The mist clung to their skin, heavy and damp, as though the valley itself was reluctant to let them pass. Lin Xun could feel the cold in his fingertips, in the quiet ache behind his eyes. Every sound was muffled, swallowed by the grey shroud.
The pale-eyed creature stood between them and the wall of black stone. It was motionless, its limbs drawn in like a coiled spring. Thin, sinewy, taller than any man, with joints that bent in ways that felt wrong to watch. Its eyes glowed faintly in the gloom, pale and unblinking, reflecting a cold light that had no source.
Shen Lan's hand rested lightly on her sword hilt. Her stance was relaxed on the surface, but Lin Xun could feel the ripple of her Qi, steady and focused, flowing through the air like a slow current.
Neither side moved.
The sunless leaves hung on the wall behind the creature, their dark green edges beaded with faint droplets, each leaf swaying as if to a wind that could not be felt. Lin Xun's breath clouded in the air. He shifted his weight, careful not to disturb the brittle frost coating the stones beneath his boots.
The creature's head tilted a fraction, a movement so smooth it seemed unnatural. Lin Xun's stomach tightened. He had seen wild beasts before, but this was different… its stillness felt intentional, almost patient.
Then it moved.
There was no warning sound, no intake of breath. One moment it was crouched, the next it was gliding forward in a blur, covering the space in a heartbeat. Shen Lan met it mid-stride, her sword flashing, the ring of steel striking something too hard to be flesh echoing through the mist.
Lin Xun stepped back, his senses sharpening. He could feel the way the creature's Qi moved, or rather, how it refused to move. It was stagnant, dense, pooling in cold currents that made the air feel heavier.
The clash of blade and claw was relentless. Sparks scattered from each strike, vanishing into the mist before they could fall. Shen Lan moved with precision, her footwork crisp and efficient, each cut placed with the intent to push the creature back. Yet it twisted away from her strikes with uncanny grace, its limbs bending at angles that made Lin Xun's skin prickle.
The wall and the leaves were close now. He edged toward them, eyes darting to follow the rhythm of the fight. Shen Lan's blade drew a thin line across the creature's arm, but no blood followed... only a faint wisp of grey mist curling from the wound.
The creature shifted suddenly. In one liquid motion it feinted toward Shen Lan, then turned sharply toward Lin Xun. He had only a breath to react, ducking low as claws swept the air above him. The cold they carried was sharp enough to sting his skin.
Shen Lan's voice cut through the haze, calm but commanding. "Stay behind me."
He nodded, but his eyes returned to the leaves. They were the reason they had come, and the reason the creature would not let them pass. The Qi within them was strange… deep, still, and faintly tied to the cold that bled from their opponent.
Shen Lan drove the creature back with a flurry of strikes. Her movements shifted subtly, her style loosening, trading precision for speed. She drew it away from Lin Xun, forcing it to guard rather than attack.
He took his chance.
Moving to the wall, he reached for the nearest leaf. The moment his fingers brushed it, a pulse of energy flowed into him, cool and steady. The link between the leaves and the creature sharpened in his mind. If he took too many, it might lash out with all it had left.
A hiss tore through the mist. The creature lunged for him again, this time with more weight behind its motion. Shen Lan intercepted, but the impact rattled the stones under their feet. Lin Xun plucked the leaves with deliberate care, slipping them into his pouch. Each one carried that same deep thrum of Qi, like the slow beat of a hidden heart.
The fight intensified. The creature's claws carved long gouges in the black stone, its movements faster now, less measured. Shen Lan's breathing was controlled, but Lin Xun could see the strain in her arms as she met each blow.
He took the last cluster of leaves he dared to harvest. The air seemed to tighten around them. The creature's eyes flared, its body blurring into a rush of motion that closed the gap between them in an instant.
Lin Xun's foot slipped on the damp stone. For a heartbeat he thought the claws would find him. Then Shen Lan stepped between them, her sword catching the strike and forcing it wide. She pivoted, her blade tracing a sharp arc that cut deep into the creature's side.
A sound erupted from it, not a roar, but a grinding shriek like stone breaking. Mist poured from the wound, curling upward and dissolving. The creature staggered, its limbs folding in on themselves, and then it faded… melting back into the mist until only emptiness remained.
Silence returned.
Lin Xun straightened slowly, his pulse still pounding. The pouch at his belt was warm now, the leaves inside alive with restrained power. Shen Lan lowered her sword, scanning the mist with sharp eyes.
"It will not return soon," she said quietly. "But we should not linger."
He nodded. The mist still felt too close, too heavy, as if watching them. Together they retraced their steps, leaving the black wall behind. Each step eased the cold from his bones, but the memory of it remained.
When the mist finally began to thin, the world seemed too bright. The pale light of the valley gave way to the softer gold of the late afternoon. Birdsong returned, faint at first, then stronger.
Lin Xun glanced at the pouch again. The Qi of the leaves pulsed faintly against his hip, steady and calm… yet carrying the faint echo of that unblinking stare.
"This tea will be powerful," he murmured.
Shen Lan's gaze met his. "Powerful… and dangerous. It must be brewed with care, and only for those who will not be broken by it."
They stepped beyond the edge of the valley, and the mist closed behind them as though sealing itself. The world felt wider now, yet Lin Xun knew a part of him was still steeping there in the Hollow Valley's shadows… alongside the pale-eyed creature that watched from within.
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