Chapter 9: Water and Rumor
The central fountain courtyard was crowded by midmorning.
It was not a formal gathering, but enough inner and outer disciples had drifted there to create an audience. The stone basin at the center held clear water drawn from the upper mountain springs. Light reflected sharply across its surface.
Zhao Rui stood at the fountain's edge.
Mei remained slightly behind him, arms folded, expression composed but alert. She knew an audience when she saw one.
"This won't take long," Zhao Rui said evenly, though his voice carried easily across the courtyard. "I recently stabilized a technique."
A few disciples leaned forward.
"The Water Dagger," someone whispered.
Zhao Rui extended his right hand over the fountain. His fingers curved slightly, qi gathering along his meridians in visible rhythm.
The water trembled.
Then it rose.
Not as a wave, not violently—but as a thin vertical ribbon, pulled upward and compressed under rotational force. Qi wrapped around it, shaping.
Within seconds, the ribbon condensed into a translucent shard the length of a forearm.
Early Form.
Water made blade through qi cohesion.
The shard hovered, spinning faintly.
Zhao Rui flicked his wrist.
The water dagger shot forward and embedded itself into a wooden training post at the edge of the courtyard. The impact splintered the surface, though the water dispersed immediately afterward.
A few disciples clapped lightly.
"It's effective near a water source," Zhao Rui said calmly. "But limited beyond that."
He gestured again. The fountain water swirled, though he did not form another blade.
"There are three forms," he continued. "The first—what you just saw. Shaped water reinforced with qi. Useful in rivers, lakes, controlled terrain."
He allowed the statement to settle.
"The second form—Blood Dagger—extracts and manipulates fluid directly from a target. Twisting the blood within their own body."
A ripple of unease passed through the listeners.
"But," Zhao Rui added, "this only works reliably against those at Novice stage. Once qi condenses within the bloodstream—mixed with Yin and Yang—the resistance increases. Blood control weakens."
He extended his fingers once more, letting faint qi shimmer along them.
"The third form—Qi Dagger—requires full internal manifestation. Condensed qi shaped independent of external medium."
He lowered his hand.
"To transition from one form to the next can take years. Most remain at the first."
A few disciples nodded with respect.
Mei stepped slightly forward. "Senior Brother Zhao Rui's control is unmatched among novices."
Wei entered the courtyard at that moment, walking past the outer perimeter without intention to stop.
He had not expected a demonstration.
Zhao Rui saw him immediately.
"Well," he said mildly, "the mission expert arrives."
Several disciples turned.
Wei continued walking.
"Aren't you going to applaud?" Zhao Rui asked lightly.
Wei stopped but did not turn fully.
"For what?"
"For honest effort," Zhao Rui replied. "Though I suppose you prefer collecting finished hunts rather than learning techniques."
Low laughter moved through the courtyard.
Mei tilted her head slightly. "It's difficult to respect skill when it isn't earned."
Someone added, "That's why she left him."
Wei did not react outwardly.
Zhao Rui stepped away from the fountain.
"If rumors disturb you," he said calmly, "clear them."
Wei finally faced him fully.
"How?"
"A duel."
The courtyard quieted.
"Prove your strength openly."
Wei held his gaze.
Before he could answer, footsteps approached from the outer corridor.
The Head Eunuch entered the courtyard without announcement. His presence alone shifted the atmosphere immediately. Disciples straightened instinctively.
Zhao Rui stepped back half a pace.
The eunuch surveyed the scene once, taking in the fountain, the clustered audience, the tension.
"Convenient," he said.
Silence followed.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan arrives before sunset."
A murmur spread instantly.
"The Queen herself," the eunuch continued. "As hosts, we will provide demonstration."
He paused deliberately.
"A structured duel will suffice."
His eyes moved between Zhao Rui and Wei.
"You two will represent the younger generation."
The courtyard went still.
Zhao Rui's expression remained controlled.
Wei's did not change.
The eunuch continued evenly, "Preparation begins immediately. Clean the central grounds. Remove debris. Fountain area must be cleared."
He turned to leave, then added without looking back, "The duel occurs after formal greeting."
He exited as quietly as he had entered.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Mei laughed softly.
"How fitting," she said to Wei. "Even the Head Eunuch wishes to settle the matter publicly."
Zhao Rui looked at him steadily. "You can't refuse."
Wei glanced once at the fountain water, then back at his brother.
"I won't."
He turned and walked away without another word.
Behind him, voices resumed—quieter now, speculative.
Wei did not return to his quarters.
Instead, he left the sect grounds entirely and moved toward the northern forest.
The path was familiar.
He walked without haste, passing through the same terrain he had crossed during the Hawk-Eye mission.
He did not activate Jade Eyes.
The forest canopy thickened as he approached the ridge where the predator's cave had been.
The entrance remained narrow, half-shadowed by rock and overgrown brush.
He crouched briefly, checking for disturbance.
None.
Inside, the cave air was dry and faintly metallic.
The Hawk-Eye's nest area had been stripped of value when he collected the optic core, but deeper within the cave he had found something unexpected—a narrow recess concealed behind collapsed stone.
There, beneath old debris, had been a book.
He had not taken it back to the sect.
He had not been certain whether someone had followed him that day. Returning with an unknown manual would invite inquiry. Inquiry would invite confiscation.
So he had hidden it deeper.
Wei moved toward the recess now.
He shifted aside two loose stones and reached into the shadowed gap.
His fingers brushed cloth.
Still there.
He pulled the wrapped book free and stepped back into the faint cave light.
Dust clung to the cover.
He removed the cloth carefully.
The binding was aged but intact. No clan insignia marked it. The material did not resemble sect-standard manuals.
He wiped the surface once with his sleeve.
The title emerged clearly beneath the dust.
Jade Skin.
Wei held it still for several seconds.
The name aligned too precisely with the System reward he had glimpsed days earlier.
He did not open it yet.
Instead, he listened.
Forest.
Wind.
No footsteps.
No wingbeat.
Satisfied, he stepped further into the cave and leaned against the stone wall.
The duel would occur before the Queen.
Zhao Rui would likely display the Water Dagger again.
Early form only—but executed cleanly.
Wei's cultivation was higher.
His control was quieter.
Reputation, however, favored Zhao Rui.
He lowered his eyes to the manual.
Jade Skin.
He had hidden it out of caution.
Now he opened the first page.
The ink had not faded. The script was precise, written by someone disciplined rather than ornamental.
Wei read the first line slowly.
Then he looked up briefly, listening once more to the forest outside.
No disturbance.
He lowered his gaze back to the manual.
The title page remained visible in his hands.
Jade Skin.