The rain began at midday.
It wasn't an aggressive storm, but a steady drizzle that soaked the forest leaves and filled the air with heavy humidity. Jiutian walked with his hood over his face, carrying Xiao Huli once more wrapped in his mantle, now with additional layers of spiritual silk woven with weak sealing runes.
—You slept the entire way —he murmured, unsure if she could hear him.
The Silent Moon Temple was unlike the other abandoned sanctuaries of the Mortal Realm.
This one was built from polished black stone, its pillars surrounded by lunar symbols carved with a precision that defied the passage of time. It had no doors. Only an archway covered in purple ivy.
As he crossed it, Jiutian felt a shiver run down his spine. It wasn't threat.
It was respect.
And recognition.
—This… is where the First Lunar Guardian fell —he murmured.
Xiao Huli, still in his arms, opened her eyes. Her gaze traced the pillars and the carved moons. She trembled. There was something about this place that made her want to cry.
She didn't know why.
Jiutian carefully set her down on the main altar, atop a white stone etched with the symbol of the Nine Celestial Tails.
And then…
the temple breathed.
Extinguished candles lit themselves.
The ground vibrated with a rhythmic pulse.
And from deep within the altar, a figure emerged, wrapped in blue shadows.
—Jiutian of the Celestial Realm —the figure said, its voice like a chorus of countless echoes—. And the bearer of the Forgotten Mark… finally returns.
Jiutian stepped forward, hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
—Who are you?
—I am the Guardian of the Lunar Echo. I was left here by the Clan of the Nine Tails when the war ended. I have been waiting… for her.
The figure pointed to Xiao Huli.
—She… doesn't remember who she is —Jiutian said—. She doesn't even know she was ever more than a beast.
—That is correct. Her soul was sealed. Her lineage hidden. Her memories fragmented and locked away to protect her… even from herself.
Xiao Huli lifted her head. Her body trembled slightly. Something within her recognized that voice.
—What do you want? —Jiutian asked.
—Nothing. I am only here to warn you.
The Guardian stepped forward. His eyes shone like twin moons.
—The seal on her soul is weakening. And when it breaks… the world will remember her name.
—And that's… dangerous?
—Not just for her. For everyone. For you.
Jiutian frowned.
—Protecting her has a price —the Guardian added—. You will be a target for those who wish to claim her, destroy her… or awaken her by force.
—I'm prepared —Jiutian said firmly.
—Are you? Even if it means defying your own father, the Jade Emperor?
Jiutian didn't answer.
He only looked at Xiao Huli.
She looked back at him.
And in that silent exchange… the decision was already made.
—
The Guardian raised his arm. A fragment of lunar jade floated toward Jiutian.
—Give this to her when she awakens. Only then… will she know who she was. And who she can become again.
The figure stepped back and faded into the shadows. The lights of the temple flickered… and everything returned to silence.
Jiutian knelt beside Xiao Huli, who had already fallen asleep again.
He took her small paw between his fingers.
—It doesn't matter who you were.It doesn't matter what your name will unleash.—I'll stay with you. Until the end.
Xiao Huli remained in her fox form, and though she didn't speak, her Qi stirred softly, like a river beginning to remember its course. The incident at the Lotus Echo Bridge had awakened more than a hidden power… it had awakened ancient echoes within her soul.
And that had not gone unnoticed.
Since then, Jiutian had felt invisible eyes watching them from among the trees. Not demonic, not human. Something older. Something quieter.