The cold wind nipped at Adam's back as he stood before the heavy wooden door of the pavilion. Snow clung to the edges of the steps behind him, and the village was quiet—most were either sleeping or huddled by fires, trying to stay warm in the heart of winter.
His breath fogged in front of his face as he raised a trembling hand.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Silence.
Then, from inside, a familiar voice—gravelly with age, but still warm, calm, and kind:
"Come in, child."
Adam hesitated a moment longer, then pushed the door open.
The interior was dimly lit, warmed by a low fire in a stone hearth. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with old scrolls, hunting spears, and maps of the surrounding forest and mountains.
At the center of the room sat Old Bai, dressed in a simple dark robe, his white hair tied back, face weathered but serene.
He looked up from a parchment and smiled.
"Adam. This is a rare visit."
Adam stepped in, closing the door behind him. The warmth of the room embraced him, and for a moment, he faltered. He hadn't realized how cold he'd been. Or how nervous.
"I… need to speak with you," he said quietly, avoiding the old man's eyes.
Old Bai gestured to the cushion across from him.
"Take a seat, you can speak freely."
Adam sat. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. The words clung to the back of his throat, resisting. He'd imagined this moment a hundred times. But now that it was here, he felt like a child trying to describe a storm to a blind man.
"I… I think the hunting expedition should be canceled this year."
Old Bai blinked. "Canceled? Why?"
Adam swallowed. "Because… the village will be attacked. Everyone will die."
Silence fell like a blade.
Old Bai didn't speak. He merely stared, the smile on his face slowly fading, lines deepening in his brow.
After a moment, he leaned forward, hands folded on the low table between them.
"What do you mean, everyone will die?"
"I mean exactly that," Adam said, voice shaking. "The hunting team won't return. Something will happen. And after that—days, maybe a week—the entire village will be wiped out. Burned. Slaughtered. There won't be any survivors."
Old Bai's face darkened. "You claim to see the future?"
Adam bit the inside of his cheek, then said,
"I— I just know."
The silence turned heavier. The fire crackled, the flames casting dancing shadows along the walls.
Old Bai sat back slowly. "How do you know this, Adam?"
Adam looked down. "I can't explain how. Not yet. But please, believe me. I'm not lying."
"Do you know who the attackers are?" Old Bai asked calmly, though his eyes were sharp now, alert.
Adam nodded. "They're not from around here. They wear robes—black with red linings, long sleeves like the ones martial cultivators wear. Their weapons are strange. Some of them can fly. They'll appear from beyond the mountains."
Old Bai's expression was unreadable. He said nothing.
Adam pressed on. "They'll pass through the eastern barrier using something I don't understand. Some kind of token or pass. It'll make the array open for them."
Now, Old Bai's face tightened.
Adam saw it—the subtle twitch of the old man's jaw, the narrowing of his eyes.
"And…I know there's a girl. A villager, she'll try to stop them, but she won't be able to."
Stillness.
Adam took a deep breath. "That girl's name is Meiyue."
Then, without warning, the air changed.
The warmth was gone. In its place came an oppressive weight, like the sky itself pressing down on his shoulders. The fire dimmed, the light bent strangely. Adam's body tensed, instincts screaming.
He looked up.
Old Bai's eyes were glowing faintly—dim golden, like molten metal—and they were no longer kind.
His presence surged outward like a storm unleashed.
Adam's knees hit the floor with a sickening thud. He gasped as his body was forced into a bow, spine arching against the pressure.
He couldn't move.
"You know the name of the girl who is our only hope out of this hell," Old Bai said slowly, voice like thunder rolling through the mountains. "You know of the barrier, the token, and the robes they wear."
Adam trembled. "Old Bai—please—listen to me—!"
"Who are you?" the old man growled. "And who sent you?"
Adam clenched his jaw against the invisible weight. His chest burned, his muscles strained. But worse than the physical pain was the look in Old Bai's eyes—betrayal, suspicion, fear.
"I'm still me!" he gasped. "I'm Adam! The same boy you took in! I'm not your enemy!"
"How do you know our village's secrets?" Old Bai asked, rising to his feet. His figure seemed taller now, vast, like a shadow cast by a mountain. "That information is sealed even from the elders. How dare you speak of it!"
"I just don't want to see you all die before my eyes! I don't want to lose all I hold precious again!"
The pressure intensified. His ribs creaked.
"I am willing to die with you," Adam choked. " But I can't watch you all die. I can't watch Lin Yao burn again. I don't want to see you all fight and fall. NOT AGAIN!"
The door slammed open.
A gust of snow-laden wind burst into the room, followed by three figures.
Old Zhou, Lin Kuan, and Madam Yue entered swiftly, their faces grim. Each carried the weight of a Grandmaster's presence.
"What's happening?" Lin Kuan asked, voice low.
Old Bai didn't look away from Adam. "He knows more than he should. About the girl. The barrier and the token as well."
Lin Kuan's expression turned lethal.
Madam Yue raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Old Zhou stepped forward. "Let him go."
Old Bai didn't move. "You've vouched for him before. But this… This is no small coincidence."
"I've watched him for years," Old Zhou said, his voice steady. "He's never once acted suspiciously. Never once lied or schemed. He's the most determined young man I've ever seen. You think someone with his knowledge would wait five years breaking his body to gain our trust?"
Old Bai didn't reply.
"Let him speak," Old Zhou said quietly. "If he wanted us dead, he had a hundred chances."
Old Bai's eyes remained locked on Adam for a moment longer… then the pressure vanished.
Adam collapsed forward, coughing violently, body shaking.
He barely felt Old Zhou's hand steadying his shoulder.
"I told you the truth," Adam gasped. "I didn't ask for this. I don't even understand why it's happening. But I won't stay silent again."
Madam Yue knelt beside him, examining him with curious eyes. "You said the village is going to be attacked and all of us are going to die, how do you know that?"
Adam hesitated. "I don't know what to call it. I just… know it's going to happen."
They all fell silent.
Outside, the wind howled softly, blowing snow against the windows.
Old Bai sat again, but his expression was darker now.
"Let's say I believe you," he said slowly. "Let's say you have seen the future. Then what would you have me do?"
"Stop the hunt," Adam said. "Lock down the village. Prepare for an attack from the east. Move the children to safety. Strengthen the barrier. Find the girl named Meiyue, I don't know why, but the attack is targeting her."
Old Bai was quiet for a long time.
Then he looked to the others.
Lin Kuan crossed his arms. "He speaks madness… but I've seen his dedication. His pain. If it's a lie, it's a good one."
Madam Yue nodded. "He is no ordinary child, he has no reason to go through all that pain just to deceive us."
Old Zhou smiled faintly. "Told you. Strange one, this boy."
Old Bai looked at Adam again, and this time, his eyes softened—but only slightly.
"If it's true, you carry a burden no child should," he said quietly. "If you speak the truth… then Bai Village owes you more than I can repay."
Adam exhaled.
"I don't care about that," he whispered. "I just want you to live."
Old Bai stood and moved toward the hearth, placing another log into the fire. He stared into the flames as he spoke.
"Then we will test the truth. I'll delay the expedition. No word will leave this room. If what you say begins to unfold… then we'll act."
Adam nodded.
It was enough.
It had to be.