The group stood near the window, watching the white rain slowly cover the street. The drops shone faintly as they landed on the ground, making the stones look as if they were covered in snow. Wei Han watched the rain for a while before leaning closer to the window. "Something is strange about these drops." Lin Chen turned toward him. "What do you mean?" Wei Han pointed outside. "Look at that stone." Everyone followed his gaze. A small white drop had landed on the stone, but instead of flowing downward, it slowly moved upward. Another drop did the same.
Chen Yu frowned. "Did I see that wrong?" "No," Wei Han replied. "It's moving against the slope." He watched as another drop landed nearby. It gathered into a tiny bead and moved upward before suddenly stopping halfway. The drop trembled slightly, as if something beneath the stone were breathing. Su Yuan looked at it with concern. "What is that?" "I don't know. I need to take a closer look." Wei Han walked toward the entrance, but Lin Chen quickly stopped him. "Don't get too close." "I'll only examine one drop." Wei Han looked at him. "I won't stay outside for long." Lin Chen frowned. "We don't know what this rain can do. Don't take unnecessary risks." "I understand, but we need to find out why it's behaving this way."
Chen Yu stepped closer. "Can't you examine it from here? Why does it have to be your hand?" Qing Li glanced at him. "He's trying to investigate it, not admire it from a distance." "I'm just saying we should be careful." Wei Han ignored their exchange and looked back at Lin Chen. "I'll be fine. I'll only take a moment." Lin Chen hesitated before letting him go. "Be careful. Don't touch the rain directly." Wei Han nodded and stepped just beyond the roof. He crouched near one of the stones, keeping most of his body under the shelter. As he leaned closer to examine the drop, another fell from the roof and landed on the back of his hand. His colorful rings flashed faintly. Their light flickered once before disappearing. Wei Han quickly pulled his hand back and stared at them. "Wei Han?" Su Yuan called, noticing his reaction.
Wei Han raised his other hand and tried to activate the rings. Nothing happened.He tried again, but the rings remained dull. Lin Chen walked over. "What happened?" "The rain touched my hand." Wei Han turned his wrist, looking at the rings. "It seems to have affected them." "Can you still control them?" Lin Chen asked. Wei Han did not answer.He tried to summon the rings once more, but they remained still. Wei Han's expression grew serious. He could no longer control them.Wei Han lowered his hand and stared at the dull rings. "I can't control them." Lin Chen stepped closer. "Come back inside first."
Wei Han nodded and moved beneath the roof. He looked at his hand again and tried to summon the rings. Nothing happened. He took a slow breath and tried once more. This time, faint lights appeared around his fingers. The colorful rings slowly formed in the air, but before Wei Han could move them, they drifted away from his hand. One rose toward the ceiling, while another moved toward the window. Wei Han frowned and raised his hand. "Come back." The rings did not respond. He moved his fingers, trying to guide them, but they continued floating on their own. Chen Yu watched them with wide eyes. "Are they supposed to move like that?" "No," Wei Han replied. His voice was calm, but his expression had become serious. "They should be under my control."
One ring began rotating near the ceiling. Another moved toward the window, its light flickering between different colors. Soon, the other rings appeared around Wei Han, but none followed his movements. They turned in different directions, as if searching for something. Su Yuan stepped closer, then stopped when one ring suddenly passed in front of him. "Wei Han, can you stop them?" "I'm trying." Wei Han raised both hands and sent his spiritual energy toward the rings. For a moment, their lights grew brighter. Then they moved away from him again. Qing Li narrowed his eyes. "It seems they aren't listening to you anymore." "I can see that," Wei Han replied. Chen Yu looked from the rings to Wei Han. "Can the rain really do that just by touching your hand?" "I don't know yet. It may have affected the spiritual energy inside them." Lin Chen glanced toward the open entrance. "Then we should make sure none of us touches the rain."
Before anyone could answer, one of the rings suddenly stopped moving. It slowly turned toward the old execution grounds. Its light became steady, pointing in that direction as if it had found something. Another ring moved toward Hei Long. Hei Long noticed it and took a step back. "Why is it coming toward me?" The ring stopped a short distance from his chest. At the same moment, Hei Long's expression changed. He pressed a hand against his arm, where the mark had appeared after the red rain. A faint light began spreading beneath his skin. "Hei Long?" Su Yuan moved closer. "What's wrong?" "My mark..." Hei Long pulled back his sleeve. The mark was glowing faintly beneath his skin. Its light grew brighter, then dimmed before glowing again.
Xu Yang stared at it. That mark appeared after the red rain. Now the white rain has started, and it's reacting again. Either this is one very strange coincidence, or the different rains are connected. I'm leaning toward the second option. Coincidences usually don't come with glowing marks and floating rings. He looked at Wei Han's rings, then back at Hei Long's arm.The red rain left marks, the black rain messed with memories, and the blue rain forced people to tell the truth. Different effects, but perhaps the same source. If that's the case, the white rain must be doing something too. It isn't creating something new. It's waking something that was already there. Great. Just what we need. Another mystery that could possibly kill us..."Does it hurt?" Lin Chen asked. Hei Long shook his head, though his hand remained pressed against the mark. "Not exactly. It feels strange. Something is pulling at it." "Pulling?" Chen Yu repeated. "From where?" Hei Long looked toward the window. "I don't know."
Xu Yang followed his gaze. The white rain was still falling outside, and the street looked almost empty beneath its pale light. He couldn't see anything moving, yet the ring floating near Hei Long continued pointing directly at him. "Don't touch it." Xu Yang warned. He stepped between Hei Long and the ring, keeping a careful distance. "Wei Han, can you bring it back?" "I'll try." Wei Han raised his hand again. His fingers tightened as he gathered his spiritual energy. The rings flickered, and for a brief moment, they seemed to move toward him. But before he could pull them back, they stopped and turned away.
Wei Han lowered his hand, his expression growing more serious. "I can't control them. They're reacting to something." "Something outside?" Yan Luo asked, glancing toward the execution grounds. "Possibly," Wei Han replied. "But I can't be certain." Chen Yu looked at the ring pointing toward Hei Long. "Then why is that one pointing at him? Is the rain trying to tell us something?" Qing Li crossed his arms. "Or it's trying to lead us somewhere. We shouldn't follow it without knowing what we're dealing with." "Agreed!" Chen Yu said. He looked at everyone. "Stay away from the rain, and don't approach the rings. We don't know what will happen if they touch anyone."
Xu Yang moved closer to Hei Long, watching the mark beneath his skin. It pulsed again, and Hei Long's fingers tightened around his sleeve. Something is connecting all of this. The rings, the mark, and the execution grounds. If the rain is making them react, then maybe it isn't the cause. Maybe it's just a trigger. Something was already there, waiting for the right moment to wake up. And judging by Hei Long's face, I really didn't want to find out what it was...
Wei Han's colorful rings continued turning in the air, their faint light shifting across the wooden walls. One ring pointed toward the old execution grounds, while another remained fixed on Hei Long. Wei Han raised his hand and moved two fingers, trying to guide them, but the rings ignored him. His brows drew together slightly. Outside, the white rain tapped against the roof, its sound growing faint beneath the silence inside the house. Chen Yu leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched the rings. "I have been trying to understand something. Are those rings following your commands, or have they decided you are no longer needed?" Wei Han lowered his hand and glanced at him. "They usually follow my commands." "Usually?" Chen Yu leaned back, shaking his head. "That is not looking good."
Qing Li rested his hand on the table and tilted his head as one of the rings passed close to Wei Han's shoulder. "Perhaps they have found something more interesting than their master." "You sound pleased!" Wei Han replied. "I am only wondering how it feels to be ignored by your own spiritual treasures." Yan Luo let out a quiet laugh. He glanced at Qing Li, who immediately turned toward him. "Something amusing?" "Nothing." Qing Li narrowed his eyes slightly. "You are smiling." Yan Luo lowered his gaze, hiding the faint curve of his lips. "Am I?"Yan Luo's expression returned to its usual calm, though a faint smile remained on his lips.
Qing Li noticed it and looked away, reaching for his cup as if he had not seen anything. Hei Long stood a little behind them, his gaze moving briefly between the two before settling on Wei Han's rings. When he noticed Qing Li's cup was nearly empty, he reached for the teapot and quietly moved it closer. Qing Li glanced at him, then gave a small nod. "Thank you." Hei Long nodded in return. "You have hardly touched your tea." Qing Li paused with his fingers around the cup. "I didn't know you were paying attention." Hei Long's hand stopped beside the teapot. "I wasn't." His reply came a little too quickly.
Qing Li studied him for a moment, then poured himself another cup without saying anything. Just as he lifted it, a faint scratching sound came from behind the wall. Chen Yu froze, his cup still near his lips. He slowly lowered it and turned toward the sound. "Did you hear that?" Lin Chen followed his gaze, his hand resting near his sword. "What did you hear?" Chen Yu pointed toward the wall. "Something is scratching against it." He leaned forward slightly, listening.
For a moment, there was nothing. Then the slow scraping sound came again. Chen Yu immediately looked at Lin Chen. "There. You heard it this time, didn't you?" Lin Chen turned his attention fully toward the wall, while Su Yuan set his cup down and listened as well. "Perhaps a branch is rubbing against it," Su Yuan said, though his eyes remained fixed on the wooden boards. "The trees are close to the house." Chen Yu glanced toward the window, then back at the wall. He shifted his stool a little farther from it. "Then I hope it is only a branch."
The scratching started again, moving from one end of the wall to the other. Everyone turned to follow the sound. Lin Chen rose from his seat, keeping his attention on the wooden boards. The sound was too steady to be a branch. It was like fingernails dragging across the wood, stopping briefly before continuing. Yan Luo stood as well, his hand settling on the hilt of his weapon. "The trees outside do not reach this wall." Qing Li turned toward him. "You checked the surroundings?" "Before we came inside." Yan Luo shifted his gaze toward the window, then back to the wall. "There was nothing near it." "And you found nothing unusual?" Qing Li asked. Yan Luo shook his head. "Nothing unusual." Qing Li looked at the wall as another faint scrape travelled across it. "Then perhaps something unusual has found us."
Yan Luo glanced at him but said nothing. The scratching stopped. For a moment, the room fell silent. Then three slow strokes sounded from directly behind Su Yuan. Scrrk. Scrrk. Scrrk. Su Yuan stiffened. His fingers tightened around the edge of the table before he quickly turned around. The wall behind him looked exactly as it had before. He stood and took a step away from it, his face tense. "It was right behind me." Hei Long moved closer, placing himself between Su Yuan and the wall. "Did you see anything?" Su Yuan shook his head, still watching the wooden boards. "No. But it sounded as though someone was standing on the other side."
Chen Yu quickly looked at the empty space beside him. "Perhaps you should stand over here instead." Su Yuan turned to him. "You were standing there just now." Chen Yu glanced down at his stool, then moved it farther away from the wall. "And I have decided it is a poor place to stand." Qing Li looked at him, one eyebrow slightly raised. "At least you have learned something." "I would have preferred to learn it somewhere else." Chen Yu had barely finished speaking when a whisper came through the wall. [Don't turn around.]The words were so close that everyone froze.
Su Yuan's hand tightened around his cup. It slipped slightly, but Hei Long caught it before it could fall. Su Yuan quickly steadied himself and looked at the others, "I didn't say that." Chen Yu turned toward him. "No one accused you." "But that was my voice." Su Yuan shook his head, still staring at the wall. "I heard it clearly. It sounded exactly like me." Wei Han raised his hand as his rings slowly stopped moving. Their light dimmed, leaving the room darker. Lin Chen glanced at Su Yuan. "You are certain you didn't speak?" "I am certain." Su Yuan placed his cup on the table and moved farther away from the wall. "I wouldn't say something like that."
Before anyone could reply, a scratching sound came from above them. Everyone looked up as it travelled across the ceiling, passing from one wooden beam to another. A little dust fell onto Chen Yu's shoulder. He brushed it away and stepped aside. "It has moved to the ceiling now?" Qing Li followed the sound with his eyes."It seems unwilling to leave us alone." Chen Yu gave him a troubled look. "I would be grateful if it chose to leave us alone." Lin Chen drew his sword and watched the beams. The scratching stopped for a moment, then began again above them. He lowered his gaze toward the wall. "It may be trying to draw our attention away from something else."
Chen Yu immediately stopped looking up. "Then I shall not look anywhere it wants me to." There was a dark spot appeared on the wall. Xu Yang noticed it first. It looked like a drop of water, but slowly spread across the boards, forming the shape of a palm. Five long fingers appeared one after another. Xu Yang's ears twitched as he stared at it. "What is that?" Chen Yu asked, taking a step back. Wei Han approached the wall but stopped before reaching it. "Don't touch it." Another dark spot appeared beside the first, followed by a third. More began to form until the wooden boards were covered with pale, water-soaked handprints. Their palms were narrow, and their fingers unnaturally long. Each one faced inward, as though someone on the other side had pressed their hands against the wood.
Su Yuan stumbled backward and nearly struck the table. Hei Long caught his arm and steadied him. "Careful." Su Yuan nodded, his eyes fixed on the strange prints. Hei Long released him and reached for his sword. Qing Li slowly set his cup down. "Those hands are too long to belong to ordinary people." Yan Luo moved closer to him, keeping one hand near his sword. "Stay back from the wall." Qing Li glanced at him. "I know." Hei Long noticed Yan Luo standing beside Qing Li. His grip tightened briefly around his sword before he turned his attention back to the handprints.
Xu Yang watched as more appeared across the wall, one after another. His ears twitched as he studied their positions. So they aren't random marks. They're appearing in a pattern. If this were a cultivation novel, I'd expect some kind of hidden formation. But why would anyone need a formation just to make a wall look frightening? Unless the wall itself is hiding something... He shifted his hands and looked toward the faint spaces between the marks. I really hope this isn't one of those situations where touching the wrong thing triggers a trap. I've read enough stories to know that the person who says "Let me take a closer look" is usually the first one to suffer...
Wei Han raised his hand and tried to steady it, but the ring continued to tremble. "Something is there." he said. Chen Yu looked from the ring to the wall. "Behind it?" "I cannot tell. I can only feel its presence through the rings." Lin Chen stepped closer to him. "Can you sense whether it is trying to come inside?" Wei Han stared the trembling ring. "I don't think it needs to come inside." No one answered. A low creak came from the wooden boards. The handprints began to move. One long finger dragged slowly downward, leaving a wet trail behind it. Another hand shifted sideways, and several palms pressed harder against the wood. The boards bent inward with a faint groan.
Su Yuan stared at them, his expression changing. "Those hands..." Hei Long turned toward him. "What is it?" Su Yuan swallowed and took another step back. "They look as though they are trying to hold something back." Xu Yang's ears twitched. Before anyone could ask what he meant, the scratching stopped. Every hand became still. Even the sound of the rain seemed to fade. Lin Chen kept his sword raised, watching the wall. Chen Yu slowly moved closer to the others. "Don't lower your guard." A faint sound came from behind them.[You finally brought enough of them.] Everyone turned at once. There was nobody there.
Yan Luo was the first to move. He began checking the room, his hand still resting on his sword. "Stay here. I will make sure no one has entered through another door." Lin Chen nodded and kept his eyes on the place where the voice had come from. Yan Luo moved along the walls, checking each window and the wooden entrance before making his way toward the far end of the room. He examined the corner carefully, then stopped beside a hanging cloth that covered part of the wall. Something about the shape behind it caught his attention. He lifted the cloth slightly with the tip of his sword and revealed a narrow doorway. He frowned and stepped closer. "There is another door here." Lin Chen immediately turned toward him. "Another door?" Yan Luo pushed the cloth farther aside, revealing the entire doorway. It was old, with dark wooden boards and a narrow frame.
The door stood slightly open, leaving a thin gap through which a faint white light could be seen. Yan Luo stared at it for a moment before looking back at the others. "Was this here when we entered?" Lin Chen walked toward him, studying the doorway. "Does anyone remember seeing it?" Su Yuan shook his head. "I didn't notice any other room." Chen Yu came closer and looked from the doorway to the hanging cloth. "There was only one room when we came in. I remember checking the place. This wall was empty." He pointed toward the doorway. "There was no door here." Wei Han glanced at the wooden frame, "I don't sense any change in the surrounding spiritual energy, but this place feels different." Qing Li approached the doorway, his steps slowing as he neared the threshold. He stopped before crossing it and held his hand near the opening.
A moment later, he drew it back. "The air inside is cold." Yan Luo looked at him. "How cold?" "Colder than outside. Much colder." Qing Li rubbed his fingers together,"It feels as if the room has been sealed away for many years."Before anyone could answer, a scraping sound came from beyond the doorway. It was slow and uneven, like someone dragging a chair across the floor. Everyone turned toward the sound. Chen Yu moved closer to Lin Chen, lowering his voice. "Tell me that is another branch rubbing against the wood." Lin Chen gave him a brief look. "Do branches drag chairs?" "I was hoping you might have a better answer." Yan Luo raised his sword and pushed the hanging cloth aside. He carefully opened the door a little farther.
The small room beyond was now clearly visible. An old table stood in the middle, with a candle and several bowls arranged on top. A single chair stood beside the table. The pale light came from the candle, but the room looked as though no one had entered it for years. Dust covered the table and gathered in the corners of the floor. Wet footmarks marked the dusty floor.The wet footmarks crossed the dusty floor, leading straight to the table. Wei Han crouched to examine one of them. "These were made recently." Lin Chen followed the trail with his eyes. "Someone entered the room."
Chen Yu looked toward the chair. "Then where did they go?" The footmarks stopped beside it. There wasn't a single mark leading away. Yan Luo glanced around the room, keeping his sword ready. "There's no other way out." Su Yuan frowned at the empty chair. "So whoever came here is still here?" "Perhaps." Qing Li replied, his eyes fixed on the seat. Chen Yu took a small step back. "I'd rather not find out." Just then, Su Yuan noticed the candle on the table. He leaned forward slightly, then stopped. "Wait. Is that candle burning?" Lin Chen turned toward it. "What's strange about that?" "Look at the wick. It's completely underwater."
Everyone looked at the candle. A small bowl had been placed around its base, filled to the rim with clear water. The wick was submerged, yet the flame continued to burn above the surface. Chen Yu stared at it, then looked at Wei Han. "How can a candle burn underwater?" Wei Han studied the flame without moving closer. "It should not be possible." Qing Li's expression grew serious. "Perhaps it was never meant to burn." Yan Luo kept his sword raised as he watched the empty chair. "Do not enter the room. Something is waiting there." A faint creak came from beside the table.
Everyone's attention shifted to the chair. Its legs scraped softly against the floor as it slowly moved backward, as if someone invisible had just sat down. Xu Yang's ears flattened. No one moved for a moment. Even the candle flame remained perfectly still. Then Xu Yang took a step forward, placing himself between the doorway and the others. "Everyone, stay back." Yan Luo did not lower his sword. "There is something in that room."
Xu Yang turned away from the doorway and returned to the window. He climbed onto the edge of a nearby stool and pushed the curtain aside just enough to look outside. Several figures stood in the street beneath the white rain. They were dressed like villagers, wearing the same plain robes and outer garments he had seen earlier. None of them moved. Their bodies remained perfectly still as the rain fell over their heads and shoulders. All their faces were turned toward the abandoned house. Xu Yang's ears lowered. "There are people outside."
Lin Chen immediately came to the window. Chen Yu joined them and peered through the narrow gap. At first, he seemed confused. Then his eyes widened, and he leaned closer to get a better look. "Wait... I know them."