Chapter 7: Fractured Blood

Lord Xue's puppet lunged, its patchwork body screeching like rusted metal. Lin Wei shoved Lin Mei aside, the puppet's clawed hand grazing his shoulder. Ice and decay seared his skin—a toxic mix of ghostfire and malice.

"Nephew," the puppet crooned, its voice a grotesque mimicry of Lord Xue's. "You've inherited her defiance. And her weakness."

Lin Wei's hand flew to the Moonlit Veil. The pendant burned, flooding his veins with a frigid clarity. The system's interface blared:

[Critical Threat: Lord Xue's Puppet (Core Formation Stage).]

[Recommended Action: Deploy Veil of Obscurity (Remaining Charges: 0/1).]

Damn it. He'd used the last charge escaping Thunder Valley's envoys.

Lin Mei staggered to her feet, her corrupted arm crackling with unstable ghostfire. "What's it talking about? Nephew?"

"Focus!" Lin Wei snapped, dodging another strike. The puppet's movements were erratic, fueled by resentment, but its Core Formation-level qi pressed down on them like a mountain.

Lin Mei hurled a bolt of ghostfire, the flames twisting into serpents that latched onto the puppet's limbs. It roared, thrashing as the fire corroded its decaying flesh.

"Now!" she shouted.

Lin Wei channeled qi into his mother's runes, still glowing faintly on the cavern walls. The system surged, translating their ancient script into a command:

[Silent Patriarch's Seal: Partial Activation.]

[Effect: Qi Suppression Field (Duration: 10 seconds).]

The puppet froze, its qi snuffed out. Lin Wei lunged, driving a dagger into its chest. Black ichor sprayed, but the puppet laughed.

"You think this kills me?" It gripped the blade, yanking him closer. "He'll remake you. Break you. Just like her."

A memory fragment pierced Lin Wei's mind—Lord Xue's face, contorted in rage, looming over his mother as she whispered a final incantation.

The suppression field faltered.

Lin Mei slammed her crystallized fist into the puppet's spine. Ghostfire erupted, engulfing it. "Wei! The runes—finish it!"

He hesitated. Activating the seal fully might reveal his connection to the Silent Patriarch. But the puppet's qi was regenerating, its wounds knitting with dark energy.

[System Override: Forced Compliance.]

[Reason: Hostile entity possesses critical intel on Host's lineage.]

The runes blazed. Lin Wei's qi surged uncontrollably, tearing through the Moonlit Veil's restraints. The cavern trembled as the seal activated fully, crushing the puppet into the ground.

"Traitor's blood," it hissed before dissolving into ash.

Silence fell. Lin Wei collapsed, blood trickling from his nose. The system's penalty flashed:

[Qi Depletion: 90%.]

[Temporary Cultivation Regression: Foundation Establishment (Early Stage).]

Lin Mei stared at him, her blue-veined arm smoking. "You… you're one of them. A Xue."

The walk back to the clan was suffocating. Lin Mei limped ahead, refusing to speak. The Soulroot Orchids weighed heavy in Lin Wei's pack, their starlight roots dimming as the spirit vein's corruption gnawed at them.

At the clan gates, Elder Qiang awaited, his gaze lingering on Lin Wei's bloodied robes. "Thunder Valley has declared war. They've allied with the Jade Sword Sect."

Lin Mei laughed bitterly. "Of course they have."

The elder's eyes narrowed. "And you, Wei? What secrets have you brought to our doorstep?"

Before Lin Wei could answer, a tremor shook the earth. The southern garden erupted in a geyser of corrupted qi—the spirit vein convulsing, its golden light now streaked with crimson.

[Spirit Vein Collapse Imminent: 6 days remaining.]

[New Task: Locate Silent Patriarch's Tomb (Reward: Clan-wide Qi Purification).]

Lin Mei turned to him, her eyes cold. "You'll fix this. Or I'll expose what you are."