Chapter 661

(Slow) Chenli, on the border of the southern wilderness, among rolling hills and forests. The night rain is cold and desolate; a bleak wind sighs through the swaying sea of trees. A scattered drizzle shrouds the world in gloom, and the silhouettes of distant mountains flicker beneath the lightning, standing like giants at the edge of the horizon—an oppressive presence that makes it hard to breathe. Inside a ruined mountain temple, the candlelight flickers, casting a crimson glow as dim as blood that fills the inner hall. Four people sit within: a Martial Artist, a merchant, an old man, and a physician. Though their attire and builds differ, their expressions are identical—blank, hollow. Some clutch their weapons, others huddle deep within their coats. They watch the other three with guarded eyes, sitting or lying in silence beside the dying campfire.