Episode 15: Ripples Across the Qi Dynasty
Part One – The Silence After the Storm
The silence that followed the fall of the Forgotten King was not one of peace, but of a deep and unsettling weight.
The frozen ground of the demon sect headquarters still trembled faintly, carrying echoes of the battle that had shaken the entire Qi Dynasty. Frost and shattered stone littered the ruins, walls that once stood proud now reduced to dust and fractured pillars. The air, heavy with the residue of killing intent and demonic qi, clung stubbornly to the lungs, refusing to disperse.
Xiao Kai stood at the center of the desolation, his robes torn, streaked with blood, though not all of it his own. His breath came out slow, steady, but his eyes were not calm. They were sharp—filled with that unshakable will that had carried him through every impossible storm. Behind him, Cheng Xiao, Du Fan, and Li Han Xiao staggered back to their feet, their expressions pale from both exhaustion and awe.
None of them spoke. There were no words to capture what had just transpired.
The Forgotten King—a figure of myth, dread, and sealed ancient history—had risen only to be struck down once more. What should have been impossible had become reality before their very eyes. Yet, the four young cultivators knew a chilling truth: this was not the end. The King's fall had not erased the danger—it had awakened something deeper, darker.
A crow cawed above, its wings slicing through the thick mist like a warning omen. Cheng Xiao finally broke the silence.
> "It feels… too quiet."
Xiao Kai didn't turn to face her. His gaze lingered on the ground where the Forgotten King had fallen. A faint mark, a scar burned into the earth, pulsed like a sealed wound. He narrowed his eyes.
> "Quiet doesn't mean safe," he murmured. "It means the world is holding its breath."
Du Fan let out a bitter laugh, clutching his arm where blood had seeped through his sleeve.
> "After a battle like that, even the heavens are afraid to make a sound. I thought we came here to root out the demon sect's schemes, not to unleash forgotten monsters."
Li Han Xiao's eyes swept the ruins nervously.
> "Do you think the sect masters… the clans… even the royal dynasty will stay silent about this? Word will spread faster than we can imagine. The name Xiao Kai will shake the continent by tomorrow morning."
For the first time since the dust settled, Xiao Kai looked at them, his lips curling into a thin smirk.
> "Let it spread."
His voice was low, almost daring. But behind that smirk, none of them could see the weight pressing on him—the secret he carried, the orb that pulsed faintly within his dantian, hidden from every eye. It had been the difference between survival and death, but he would never reveal it. Not yet.
By the time the four left the shattered battlefield of the demon sect branch, whispers were already spilling across the Qi Dynasty like wildfire.
Messengers from hidden clans darted across mountain passes. Shadow agents of rogue sects carried fragmented stories to their masters. Traders in the city markets murmured of thunder and fire splitting the heavens somewhere far north, while wandering cultivators swore they felt the ground tremble beneath their feet hundreds of li away.
And all the rumors carried a single name: Xiao Kai.
---
In the Qi Dynasty Capital – Azure Court
The imperial palace of the Qi Dynasty was no stranger to news of bloodshed. Yet when the Grand Chancellor laid the latest reports before the Dragon Throne, even the Emperor himself leaned forward, eyes darkening with unease.
The hall was vast, lined with golden dragon columns, and filled with courtiers whose whispers died the moment the Emperor raised a hand.
> "The Forgotten King…" the Emperor muttered, his voice steady but weighted with disbelief. "Sealed for centuries… awakened, and slain in the same breath. And this was the work of a boy barely past his youth?"
The Grand Chancellor bowed low.
> "Not alone, Your Majesty. He traveled with three others. But… every account agrees—Xiao Kai stood at the center. His name is now being spoken with fear, reverence, and doubt alike."
A murmur swept the hall.
> "Fear?" one minister scoffed. "If he truly felled such a being, should we not see him as a savior?"
> "Or a threat," another countered sharply. "Power that can end a king of old can end dynasties. Today, he struck down the Forgotten King. Tomorrow, what will stop him from striking down an emperor?"
The Emperor's gaze silenced them both. He sat back against his throne, eyes narrowed in thought.
> "Send envoys to the Azure Dragon Sky Sect," he commanded at last. "We must measure the boy with our own eyes. If he is a blade, we must decide whether to sheath him… or wield him."
The order sent a chill through the court.
---
In the Azure Dragon Sky Sect
At the same time, the sect elders gathered once more, their council chamber dim under lantern light. Master Yi Tianlei sat at the head, expression unreadable as he listened to the frantic voices around him.
> "The dynasty knows!" one elder exclaimed. "By dawn, every clan will know. This is no longer a sect's matter—this is the realm itself shifting!"
> "And what of the Demon Sect?" another pressed. "Their branch is broken, their schemes interrupted. Do you think they will remain silent while their enemies sing of Xiao Kai's triumph? They will answer with blood."
The room's tension pressed like a mountain.
But Master Yi Tianlei lifted a hand, silencing them. His gaze drifted to the empty seat meant for Xiao Kai, and a faint, wry smile tugged at his lips.
> "You all speak of fear. Of chaos. Of war. But have you forgotten? Every upheaval in history has been written by the hand of someone who dared to stand where others fled. Xiao Kai is that hand."
Some nodded reluctantly, others frowned.
Yet deep in his heart, even Yi Tianlei wondered: would Xiao Kai's hand write salvation… or ruin?
---
The Demon Sect – In the Shadows
Far away, beyond the sight of imperial spies or sect elders, the remnants of the Demon Sect writhed in fury.
The Crimson Alchemist sat in a cavern lit by blood-crystal torches, his robes shredded from battle, his expression twisted with rage and dark excitement. Before him knelt dozens of masked disciples, trembling in fear of his murderous aura.
> "The King fell," one dared to whisper.
The Alchemist's laughter cracked like thunder, echoing through the chamber.
> "Fools! Do you think a king of forgotten ages dies so easily? What was struck down was only his shell. His essence lingers, and it will grow. Xiao Kai has not slain our king—he has only hastened his awakening."
He rose, spreading his arms as black qi surged around him.
> "Let the boy's name spread! Let the world raise him high! The higher they lift him, the greater his fall will shatter them all. For every legend becomes a curse in the end…"
The disciples bowed, their voices trembling in unison.
> "For the Sect. For the King."
And so, even in defeat, the Demon Sect plotted in silence, their gaze fixed firmly on the boy whose name now ruled every whisper.
The ripples of the Forgotten King's fall had spread. Some saw Xiao Kai as a savior, others as a threat, still others as prey. And in the midst of it all, Xiao Kai himself walked on, unaware—or perhaps uncaring—of the storm gathering across the land.
Part Three – The Return to Jade Willow Village...
The sun was setting when Xiao Kai and his companions finally stepped out of the Qi Mountains' jagged embrace. The underground city, the blood mist, the echo of coffins breaking—it all felt like a dream buried beneath their boots. Yet none of them could ignore the faint hum still clinging to the air, a memory of the Forgotten King's aura that refused to fade.
For miles, silence followed them. Even Cheng Xiao, normally quite and wary of her environment, walked with her sabers sheathed and her gaze lost in thought. Du Fan's hands never left his daggers, his instincts refusing to settle. Li Han Xiao dragged her halberd behind her, sparks flickering where steel kissed stone, as though daring another enemy to rise.
But Xiao Kai… Xiao Kai carried himself differently.
His golden eyes were now calm back to his normal eyes color, his breath even, yet his palm remained pressed subtly against his chest—over the hidden orb that pulsed faintly in rhythm with his heartbeat. It had saved them all, but at a cost only he could feel. Each time he drew on it, the orb's whispers grew louder, hungrier.
The road ahead bent, and through the trees, a small cluster of rooftops emerged: Jade Willow Village.
---
A Return Too Quiet
The village had always been humble. Mudbrick homes, smoke rising from cooking fires, children chasing chickens through the dusty streets. But as the four drew near, a strangeness prickled their senses.
No laughter.
No market cries.
Only silence.
Cheng Xiao surprised, one hand drifting to her saber.
> Cheng Xiao: "Where are the villagers? At this hour, the fields should be full."
Du Fan crouched, pressing two fingers to the dirt road. His sharp eyes tracked faint scuffs, drag marks, and… blood.
> Du Fan: "Something's wrong. The ground's too disturbed. These aren't farm tracks—they're footprints, too many at once."
Li Han Xiao gripped her halberd tighter, her usually steady breathing shallow.
> Li Han Xiao: "We just left a battlefield. Don't tell me we're stepping into another."
Xiao Kai didn't answer. He moved forward, step by step, until they stood in the center of the village square.
The well was overturned. Doors splintered. Ash clung to broken beams where fire had licked but not consumed. And on the wall of the elder's house, painted in jagged crimson strokes, were words that made even Xiao Kai's chest tighten:
"The King remembers."
---
Echoes of a Warning
Before they could speak, a cough sounded from the shadows. An old man stumbled out from a collapsed barn, his robes torn, face bruised, eyes clouded with exhaustion.
> Elder Ming (whispering): "Xiao Kai… you returned…"
Cheng Xiao rushed forward, supporting him before he fell.
> Cheng Xiao: "Elder Ming! What happened here? Who did this?"
The old man's lips trembled.
> "Masked ones… cloaked in shadow. They came at dawn. Said the village hid something belonging to their master. When we resisted, they took the children… burned what they could not carry…"
His hand gripped Xiao Kai's wrist with surprising strength for his frail body.
> "They left that message for you, boy. They knew you would return. The King remembers… and he will not forgive."
The elder's hand slipped, his strength leaving him as unconsciousness claimed him and Xiao Kai tried his possible best to heal him but to no avail.
For a long moment, none spoke. The fading sunset painted the ruins in a blood-red glow, as though the heavens themselves mocked them.
---
Choices in Ashes
Li Han Xiao slammed the butt of her halberd into the dirt and speak to Xiao Kai in a concerning manner.
> Li Han Xiao: "They're after you, Xiao Kai. First the coffin, now the village. If they keep tracking your path to get you down, how many more will burn?"
Cheng Xiao snapped back, eyes fierce.
> Cheng Xiao: "Don't you dare! He's not the one lighting the torches—it's the Demon Sect! If not for him, we'd all be corpses in that city!"
Du Fan, silent until now, spoke in a low, measured tone.
> Du Fan: "Both of you are right. His path draws fire. But without walking it, none of us would still breathe. The question is—do we keep walking with him?"
Their words hung heavy, each one striking deeper than steel.
Xiao Kai finally lifted his gaze from the crimson letters on the elder's wall. His expression was unreadable, but his voice carried a calm certainty.
> Xiao Kai: "They wanted to break me with this. To make me doubt. To make me turn away. But if I stop now, every life lost means nothing. If you wish to fight,let them do so. But I wont stop fighting until my last breathe."
The silence stretched, broken only by the crackle of dying fires.
One by one, Cheng Xiao, Du Fan, and Li Han Xiao stepped closer, standing beside him.
> Cheng Xiao: "If you think I'll let you face this alone, you're a bigger fool than I thought."
Du Fan: "I follow shadows. Yours is the only one worth walking in."
Li Han Xiao (gruffly): "…Tch. Just don't expect me to stop complaining about it the demon's sect are going way too far."
Xiao Kai's lips curved into the faintest of smiles.
Together, they turned toward the blood-written warning.
---
A New Hunt Begins
> Xiao Kai (quietly): "The King remembers. Then let him remember this too—we are coming."
And so, from the ashes of Jade Willow Village, the four friends began their next march. Not to flee. Not to hide. But to fight demons.
The Demon Sect thought themselves shadows in the dark. But Xiao Kai's fire was no longer something that could be hidden.
It would burn until every shadow was gone...
Next episode arrival of the four friends back to the sect...
What happens next👇👇👇