2026-01-23 22:18:03
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 7: The Screaming Blade
The pull was a fishhook in his spirit, set with barbs of desperation. It wasn’t the sad, fading sigh of One-Armed Zhao. This was a shriek of pure, unending rage and isolation. It vibrated through Li Ming’s newly-tuned awareness like a plucked, fraying wire.He doubled over on the lakeshore, the anchor stone falling from his hands with a plop into the shallows.“Li Ming!” Wen’s hands were on his shoulders, steadying. “What do you feel?”“Anger,” he gritted out, his teeth clenched. “Metal. Cold. So much… loneliness.” The scream in his mind was wordless, but the emotions were a clear, poisonous torrent. "It is the echo of a weapon," Iron Saint Bai’s voice cut through, sharper than usual." A style born of imprisonment. It reeks of a forge and a sealed tomb.""…loud, ain’t it? Makes my head ache worse than cheap wine…""Its suffering is a blade pointed inward," the Silent Abbot observed, his calmness a frail raft in the psychic storm. "It will cut anyone who comes close, including itself."
Chapter 6: The Unseen Village
Wen’s hand on his elbow was a steady, unassuming guide. She did not pull or hurry him. Her steps were measured, her presence a calm warmth against the cool night air. The path underfoot changed from soft earth to smooth, fitted stones that clicked gently as they walked.“You sense the village layout?” Wen asked, her voice conversational.Li Ming focused. Beyond the immediate sounds, their footsteps, the distant frogs, the sigh of wind through reeds, he began to map a broader space through echoes. The lake was a vast, flat presence to their right, muting sound. To the left and ahead, structures rose, breaking the wind and creating pockets of softer noise: the rustle of a cloth banner, the creak of a well pulley, the faint snuffle of an animal in a pen.“Houses,” he said slowly. “To the left. Smaller ones, close together. A larger building ahead, with an open space before it. The ground slopes up behind it.”Wen made a soft sound of approval. “Good. You use what you have. Many who come
Chapter 5: The Ferryman of Truth
The flute-player’s voice hung in the air, a melody half-spoken. Are you ready to see what you look like, Blind Keeper?Li Ming’s fingers, numb from cold and clinging to the gnarled willow root, tightened. To see. It was a word that held only mystery and failure for him. A promise others made that he could never keep.“I don’t see,” he said, his voice small against the river’s roar.“All the better,” the ferryman replied, his tone unchanged. “The waters we cross show the spirit, not the face. The proud see their pride and drown in it. The angry see their fire reflected and burn the boat. A blind man…” A soft splash as the pole found purchase again. “…sees nothing. And so, he might see everything. Let go.”The logic was strange, but it felt true. Li Ming released the root. The damp bark left rough impressions on his palm. He shuffled forward on his knees until his hands found cold, smooth wood, the gunwale of a shallow boat. It rocked gently under his touch.“Step down. Carefully. Sit i
Chapter 4: The Fisherman and the Flood
Awareness crept back slowly.First, the smell: damp wool, wood smoke, and the pungent, oily scent of fish. Then, sound: the crackle of a fire, the steady drip of water, and the deep, resonant rumble of the river close by. Finally, sensation: he was lying on something rough and scratchy, a blanket, maybe, and every muscle in his body ached with a deep, cold soreness. His head throbbed cause of pain.He tried to move, and a groan escaped his lips.“Awake, are you?” The voice was the same one from the stone, gruff, weathered, and distinctly unimpressed. “Figured you’d either wake up or not. Wasn’t sure which.”Li Ming pushed himself up on his elbows. His earth-sense was muddled, his connection to Bai’s borrowed power faded to a faint, warm ember in his feet. He was in a small space. The fire’s heat came from his left. The river’s rumble was ahead and below. The air felt enclosed.“Where am I?” His voice was a rasp.“My shack. Under the river bluff. Only way in or out is by water or a cli
Chapter 3: The Serpent's Unblinking Eye
The solid warmth of the Mountain’s Foundation Stance was the only thing that kept Li Ming from bolting. The vibration of the four approaching footsteps was a steady, threatening drumbeat against the soles of his borrowed power. They moved with a cruel efficiency, parting the underbrush, their energy coiled and focused."…trouble, trouble, I smell trouble… should’ve brought a drink to this party…" The new, slurring voice of One-Armed Zhao’s echo muttered in the back of his mind."Quiet, fool," Iron Saint Bai snapped. "Keeper, you cannot run. Your stance is for grounding, not fleeing. They would catch you in three breaths. Stand your ground. You are the Archivist. You hold authority they cannot understand."Authority? Li Ming felt none. He felt like a rabbit frozen before snakes. He could feel them now, fifty paces away, their auras like cold, smooth stones, predatory and patient.“What do I say?” he whispered, his throat tight."Say nothing of the Archives first. You are a traveler who
Chapter 2: The Dying Drunkard's Step
The relief Li Ming felt from quieting the voices was short-lived. The new pressure from Lady Silken Death’s words was different, a slow, sinking pull, like a hook in his soul."Do you feel it, Keeper?" Iron Saint Bai’s voice was solemn. "That tugging in your spirit? Like a river current dragging you toward a waterfall."Li Ming focused inward. Beyond the low hum of the ten thousand silent scrolls, he felt it. A faint, rhythmic dragging sensation. It pulled down and to the east. It felt like melancholy, like the last sigh of a fire.“Yes,” Li Ming whispered. “It’s… sad.”"It is the ‘Death Throes’ of a style," Bai explained. "The ‘Drunken God’s Steps.’ Its last true master is on the brink. When he falls, the style’s essence will tear loose. If we are not prepared, it will rip through the Archive like a wild ghost, damaging other scrolls. Or worse, it might not come here at all. It might shatter, lost forever. Or attach itself to some unworthy fool in the world below."“What do we do?” L
You may also like
Paths of Extinction
TheCrow34.0K viewsBecome the Strongest God
Jajajuba35.6K viewsThe Cheat Seed (Vol 1)
Sinadin35.1K viewsTHE CHOSEN ONE (Reunion)
Kim B16.2K viewsThe rise of Jeremy Collins
Ayo _Writes295 viewsHeavenly Rebirth: The Outcast Return
Amy Precious678 viewsBorn From Ruin (Rebirth)
Golden Swizz963 viewsThe Academic God
NB LMO91 views