Chen Wuya rose to his feet and brushed the dirt from the hem of his clothes. He still held the blue brick engraved with "Night Illumination" in his hand. Its edges were somewhat rough, rubbing his palm hot. He said nothing more, merely turned the brick over and tucked it into the inner compartment of his pack.
Bai Zhi withdrew her gaze from the corner of the wall, her fingertips leaving her sword hilt. She glanced at the sky. Evening clouds pressed down over the ridges, and the mountain wind was beginning to rise, stirring the dead grass at the broken eaves with a rustling whisper.
"Let's go." Chen Wuya stepped out the door, his footsteps crunching softly over gravel. "This place is too exposed. We shouldn't stay long."
The two left the village one behind the other, following a desolate path deeper into Southern Ridge. The mountain trail was narrow, with trees on both sides interlacing into an arch. The light overhead was sliced into thin strips, flickering bright and dim across their shoulders. Chen Wuya did not walk quickly. His right hand remained pressed against the short sword at his waist, his knuckles faintly white.
After rounding a bend, a valley abruptly opened before them.
Its walls rose sheer on either side, while a dry riverbed wound through the middle, strewn with broken stones as though no water had passed through in years. At the mouth of the valley stood half a broken stele, its inscription long worn smooth. Only a single crack remained, slashing diagonally down its face as if cleaved by a blade.
"Something's wrong with this valley," Bai Zhi said quietly.
Chen Wuya nodded. "It's too quiet. No birds fly, no insects sing."
He stopped and took a porcelain vial from his robes, pouring out