Chapter 5: Veil of Thorns

The Frostferns' pollen hung in the air like frozen stardust, coating the Lin Clan's southern garden in an eerie silver sheen. Lin Mei paced the perimeter, her bandaged arm stiff at her side. The wound from the bandit's axe had stopped bleeding, but the skin around it glittered faintly—a side effect of the Frostfern residue she'd inhaled during their escape.

"It's not poison," she muttered, more to herself than to Lin Wei, who knelt beside a gnarled root. "Just… unstable qi resonance. Probably."

Lin Wei said nothing. The system's final task alert pulsed in his vision: [Protect Lin Mei: 47.5/48 hours]. Dawn approached, and with it, the end of his obligation. But the garden's spirit vein thrummed dangerously beneath them, its energy coiling like a serpent ready to strike.

"You're ignoring me again," Lin Mei snapped.

"I'm working," he lied, pressing his palm to the soil. The system's interface flickered:

[Spirit Vein Awakening: 22/100]

[Warning: Corruption detected. Stability at 68%.]

"Working on what? Killing our only viable herbs?" She gestured to the Frostferns, their roots now burrowing deep into the clan's foundations. "These things are devouring the garden. Look!"

She yanked a handful of withered Earthbloom stalks from the soil—their once-vibrant petals now gray and brittle. "They're sucking the life out of everything else. Whatever you planted isn't a cure. It's a parasite."

Lin Wei's hand tightened around the Moonlit Veil. The system hadn't warned him about this.

[Adjusting parameters.]

[New Task: Stabilize Spirit Vein (0/3 Soulroot Orchids required).]

He stood abruptly. "I need to go."

"Of course you do." Lin Mei blocked his path, her eyes blazing. "Running again? What's next—blaming the Jade Sword Sect for this too?"

A tremor shook the ground. The Frostferns hissed, their stems twisting toward the clan's ancestral hall.

Elder Qiang met them at the hall's entrance, his face ashen. "The sword… it's rejecting the formation."

Inside, the ancestral sword vibrated violently in its pedestal, its blade cracking the stone floor. The defensive runes meant to protect the clan now flickered a sickly green, their light warping the air.

"The spirit vein's corruption is merging with the sword's qi," Lin Mei breathed, her alchemist instincts overriding her anger. "We need to sever the connection before—"

The sword erupted in a burst of emerald flame. Lin Wei shoved her aside as a tendril of fire lashed out, searing the wall where she'd stood.

"Out! Now!" Elder Qiang barked.

But Lin Wei hesitated. The system's countdown flashed: [47.9/48 hours].

Protect Lin Mei.

He lunged for the sword, its hilt scorching his palms. The blade's qi raged against him, a tempest of grief and fury—decades of the clan's decline etched into its steel.

"Let go, you fool!" Lin Mei shouted.

"I can't!" The truth spilled out before he could stop it.

The system's final notification blared:

[Task Completed: Protect Lin Mei (48/48 hours).]

[Reward: Meridian Awakening Elixir (x3).]

A vial materialized in his pocket. The sword stilled.

Silence fell. The hall's runes dimmed, the corruption retreating into the sword's core. Lin Wei slumped against the pedestal, his hands blistered and raw.

Lin Mei stared at him. "You… stabilized it. How?"

"Luck," he rasped.

"Bullshit." She stepped closer, her voice trembling. "You knew exactly what to do. You always do. What are you hiding?"

Elder Qiang's cane clattered to the floor. Both turned.

The elder's gaze locked onto the Moonlit Veil pendant, now glowing faintly through Lin Wei's robes. "That pendant… Where did you get it?"

Lin Wei froze. His mother's final words echoed: "Never show it to anyone."

But the damage was done.

Uncle Tao found them moments later, his expression unreadable. "Thunder Valley's envoys have returned. They're demanding reparations for the viper ambush."

Lin Wei seized the diversion. "I'll handle it."

"No." Uncle Tao's smile chilled the air. "You've done enough. Elder Qiang and I will… discuss your recent heroics."

Lin Mei opened her mouth to protest, but Lin Wei silenced her with a look. Trust me, it begged.

She didn't.

That night, Lin Wei buried the Meridian Awakening Elixirs beneath the Frostferns. The system's reward was too dangerous to use openly—their potency would raise questions. Instead, he let the roots absorb the elixirs, their qi seeping slowly into the soil.

[Spirit Vein Stability: 45%]

[Corruption Contained: For Now.]

A rustle in the garden. Lin Mei emerged from the shadows, her infected arm glowing faintly blue.

"You're dying," he said bluntly.

She raised a vial of murky liquid—her latest alchemical attempt. "So are you. Secrets rot the soul faster than any poison."

He tossed her a Frostfern petal. "Grind this into your salves. It'll slow the infection."

"Why help me?"

"The clan needs you."

"And what do you need, Lin Wei?"

The Moonlit Veil pulsed, its secrets a weight too heavy to name.

[New Task: Secure Soulroot Orchids (0/3) from the Ghostfire Caverns.]

[Failure Penalty: Spirit Vein Collapse in 14 days.]

He turned away. "Get some sleep."

As he left, Lin Mei whispered to the dark, "I'll find out. Whatever you are, I'll find out."

In the ancestral hall, the sword hummed softly. Deep within its steel, a wisp of crimson qi stirred—Lord Xue's signature, buried there years ago. Waiting.

[Hidden Threat Detected: Ancestral Sword Corruption - 12%.]

The system's warning came too late.