THE SYSTEM IS NOT MINE

The red haired girl walked ahead without turning, Yan was behind her.

The inner wing was behind the main hall, it was a place where elders and the books stayed.

As they moved deeper into the inner wing, the corridor narrowed, and the cheerful bustle of the lower ridge died away. The light from the lanterns paled.

When they arrived at the junction before the inner wing and main hall.

A silhouette emerged from the gloom.

Ma.

She was carrying an herbal book and seemed to be moving towards the storehouse.

Yan noticed her, but kept his head down intentionally and moved towards her.

When they were about two steps away, Ma noticed Yan, but Yan accelerated still keeping his head down.

​Then they collided.

It wasn’t violent, but it was enough.The heavy herbal manual slipped from her grasp and struck the ground with a dull thud.

​“Apologies,” Yan said evenly, already bending down.

He gathered the fallen book slowly. As he reached out, his sleeve shifted. The folded manual, Ren’s copied secret, slid from his tunic.

For a heartbeat, Yan’s body shielded the movement from the Red Girl’s line of sight. The forbidden pages disappeared beneath the herbal book’s back cover.

Yan finally breathed naturally.

”Yan, is it you?” Ma noticed, ”I am coming to visit you to return this.., it is good I found you here”

Yan immediately rose and handed the book back to the servant. “I’m currently occupied,” he said, his voice a calm monotone. “Keep it for me. I’ll retrieve it later.”

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​Ma looked at Yan in confusion, then she looked at the red haired girl next to him and nodded once.

She turned and continued down the corridor, the weight of Yan’s death warrant tucked safely in her arms.

​Yan straightened. The Red Girl watched him ”Keep your eyes straight”

”Yes” Yan nodded, then they continued.

When they crossed the corridor.

Muchen stood like a sentinel. Beside him was the High-Crag girl, her presence as cold and sharp as a mountain peak.

Muchen’s eyes moved from Yan to the Red Girl. “The Elder requests him in the Main Hall,” he said calmly. “Not here.”

The Red Girl nodded, then they changed the directions towards the Main Hall.

Once they entered the main hall.

The Red haired girl took him to a private chamber, outside the door having a name plate as Elder Chao.

She opened the door, and gestured for Yan to go in.

Yan took a step slowly and went inside.

The chamber was bare. Stone walls, a single table, and one chair. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment and something metallic. Elder Chao stood near the far wall, his back to the room.

The door shut. The silence thickened.

​“There was once a sect,” Chao said mildly, his voice rasping. “It disappeared from history.”

Yan did not react. He stood like a statue.

​“Rumors still persist,” Chao continued, stepping forward slowly. “They say its disciples sometimes possessed very few spiritual lines. A single line, perhaps.” He stopped, turning fully toward Yan. “But their resonance color did not match their count.”

Chao’s gaze sharpened, pinning Yan to the spot. “A single line should glow pale white. Four lines as green. But not one.”

Yan’s heartbeat shifted once. Then, it steadied.

​“You knew,” Chao said. It wasn’t a question.

Yan held his gaze. “I knew it was wrong.”

Chao didn’t ask further. He simply stared at a measured, controlled silence stretching between them until the room felt as though it were running out of air. Finally, Chao turned toward the door.

​“Bring it.”

The door opened. A familiar face entered. Yan’s eyes moved to her, the story of a horse still fresh in his mind, instantly suppressed. Her expression was calm. In her hands was a thick glass vessel filled with a dense, opaque green liquid.

Small bubbles rose continuously from the bottom, gathering at the surface before collapsing soundlessly. The movement never stopped. Unsettled.

She placed it on the table, and in a low voice, she said ”The horse...I killed it”

and left without looking at Yan,

The door closed. The chamber felt tighter than a tomb. Chao lifted the vessel and placed it directly in front of Yan.

​“Drink it.”