Heaven Dou City – Late Evening
The storm broke long after the plaza had cleared.
A rainless thunder rolled across Heaven Dou, echoing like drums against the cobbled streets and bronze-roofed towers. The city had quieted, but tension still threaded the air like wire drawn taut.
Inside the inn suite, the Shrek team had gathered once more, a map unfurled across the table.
Ning Rongrong tapped a finger on a marked route. "The transport departed from the southern depot and cut through civilian lanes—this route shouldn't have been used for sensitive cargo."
"Unless someone wanted it seen," Li Wei murmured, arms folded as he stood behind her.
Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, her eyes never leaving the map. "Or intercepted."
Meng Yiran, recently returned from an errand, sat perched on the windowsill, damp from the street's chill. "Whoever they were, they weren't trying to kill. No casualties. Just an explosion to draw attention—and a silent exit."
Xiao Wu hugged her knees on the couch, gaze thoughtful. "That man… serpent eyes. Did he look familiar to anyone?"
Li Wei nodded slowly. "Not familiar. But specific. Controlled. Like someone trained to deliver a warning… or bait."
Rongrong shifted uncomfortably. "Do you think it's Spirit Hall testing us? Or something worse?"
"Could be someone trying to spark conflict," Zhu Zhuqing said quietly. "Make it look like Spirit Hall secrets are spilling, stir unrest. Force their hand."
Li Wei tapped the table once. "Either way, someone wanted our attention."
A pause.
Then Xiao Wu voice, soft. "And they got it."
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The Next Morning – Harmonization Chamber, Jade Crescent Pavilion
The testing room was lined with polished jade and insulated spirit-seal plates. A single, circular platform stood at the center, flanked by spirit masters in white and green robes murmuring incantations.
In the middle of the chamber stood the Harmonization Crystal—a large, multifaceted gem mounted on a silver pedestal, pulsing faintly with shifting colors. Beside it, an instructor read from a manual, sweat beading at his brow.
"It will bind your spirit roots for five minutes," he said. "During that time, your soul power, physical senses, and—potentially—your emotional states will overlap. Mild disorientation can be expected from the side effect."
Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward, silent as a shadow, dressed in sleek black training clothes. Her hair was braided tightly down her back, the only sign of nervousness that can be seen was small tremor in her fingers as she adjusted her gloves.
Li Wei met her in the center, dressed similarly, his Diendriver detached and sheathed at his side.
"You sure about this?" he asked quietly, just for her.
Zhu Zhuqing looked into his eyes—cool, calm, but not empty. "I want to understand… what it means to walk beside you. This is a step."
He gave a faint smile. "Then let's walk it together."
The instructor activated the crystal. "Stand close. Place your hands on it. And center your intent."
Their palms touched opposite sides of the crystal.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then—light.
Brilliant, pale-gold threads of energy surged from the crystal's facets, lashing outward in delicate arcs. The platform pulsed once. Zhu Zhuqing gasped as her pulse merged—or maybe aligned—with his. Her senses stretched. Her thoughts rippled.
And then—
A heartbeat.
Not hers. His.
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Zhu Zhuqing Perception — Within the Link
Fire. Cold logic. Deep sadness. Fierce resolve.
She saw him—not the Li Wei who stood beside her, but the one who stood within the storm.
Memories flickered: A child's scream echoing in a collapsing temple. A gloved hand holding the trigger of a weapon that could pierce dimensions. The faces of enemies turned allies. Regret that never fully faded.
And beneath all of it—his love. Not loud or theatrical, but steady, like iron forged in silence.
And there she was. In his thoughts. Her silhouette. Her quiet strength. Her gaze that saw deeper than she realized.
Tears burned the corners of her eyes.
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Li Wei's Perception — Within the Link
Velocity. Precision. Fearless discipline. A desire for worth.
He felt her—like shadow and flame. Her loneliness growing up. Her cold nights training under the stars. Her desperate belief that she had to earn everything through pain.
And… her heart.
He saw her confusion when he first offered her kindness. The trust she didn't know how to name. The way she memorized the sound of his footsteps before she ever admitted she cared.
And how she loved him—unspoken, burning, and honest.
He drew in a breath—ragged, real.
________________
Outside the Link
A surge of energy burst from the platform—light scattering into ribbons before slowly dimming. The two collapsed forward, instinctively catching one another.
Their breathing was erratic, synchronized.
The instructor hesitated. "Are you… alright?"
Li Wei voice was hoarse but clear. "We're fine."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't speak. She looked at him, really looked—and nodded once.
Not as a soldier. Not as a partner.
But as someone who had seen her desire and her...
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Elsewhere — Unknown Chamber, Beneath the City
The serpent-eyed man knelt before a dais covered in black cloth. Figures in gray and violet surrounded him.
"She saw me," he said. "He did too."
A low voice responded from the shadows. "Good. Let the threads tighten. Pull them deeper."
"And the Harmonization Crystal?" another asked.
A gloved hand tapped the table. "Let them test it. It'll make them more useful later."
The serpent-eyed man bowed low, his tail—a real, scaled appendage—briefly visible beneath his cloak.
"The game begins," he whispered.