Shadowwwing

67. Pride and Silver

By the time dawn seeped grey and heavy through the dirty windows, Jiang was leaning against the wall and trying to suppress his urge to yawn. Figures he’d finally stop feeling wired as soon as the sun came up. One night without sleep wasn’t the end of the world, but his body still felt leaden, his eyes gritty, and there was an ache lodged right between his temples.

Fun times.

Honestly, it was the restless frustration that gnawe...

66. A Lonely Little Shadow

Jiang felt every hair on the back of his neck and arms stand up, all at once. 

Lin was patting the old woman on the arm, clearly putting no stock in what she was saying. Jiang, on the other hand, was utterly certain that the woman knew exactly what she was saying. How he was that certain, he didn’t know, but a deep part of him left no room for doubts.

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the unnerving clarit...

65. With Friends Like These...

It didn’t take long before Jiang regretted accepting the thief’s offer. Not because she tried to betray him or anything – just because of the smell.

He hadn’t felt entirely comfortable running along the rooftops in the dark, but compared to the stench of the tight labyrinth of alleyways she was now leading him through, the rooftops were practically heaven. Gods, he missed the clean smell of the forest.

Tha...

64. The Best Laid Plans

Jiang wished he could have said he reacted with calm composure, but that would have been a lie.

As it was, he barely had the presence of mind to snatch the comb from the drawer as he flailed backward and scrambled to his feet before lunging toward the door. Behind him, the merchant bellowed in rage and stumbled out of bed in pursuit. His wife, woken by the commotion, shrieked at the sight of the dark figure in their bedroom, adding to th...

63. Breaking and Entering

The lingering chill of the Qinghe night was a different beast entirely from the clean, sharp cold of the mountain passes. Down here, in the maze of narrow streets and leaning tenements, the air was thick and heavy, tasting of coal smoke, salt, and the collective grime of a thousand unwashed bodies. From where he was pressed into the deep shadows of a narrow alleyway, staring across at the Gilded Spool, Jiang scowled in frustration.

Seein...

62. Resolution

Jiang slept in short, restless bursts, the city’s constant murmur a grating noise that kept pulling him back from the edge of true sleep. It was a long way from the quiet hush of a forest, and despite the relative comfort of the bedding and the security of a locked door, Jiang found himself missing the wilds.

By the time he gave up on sleep and hauled himself out of bed, the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. Jiang leant aga...

61. Power Corrupts

The heavy thud of the tavern door closing behind him felt less like an escape and more like being ejected into a different kind of danger. Jiang stood for a moment on the grimy cobblestones, letting his eyes adjust to the deepening gloom of early evening. The oppressive warmth and the thick, sour smell of the tavern were replaced instantly by the sharp bite of the winter air, but the chaotic press of Qinghe remained.

Unlike in Liǔxī, w...

60. A Currency of Talent

The Broker’s question hung in the air for a long moment as Jiang thought. What was he offering? 

Service, really. The closest equivalent Jiang could think of was trading a meal at a tavern for a few hours of work, but he didn’t really know how well that concept transferred to dubiously legal information brokers. Still, it wasn’t like he had anything else to offer.

“I’m a hunter,” he said bluntly. “I’m ...

59. The Broker's Game

Han pushed the door open and stepped through without hesitation. Jiang followed, the opulent quiet of the waiting room giving way to a space that was just as luxurious but far more practical.

The office was larger than he’d expected, the same dark, polished wood lining the walls, but unlike the waiting room, here the space was dominated by a massive desk that sat like a carved fortress in the centre of the room. Behind it, one wall was...

58. Behind Closed Doors

Han didn’t wait for an answer, turning on his heel and plunging back into the churning river of the city. Jiang hurried to keep up, finding the experience of navigating the crowd on foot infinitely more difficult than watching it from a wagon. He was no longer an observer but a part of the oppressive flow, jostled and bumped by shoulders and elbows from all sides. The noise was a constant, grating assault, a wall of sound made of a thousand ...

57. Salt and Stone (Start of Book 2!)

It might have just been his impatience, but it felt like the final approach to Qinghe was a slow crawl. What had been a single track through the thinning woods widened into a road of packed, rutted earth, then again into a broad causeway paved with immense, uneven flagstones. The fresh forest air quickly became thick with the smell of coal smoke, damp earth, and unwashed bodies. Even from a distance, the low murmur of the distant city resolved...

56. The Weight of Shadow

The air, for the first time in what felt like weeks, carried a different kind of chill – not the sharp, dry bite of the high mountain passes or the damp, clinging cold of the deep forests, but a softer, more humid coolness that tasted faintly of salt and distant, unseen waters. Qinghe, Han had announced with a weary sort of pride earlier that morning, was finally close.

A small part of Jiang was suddenly struck by the realisation that ...

55. New Definitions

Jiang led Han away from the main yard and the bustle of laughter and conversation, wandering almost aimlessly in search of a quiet place to talk. The noise faded quickly, replaced by the low murmur of the wind and the distant, mournful howl of a wolf – a sound that still made the hairs on Jiang’s neck prickle despite knowing they weren’t much of a threat any more.

He didn’t know where exactly his feet were taking him, but Han see...

54. Scars and Suspicions

The walk back to the caravan was shorter than the pursuit, or at least it felt that way. Jiang moved on autopilot, slipping through the trees, bow heavy in his hands. He felt… tired. There was a bone-deep weariness weighing him down, like the arrow he’d fired had taken some part of him with it.

He didn’t regret his actions. 

He just didn’t like them either.

The dark, restless energy in his Qi had settled somewhat...

53. Killers Don't Walk Away

There was no time to plan.

Fortunately, Jiang was great at thinking on his feet – though he doubted the rest of the guards would agree with his actions. Fortunately, they were too slow to stop him.

The glint of steel at the woman’s throat was a razor’s edge between life and death, a bead of crimson already welling as the bandit’s grip shifted. In the moment, Jiang didn’t care that he didn’t even know the woman’s name ...

52. Nothing But Prey

“Kaelen,” Han greeted the man blocking the path with a flat voice devoid of its usual cheer. The crossbow was still in his lap, but his hand hadn’t moved to lift it. A deliberate stillness. “Can’t say I was expecting to see your ugly mug again. Thought your kind kept to the city gutters.”

Kaelen’s smile didn’t waver. “And miss this invigorating country air? Or the pleasure of your esteemed company?” 

“Heh...

51. Shadows Stirring

Elder Lu Heng took a slow sip of his tea, the fragrant steam of the high mountain blend doing little to soothe the faint, persistent throb of irritation behind his temples. It had been a… trying few days. First, the boy, Jiang Tian, had vanished. Slipped away from the Sect like smoke through a poorly thatched roof, apparently in pursuit of the half-baked rumour about the Hollow Fangs he’d overheard from some servant. Lu had, of course, ant...

50. Taking a Stance

Threads of Qi turned endlessly in Jiang’s dantian, racing through his pathways as he cultivated. The more pathways he cleared, the more he realised how they formed a complex structure, winding through his whole body in a way that was more than the sum of its parts.

It also highlighted how clumsy his attempts at creating techniques were. His Qi reinforcement was essentially just pushing Qi randomly into his muscles, while his stealth te...

49. Proper Instruction

To Jiang’s surprise, things weren’t quite as awkward as he’d feared.

In fairness, a large part of that was thanks to Han—the man seemed determined to bridge the distance between Jiang and the rest of the caravan, using humour and exaggerated stories to gently prod people into seeing Jiang as something other than a distant, mythical figure. Still, it was slow going, and Jiang quickly found himself mentally exhausted after each att...

48. Big Bad Cultivator

They didn’t travel far after the attack.

The wounded were loaded into the rear wagons and laid out on bedrolls with whatever spare blankets could be found. The dead, of which there were three, were wrapped in canvas and lashed to the flat top of the rear-most cart. No one said anything about it. There wasn’t anything to say.

It took over an hour to unhitch the dead ox and redistribute the load between the remaining animals, and...

47. Instinct

Jiang hit the ground hard, knees bending deep to absorb the impact. His boots skidded slightly on the churned snow, but he didn’t fall. The third spirit beast was already on him, jaws wide, lips peeled back from yellowed teeth. It lunged, too fast to think. Jiang twisted, right hand snapping the sword up, the blade angled outward.

The wolf slammed into it full force.

The weight of the beast almost wrenched the sword from his hand...

46. A Dangerous Road

Before the echo of the howls had faded from the air, the caravan was swinging into motion. “Positions!” Han roared, his voice cutting through the sudden flurry of shouts and creaking wood. “Riders, secure the flanks! Archers, to your posts! Everyone else, stay in the wagons, weapons ready!”

Around them, the caravan was a whirlwind of controlled chaos. Four of the eight guards Han had pointed out earlier nimbly scaled the open-top...

45. The Joys of Conversation

The pre-dawn cold had a different bite away from the mountain’s shadow. Out here, with only the low stone wall of the trading post to blunt its edge, the wind swept sharp and clean across the courtyard. Jiang pulled his cloak tighter, the thick wool a welcome barrier, though the chill didn’t seep into his bones the way it once might have.

If nothing else, it was easier to enjoy the winter mornings with a cultivator’s resistance to ...

44. The Company You Keep

Jiang examined the trader’s post as he got closer, squinting through the icy breeze that seemed to specifically be trying to dry out his eyeballs. 

He hadn’t really known what to expect. Liǔxī had occasionally hosted some passing merchant caravans, but they were infrequent and generally quite small. The village itself had been isolated enough that it hadn’t relied on trade and was largely self-sufficient. His father, being a...

43. Footsteps in Snow

The road to Qinghe began as a frozen ribbon cutting through snow-laden fields and thick, silent woods. Jiang hadn’t even made it a full hour beyond the village before his legs reminded him that, cultivator or not, winter travel was still winter travel.

His journey down the mountain from the Sect had lulled him into something of a false sense of security when it came to the sort of pace he would be able to sustain. Not only was going do...

42. A Token Effort

Jiang looked down at the pile of supplies on the counter and wished he wasn’t quite so socially incompetent.

He’d intended to mention his financial status straight away, but Old Lao had already been asking him what he needed, and he’d just started listing things off. Then, he’d intended to let the shopkeeper know after having selected a couple of items, sort of like a ‘Oh, this is getting more expensive than I thought;...

41. Grown Up Problems

The inn was so bright and warm that Jiang actually stopped in the entrance in surprise, until a few of the patrons cursed at him and he remembered he was letting all of the warm air out.

Even then, the complaints had been mostly good-natured. It was… not quite confusing, but definitely unexpected. He’d gotten so used to the dour, restrained nature of the Sect that he’d forgotten how open mortals could be.

People coul...

40. The Lightest Step

Jiang picked his way down the narrow track winding away from the Sect, boots sinking into the crust of last night’s snow. Every step carried him further from the sprawling halls and carved stone courtyards, and with it, something inside him uncoiled. The mountain air, sharp with frost, bit at his skin through the gaps in his hunting leathers, but he welcomed the sting. 

He adjusted the pack slung over one shoulder—lighter than i...

39. Rash Decisions

“—if you truly believe a servant’s tavern gossip from three weeks ago warrants an expedition, then I’m afraid your time here has taught you nothing.”

Jiang stood rigid in the middle of Elder Lu’s study, arms tense at his sides. The walls felt closer than they were. Paper screens, shelves of ink and scrolls, the faint scent of sandalwood curling in the still air.

‘My time here has taught me nothing!’ 2025-04-29 22:00:12 +0000 UTC View Post