A Whisper In The Dark

The air grew heavier as Bai Lu moved through the trees, each step drawing her closer to the disturbance.

Then, she heard it.

A whisper, faint yet unmistakable.

Not a voice, but something more insidious—like wind through hollow bones, like the rustling of leaves where none should move.

She halted, her grip on her sword tightening.

The figures ahead had stopped. They stood motionless in the moonlight, their faces obscured by hoods, their presence unnatural.

For a long moment, silence stretched between them. Then, one of the figures tilted its head slightly.

"You are not meant to be here," a voice murmured, low and calm.

Bai Lu's expression remained unreadable. "Neither are you."

Another pause. Then, the air rippled—an unseen force pressing outward. Not an attack, but a warning. A test.

Bai Lu didn't flinch.

She had no intention of retreating.

But neither did they.

The figures lingered a moment longer before one by one, they turned and melted into the darkness. Not fleeing. Not rushing. Simply fading away, as if they had never been there.

Yet Bai Lu knew better.

This was not the end.

It was only the beginning.

---

Bai Lu remained still long after the figures had vanished. The night was silent again, but the disturbance lingered, like the final echo of a fading bell.

She had faced many dangers before, yet this encounter unsettled her. Not because of the confrontation itself, but because of what it meant.

They had not fought her. They had not tried to stop her.

They had simply observed.

She knelt, pressing her fingers to the earth. A faint trace of energy still clung to the ground where they had stood—twisted, unnatural, yet eerily controlled.

This was no ordinary group of cultivators.

Their presence here wasn't a coincidence.

She closed her eyes, sorting through her thoughts. If they had been after Wang Shi, they would have approached the valley directly. But they had chosen to remain at the outskirts instead.

Were they searching for something? Testing the waters? Or was this merely a warning?

A cold wind stirred the leaves.

Bai Lu rose to her feet. She could not stay here any longer. If they had left, it was for a reason, and she needed to understand why before they resurfaced.

Yet a part of her hesitated.

Wang Shi.

Would they return while she was away? She had told him not to leave the valley, but would that be enough?

Her fingers brushed against the hilt of her sword, then relaxed.

No.

She could not allow doubt to take root. If she turned back now, she would learn nothing.

Her only option was to move forward.

With one last glance toward the empty clearing, Bai Lu stepped into the night, her path uncertain, but her resolve unshaken.