The rain came hard after curfew.
Not the steady kind that settled into the stone and softened edges, but sharp sheets that rattled shutters and drowned out smaller sounds. Lanterns guttered along the paths, light breaking and reforming in uneven pools. Guards pulled cloaks tighter and paced faster, eager to finish rounds and retreat indoors.
Zhou Wei welcomed the noise.
He moved when the last bell faded, slipping from the servants' quarters with nothing but a small satchel and the patience to wait. His breath fogged faintly in the cool air. The warmth inside him stayed tight and low, present without flaring, like a blade pressed flat against the spine.
Tonight was different.
He felt it in the way the sect's emotions sharpened instead of settling. Fear had edges now. Purpose threaded through it. Elder Zhang was no longer probing. He was acting.
Zhou Wei did not go to the south wall immediately.
That would be expected.
Instead, he took a looping path through the training grounds, letting rain soak his hair and robe until he looked like any other servant caught out late. He paused beneath an awning to wring water from his sleeves, listening. Footsteps. Two guards passing. Their talk was clipped and nervous.
"…orders changed again…"
"…told to watch the inner paths…"
"…not the south wall…"
Zhou Wei kept his head down until they moved on.
Good.
He cut across the gardens next, staying close to hedges and stone lanterns. Desire Sense stretched outward in thin threads, brushing against the night without snagging. He tasted Elder Zhang's intent clearly now. Focused. Predatory. A straight line drawn toward one point.
Mei Lin.
Zhou Wei changed direction immediately, angling toward the herb sheds instead of the storeroom. He arrived just in time to see a shadow detach itself from the far wall.
Zhang moved without lantern or escort.
That alone was proof.
Zhou Wei flattened himself against the wet stone and waited. The elder's footsteps were quiet, measured, practiced. He did not rush. He believed himself unseen. Protected by reputation and rank.
Protected by habit.
Zhou Wei followed at a distance, counting steps, tracking the sound of breath and fabric through the rain. He did not draw closer. Not yet.
Zhang reached the south wall and paused.
The storeroom door was dark.
Too dark.
Zhou Wei felt the flicker of irritation ripple through the elder, sharp and brief. Zhang raised a hand and placed it against the door, listening.
Inside, Mei Lin held her breath.
Zhou Wei felt it through the connection like a held note, thin and taut. Fear stirred, but it did not bloom. It stayed contained.
Good.
Zhang pushed the door open slowly.
"Mei Lin," he said softly. "I know you're here."
His voice was calm, almost gentle. It made Zhou Wei's jaw tighten.
"There's no need for this," Zhang continued, stepping inside. "You've misunderstood my concern. I only wish to guide you."
Zhou Wei crept closer, careful with each step. Rain masked his approach. The door remained ajar, lantern light spilling faintly across the wet ground.
Inside, Mei Lin stood near the back wall.
Zhou Wei could feel her clearly now. Fear spiked as Zhang entered, then steadied as she recognized the shape of the moment. This was it. No witnesses. No polite words left to hide behind.
"You shouldn't be here," Mei Lin said, voice tight but controlled.
Zhang smiled. "I'm exactly where I should be."
He took a step closer.
Zhou Wei waited.
Another step.
Mei Lin did not retreat.
"I asked for guards," she said. "You dismissed them."
Zhang's smile thinned. "I dismissed interruptions."
He reached out.
That was the line.
Zhou Wei moved.
He did not burst in. He did not shout. He kicked a loose stone near the doorway just hard enough to send it skidding across the floor with a sharp scrape.
Zhang froze.
Zhou Wei stepped into the doorway, rain-soaked and breathing hard, eyes wide as if startled.
"Elder," he blurted. "I didn't know you were here."
Zhang's head snapped toward him. Irritation flared, then something colder.
"What are you doing," Zhang demanded.
Zhou Wei swallowed, playing the part. "I heard voices. I thought there was trouble."
Mei Lin seized the opening.
"I asked him to come," she said quickly. "I didn't feel safe alone."
Zhang's fury spiked.
"You dared," he hissed.
Zhou Wei felt the control crack.
Zhang lunged.
Not at Zhou Wei.
At Mei Lin.
She reacted without thinking.
The Fallen Grace answered her instinctively, flaring just enough to twist her footing out of his grasp. Zhang's hand closed on empty air as she slipped past him, heart pounding, breath sharp.
Zhou Wei moved in the same instant, crashing into Zhang's side and driving him back a step.
"Guards," Zhou Wei shouted. "Help."
Zhang struck him.
The blow landed hard, a sharp burst of pain across Zhou Wei's ribs that stole his breath. He let himself stagger, fall to one knee, making the hit look worse than it was.
Mei Lin screamed.
Not in fear.
In outrage.
Guards appeared in the doorway, lanterns raised, eyes widening at the sight.
Zhang stood over Zhou Wei, hand still raised, expression caught between rage and calculation.
"What is the meaning of this," one guard demanded.
Zhang straightened slowly, smoothing his robe. "This servant interfered with discipline."
Zhou Wei stayed down, breathing hard, rainwater mixing with blood at the corner of his mouth.
Mei Lin stepped forward.
"He tried to take me," she said clearly.
Silence fell.
The words hung in the air, impossible to ignore now that they had been spoken.
Zhang's gaze snapped to her, murderous. "You will watch your tongue."
"I am," Mei Lin replied. "I'm choosing my words carefully."
More footsteps approached. Heavier. Measured.
The Heavenly Purity elder entered the doorway, rain sliding from his shoulders as he took in the scene with one glance.
"Explain," he said.
Zhang opened his mouth.
Zhou Wei spoke first, voice hoarse. "Elder Zhang dismissed the guards and entered alone. I followed because I feared misconduct."
The Heavenly Purity elder's gaze sharpened. "Is that so."
Mei Lin nodded. "Yes."
The Fallen Grace pulsed faintly inside her, steadying her spine.
The Heavenly Purity elder looked at Zhang.
"Step away," he said.
Zhang did not move.
That was his final mistake.
The Heavenly Purity elder raised a hand. Spiritual pressure slammed into the room, pinning Zhang in place. The elder's expression remained calm, but his eyes were cold.
"You are detained," he said. "Pending investigation."
Zhang struggled once, reflexive and furious. The pressure tightened. He gasped, then went still.
Guards moved in, binding him quickly.
Zhou Wei remained on the floor until it was done. When he finally pushed himself up, pain flared bright and real. This time, it was not an act.
Mei Lin was at his side immediately.
"Are you hurt," she whispered.
"I'm fine," he said. It was almost true.
The Heavenly Purity elder watched them both.
"You," he said to Zhou Wei. "You will give a full account."
"Yes," Zhou Wei replied.
His heart pounded, not with fear, but with the knowledge that something irreversible had just happened.
Elder Zhang was alive.
But his control was broken.
As the guards dragged Zhang into the rain, his gaze locked onto Zhou Wei's. Hatred burned there, raw and unmasked.
Zhou Wei met it calmly.
The night swallowed them as they left, rain washing blood and footprints from the stone.
Mei Lin exhaled shakily.
"It's over," she said.
Zhou Wei shook his head. "No. It's exposed."
That was worse.
And better.
Behind them, the sect buzzed awake, alarms ringing, authority scrambling to reassert itself. The net had closed, tight and visible now.
And Elder Zhang, stripped of silence and shadow, had nowhere left to hide.