The storm arrived without warning.
Black clouds swallowed the moon, and thunder rolled like a living beast across the sky. Rain fell hard, soaking Li Shen as he ran toward the mountain path. He should have turned back—servants were forbidden to be outside during storms—but something pulled him forward.
The dragon statue loomed in the darkness.
Lightning flashed.
For a brief instant, Li Shen saw the dragon's face clearly. Not dead. Not broken. But watching.
Thunder split the heavens.
A bolt of lightning crashed down directly onto the statue. Stone exploded outward. Li Shen was thrown backward, pain tearing through his body as he slammed into the ground. His ears rang, and his vision blurred.
When the smoke cleared, the statue was gone.
In its place lay a jade slab etched with ancient runes, glowing faintly green.
Li Shen crawled forward, heart pounding. His hands trembled as he reached out. A sharp pain cut across his palm—he hadn't noticed the stone shard embedded in his skin.
Blood dripped onto the jade.
The world stopped.
The jade flared blindingly bright, and Li Shen screamed as a searing force surged into his chest. His veins burned like molten metal. Bones cracked. His heart felt as though it would explode.
Inside his mind, a vast darkness opened.
A massive jade vein pulsed within it, stretching endlessly.
A voice echoed, ancient and heavy with sorrow.
"Dragon blood detected.
Jade Vein of Heaven… reawakening."
Li Shen convulsed as memories that were not his own flooded his consciousness—roaring skies, chains forged of lightning, and dragons screaming as they fell.
Then everything went black.
When Li Shen awoke, the storm had passed.
The jade slab was gone.
In its place, a faint jade glow pulsed beneath his skin.