less dramatic.
He continued.
“After her procedure, she stopped ageing properly.
Healing changed.
Memory changed.
She had episodes where she did not recognise me.”
“And she thinks the Gate fixes that.”
“Yes.”
“Does it?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“Twenty-Nine.”
The previous Gate subject.
“He came back wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Your mother knows?”
“She thinks Luo failed because Twenty-Nine was unstable.”
“And you believe she is wrong.”
“Yes.”
Zhentao spoke through the phone.
“She is.”
Shun laughed without humour.
“You do not get a vote.”
“I know.”
That shut him up.
Leng Yao looked at the road.
“Shun can replace her as anchor?”
“For a short time,” Zhentao said.
“Risk?”
“He may die.”
“Probability?”
“I don’t know.”
Shun answered instead.
“High.”
“Useful number.”
“Higher than fifty percent.”
Better.
“And if he succeeds?”
Zhentao said, “The Gate collapses.”
“Permanently?”
“No.”
“How long?”
“Years.
Maybe decades.”
That was enough.
Leng Yao ended the call.
Shun looked at him.
“You hung up on him.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We have the information.”
Feng glanced sideways.
“That may be the healthiest family interaction today.”
No one disagreed.
The vehicle accelerated onto the motorway.
Midnight remained hours away.
Carrion Palace had Yan Shuo.
Mei Zhen held the Gate together.
Luo Zhenhai stood at Core Palace.
And Leng Shun, peak Spirit Sea, wanted to replace his own mother inside a ritual that might kill him.
Leng Yao looked at his cousin.
“You are not using yourself as the anchor unless there is no other option.”
Shun frowned.
“You do not decide that.”
“No.”
Leng Yao looked forward again.
“But I decide whether I help you do it.”
Shun said nothing.
Good.
The road west opened ahead of them.
For the first time since this began, Leng Yao was not chasing Heaven’s next move.
He was heading towards an enemy he could find.
A place he could enter.
And people whose choices mattered more than the roles assigned to them.
At 7:18 p.m., Mount Qiyun appeared on the horizon.
Black against the setting sun.
Duan opened his eyes.
“We are close.”
Leng Yao reached for his father’s sword.
“No.”
Feng looked at him.
“No?”
Leng Yao watched the mountain.
“We are already late.”
Smoke was rising from the western ridge.