Gu Baizhou pressed his sword to the captive's neck."Name."
The black-robed man winced, pale and shaking, both hands clamped between his legs."I… uh…"
"I'll stop the bleeding first," Chongyun said calmly. He placed the flat of his own blade across the man's thigh; a breath of icy qi spilled out, freezing the wound numb and halting the flow.
"Name," Gu repeated. "I follow the law. Stay silent and I'll let the hilichurls feed you."
"Chang Ming," the man whispered, the chill in his gut turning to a deeper dread.
"Age?"
"Twenty-seven."
Gu leaned close, voice low and deliberate. "Timely treatment can save you. But if that wound stays wet too long… infection's no joke."
He wasn't a doctor, but fear did the work. The man's eyes glossed with rain and panic. "What do you want to know?"
"How does your group operate?"
"The church… we call it the Sea-God Cult," Chang Ming stammered. "Founded only months ago. We recruit merchants and rich youths—people down on their luck but with money—teach them 'mystic rites,' convince them the god hears their prayers. They give us coin, we grow."
"And the leadership?"
"Two founders. We call them Holy Apostles. One wields a Vision. The other… some other frightening power." He shivered. "The masked man in blue—you fought him—he's one of them."
So the cult was small and loose-knit. Gu had planned to bluff his way to answers; instead the man spilled everything at a single question.
"How should we handle him?" Gu asked Chongyun quietly as the rain drummed on.
"If the inn has a doctor, treat him first," Chongyun said, wiping rain from his face with a cupped hand of cold water. "Then we hand him to the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs."
Gu nodded and turned back. "Can you walk?"
"Doesn't matter—yes," Chang Ming muttered, wobbling to his feet. Gu offered a firm arm—perhaps a little too firm. No sympathy for an enemy.
They guided him down the slick trail. From the summit, Gu glanced toward Yaoguang Shoal: a dark-green-haired youth spun a glowing jade spear, a cyclone ripping through the sea-monsters below.
"Better keep training," Chongyun murmured.
Gu silently agreed.
Soon they reached the broken bridge. Gu hefted Chang Ming and leapt the gap; Chongyun followed close behind.
"You train often?" Chongyun asked, eyes bright with curiosity. "You move like someone who's practiced for years."
Gu only smiled. "Mm."
"That takes real discipline," Chongyun said with genuine admiration.
They hurried through the rain and finally returned to Wangshu Inn. Gu set the prisoner down under the eaves while cold mist gathered around Chongyun; ice crystals formed on his soaked robes and clinked to the floor.
"Need me to dry you off?" Chongyun offered. "It'll be cold."
"Please."
A biting chill swept Gu's body, drawing the damp from his clothes as frost fell in tiny shards. Having a Vision really was convenient.
They rode the rope-lift up. The moment they stepped off, the innkeeper Huai'an rushed over, worry etched on his face.
"You're safe. What happened? Who's this?"
"Injury to the lower body. We stopped the bleeding," Gu said evenly. "He's committed crimes, but we'll leave judgment to the authorities."
"I'll fetch the doctor. Go eat—your young friend already ordered." Huai'an darted off.
Gu left Chang Ming on a bench and entered the warm, bustling dining hall. Carved wooden tables nearly all full, steam and spice filled the air.
"Here! Over here!" Zhang Richu waved from a corner, grinning beside a table laden with fragrant dishes—matsutake meat rolls, almond tofu, pepper-scented chicken.
"I might have exaggerated your exploits a bit," the boy said with a mischievous smile. "The boss hurried to cook for you."
"Lying isn't good," Gu chided gently. "Next time, be careful."
"Oh." Richu nodded, then brightened. "Tonight a big caravan came in—deliveries for the Rock-Top Teahouse. First pick of the autumn tea leaves!"
"Let's eat," Gu said, picking up his chopsticks. The food was rich and perfectly seasoned. He thought of modern fertilizers and spices—how much better crops and cooking could be with them.
One step at a time. When the rain stops, we'll head to Liyue Harbor and see the wider world.
He didn't yet realize this rainstorm wasn't the cult's doing at all—but a long, unexpected deluge that would last for days.