The night sky above Wu Tan City shimmered, a cloth of indigo scattered with white stars. A soft wind rustled the leaves across the Xiao Clan courtyard, carrying the scent of the koi ponds and distant pine trees. The clan compound, usually bustling, was now quiet—only the guards patrolling with lanterns broke the stillness.
Xiao Shui stood alone in the training courtyard.
The moonlight painted his silhouette silver as he exhaled, guiding the flow of water-qi through his meridians. Thin strands of mist curled around him, coiling like serpents around his forearms before dispersing into the night air.
But today… his meditation was not peaceful.
Because for weeks now, every time Xiao Yan approached him, Xiao Shui felt something strange—an aura, ancient and oppressive, wrapped around Xiao Yan like a silent shadow.
At first, he dismissed it as Xiao Yan's emotional turmoil.
Then he sensed it again.
And again.
Always faint. Always subtle.
Always present.
Tonight, he intended to figure out what it was.
He placed a hand on the damp grass, letting water energy seep into the soil. The ripples of water-qi spread outward like a radar wave.
Searching.
Sensing.
Scanning everything in a twenty-meter radius.
Silence.
Stillness.
Then—
Footsteps.
Soft. Familiar.
Xiao Yan.
Xiao Shui opened his eyes slowly, withdrawing his qi just as his younger brother entered the courtyard with a bundle of herbs tucked under his arm.
"Still training?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"You're out late too," Xiao Shui replied, voice calm as always.
Xiao Yan shrugged as he approached. "I… needed fresh air. To think."
Xiao Shui studied him silently.
Xiao Yan looked tired. Weary, even. And not just from the constant humiliation or the crushing weight of expectations.
Something was draining him from the inside.
Xiao Shui had always known Xiao Yan better than anyone else. And tonight, that ring on his hand—the simple black ring Xiao Yan always wore—glinted faintly under the moonlight.
Xiao Shui's gaze sharpened.
He stepped forward.
Xiao Yan paused, confused. "Brother?"
Xiao Shui raised a hand and placed it gently on Xiao Yan's shoulder—not forceful, but firm enough to halt him.
"Yan," he said softly, "look at me."
Xiao Yan blinked, puzzled, but met his gaze.
Xiao Shui continued, "There's something around you. A presence. Hidden. Ancient."
Xiao Yan stiffened—almost imperceptibly, but Xiao Shui caught it.
So he wasn't imagining things.
Xiao Yan's eyes darted away.
"Brother, I—I don't know what you mean—"
"Don't lie to me."
The firmness in Xiao Shui's voice cut through the night like a blade of ice.
Xiao Yan exhaled shakily. His fingers brushed the black ring instinctively.
Xiao Shui noticed.
His eyes narrowed. "…It's the ring, isn't it?"
Xiao Yan stepped back. "I—I don't know anything yet, I swear. But something—it appeared the day of Mother's anniversary. I don't understand it either."
Xiao Shui didn't step closer.
Instead, he lowered his gaze to the ring.
A simple silver band with a black gem.
But standing near it…
He felt something.
Old. Powerful.
Sleeping.
Xiao Shui asked quietly, "Can you feel it watching you?"
Xiao Yan swallowed. "…You sensed that too?"
Xiao Shui nodded. "I sensed it the first day. But it grows clearer. Stronger."
A soft silence fell between them.
Xiao Yan looked conflicted—anxious yet relieved that someone finally understood the pressure clawing at him.
Xiao Shui continued gently, "Whatever it is, Yan… it is not ordinary. And it has been draining your qi for years."
Xiao Yan bit his lip.
So Xiao Shui had already figured that much.
Xiao Shui reached out slowly, extending a finger toward the ring. "If you don't mind... I want to sense it directly."
Xiao Yan hesitated—then nodded.
"Be careful."
Xiao Shui touched the ring lightly.
A chill ran through his fingertips.
Suddenly—
WHOOM!
A wave of spiritual power surged from the ring so sharply Xiao Shui's mind buzzed.
A consciousness brushed his own.
Cold as submerged steel.
Ancient as the desert sands.
And impossibly sharp, like a blade forged from a thousand years of will.
For a split second, Xiao Shui's vision blurred.
A face formed in the darkness behind his mind—
An elderly man with white eyebrows, floating robes, and an aura that felt like an ocean in the shape of a human.
Then—
A voice whispered inside his skull:
"Curious little fish."
And just as quickly, the presence faded.
Disappeared.
Silent again.
The entire exchange lasted no more than a heartbeat.
But Xiao Shui staggered back a step, breath trembling.
Xiao Yan caught him. "Brother?! What happened?!"
Xiao Shui regained his composure quickly, but his expression remained grim.
"That thing," he said slowly, "is alive."
Xiao Yan's face grew pale.
Xiao Shui placed both hands on Xiao Yan's shoulders.
"Listen carefully. Whatever spirit sleeps inside that ring… it is immeasurably powerful. Far beyond anything in the Dou Zhi realm. Far beyond anything in this city."
"Is it dangerous?" Xiao Yan whispered.
Xiao Shui paused.
Not wanting to lie, but not wanting to frighten his brother either.
"…It hasn't shown malicious intent," he said honestly. "If it wanted to harm you, you would've been dead the moment you put it on."
Xiao Yan's shoulders relaxed slightly.
"But," Xiao Shui continued, eyes narrowing, "it is not weak. Not harmless. And not simple."
Xiao Yan nodded slowly. "I understand."
Xiao Shui squeezed his shoulder.
"You don't have to tell me everything now," he said. "But when the time comes—when you learn what it is—you tell me. I'll help you handle it."
The sincerity in Xiao Shui's voice made Xiao Yan's chest tighten.
For a moment, Xiao Yan's façade cracked. His usual forced smile melted away and his voice trembled softly.
"…Thank you, Brother."
Xiao Shui smiled faintly.
"You're not alone, Yan."
He stepped back, letting go of Xiao Yan's shoulders. The water around him rippled softly as he turned.
"But be careful," he warned quietly. "That spirit is awake… And now, it has noticed me."
Xiao Yan shivered.
Xiao Shui walked away into the moonlit courtyard, his long robes fluttering behind him.
Xiao Yan watched silently as his brother disappeared into the shadows.
Inside the ring, unseen by both brothers—
A tiny spark of light flickered.
Amused.
Curious.
And awake.