"It appears the imperial government has rendered you expendable…" Li Wei's tone was soft, but the words carried an edge sharp enough to cut through Tang Li's disbelief. He stood a few paces from the shattered window, moonlight gleaming off the glass shards scattered across the floor like fractured stars.

The faint hum of his staff's spirit pearl bathed the room in a pale glow that danced along the walls, casting elongated shadows that twitched like specters. Tang Li's lips trembled, her composure faltering. "I… I don't understand," she whispered.

Her eyes darted toward the door as another faint thud of footsteps echoed from beyond it. ~Thmp… thmp…~ "The Bureau has always honored my accords, i've served as their informant for years. Why would they turn on me now?"

Leng Yue's hand tightened around her sword, the blade glinting faintly beneath the lantern light. "Because beggars attack even the hands that help them," she said coolly. "You dealt with wolves, merchant, and now they've come for their due."

Tang Li's eyes flashed with indignation before dimming into weary realization. "No…" she murmured. "It's must be because of the cipher. The imperial court fears the parchment represents an information leak that would unearth truths buried beneath their own lies."

Li Wei turned his gaze toward the sealed compartment beneath the crates. His voice was low, steady. "Truth is the empire's oldest enemy." He began to move, his sandals crunching lightly against the cold concrete floor. "And those who chase it rarely live long enough to speak of it."

The sound of steel scraping against stone interrupted him.

~Shhhk~

The main door creaked open an inch before a shadow slipped inside, it was a man cloaked in obsidian armor, his face concealed by a mask bearing the sigil of the Bureau of Imperial Order. Behind him, more figures followed, their steps cohesive, aligned.

Leng Yue took one step forward, her blade angled across her body, the stance of a crane waiting to strike. "Four of them, just like the ones before," she whispered. "But these are no common sentries, they move like warriors that have becom accustomed to the taste of blood."

Tang Li stumbled backward until her shoulder brushed against a crate. Her fingers twitched toward the satchel at her side. "I have no weapon," she murmured. Li Wei shot her a glance. "Then keep your wits about you. That may serve better than any instrument tonight."

The first of the masked agents raised a hand, signaling the others to fan out. The air grew taut, humming with restrained violence. "By order of the Bureau," the man intoned, his voice calm, almost ceremonial.

"Tang Li of the Northern Merchant Guild, you are accused of consorting with exiled practitioners and concealing state relics. Surrender yourself, or perish with your accomplices." Tang Li's chin lifted defiantly, though her voice wavered. "You've mistaken your prey, officer. I am but a servant of commerce."

A scoff came from behind the mask. "Commerce ends where treason begins."

Li Wei stepped forward, his staff glimmering. "You speak of treason as though loyalty were measured in gold. Tell me, officer…. Just how many coins did they promise for your silence once your hands are stained with blood tonight?"

The man's reply was a blade drawn free of its sheath.

~Shing!~

And just like that, the warehouse erupted into chaos.

Leng Yue met the first strike head-on, sparks bursting as her sword clashed with the intruder's scimitar. She pivoted on her heel, drawing a half-circle through the dust-choked air. "Li Wei!" she shouted, parrying another blow. "They're meridians have been forcefully enhanced! Their qi burns unnaturally bright!"

"I noticed," he replied, his staff sweeping through the air in a broad arc. Sigils flared around him in concentric circles, painting the dim room with gold and white light.

[Celestial Ward – River of Stillness]

The formation unfurled beneath his feet, halting two agents mid-charge as their limbs froze in place, muscles locking under the sudden weight of spiritual suppression. The scent of burning incense filled the air.

Tang Li ducked behind a toppled table as stray shards of splintered wood flew past her. "Heaven preserve us!" she hissed. "They'll burn the entire quarter to find us!"

Li Wei's expression hardened. "Then we'll give them something worth fearing."

He thrust his staff downward. The floorboards quivered, and a crack of light split the ground. ~Krrrkkk~ Energy surged outward, knocking one of the intruders off balance. Leng Yue seized the moment, sliding beneath a swinging blade and driving her knee into the man's abdomen before cutting upward. "Ahh!" The scream that followed was short-lived.

~Shhhhk!~

But as his body fell, another agent appeared from the upper rafters, crossbow in hand. ~Twang!~ The bolt shot forward, grazing Li Wei's shoulder before embedding into a crate with a dull thud. He winced, the faint glow of his Qi flaring as he forced the venomous energy from the wound. "They coat their bolts with spiritbane oil," he muttered grimly. "Efficient."

Tang Li peeked from behind her cover, eyes darting toward the fallen agent's weapon. "Then let's be more efficient." She snatched the crossbow, bracing it clumsily. When the next attacker lunged, she fired carelessly missing his heart but striking his thigh.

The man faltered, giving Leng Yue the opening she needed to finish him. When silence finally fell, only three bodies remained standing.

Li Wei, Leng Yue, and Tang Li stood amongst the crumpled corpses amidst shattered lanterns and torn scrolls. The single surviving agent had retreated toward the doorway, his mask cracked and one arm hanging uselessly by his side.

Li Wei advanced slowly, each step echoing like the toll of a temple bell. "You will tell your masters what you saw," he said evenly. "Tell them their leash cannot bind Heaven's will."

The man hesitated, trembling. "You… you've doomed yourselves," he spat before staggering into the night. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving only the sound of the wind howling through the shattered panes.

~Whooosh…~

Tang Li leaned heavily against a crate, her chest heaving. "You've just signed all our death warrants," she said hoarsely. "That man will summon an entire detachment before dawn."

Li Wei turned to her, calm even amid the chaos. "Then dawn will find us elsewhere." He walked toward the crate concealing the cipher, crouched, and pressed his palm against its side. The hidden latch clicked open.

~Chk~

He withdrew the box and handed it to Tang Li. "Your role in this is finished. Take the boy and leave before the hour turns."

Her eyes widened. "You expect me to flee while you stay?"

Leng Yue was already wrapping a blood-streaked bandage around her forearm. "The young master has his ways," she said. "And besides, rats survive only when the lion stays behind."

Tang Li scowled. "I am no rat, swordswoman."

"Then prove it," Li Wei said softly. "Guard the cipher with your life. Deliver it to Pei Wong if you can find him. If not, destroy it before they do."

There was a long silence. Tang Li's gaze flickered between them, lingering briefly on the exhaustion etched across Li Wei's face. "You're still bleeding," she said quietly. "That bolt—"

"Blood is temporary," he interrupted. "Death is not."

Outside, the distant toll of a bell rolled across the night air.

~Gonnng…~

The hour of the rat had begun. Shadows shifted near the rooftops, clear signs of more imperial agents closing in. Leng Yue moved to the side entrance, scanning the street. "We'll have to split," she said. "I can draw them off toward the river quarter."

Li Wei nodded. "Do so. The mist will cover your trail."

Tang Li stepped forward suddenly. "Wait." She reached into her satchel and withdrew a small glass vial filled with shimmering blue liquid. "Spirit stabilizer," she said, pressing it into Li Wei's hand. "You'll need it before you collapse."

He looked down at it, the faintest smile touching his lips. "A merchant's heart hides more mercy than she admits."

"Don't mistake mercy for investment," she replied, though the corners of her mouth trembled. Leng Yue unsheathed her blade, its edge catching the lantern light one final time. "Enough words. We part here, under Heaven's unkind gaze."

Li Wei nodded once. "May your blade strike true, Leng Yue."

"And may your light not fade, young master."

Without another word, she vanished through the doorway, the flutter of her cloak swallowed by the wind. Tang Li lingered for a heartbeat longer before following the opposite path, the box clutched tightly against her chest.

Li Wei stood alone amid the wreckage, the scent of smoke and steel heavy in the air. He reached out to steady a fallen lantern, watching its last ember flicker weakly. "The Bureau thinks it holds dominion over fate," he murmured. "But even fate must kneel to will."

~Fwooom~

He crushed the embers beneath his foot, casting the warehouse into darkness.

Outside, the city was alive with distant alarms and the gleam of torches weaving through the fog-choked streets. Somewhere beyond the chaos, Tang Li's silhouette slipped through the market square, and Leng Yue's shadow danced upon the river mist.

Li Wei lifted his staff, its spirit pearl glowing once more. "Let them come," he whispered to the empty room. "For dawn itself cannot hunt the darkness I have become."

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