Remnant Dao Crystal, Night Exploration of the Secret Chamber Encounters a Strange Beast

The night wind passed beneath the eaves, making the window paper tremble faintly. I crouched by the base of the wall, staring toward the woodshed at the slight movement there—Afu was sitting up against the doorframe, still clutching that Medicine Bottle in his hand. He raised a hand to wipe his face, moving sluggishly, as though every bone in his body had fallen apart.

I neither spoke nor approached. I merely pressed my palm against the cold ground, sensing the faint tremors coming from the distant secret pavilion. Something was moving there—not a person, but some living thing that had lurked there for a long time, gnawing on something. The Remnant Dao Crystal in my chest warmed slightly, faintly resonating with that aura.

The talisman marks I had drawn last night still lay on the table, the ink not yet dry. I rose and dusted off the hem of my clothes, casually setting the brush back beside the inkstone. The second watch had just passed, and the patrolling Spirit Cranes had yet to reach the western courtyard. This was the best possible time.

I vaulted onto the roof and raced along the edge of the tiles. The wind pushed at my back, carrying the musty smell unique to the medicine storeroom. As I neared the secret pavilion, I slowed my steps. With a light flick of my fingertip against the copper ring, I retraced the path in my memory three times. The mechanism gave an exceptionally soft click, and the hidden door slid inward by half a foot.

A stench of blood rushed at me.

Holding my breath, I slipped inside along the wall. The interior was more chaotic than I had expected. Medicine racks had toppled over, wooden crates had shattered, and withered yellow vine remnants were scattered across the floor. Their broken ends glowed dark red, as though something had bitten through them alive.

At the center of the stone platform crouched a crimson figure.

Its back was to me, its spine arched high like a bow. Its fur was dark red bordering on black. A vertical slit in the center of its forehead slowly opened, and a golden eye swept across the ground. The next moment, it lowered its head and tore into another section of Mystic Vine. Its teeth sank into the stalk, producing a teeth-grating chewing sound.

Three-Eyed Blood Fox.

I recognized this beast. When I was young, I had heard the old servants mention it. It had been a spirit beast the Ji Clan raised in its early years to guard their vaults, able to distinguish medicinal properties and understand human hearts. Later, for reasons unknown, its temperament had turned wicked. Maddened by bloodlust, it had been locked deep within the secret chamber, and no one had dared mention its name again.

And now it was here, stealing spirit herbs, living like a wild dog.

I slowly backed away half a step, my shoe grinding against a piece of gravel.

Its ears twitched, and its head tilted slightly.

I immediately crouched down, using a pile of collapsed medicine crates to conceal myself. I slowed my heartbeat to its lowest point, my breathing nearly stopping. The Pseudo-Primordial Body activated on its own, suppressing even the last trace of fluctuation within me into dead silence. Faint Battle Intent Fragments drifted through the air—they were leaking from this beast, quietly absorbed by the system and turned into a thin stream flowing into the Heaven-Slaying Origin.

Still not enough.

I took out a small stone and weighed it between my fingers.

Then flicked it away.

The stone landed in the corner with a crisp clack.

The Blood Fox spun around abruptly, golden light surging from its third eye as it shot toward that patch of shadow. It kicked off with all four limbs and pounced over, its claws overturning two empty crates and sending dust flying.

I seized that fleeting opening, darting low across the ground and circling behind the cabinet rack opposite. My gaze swept over the floor—the account books were no longer where they had been, perhaps already searched through. Yet amid a pile of debris, half a jade slip lay buried in ash and dust. Cracks crisscrossed its surface, its edges heavily worn. Only one corner bore half the character for "Chaos," with a faint shadow of the other character still connected beneath it.

A Chaos Jade Slip?

My heart tightened, and I reached for it.

The instant my fingertips touched its icy surface, the wind howled behind me!

I twisted sharply sideways. A fierce pain tore through my waist as my martial garb ripped apart in an instant, flesh splitting open while warm blood ran down my ribs. The Blood Fox's strike missed, but it did not pursue. Instead, it leapt back onto the stone platform and stared down at me from above, ghostly light flowing through its third eye as though it were reading my thoughts.

It had smelled something.

Suppressing the urge to strike back, I pressed one hand over my wound while swiftly stuffing the jade slip into my chest with the other. Blood seeped out, soaking through my inner garments and sticking clammy against my skin.

I could not make a move.

The system had not stated it outright, but the warning had already exploded in my Sea of Consciousness—unless it was a life-or-death crisis, I was not allowed to act. I was merely a cripple now. I should not have possessed such speed in evasion, much less been able to steady myself after taking a wound.

I could not take that risk.

Following the momentum, I fell toward the shadows, pretending to stagger as I rolled between a row of toppled medicine racks. The Blood Fox gave a low roar and pounced again, sweeping its claws sideways and crashing through an entire row of wooden cabinets. Dust and smoke rose in all directions.

Using the momentum, I flipped over and retreated swiftly along the wall, my footsteps as light as a falling leaf. As I exited through the hidden door, I casually moved the mechanism. The copper ring closed soundlessly. Not a single unnecessary sound escaped throughout the entire process.

The outer corridor was pitch-black, with only a few strands of moonlight filtering through gaps in the tiles overhead. I leaned against the wall and slowly caught my breath, one hand still pressed over the jade slip in my chest. It was cold, so cold it did not seem like a mortal object, and... it appeared to be trembling faintly, as though something inside it were awakening.

The wound at my waist burned fiercely, and every breath tugged at the torn muscles. I untied my belt, pulled out a Cloth Strip from an inner pocket, and gritted my teeth as I wrapped it tight. The bleeding stopped for now, but I could not move quickly again, or the wound would split open.

I closed my eyes and regulated my breathing. The Pseudo-Primordial Body automatically guided the Heaven-Slaying Origin toward the wound. Those faint golden patterns had already spread to my waist and begun repairing the damaged tissue. The recovery was far faster than that of an ordinary cultivator, but it was also enough to arouse suspicion—if anyone discovered that my wound was healing abnormally, even the slightest doubt would invite a thorough investigation.

I could not risk it.

Footsteps came from outside, drawing closer.

Two guards carrying lanterns crossed the courtyard, speaking in low voices as they walked. "I heard the medicine room was robbed last night. Was it Afu?" "Of course it was. What a fool—he even dared sneak around near the secret pavilion." "Shh, keep it down. This place is cursed. Two years ago, a steward came in at midnight to check the accounts. The next day, his whole body had been hollowed out, leaving only a skin behind."

The other man shuddered. "Stop talking. Let's get out of here."

The lantern light gradually receded, and the footsteps vanished.

I opened my eyes and stared at the gap in the hidden door. That beast had retreated, but its aura remained, entrenched deep inside like a fog that would not disperse. That pounce earlier had been too fast and too precise. It had not been lured away by the stone at all. It knew I would take the jade slip. It had even... perhaps noticed my arrival long ago.

Otherwise, it would not have been waiting there.

I slowly straightened, one hand braced against the wall as I walked forward. Every step was carefully measured, making my gait appear unsteady. When I reached the corner, I suddenly stopped.

Blood stained my sleeve.

I looked down. A dark-red mark seeped out from the tear, dripping down the fabric. One drop, then two, fell onto the blue bricks and spread into small dark blotches.

I tore off a clean Cloth Strip, preparing to wipe it away.

Just then, the jade slip in my chest jolted violently.

It was not trembling. It was beating.

Like a heartbeat.

My fingers stiffened. I raised my head toward the night sky above the secret pavilion. Clouds covered half the moon, and the remaining half-wheel of pale light fell directly on the hidden door's copper ring, reflecting a twisted image.

That reflection... moved.

It was not my shadow.

I slowly stepped back, one hand resting on the sword hilt.

The hilt was smeared with blood, too slippery to grip.

The jade slip beat again.