Chapter 63: Blood and Betrayal

The wind howled through the ravine, sending loose pebbles tumbling down the rocky slopes. Li Feng's pulse thundered in his ears as he scanned the campsite—Mei Lian was gone. The scroll, the one Yuexiang had left behind, was missing too.

Yan Shun's fury ignited instantly. "She's betrayed us," he spat, gripping the hilt of his sword. "I knew we couldn't trust her."

Li Feng clenched his jaw, refusing to accept it. "No. There's more to this."

Zheng Wei, still weak from his injuries, coughed as he sat up against a boulder. "Whether she meant to or not, she's put us all in danger. We need to find her before someone else does."

Yan Shun didn't wait for discussion—he was already moving. Li Feng and Zheng Wei exchanged a quick look before following after him into the darkness.

The tracks were faint but clear—a hurried pace, weaving through the trees. Mei Lian was running, but not from them. Li Feng's gut twisted. What are you doing?

After nearly an hour of relentless tracking, the path led them to a ruined shrine nestled deep in the mountain's grasp. Crumbling pillars stood like ancient sentinels, their surfaces carved with forgotten prayers. And there, at the base of the shrine's altar, stood Mei Lian.

But she wasn't alone.

A figure clad in black and crimson armor stood before her, his face half-shrouded by a hood. He held no weapon, but the air around him pulsed with barely restrained power. His voice was low, deliberate.

"You've come far, Mei Lian," the stranger said. "But you knew this moment would come."

Li Feng's breath hitched. The way he spoke… He knows her.

Yan Shun drew his blade. "Who are you?"

The figure barely spared him a glance. "Someone who remembers what she once was."

Mei Lian's hand clenched around the scroll, knuckles turning white. "I am not that person anymore."

"Then why did you come here?" The stranger's tone was almost amused.

Li Feng had heard enough. "Let her go," he commanded, stepping forward.

The stranger exhaled sharply, as if irritated by the interruption. "You misunderstand. She came to me."

Yan Shun's expression darkened. "So it's true. You were leading us into a trap."

Mei Lian turned sharply, her eyes flashing. "No! I was trying to protect us! If Yuexiang wanted us dead, she wouldn't have left that scroll. She's warning us about something far worse."

The man chuckled. "And yet, you ran straight into my hands."

Yan Shun took a step forward, blade gleaming in the moonlight. "Enough riddles. You're taking that scroll back to Yuexiang, aren't you?"

Mei Lian didn't answer.

"Then I guess we have nothing left to talk about," Yan Shun growled.

The battle erupted in a blur of motion. Yan Shun lunged at the stranger, his sword flashing through the night air. But the man dodged effortlessly, twisting aside and countering with a blast of crimson energy that sent Yan Shun skidding backward.

Li Feng didn't hesitate—he surged forward, the Coiled Dragon Ring pulsing with power. He swung his blade, but the stranger met him with his bare hands, deflecting the attack with unnatural precision.

"You rely too much on borrowed strength," the man taunted, before twisting and striking Li Feng's ribs with a force that rattled his bones.

Mei Lian hesitated for only a moment before stepping between them. "Stop!"

The man's eyes flickered toward her. "You don't get to hesitate anymore, Mei Lian. Choose."

Yan Shun, panting from the blow he had taken, wiped blood from his lip. "That's right. Choose. Because if you side with him—there's no coming back."

Li Feng watched Mei Lian closely, his heart pounding. He saw the war in her eyes, the conflict tearing her apart.

She had kept secrets. He had known that. But this… this was something else entirely.

Mei Lian's grip on the scroll tightened, her nails pressing against the parchment.

The stranger smiled. "I'll ask you again. Are you coming with me?"

For a moment, silence reigned.

Then, slowly, Mei Lian turned away from him and back toward Li Feng.

"No," she whispered.

The man sighed. "A shame."

With a flick of his wrist, dark energy rippled through the air. A hidden force erupted around them—figures leaping from the shadows. Yuexiang's agents had been waiting.

Steel clashed as Li Feng and Yan Shun fought side by side, their blades carving through the attackers. Mei Lian whirled, using both her agility and her fans to deflect blows as Zheng Wei, still weak, called forth protective incantations to shield them.

The stranger didn't move to fight. Instead, he watched, amused.

"You can't fight the past," he called over the battle. "It will always catch up to you."

Li Feng gritted his teeth, shoving an attacker back. He's toying with us.

Suddenly, the man's gaze locked onto Mei Lian. In a blur, he was upon her, seizing her wrist before she could react.

"You don't belong with them," he said softly.

Mei Lian met his gaze, her breath unsteady. "Maybe not. But I choose them."

The man's eyes darkened, then with a flicker of movement, he released her. "Then consider this your final warning."

With a sharp motion, he called his forces back. The battle ended as quickly as it had begun.

The remaining agents retreated into the darkness, leaving only the wreckage of the shrine behind.

Yan Shun's grip on his sword trembled. "Why did they leave?"

The stranger, now at a distance, met Li Feng's gaze. "Because you're already walking toward the abyss on your own." His gaze shifted to Mei Lian. "And she knows it."

With those final words, he vanished.

Li Feng exhaled sharply, his pulse still racing. He turned to Mei Lian, searching for answers. "What aren't you telling us?"

Mei Lian looked down at the scroll in her hands.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I think Yuexiang just gave us a clue to something much bigger."

Yan Shun sheathed his blade, his expression cold. "Then we better figure it out before it kills us."

A shiver ran down Li Feng's spine. The past is not done with us yet.

As they regroup, the scroll pulses again, its energy stronger than before. Mei Lian finally unrolls it fully, revealing something new—a message written in Yuexiang's own hand.

And it's addressed to Li Feng.