Yu Mei.
That was the name she gave them.
Just another orphan from the outer provinces. Quiet. Polite. Spirit root just strong enough to matter. A face easy to forget.
But Jiang Xuan hadn't forgotten.
He sat near the edge of the cliff path the next morning, staring at the rising mist below. His fingers absently traced the hilt of his sword, eyes distant.
She had stepped between him and Wei Zong. Calm. Sharp. Confident.
And familiar.
He didn't recognize her face.
But her presence—
It stirred something.
Like the echo of a memory he shouldn't have.
---
Yao Xi was assigned to the outer sect quarters by the southern training fields. Small, stone-roofed dorms with shared wells and worn practice dummies.
It wasn't glamorous.
But it was close enough.
From her window, she could see the trails leading toward the mountain ridge — where Jiang Xuan often trained alone. She studied his schedule carefully.
He was a creature of habit. Morning drills, solitary training, brief meals, and frequent disappearances deeper into the woods.
He spoke to no one but that timid boy, Lin Tao.
No friends. No attachments. Just silence.
He had always been like that… even at the end.
Even when the world burned.
She adjusted the ribbon in her hair — the crimson one. The same color as the robes her father wore the day Jiang Xuan killed him.
A reminder.
She would not forget.
---
That afternoon, the sect bell rang three times — signaling the start of core arts evaluation.
Disciples gathered in the central arena, a wide circular platform surrounded by stone seating. It was where juniors were tested for progress and chosen by inner sect instructors.
Yao Xi arrived quietly, blending in with the other newcomers.
Jiang Xuan stood alone, as usual, arms folded, his face unreadable.
Lin Tao nudged him. "Hey, that new girl — Yu Mei. She's strong, huh?"
"Maybe."
"She stood up to Wei Zong. That guy has a bad reputation. Even the elders keep a distance."
"She didn't flinch," Jiang Xuan said, mostly to himself.
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
The first tests began — sword forms, footwork, spiritual energy control. The elders watched from high above, murmuring among themselves.
When Yao Xi's name was called, a few turned their heads with vague curiosity.
She stepped into the circle calmly, unsheathing her blade with slow precision.
The elder on watch — an old man named Grandmaster Yao (no relation) — raised an eyebrow. "Yu Mei. Mid-tier root. Let's see your stance."
She didn't speak.
She just moved.
Her sword sliced the air once — smooth and quiet.
Then again. And again.
Each cut was perfect. Not flashy. Not wild. But sharp enough to feel through the wind.
The watching disciples leaned in.
One whispered, "That's not outer sect level…"
Even Jiang Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had seen thousands of sword strikes in the past five years.
But hers…
There was control in them. Not just training, but restraint. She was holding back.
On purpose.
And that made no sense.
Why hide skill in a public test?
Yao Xi stopped after ten strikes.
Grandmaster Yao rubbed his chin. "Form's clean. Too clean, for someone your age."
Yao Xi bowed politely. "I was trained by a wandering rogue before coming here."
The elder narrowed his eyes. "You ever kill?"
"Once."
That answer made a few disciples shift uneasily.
"Enemy?" the elder asked.
"Someone I once trusted."
The arena went silent.
The elder stared at her for a long moment, then waved her off.
"Next."
---
After the tests, Jiang Xuan stood alone near the old well by the peach grove, wiping his blade clean.
Yao Xi approached slowly, arms crossed.
"I didn't thank you," he said.
"For what?"
"For yesterday."
"You looked like you had it handled."
"Maybe."
"You don't talk much, do you?"
Jiang Xuan looked at her.
"You're hiding something," he said bluntly.
Yao Xi didn't blink. "So are you."
Neither of them moved.
A breeze passed between them.
And in that quiet, Jiang Xuan realized something strange.
He didn't feel guarded around her.
Didn't feel watched. Judged. Hated.
He just felt… unsettled.
And for some reason, that was worse.
----
Later that evening, Jiang Xuan returned to the training cliffs.
The sun had dipped low, bleeding gold and red across the clouds. Wind tugged at his sleeves. His blade lay across his lap as he sat on a boulder, unmoving.
He was thinking.
Or trying not to.
There were too many cracks forming.
Too many things that didn't add up.
His own strength — still growing, still shifting.
The voice — cold, faint, always there in the silence.
And now… the girl.
Yu Mei.
Everything about her felt off. Her strikes were too calm. Her answers too controlled. And yet, there was something deeper. Something that made him hesitate.
She reminded him of a place he'd never been.
Of a memory he shouldn't have.
---
Yao Xi watched him from the shadows of the trees, just out of his spiritual sense. He hadn't noticed her yet — not fully. But he would soon.
She could feel it.
The cultivation world was cruel, but it taught awareness fast. And Jiang Xuan, even in this early state, was far more perceptive than the elders realized.
She adjusted her sword strap and stepped into the clearing.
He didn't turn, but his hand curled slowly around his blade.
She raised a brow. "Expecting someone else?"
"No."
A pause.
"But I thought you'd wait until morning to stalk me again."
She smirked slightly. "Maybe I wanted to see how late you train."
"Curious?"
"Cautious."
Jiang Xuan stood, his gaze falling on her with quiet intensity. "Then what did you learn?"
"That you train alone. That you breathe like someone who's seen death. That your blade doesn't miss."
"Anything else?"
Yao Xi hesitated for just a second. "That you're scared of what you're becoming."
He didn't answer. His fingers twitched on the hilt of his sword.
Then he said, quietly, "So are you."
Their eyes locked.
And for a second — no wind, no sound, no world.
Just two souls, twisted by fate, balanced on the edge of something inevitable.
---
The next morning, Elder Wen summoned Jiang Xuan unexpectedly.
The inner chambers of the Fallen Star Sect were cool and dark, lit by spirit lanterns that floated without chains.
Jiang Xuan stood straight as Elder Wen gestured him closer.
"There's been an… incident."
Jiang Xuan said nothing.
"A spiritual beast near the south ridge killed three disciples last night. Their bodies were found drained — not eaten. Emptied."
"Empty how?"
"Qi stripped. Blood taken. Hearts missing."
Jiang Xuan's brows furrowed slightly. "That's not a normal beast."
"No," Elder Wen agreed grimly. "It's not."
He leaned forward.
"You're the only one who sensed demonic energy five years ago. You saw things the rest of us couldn't. If anything unusual stirs again… I want you to report it."
Jiang Xuan nodded. "You think it's the same as before?"
"I don't know. But I do know one thing…"
Elder Wen's eyes sharpened.
"This sect is being watched. From inside or outside, I can't say. But too much has changed too quickly."
He looked hard at Jiang Xuan.
"Stay alert."
Jiang Xuan left without answering.
But his thoughts were churning.
The beast. The voice. The sudden appearance of Yu Mei.
All of it felt tied together.
But to what?
---
In the lower quarters, Lin Tao burst into the mess hall with wide eyes. "Senior Brother Xuan!"
Jiang Xuan turned slightly as the boy scrambled over with a bowl of rice in one hand and a bamboo scroll in the other.
"You're on the list!" he said, waving the scroll.
"For what?"
"First-round qualifiers. The sect's Minor Challenge next week. They picked twenty outer disciples, and you're on it!"
Around them, other disciples whispered.
"Jiang Xuan's in the challenge?"
"He's not even inner sect…"
"Must've been that Nightfang kill…"
Lin Tao grinned. "You're gonna show them, right?"
Jiang Xuan didn't respond.
But across the room, sitting at a far table, Yao Xi looked up from her meal.
She hadn't expected the sect to test him so soon.
But maybe it was a good thing.
If the darkness inside him was close to awakening…
Then this Minor Challenge would pull it closer.
---
That night, Jiang Xuan sat in his quarters again, holding a single flame in his palm.
No spirit technique. No chant. Just flame.
It danced without heat.
It moved without wind.
He stared into it for a long time.
Until the voice whispered once again.
"Break the shell. Let me out."
He closed his fist.
The flame vanished.
----
End of Chapter 4