The Inspector’s Gambit

The metallic tang of blood clung to the air long after the cultivators had fled. Shen pressed a damp cloth to his split cheek, the sting a grounding counterpoint to the adrenaline still humming in his veins. Ling paced at his feet, her twin tails flicking like agitated serpents, her muzzle still streaked with crimson.

She had changed.

Not just in size or strength, but in the way she moved—fluid, deliberate, her golden eyes holding a sharper intelligence. The demonic boar's tainted flesh had done something to her, and the way she now watched the tree line with predatory focus told Shen this was only the beginning.

System Notification

[Beast Bond Update: Blood Awakening]

Ling's consumption of tainted spirit beast flesh has catalyzed her evolution.

Bloodline Progression: 12%

New Trait: Demonic Qi Tolerance (Low) – Can safely consume minor tainted prey.

Warning: Prolonged exposure may trigger irreversible mutation.

Shen exhaled sharply. He couldn't afford to let her gorge on corrupted beasts, but denying her the hunt might stunt her growth—or worse, make her resent him.

Choices. Always choices.

He knelt, meeting her gaze. "We'll find you clean prey," he murmured, scratching behind her ears. "No more demon-tainted meat."

Ling huffed, clearly displeased, but she butted her head against his knee in grudging agreement.

The village was a wound waiting to be prodded.

Shen returned the next morning, his rice sack lighter—only enough to trade for Granny Hualin's herbs, nothing more. He kept his hood up, his steps measured, but the usual bustle of Ashreed was absent. The market stalls stood half-empty, and the few villagers out in the open moved like startled deer, their eyes darting toward the magistrate's compound.

Uncle Bao leaned against the well, his arms crossed, his usual smirk replaced by a grim line. "You've got a death wish, coming back so soon."

Shen kept his voice low. "Granny?"

"Released. For now." Bao's gaze flicked to the fresh scar on Shen's cheek. "They're asking about you. The magistrate's men."

A cold weight settled in Shen's gut. "What did you tell them?"

Bao snorted. "That you're a half-starved idiot who got lucky with a patch of dirt." He paused, then added, quieter, "They didn't believe me."

Little Pei darted from behind a hut, her small hands clutching a bundle of cloth. She shoved it into Shen's arms—a handful of dried meat and a tiny pouch of salt. "For the fox," she whispered before vanishing again.

Shen didn't miss the way her fingers trembled.

The drums announced him before the man himself appeared.

A low, resonant beat echoed through Ashreed, the sound rolling like distant thunder. Villagers froze mid-step, their faces paling. Even Uncle Bao straightened, his jaw tightening.

A procession entered the square—six armored guards in polished azure plate, their spears gleaming. At their center rode a man in layered silks, his face obscured by a sheer veil. The Imperial Inspector.

Magistrate Gao scuttled forward, bowing so low his forehead nearly scraped the dirt. "Honored Inspector! Ashreed is honored by your presence—"

The Inspector raised a single gloved hand, silencing him. His voice, when it came, was soft, almost pleasant. "I hear there's been… unrest."

Gao's smile was brittle. "A minor disturbance. A rogue cultivator, perhaps—"

"Rogue cultivators do not exist under the Edict," the Inspector interrupted. "They are outlaws. And outlaws are excised."

His veiled gaze swept the square—and lingered, just for a heartbeat, on Shen.

Shen didn't wait to hear the rest.

He slipped from the village, his pulse hammering, Ling a silent shadow at his heels. The Inspector's presence changed everything. This wasn't just about taxes or unregistered cultivation—this was a purge.

And Magistrate Gao would happily throw Shen to the wolves to save himself.

System Notification

[Quest Alert: The Inspector's Hunt]

Condition: Survive the Imperial purge.

Reward: Unlocks Cloak of the Land (Temporary terrain-based stealth)

Failure: Death or enslavement.

Shen's fingers curled into fists. He had no grand techniques, no sect backing. Just a half-starved fox, a field of stubborn rice, and a land that remembered blood.

It would have to be enough.

That night, Shen found Ling crouched at the edge of the field, her ears pinned back, her body taut.

A rabbit lay between her paws—not a spirit beast, just an ordinary creature. Its neck was broken, cleanly, mercifully.

She looked up at him, her golden eyes unreadable.

This is what I can be, that gaze said. Hunter. Protector. Not just a scavenger of tainted meat.

Shen knelt beside her, running a hand down her spine. "We'll need to be careful," he murmured. "The Inspector isn't just here for me. He's here for the land."

Ling's answering growl was agreement.

And a promise. 

End of Chapter