Three days passed.
The quiet rhythm of Han Yu’s daily life remained undisturbed during that ti—at least on the surface. He cultivated each morning, sipped tea each afternoon, and occasionally made half-hearted attempts at tidying his already tidy courtyard, mostly to stave off boredom.
But beneath that calm exterior, he was restless. His thoughts often wandered to the talisman ng Jueyan had given him—specifically, when it would activate.
Then, on the fourth morning, as the mist still curled like sleepy dragons over the Twin Leaf Peak, Han Yu felt it.
A faint tremor, no louder than a breath, no stronger than a feather—but unmistakable.
He was sitting cross-legged beneath the plum tree, letting the spirit qi of dawn filter through his ridians, when the talisman hidden within his inner robes suddenly pulsed once. Then again.
His eyes snapped open.
The talisman glowed faintly for a mont before going still again, but that was enough. Han Yu knew what it ant.
"She got it," he murmured to himself, sitting up straighter.
The letter, the jade slip—it had all reached her. And more importantly, ng Jueyan had responded.
Now it was only a matter of ti before the return ssage made its way back to him.
Han Yu looked up toward the rooftop, eyes narrowed.
"C’mon, Chitterfang. Show your glorious furry face."
And sure enough, as if answering a summons from fate itself, the next day dawned with a soft squeak on the rooftop tiles.
SQUEAK.
Han Yu imdiately looked up from his steaming cup of tea and broke into a grin.
"About ti."
General Chitterfang, war hero of the under-floorboard empire, personal courier of secrets, and occasional almond thief, poked his head out from a tiny nook between the tiles. His familiar scar glinted in the morning light, and his ears twitched proudly.
With a surprisingly graceful leap, the rat landed in Han Yu’s open palm and dropped a small pouch into his waiting hand.
Han Yu gave him a nod of thanks. "Good work, soldier."
The rat let out a soft squeak-squeak, which Han Yu took to an, "No problem, but next ti double the peanuts."
With a chuckle, he gave the rodent a gentle pat on the head and passed him a small roasted nut from his sleeve pouch.
Only after the rat scurried off did Han Yu turn his attention to the delivery. The pouch was small, barely larger than a coin purse, but it held weight—figuratively and literally.
Inside was a letter... and the very jade slip he had sent earlier.
Han Yu’s brow furrowed as he unfolded the letter.
He began reading, eyes scanning swiftly across ng Jueyan’s crisp and elegant handwriting.
"Elder Yi,"
The jade slip you provided has been registered. I’ve encoded a fresh contact onto it—my own secondary channel, secured and untraceable unless soone in the Intelligence Division themselves happens to be sniffing around. Which they won’t be, assuming they haven’t sensed anything.
The fresh communication jade slip will take approximately a month to reach , even with a high-speed flying spirit bird. You know how logistics are these days—especially on the outer fringes of the Twin Leaf Peak Sect. I’ll be waiting, and once it arrives, we can establish a live channel. Until then, we stick to indirect ssages.
As for the information you’ve passed on... it was excellent. Rong Jun’s identity as one of Murong Xie’s affiliates has been confird. That alone may satisfied the elders. Disciples have already been dispatched. I’ve sent a quiet investigation squad to follow the trail. They will deal with them when the opportunity arrives.
Once I receive the new jade slip, I’ll update you on their findings directly. I expect progress by then.
I appreciate your discretion. Thank you for the opportunity, Elder Yi. And I hope I don’t disappoint you.
—M. Jueyan
Han Yu finished reading and slowly folded the letter, exhaling with a deep sense of satisfaction. He leaned back against the tree trunk behind him, letting the soft breeze rustle through his hair.
"She really got moving fast, huh..."
To most others in the sect, ng Jueyan might have seed like just another eccentric shadow in the distance—aloof, calculating, and cold. But Han Yu had spent enough ti around her, albeit under a very different identity, to know she was also relentless once given a direction. Like a spiritual bloodhound in embroidered robes.
The fact that she had already confird Rong Jun’s involvent, dispatched operatives, and personally secured a fresh communication link ant she was taking this very seriously.
And that ant Han Yu’s gamble had paid off.
Disguising himself as the mysterious Elder Yi during that whole ss in the Mist Eye Sect territory had been risky. He’d could have been caught half a dozen tis, had she tried to probe him.
But it had worked. His intel was being used. Plans were in motion. And no one in the sect suspected that the disheveled, slightly suspicious disciple quietly drinking tea in the outer sect courtyard was a fake elder of the Mist Eye Sect, ’Elder Yi’.
He tapped the jade slip against his palm thoughtfully.
A full month before the new one would reach her... plenty of ti to stabilize his cultivation further, perhaps even continue liquefying the remaining half of his spirit qi.
Maybe he’d even try another one of Li i’s unstable concoctions. Nothing said "spiritual growth" like being montarily paralyzed by a peach-flavored pill explosion.
But for now?
He was pleased.
The network was working. His influence, subtle and quiet though it was, was starting to extend beyond just the Twin Leaf Peak Sect.
He tucked the jade slip safely into his inner robes, storing it beside his spare talisman.
With a grin, he stood and stretched.
"Alright. Ti to go back to pretending I’m just a harmless, tea-loving hermit who definitely didn’t help destabilize a rogue sect and expose a corrupted internal conspiracy."
He paused, then muttered with a chuckle, "Yeah... just another quiet week."
The wind stirred gently across the courtyard as he walked back inside.
And though the skies remained clear for now, Han Yu couldn’t shake the feeling that soon, very soon, the calm would break.
But when it did—he’d be ready.
User Comments
0 comments from readers