Lanterns glowed faintly in the courtyards, their flickering light casting long shadows across the paving stones as disciples of the White Crane Sect moved about. The clang of sparring from the training grounds had faded into the night, replaced by the murmur of voices, the fragrance of steaming rice, and the distant notes of a zither from some patient practitioner of the Music Hall.
Duō Yī walked steadily toward the eastern pavilion, the hem of his robe brushing against the stones. His breathing was even, but his thoughts were not idle. The mission ahead loomed larger in his mind with every step.
When he reached the pavilion, three familiar figures waited beneath its curved tiled roof.
Hú Lì noticed him first, waving broadly with his usual lack of restraint.
"Brother Yī! Right on time again. Reliable as ever."
Duō Yī gave a polite nod as he stepped into the lantern's glow. Beside Hú Lì stood Xiǎo Yǔ, twin tails swaying as she shifted from foot to foot, and Zhāng Wei, solid as an iron post, his arms crossed, eyes calm as still water.
"Well then," Hú Lì said, rubbing his palms together, "since we're all here, allow me to reveal something I've been keeping secret."
From his sleeve, he drew out a small cloth pouch embroidered with faint silver lines. At first glance, it seemed no different from a common travel purse. Yet the way Hú Lì held it with his shoulders squared and a smile tugging at his lips, made clear it was anything but ordinary.
Xiǎo Yǔ's ears twitched, her eyes widening. "Wait… don't tell me that's..."
"A spatial bag!" Hú Lì declared, chest swelling with pride.
Even Zhāng Wei's steady gaze flickered, betraying a hint of surprise. "Those artifacts usually require a small fortune to obtain."
Hú Lì nodded, savoring their reactions. "Crafted by the Array and Blacksmithing, a marvel of their joint craft. To the eye, a pouch no larger than a palm, but inside? An extra-dimensional space, three cubic meters wide. Store anything within, call it back with a thought. No more lugging food, herbs, or weapons across endless mountains."
He stated, like a nerd that just got a gaming laptop of his dreams.
Duō Yī's eyes lingered on the bag. He had read of such creations but never expected one to appear in the hands of a fellow disciple so early. For outer sect disciples, such a treasure was well beyond reach.
"Points and spirit stones don't appear from thin air," Zhāng Wei said evenly.
"You're right, and I won't deny it." Hú Lì grinned, almost sheepish though still brimming with satisfaction. "I've been saving every scrap for months. And… perhaps I borrowed a little more than I should. But listen! The rewards for this mission are exceptional. If there was ever a time to invest, it is now. This bag will serve all of us."
Xiǎo Yǔ's lips curled in a mischievous smile. "Careful, Brother Hú Lì. If anyone steals it, I'll be the first to laugh when you cry."
He pressed the pouch to his chest dramatically. "Over my dead body. This will stay closer than my heart itself."
That earned a small chuckle from Duō Yī. Quiet as he often was, he found the practicality hard to deny. In long expeditions, carrying supplies was always a burden. With this, their mobility would improve drastically.
Hú Lì tucked the bag away before retrieving a rolled scroll. His voice lost its playful edge as he began, "Now, the details of our task. Yong'an Province, a secular kingdom. Entire villages have gone silent, people vanishing without a trace. Our orders are to discover the cause and if possible, remove it."
"The secular world, hm…" Xiǎo Yǔ tilted her head, her eyes gleaming. "That means the qi there will be unbearably thin."
"Correct." Hú Lì's tone grew matter-of-fact. "Unlike clans, where descendants of cultivators settle in qi-rich regions, or kingdoms fortunate enough to possess spiritual veins, this kingdom has none. The people are true mortals. The royal family itself boasts only a second-stage Qi Refinement cultivator as its strongest. To them, that is a pinnacle. To us…" He shrugged.
"Like a child with a wooden sword," Xiǎo Yǔ finished with a laugh, though it quickly softened into a grimace. "But if the qi is so sparse, our cultivation will stall while we're there."
"Then endure it," Zhāng Wei said firmly. His arms remained crossed, his expression unchanged. "We are not traveling to advance our cultivation. We are traveling to complete a task."
Duō Yī finally spoke, his voice calm but edged with thought. "Villages do not vanish without cause. If it were only bandits, there would be remains. If it were spirit beasts, there would be tracks. This is no simple disappearance."
Zhāng Wei grunted. "Or perhaps it is that simple. A beast strays too near mortal lands. If so, we slay it, report back, and be done."
"Would that it were so," Hú Lì muttered. His grin returned, though thinner this time. "Still, we prepare for worse. I've stocked talismans and medicine. With the bag, I'll carry provisions enough for weeks. No need to waste time bartering in mortal markets."
Xiǎo Yǔ stretched her arms high, her twin tails flicking lazily. "If the qi is truly that thin, then I hope we finish quickly. I can already feel my dantian shriveling just thinking about it."
Hú Lì smirked. "Don't worry, Xiǎo Yǔ. If you faint, Brother Zhāng Wei will gladly carry you on his shoulders the whole way back."
Zhāng Wei turned his head toward him, his stare flat as an anvil. Hú Lì only laughed harder, the sound echoing off the pavilion's wooden beams.
For a moment, the heaviness of the mission lifted, replaced by the familiar banter of comrades. Yet beneath their laughter, each carried a silent awareness: the unknown awaited them.
At last, Hú Lì snapped the scroll shut. "Enough talk. At dawn, we depart. Rest well tonight once we step beyond the sect, we may not know rest again until this task is ended."
The group exchanged nods, one by one. Lantern light traced the curve of their faces: Hú Lì's restless grin, Xiǎo Yǔ's playful gleam, Zhāng Wei's unshakable calm, and Duō Yī's steady, unreadable gaze.
Soon after, they dispersed into the night. The pavilion grew quiet once more, the wind rustling faintly through the bamboo grove beyond.