Chapter 26: Rumors on a Frozen Morning
For the first time in many days...
Yun Che slept without dreaming of monsters.
His body had finally surrendered to exhaustion.
When he opened his eyes, bright sunlight was already pouring through the bedroom window.
"...Morning?"
He rubbed his eyes.
The room felt strangely quiet.
Walking onto the balcony, he looked toward the sun and blinked.
"...Or not."
"It must be around ten."
Normally he would have finished morning training, breakfast, and perhaps even several hours of work at the forge by now.
Today...
His body had claimed its reward.
The healing pills had done remarkable work during the night.
He stretched cautiously.
No sharp pain.
His broken arm obeyed him again.
His ribs no longer protested with every breath.
Only a deep fatigue remained, as though every muscle still remembered yesterday's battle.
"The pills really are amazing..."
he muttered.
The house felt unusually empty.
His father and older brother had already left for the smithy.
Only his mother remained.
Yun Mie was tightening the straps of her leather hunting armor when he entered the dining room.
Yun Che stopped.
Usually, at home, she preferred simple woolen clothing.
Comfortable.
Practical.
Today...
She wore her full hunting equipment.
Bow.
Quiver.
Twin hunting knives.
Poison pouch.
Even her expression had changed.
She looked toward him and smiled gently.
"Finally awake?"
"I think I slept half the day."
"You needed it."
She poured him a bowl of hot meat soup.
"Sit."
"You'll feel better after eating."
Yun Che happily obeyed.
The first spoonful almost made him sigh with relief.
Home.
No battlefield.
No dragons.
Just his mother's cooking.
As he ate...
He finally noticed something.
"Mother."
"Why are you dressed for hunting?"
Her smile faded.
"The guards came early this morning."
"They delivered Lord Shen's orders."
Yun Che immediately became attentive.
"No one leaves the city."
"The gates remain closed."
"Every hunter has been recalled."
"Everyone capable of fighting has been placed on standby."
She looked toward the window.
"They believe an attack may come within the next few days."
Those words erased the last traces of sleep from Yun Che's mind.
His spoon stopped halfway to his mouth.
The bandits.
He had completely forgotten them after everything involving the dragon and Tianyu.
Now...
The danger returned all at once.
"Do they know who's coming?"
Yun Mie slowly shook her head.
"No."
"Only that Captain Han expects trouble."
She stood and gently rested one hand upon his shoulder.
"So today..."
"You carry your weapons wherever you go."
"No arguments."
Yun Che nodded seriously.
"I understand."
After breakfast...
He washed quickly and dressed.
His newest dragon armor remained at the smithy.
The sword as well.
Both required extensive repairs after yesterday's battle.
So he wore his older black armor instead.
It wasn't nearly as impressive.
But it remained reliable.
He fastened his daggers.
Checked his wire reels.
Placed several grenades into their pouches.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he smiled faintly.
"I've gotten used to carrying all this."
A year ago...
It would have felt ridiculous.
Now...
Leaving without weapons felt strange.
His original plan had been to help at the forge.
His body quickly disagreed.
Every movement reminded him that healing wasn't the same as recovery.
He remembered Master Liang's words.
A warrior also grows while resting.
"...One day off won't kill me."
Instead...
He decided to visit Lin Xia.
He hadn't thanked her properly for all the help she had given him with the runes.
Besides...
She would undoubtedly want to hear every detail about the dragon.
The streets felt different today.
Not empty.
Just...
Careful.
Extra guards patrolled every intersection.
Archers stood atop the walls.
The Frost Wolves moved constantly between districts.
Shopkeepers still sold their goods.
Children still played.
Yet everyone seemed to lower their voices whenever soldiers passed.
The city could feel danger approaching...
Even if nobody knew where it would come from.
As Yun Che walked...
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
To Tianyu.
He smiled unconsciously.
"...You're a strange guy."
He had started as nothing more than an annoying rival.
Always provoking him.
Always looking for another fight.
Always talking far too much.
Yet...
Yesterday...
Without hesitation...
Tianyu had kicked him out of the Shadow Python's path.
If he hadn't...
Yun Che would probably have been lying in that bed instead.
Perhaps...
Somewhere along the way...
Their rivalry had quietly become friendship.
He hoped...
More than he cared to admit...
That the idiot would wake up soon.
"So..."
he murmured,
"You still owe me another spar."
As he approached the city market...
The familiar sounds of merchants gradually returned.
Voices.
Haggling.
Laughter.
Though even here...
Several caravans remained parked near the square.
Their wagons stood in long rows, unable to continue their journeys while the city gates remained sealed.
Merchants looked increasingly impatient.
Animals stamped their feet.
Drivers argued quietly with guards.
No one was being allowed through.
Not in.
Not out.
Yun Che slowed his pace, observing the unusual scene.
Just then—
"Yun Che!"
A cheerful voice rose above the crowd.
He turned immediately.
A young man wearing rich travelling robes waved enthusiastically from beside a wagon stacked high with bolts of colorful fabric, polished tools and curious little gadgets gathered from distant cities.
Yun Che's face brightened.
"Jin Wei!"
The young merchant laughed as he hurried over, pulling Yun Che into a friendly embrace.
It had been several months since they had last met.
Jin Wei came from the prosperous town nestled below the mountain, one of the cities governed by the Marquis.
Unlike Yun Che...
Who rarely left Mistforge...
Jin Wei constantly travelled with his family's caravans.
Whenever he arrived...
He always brought something valuable.
Sometimes strange inventions.
Sometimes exotic goods.
Most often...
Stories.
Rumors.
And news from the vast world beyond the mountains.
Looking at the overflowing wagons, Yun Che smiled.
"I see you brought half the world with you again."
Jin Wei grinned proudly.
"And this time..."
He lowered his voice dramatically.
"I've brought stories that are worth far more than everything on these wagons."
Yun Che immediately became interested.
Whenever Jin Wei smiled like that...
Something interesting had happened somewhere in the world.
Jin Wei looked at his armor and his weapons.
"Still as serious as ever."
Jin Wei laughed as he clasped Yun Che's shoulder.
Unlike Yun Che, who had grown up surrounded by hammers and furnaces...
Jin Wei had been born among wagons, ledgers and trade routes.
His family was one of the largest merchant families in the town beneath Mistforge Mountain, supplying nearly every village and city within the Marquis' territory.
Merchants often joked that Jin Wei had learned to count silver before he learned to walk.
It wasn't entirely untrue.
He had started accompanying caravans when he was only five years old.
Now, at sixteen years of age, he already negotiated prices with seasoned traders twice his age.
Yun Che smiled.
"You've grown taller."
"And you've grown... pointier."
"...Pointier?"
"Look at all those weapons."
Yun Che looked down.
"...Fair point."
The caravan itself was as lively as ever.
Large wagons filled the marketplace.
Workers unloaded bolts of colorful cloth unlike anything woven in Mistforge.
Silks shimmered with strange patterns.
Velvets changed color depending on the angle of the light.
Jewelry glittered with gemstones harvested far beyond the Marquis' lands.
There were toys carved from fragrant woods.
Mechanical puzzles.
Exotic musical instruments.
Even cages containing unusual pets.
Tiny birds with crystal feathers.
Foxes no larger than house cats.
A pair of bright blue rabbits whose ears sparkled faintly with Ki.
Children crowded around every wagon with wide eyes.
Merchants loved Mistforge.
Not because it was wealthy.
Because the people were endlessly curious.
Yun Che had known Jin Wei for nearly seven years.
Back then...
Yun Che had been experimenting with one of his earliest inventions—a bicycle.
Most people had laughed.
Jin Wei hadn't.
Instead...
The merchant boy had stared at it for nearly an hour before declaring confidently,
"You're a fantastic investment."
Yun Che had laughed so hard he nearly fell off the bicycle.
Jin Wei had continued,
"One day..."
"I'll build the greatest merchant empire this world has ever seen."
"And I'll spread your inventions everywhere."
"You'll become famous."
"Then I'll become richer."
It had been wonderfully shameless.
Seven years later...
He still repeated the same dream.
"My merchant empire is coming."
Jin Wei folded his arms proudly.
"You'll see."
"I'm already expanding."
Yun Che chuckled.
"I've never doubted your ambition."
"Oh!"
Jin Wei suddenly remembered something.
"I almost forgot."
He hurried back toward one of the wagons.
After digging through several carefully wrapped boxes...
He returned carrying a polished wooden case.
"I brought you a present."
Yun Che blinked.
"You didn't have to."
"I know."
"But I wanted to."
He carefully opened the lid.
Inside...
A beautifully crafted humanoid puppet rested upon soft blue cloth.
It stood barely the height of Yun Che's forearm.
Its body resembled an armored dragon knight.
Tiny scales had been engraved across its armor.
Its wings folded neatly behind its back.
Every joint moved with astonishing precision.
Even its fingers possessed individual articulation.
Yun Che carefully picked it up.
His eyes widened.
"...This is incredible."
Jin Wei grinned proudly.
"It came all the way from the Celestial Marionette Empire."
"The craftsmen there are unbelievable."
"They say even children learn puppet combat."
Yun Che looked up immediately.
"And the sect?"
"The Heavenly Thousand Marionette Palace."
One of the greatest sects in the empire.
"They're famous throughout half the continent."
"These little practice puppets are made for beginners."
"They're expensive."
"But..."
He shrugged.
"There happened to be exactly one left in the kingdom."
"So I bought it before someone else did."
Yun Che turned the puppet over repeatedly.
Hidden gears.
Tiny Ki channels.
Beautiful craftsmanship.
It felt less like a toy...
And more like a miniature work of art.
His heart raced.
This...
This was the closest thing he had ever seen to the robots and mechs of his previous life.
One day...
He would visit that empire.
He had already decided.
No matter how far away it lay.
"You really like it."
"I love it."
Jin Wei laughed.
"I knew you would."
"I figured if anyone appreciated it..."
"It would be you."
Yun Che carefully returned the puppet to its box.
"I'll treasure it."
The conversation naturally shifted.
Jin Wei lowered his voice.
"I've brought more than merchandise."
"I've brought rumors."
Yun Che smiled knowingly.
"Those are usually more expensive."
"They certainly are."
The merchant leaned closer.
"Have you heard about the Flying Island?"
Yun Che shook his head.
"No."
"It appeared near the Eastern Azure Sea."
"Just beyond the neighboring kingdom."
Several nearby merchants quietly joined the conversation.
Even they wanted to listen.
"They say it floated above the ocean for nearly an hour."
"Entire mountains."
"Ancient ruins."
"Golden palaces."
"Before disappearing into the clouds."
Yun Che's imagination immediately awakened.
"A floating island..."
Jin Wei's eyes sparkled.
"Can you imagine it?"
"Ancient treasures."
"Lost cultivation techniques."
"Legendary artifacts."
"The history of forgotten civilizations."
He sighed dramatically.
"If only I could see it once."
"Even from a distance."
Yun Che couldn't disagree.
Adventure.
Discovery.
Mystery.
It sounded exactly like the sort of place that had drawn countless heroes throughout history.
Then...
Jin Wei's cheerful expression slowly disappeared.
"There is another rumor."
His voice dropped almost to a whisper.
"I don't like this one."
Yun Che's smile faded.
"What happened?"
"...The Abyss."
Those single words chilled the air between them.
Jin Wei glanced around carefully before continuing.
"They're moving again."
"Several villages disappeared."
"No survivors."
"They say..."
His voice became even quieter.
"...sacrificial rituals."
"Witnesses reported strange creatures."
"Things covered in darkness."
"Abyssal beasts."
Yun Che felt his heartbeat quicken.
Captain Han's words from yesterday returned immediately.
"They thought the cult had disappeared."
"So did everyone."
Jin Wei nodded grimly.
"It has been nearly ten years."
"No one expected them to return."
Several older merchants quietly made protective gestures.
Even speaking the cult's name seemed unlucky.
Yun Che looked toward the distant mountains.
"...Things are changing."
"They are."
Jin Wei sighed.
"I've travelled for years."
"I've never seen the roads feel this uneasy."
"It almost feels like..."
He hesitated.
"...the world is preparing for something."
Before either of them could continue—
DONG!
A deep bell echoed across the city.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
Every conversation in the marketplace stopped instantly.
The merchants froze.
The guards atop the walls suddenly began shouting.
Another bell answered from the eastern district.
Then another.
The alarm spread across Mistforge like wildfire.
Yun Che's expression changed immediately.
He knew that sound.
It wasn't the city clock.
It wasn't a festival.
It wasn't an announcement.
It was the emergency bell.
A cavalryman sprinted through the marketplace, his voice carrying over the terrified crowd.
"Monster attack!"
"All civilians inside!"
"Monster attack!"
The peaceful market dissolved into chaos.
Children cried.
Merchants hurriedly covered their wagons.
Guards rushed toward the city walls with weapons already drawn.
Yun Che instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword.
His eyes met Jin Wei's.
Neither needed to say anything.
The danger...
Had finally arrived.