Dustwind Sect did not collapse when Miyu entered the Inner Sanctuary.
That alone surprised everyone.
The barriers still held.
The formations still functioned.
The attendants still stood at their posts.
But something was missing.
Not power.
Certainty.
—
Liang Yuefeng stood at the edge of the outer training grounds, fingers clenched around the mission token in his hand.
Outer Disciple — Third Rank.
Mission: Scout and secure the Black Ridge Supply Route.
Threat Level: Yellow.
Normally, this would have been trivial.
Normally, the Ancestor's presence alone would have suppressed anything hostile within a hundred li.
Today, the air felt… heavier.
"Stop gripping it like that."
Lin Ruyin adjusted her sword strap beside him. She tried to sound calm, but her voice betrayed tension.
"You'll snap the token."
Liang exhaled slowly and loosened his hand.
"…Do you feel it too?" he asked.
Jin Haru, standing behind them with a spear that still looked too big for him, swallowed.
"Yeah. The world feels… loud."
None of them said the real thought out loud.
The Ancestor wasn't correcting things anymore.
—
At the command pavilion, Lucina stood with her arms crossed, eyes fixed on the departing team.
"This is a test," she said quietly.
Minn's tablet hovered beside her, its surface dark — no warnings, no predictions.
"First external mission since the Inner Sanctuary sealed," Minn replied. "Data reliability uncertain."
Aurelius rested his sword against the ground.
"If contamination exceeds tolerance, retreat immediately," he said. "Do not attempt heroics."
Jin Haru nodded so hard his helmet rattled.
"Yes, Senior Gatekeeper!"
Auntie Bao watched from the steps, hands folded in her apron.
"Come back clean," she said gently.
The words carried weight.
—
The Black Ridge lay only twenty li from Dustwind.
Too close.
That alone made Liang uneasy.
As they approached the narrow pass, the smell hit first.
Rot.
Blood.
Something metallic in the air.
Lin Ruyin slowed, raising her fist.
"Formation," she whispered.
They moved automatically — months of training under fear and discipline kicking in.
That was when they saw it.
The supply caravan lay overturned.
Dustwind insignia torn from the crates.
Bodies.
Three merchants.
One escort disciple.
The escort's eyes were still open.
Jin Haru gagged and turned away.
Liang forced himself to kneel.
The wound wasn't from a beast.
It was too clean.
Too deliberate.
"…This wasn't random," Lin Ruyin said, voice tight. "Someone wanted this route gone."
A sound echoed from the ridge above them.
Slow.
Clapping.
"Well done," a voice said lazily. "I was wondering how long Dustwind would take to notice."
Figures stepped out from the rocks.
Black armor.
Bone charms.
A foreign sect's markings — the Crooked Fang Lodge.
Liang's blood ran cold.
They were Red-ranked.
At least.
"You shouldn't be here," Liang said, forcing his voice steady.
The leader laughed.
"And you shouldn't be alive without your god cleaning the ground beneath your feet."
The words hit harder than any blade.
Lin Ruyin stepped forward.
"Retreat," she hissed. "Now."
The enemy leader tilted his head.
"Oh no. I don't think so."
The attack came instantly.
—
Steel clashed.
Jin Haru screamed as he was thrown backward, spear skidding across the dirt.
Liang barely blocked in time, arms screaming from the impact.
They were outmatched.
Badly.
Normally, this was where pressure would shift.
Where the air would straighten.
Where fear would vanish.
Nothing happened.
Liang realized something terrifying.
This was real combat.
No correction.
No silent protection.
Just them.
Lin Ruyin took a blade through the shoulder.
She didn't scream.
She kicked her attacker off and shouted, "Yuefeng! Decision! NOW!"
Liang's mind raced.
Fight and die.
Or run and let Dustwind lose the route permanently.
His jaw tightened.
"Smoke pellet!" he shouted. "Carry Jin!"
He slammed the pellet into the ground.
Gray mist exploded outward.
They ran.
Not clean.
Not heroic.
They ran bleeding.
—
They crossed back into Dustwind territory at sunset.
Gu Wenhai himself was waiting.
One look at them was enough.
He said nothing as healers rushed forward.
Aurelius's eyes darkened when he saw the wounds.
Lucina closed her eyes slowly.
Minn finally spoke.
"Mission result: Failure."
Silence fell.
Liang bowed deeply, forehead touching stone.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Without the Ancestor… we couldn't hold it."
Gu Wenhai placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No," the old man said quietly. "This is exactly why we sent you."
Liang looked up, confused.
Gu Wenhai's gaze turned toward the Inner Sanctuary.
"To learn what kind of sect we are… without her."
Far above them, within the sealed space,
Miyu slept.
And for the first time in a very long while,
Dustwind bled.