Chapter 44 – The Cry from Baoshi Hollow

At dawn, a messenger hawk arrived from the east. The seal of House Baoshi marked the scroll with urgency.

> "Veilborn attack," Meilian reported. "Near our mining tunnels in the Hollow Range. Several workers dead. The beast has nested itself in the cave system."

Lucen looked grim. "It's rare for Veilborn to linger… unless something powerful draws them in."

Without hesitation, Qingsai rallied his guards, requesting a detachment of elite Baoshi scouts and spirit-sensor mages. Yuwen insisted on coming.

> "I'm no warrior," he said. "But I know how to read fear in men's eyes… and I know a good strategist when I see one."

Qingsai accepted without question.

By noon, they reached the Hollow Range, where the tunnel entrance lay shrouded in black mist. Dead miners were lined up outside. Meilian's face turned grim.

> "This is my family's land. My responsibility. Let me fight beside you."

Qingsai nodded. "We go together. All of us."