Chapter 23 – A Fragile Bloom

The perpetual twilight of the demon market greeted Lin Yue as she stepped through the barrier. Familiar nausea rolled through her stomach from the realm shift.

Blue-robed corpses littered the first square, sprawled across blood-stained cobblestones. Lin Yue’s heart hammered against her ribs. What the actual fuck? She counted at least twenty bodies.

“Weekly occurrence?” Lin Yue muttered, stepping over a severed arm.

The cultivators had lost this battle—their pristine robes now shredded and soaked crimson. Whatever killed them hadn’t bothered with clean deaths.

“Too old.” Shadow drifted past the carnage with obvious disappointment. “Souls are long gone.”

“Ha.” Lin Yue turned toward the direction Madam Yanlue had given her. Although she was coming from the opposite direction so she needed to adjust.

The carnage was quickly left behind, and three streets over it was business as usual. Yue’s eye twitched. She still had never figured out how things could function like nothing happened with people dying around the corner.

“See anything that looks like a smuggler’s den?” Lin Yue scanned the twisted buildings.

Shadow burped loudly in response.

“Useless fucker,” Lin Yue muttered.

A crooked three-story building caught her eye—windows glowed with sickly green light, door hanging half-open. No sign advertised “smuggler,” but her eyes went to the second-floor window, where two green candles flickered.

That was the mark Yanlue had told her to look for.

Warm amber light spilled from the doorway, striking memories of Ruixian’s shop. Her stomach clenched. The familiar glow promised similar dangers, but as she entered, the space held fewer shelves and the sharp scent of ink that permeated her master’s domain was absent.

The metallic stench of blood saturated the air instead. Fresh death hung thick enough to taste.

“Souls.” Shadow stretched toward the ceiling. “Fresh ones. Multiple.” He tugged at the end of his leash.

Great. Someone died screaming in here. Lin Yue flexed her fingers, ready to grab for a weapon.

A figure emerged from the back room. White linen wrappings covered their form, dark crimson stains splattered across the fabric like abstract art. The wrapped figure tilted their head.

“Shipment or customer?”

Lin Yue held her ground, keeping her movements casual despite the fresh bloodstains. “Looking to move things between the mortal district and Blackspire Pavilion.”

The bandaged head tilted at an unnatural angle. “What manner of things?”

“Food. Drugs. The usual mortal vices.” Lin Yue traced her finger along a nearby shelf, collecting dust.

A raspy laugh escaped from beneath the wrappings. “How... unique. Why would cultivators need such base pleasures? Are not food and drugs beneath your exalted status?”

What a pretentious asshole. Lin Yue rolled her eyes. “Those are an awful lot of questions for a smuggler.”

The wrapped figure straightened, fabric rustling like dead leaves. “I despise that crude term. I am a gentleman who delivers what needs delivered.”

“Well then, gentleman .” Lin Yue crossed her arms. “Can you help me or not?”

Shadow coiled around her shoulders, red eyes fixed on the blood-stained wrappings. The smell of blood slowly began to shift to the pungent scent of death.

The wrapped figure straightened. “Delivery to Blackspire poses no challenge. Standard channels suffice for that route.”

Lin Yue tapped her foot against the blood-stained floorboards. “And the mortal side?”

“That requires more... specialized attention.” Fabric rustled as the figure shifted. “One spirit stone per shipment. Full grade, no fragments.”

Perfect. The cost aligned with her planned budget. Lin Yue pulled a scrap of paper from her robe and scribbled down the slum hideout’s location. “Password is ‘midnight tea.’ Can you handle pickups there?”

“Indeed.” The figure accepted the paper with bandaged fingers.

Though payment presents a complication. I’ll need to exit Blackspire’s walls. Lin Yue rubbed her temples. Fuck. Getting past those walls would require planning… Again.

She reached into her robe and pulled out a single spirit stone, placing it on the table. “Here’s the first payment.”

Lin Yue spent the next hour dissecting every detail of the smuggling operation. The wrapped figure answered each question with mechanical precision.

“One last thing.” Lin Yue tapped her brush against the paper. “What do I call you?”

The bandaged head twisted at an impossible angle. “Your tongue couldn’t pronounce my true name. Call me Darin.”

“Ha. Okay.” Lin Yue studied the contract spread across the blood-stained counter. Her sect manual had included information about demonic contracts flashed through her mind—how a single brushstroke could bind a soul or tear it apart.

The parchment radiated a faint purple glow. Each character seemed to writhe beneath her scrutiny. Lin Yue traced each line carefully, searching for hidden meanings or trapped spirits woven into the text.

“Very good, Customer,” the wrapped figure rasped after Lin Yue signed her name.

Shadow coiled lazily through the air. “All this work for some stupid food scheme?”

“Got any better ideas?” Lin Yue grumbled as soon as they were outside.

“What if no cultivator wants your drug-laced garbage?” Shadow stretched his serpentine form. “All this planning for nothing.”

Lin Yue shrugged. “Then I pay Wu Lan’s penalty fee, cancel the shipments with our wrapped friend here, and figure out how to keep me and Xue fed on dried rations.”

“Ugh.” Shadow floated upside down. “I want to sleep, not get dragged around on your ridiculous errands.”

“Speaking of errands.” Lin Yue reached up to snag Shadow’s tail and pull him down and rub his soul-filled belly. “We should convert the souls from the gang into inert stones.”

Shadow recoiled and then slipped out of her grasp to keep the maximum distance from her. He grumbled loudly but was tugged along as Lin Yue navigated back through the blood-soaked square toward Madam Yanlue’s hovel. The giant frog demon’s rings clinked against each other as she processed the souls into spirit stones.

Lin Yue spread the haul across the stone counter. Thirty uncharged spirit stones glinted in the blue flame light.

Yes, that would do nicely. Maybe she would try for more in the next cycle. Then she could buy that spatial storage bag. “We need to charge these at the Tree of Inked Souls during meditation time.”

Shadow coiled through the air. “Finally, a sensible plan.”

Lin Yue didn’t respond. Her momentary satisfaction at their progress dissolved as her thoughts turned to their return journey.

The walk back toward Blackspire Pavilion twisted her stomach into knots. Each step brought a fresh wave of anxiety about Ruixian’s destroyed shadow construct. The explosion had torn it apart, but what consequences awaited?

Master Yan Ruixian’s wrath remained an unknown variable.

A scraping sound echoed through the demon district alley she had picked as a shortcut. Lin Yue froze mid-step. Shit. The desperate or deadly?

The spirit stones clinked in her pouch as she reached for her knife.

Moonlight caught the edge of a familiar blue-silver robe. Lin Yue blinked twice, convinced her eyes deceived her.

But there stood Yin Ruo, the fairy cultivator from the Temple of Mercy. Blood dripped from a gash on her side, staining the pristine fabric crimson. Her sword gleamed with an otherworldly light as she held it before her in a defensive stance.

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Well, this is awkward as fuck.

She studied the fairy cultivator’s ragged breathing. Damaged qi radiated from Yin Ruo in sickening waves that even Yue could feel with her scarce training.

She wondered if the other girl even recognized her through the shadows. “Hi there. Fancy meeting you again.”

Yin Ruo stared with glazed eyes, confusion etched across her blood-spattered features.

“Mmm.” Shadow drifted closer, red eyes gleaming. “A cultivator soul would taste extra delicious right now.”

Lin Yue shot him a withering glare. Shut the fuck up.

“What happened to you?” Lin Yue kept her distance from the wavering sword.

“You should know.” Yin Ruo spat blood onto the cobblestones. “Your demon friends attacked me. Now you’re here to finish the job.”

“I don’t have any friends.” Lin Yue shrugged. “So that doesn’t track.”

Yin Ruo slumped against the alley wall. Her sword trembled but remained pointed at Lin Yue’s chest. The fairy cultivator’s legs buckled, threatening to give out completely.

Shadow coiled lazily through the air. “Let’s just get back, boss. Unless you want to kill her and take her stuff.”

Lin Yue studied Yin Ruo’s trembling form. The memory of their encounter at the Temple of Mercy flashed through her mind—how Yin Ruo had shown mercy instead of ratting her out on the spot. The fairy cultivator’s pristine robes now hung in tatters, blood seeping through torn silk.

Killing her wasn’t on the agenda.

Going back to Blackspire made the most sense. The safest option. Lin Yue could live with walking away.

So why the fuck don’t I want to do that?

“Hey.” Lin Yue kept her hands visible. “Want me to help you get out of here?”

Yin Ruo pressed harder against the wall, sword wavering. “What kind of trick is that?”

Lin Yue sighed and pulled Wu Lan’s shadow talisman from her sleeve. “I have this. It can get you to the exit.”

Yin Ruo stared at the talisman through blood-matted white hair. “Why?”

“Well, you helped me before.” Lin Yue kept her hands visible, watching blood drip from Yin Ruo’s wound onto the cobblestones.

“You’re a demonic cultivator.” Yin Ruo spat another mouthful of blood. “Why would you repay a kindness?”

“Ouch, that’s harsh.” Lin Yue touched her chest in mock offense. “Just so you know, I try to keep an eye for an eye, hand for a hand kind of deal.”

“How can I trust you?”

Lin Yue sighed and stepped closer. The sword point rose to her nose, but she pushed the blade aside with two fingers. The metal felt ice-cold against her skin. Lin Yue leaned in until their noses almost touched.

Yin Ruo swayed on her feet, eyelids fluttering. Dark circles marked the skin beneath her eyes, and a sickly gray tinge colored her normally pristine complexion. The damage ran deeper than the visible wounds.

Lin Yue leaned in, keeping her fingers on the sword blade. “Maybe I just think you’re pretty and this is my way of seducing you.”

“I will never fall for a demon.” Yin Ruo choked out the words through blood-stained lips. She reached up to push Yue away.

Lin Yue caught Yin Ruo’s wrist and pressed Wu Lan’s shadow talisman against her nose. Dark smoke enveloped them both, turning their bodies into shifting shadows.

“We’ve got five minutes.” Lin Yue glanced at the talisman’s fading edges. The time limit would mean cutting things close with Ruo’s injuries…

Lin Yue ducked under Ruo’s sword arm, careful of the black-lacquered blade still clutched in the other girl’s grip. She wrapped her own arm around Ruo’s waist, taking most of her weight as they stumbled forward out of the twisted alley. Each step sent ripples through their shadowy forms.

Shadow swirled above them. “This is too slow.”

Yin Ruo stumbled, nearly dragging them both down. Blood leaked from her wound despite their incorporeal state.

“Shit. Hold still and don’t complain.” Lin Yue adjusted her grip on Yin Ruo’s waist.

“What?” Yin Ruo slumped further against Lin Yue’s side.

Fuck this slow shit. Lin Yue swept Yin Ruo’s legs out from under her, scooping the fairy cultivator into her arms. The sword and sheathe clattered against cobblestones as Yin Ruo lost her grip.

“Put me down!” Yin Ruo squirmed in Lin Yue’s arms, pushing against her chest.

“Hold still, princess. I’ll get us there.” Lin Yue sprinted through the twisted alleys, her cultivation-enhanced muscles making the fairy’s weight negligible.

A ram-horned demon lunged from a doorway, claws raking at them. Lin Yue spun past, boots skidding on blood-slicked stones. Three more demons emerged from the darkness, drawn to their ethereal state.

They began to bellow and shout, but she didn’t understand a single thing other than it was time to go faster.

She dodged a tentacled mass that dropped from above. Shadow weaved around them, red eyes tracking each threat. A wolf-headed creature snapped massive jaws where Lin Yue’s head had been a moment before.

The barrier’s exit glowed ahead. Lin Yue glanced down at Yin Ruo and found the fairy cultivator unconscious, head lolling against her shoulder.

“What the fuck!” Lin Yue leapt through the barrier.

Pain ripped through her core as reality reasserted itself. The slums’ darkness enveloped them, broken only by distant lantern light.

She dragged Yin Ruo into a narrow alley between two crumbling buildings. Moonlight filtered through tattered awnings. She pulled a spirit stone from her pouch, its smooth surface cool against her palm.

Shadow writhed through the air. “What are you doing with that?”

“Shut up.” Lin Yue pressed the stone against Yin Ruo’s chest. “Just returning a favor.”

“You’re wasting our spirit stones!” Shadow coiled tighter, red eyes blazing. “We need those for cultivation!”

Lin Yue snorted. “She gave us one at the temple, remember?”

Fuck, how does this work? Lin Yue concentrated on channeling qi through the stone like she’d learned during meridian clearing. The crystal grew warm, pulsing with faint light as energy flowed into the girl.

The stone slowly faded and then shattered. Dammit. It would have been nice if she could have recharged it…

Yin Ruo’s eyes snapped open. She reached for a sword that had been left behind. “Where have you taken me?”

“Some slums alley.” Lin Yue kept still. “We’re out of the demon district.”

Yin Ruo glared at her through blood-matted white hair, her pristine features twisted with suspicion.

Lin Yue leaned forward. “Stop glaring at me like that. It’s really turning me on.”

Yin Ruo sputtered. A deep crimson flush spread across her blood-stained cheeks.

Shadow spun in lazy circles above them. “Stupid humans, always thinking with their sexual organs. Can we go now?”

Yin Ruo looked away. Moonlight caught the fresh blush spreading down her neck, a stark contrast to the dried blood on her silk robes.

Lin Yue pulled back, putting space between them. “Can you get back safely on your own now?”

“Yes.” Yin Ruo stared at the cobblestones.

“Great.” Lin Yue stepped further into the shadows. “Just so you remember—we’re even now. Never seeing each other again.”

She didn’t wait for an answer and sprinted through the twisted alley and back into the demon district. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she ran. The thought of looking into those frost-blue eyes again scared her more than any demon market horror.

The shadow talisman had already worn off, and the demons she’d avoided earlier milled about, glaring at her angrily. Haha. She kept her distance.

She aimed for Blackspire, but more importantly, she detoured to the alley she had found Yin Ruo in.

The black lacquered sword was still there. Yue sheathed it and added it to her belt sash. A chill lingered on her fingers where she had touched the hilt.

Blackspire’s towering pavilions slowly came into view. The sect’s gate loomed, dark stone stretching above the street.

Fuck. What was I thinking? The memory of frost-blue eyes and blood-stained silk made her stomach twist. Hormones or pure stupidity—take your pick.

No shadow talisman, no way to sneak past. Only one option then. Lin Yue straightened her robes and strode directly toward the guard post. There was no point trying to be sneaky now.

She kept her movements casual.

The same guard from earlier snapped his head up, eyes widening. “What the—”

“ Just returning from an errand.” Lin Yue kept walking.

“Are you insane?” The guard glanced around frantically. “You should have used the talisman!”

Lin Yue froze mid-step. The pieces clicked together in her mind like a twisted puzzle. This guard had seen her leave earlier—had watched her walk right past his post.

“You weren’t blind at all.” Lin Yue crossed her arms. “Wu Lan made a deal with you to pretend not to notice me going in and out.”

The guard grimaced. “Fuck.”

That manipulative bitch. Wu Lan had played with her. The shadow talisman, the ‘blind’ guard.

The man rubbed his face. “Yes, but now I can’t pretend I didn’t see you. If anyone asks, you’re on your own.”

Lin Yue tapped her chin. “Huh... Well...” A smirk spread across her face. “I think I got permission from my master while I was out.”

“What?” The guard straightened.

Lin Yue brushed imaginary dust from her sleeve. “But he found out about me being out and I’m still alive, so seems like he approves. Everything should be fine.”

Nevermind that he had no idea who her master was. She didn’t even know Ruixian’s position in the sect. But it seemed like an arrogant and useful thing to say.

The memory of the exploded shadow construct flashed. Probably best not to mention that part.

Shadow coiled lazily through the air above them. “Lying to guards now? You’re getting better at this demonic cultivation thing.”