"This better be important," he grumbled, "I was not in the mood to babysit."
Han Yu bowed deeply. "Elder Hei, I am the disciple assigned to the reconnaissance mission near the Sulmbering Caldera. I returned early because of what I discovered."
Elder Hei paused. "You’re that brat? I rember the na. What happened?"
Han Yu withdrew a scroll case and several worn parchnt bundles from his storage pouch, laying them on the table with care.
"These docunts were recovered from a Mist Eye Sect outpost near the caldera. The base was attacked shortly before I arrived. I retrieved what I could."
Elder Hei’s brow twitched. He stepped forward, unrolling one scroll and skimming through the intricate characters. As he read, the lines on his forehead deepened.
Han Yu continued smoothly, "I was exploring the cave system at the end of the Broken Fang Ravine when tremors struck. The caverns collapsed, trapping inside for weeks. I eventually found a way out through an opening in the caldera."
"That’s how you got those?" Elder Hei gestured vaguely to Han Yu’s burns.
"Yes. Spirit fire residue from the lava. It nearly roasted . I barely made it out alive."
The elder nodded slightly, eyes still moving over the scrolls.
"I witnessed several Mist Eye Sect disciples and an elder fleeing their burning outpost. Judging from the scorch marks and damage, it had already been assaulted. That’s how I obtained these."
"You didn’t interfere?"
"I didn’t have the strength to confront a sect elder alone, especially not in those conditions," Han Yu said, voice even.
Elder Hei snorted. "At least you’re not suicidal."
Han Yu reached into his sleeve and handed over his personal written report. "I compiled everything I saw and corroborated my experience with the recent spike in volcanic activity in the region. You can confirm that with the relevant sources."
Han Yu knew the sect had its own intelligence departnt with more than one source. While they won’t be able to obtain information about the Mist Eye sect directly, they will definitely know about the tremors.
Elder Hei took the report, flipping through it.
"You’re saying you abandoned the twelve-month requirent and ca back early because you knew how valuable this intelligence was?"
"Yes, Elder. I acted against protocol, but I hoped the importance of the information would earn forgiveness."
Elder Hei was quiet for a long ti. He stepped back and dropped into a chair, docunts in hand, skimming through more of the Mist Eye Sect records. One bore a faint sigil of encrypted correspondence—he recognized it.
After several minutes, he looked up.
"You made the right call," the elder said slowly. "This is... bigger than I thought. The Mist Eye Sect is bolder than we assud. If they’re probing that deep into neutral territory, it ans they’re planning sothing."
Han Yu stood still, letting the weight of the mont settle.
Elder Hei leaned forward. "This information will go straight to the Sect Master. You’ll receive full mission credit—and then so. However..."
Han Yu tilted his head.
"You are not to speak of this with anyone. Am I clear? No drunken chatter. No boasting. Not even to your fellow disciples."
"Understood, Elder."
Elder Hei nodded, already lost in the scrolls again.
As Han Yu exited the chamber, he allowed a smirk to form—just a small one.
The mission was done. His report had been accepted, and most importantly, his secrets remained his own.
Now, it was ti to see what rewards and movents would co from the chaos he had just unleashed.
Elder Hei did not linger in the mission hall after Han Yu’s departure. With the scrolls securely bundled in a jade-threaded case, he slipped into a side corridor and activated a minor concealnt talisman. Monts later, his figure vanished from view.
The docunts were not ordinary intelligence, and the boy’s report, though sowhat fragnted, hinted at far more than what was spoken aloud.
There was sothing deeper at play.
He reached the inner sect without interference, bypassing the guards with a flash of his command token. As he stepped onto the central platform of the Inner Council Pavilion, a formation activated beneath his feet, lifting him silently upward like a floating platform of light.
At the apex of the sect, in a chamber carved from white spirit stone and engraved with the emblems of the Twin Leaf Peak Sect’s ancestors, three figures already waited.
The sect patriarch, Mo Yunjian, stood at the center in flowing robes of ink-black with a silver leaf insignia embroidered across the chest. His hair was long and tied with a simple jade clasp, and despite his peaceful expression, the pressure that hung around him was like the quiet weight of a sword before it was drawn.
To his left was High Elder Qing Shan, the formation master and spiritual strategist. On his right, High Elder Bai Zhen, who oversaw discipline and covert security within the sect.
Mo Yunjian’s eyes opened as Elder Hei approached.
"You were delayed, Hei."
Elder Hei bowed, offering the sealed bundle. "I bring sothing unexpected."
He handed it over.
Bai Zhen took it first, unsealing it with a flick of his fingers and spreading the scrolls across the glowing table in the center of the chamber. Qing Shan leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he read the Mist Eye Sect’s reconnaissance notes and half-burned reports.
Mo Yunjian spoke calmly. "Summarize."
Elder Hei nodded. "The disciple Han Yu returned early from his long-term assignnt at the Sulmbering Caldera. According to him, volcanic tremors caused a cave collapse, forcing him to take a longer route through the deeper layers of the underground complex. Eventually, he erged within the caldera basin itself."
Bai Zhen raised a brow. "A dangerous location for a re Qi refining realm disciple to reach."
"He’s more slippery than he appears," Elder Hei said with a slight smirk. "He encountered a Mist Eye Sect outpost that had just been attacked—possibly by a third party, possibly just beasts. He did not engage but managed to scavenge these docunts."
Qing Shan spoke, fingers tapping on a half-burnt map. "This topography... it’s not on any of our current records. It suggests tunneling beyond the recognized formations. If true, the Mist Eye Sect has been operating close to our borders in complete secrecy."
"Uncomfortably close," Bai Zhen added.
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