Dawn broke over the Sunlight Phoenix Sect for the last time in what might be months—or forever, if things went badly. Hanxi stood in the courtyard with a small pack containing everything he owned: three sets of robes, his training sword, the wolf fang wrapped in silk, and a letter from Senior Sister Mei he hadn't opened yet.
"Are you certain about this?" Master Zhang's voice was unusually gentle. The old man's perpetual scowl had softened into something almost resembling concern. "The capital is dangerous for young cultivators. Especially ones with... unusual circumstances."
"I'm certain, Master." Hanxi bowed deeply. "Thank you for seven years of teaching. I know I wasn't the most talented student—"
"You were the most stubborn." Zhang's eyes crinkled. "Stubbornness has its own value. The bamboo that bends survives the storm, but sometimes..." he glanced at the stone phoenix statue, "sometimes you need to fly directly into the wind."
Elder Cloudwhisker emerged from the main hall, moving with the unhurried grace of someone who had all the time in the world. His gaze fixed on Hanxi with that same penetrating intensity from the day after the duel.
"Wāng Hanxi." The elder's voice carried across the courtyard. "A moment, if you please."
Hanxi's stomach dropped, but he walked over, trying to look casual.
Cloudwhisker studied him in silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he spoke, his voice pitched low so only Hanxi could hear: "I examined the clearing where you found that fang. The tracks, the qi residue, the scent markers." His eyes narrowed. "Silver Moon Tigers are solitary creatures. They don't mark territory near human settlements. They don't leave fang offerings."
Hanxi's mouth went dry.
"But Lunar Frost Wolves do." The elder let that hang in the air. "They're pack hunters. They test potential rivals. And they have a curious habit of leaving parts of themselves as... gifts. Or challenges."
"Elder, I—"
Cloudwhisker raised a hand. "I'm not going to stop you, boy. The Heavens have put you on a path, and it's not my place to drag you off it." He reached into his robes and pulled out a small jade token. "But take this. It's a communication talisman keyed to me personally. If you find yourself in true danger—and I mean danger beyond your ability to handle—break it. I'll come."
Hanxi accepted the token with trembling hands. "Why would you help me?"
The elder's expression softened. "Because three hundred years ago, this sect was founded by someone who walked an impossible path. Who cultivated something that shouldn't exist. Who became legendary not despite being different, but because of it." He glanced at the phoenix statue. "Maybe history is trying to repeat itself. Or maybe I'm a sentimental old fool. Either way, try not to die stupidly."
Before Hanxi could respond, a commotion at the gate announced the arrival of the Yue Clan caravan. Five wagons, a dozen guards, and enough supplies for a month-long journey. Merchant Master Yue Chen sat atop the lead wagon, looking every bit the successful trader in his fine robes.
And beside him, waving enthusiastically, was Yue Lian.
"Young Master Wāng! I'm so excited! This is going to be such an adventure!"
Senior Sister Mei appeared at Hanxi's elbow, her expression unreadable. "Remember what I said. That girl is either dangerously naive or dangerously clever. I still can't tell which."
"I'll be careful," Hanxi promised.
Mei pressed something into his hand—a small paper packet that smelled of herbs. "Calming tea. For when the energies get unbalanced. Brew it under moonlight, drink it at dawn." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "And Hanxi? If you meet anyone who practices both sun and moon techniques... run first, ask questions later."
She turned and walked away before he could thank her, but not before he caught the slight redness in her eyes.
"Emotional farewell?" Yue Lian had somehow materialized next to him, grinning. "Is Senior Sister Mei your sweetheart? Should I be worried about competition for your attention?"
"She's—we're not—that's not—" Hanxi stammered.
"I'm teasing!" Yue Lian laughed. "Come on, we have a long journey ahead. Father's reserved the entire middle wagon just for us! Well, you, me, and my maid Xiaohua. Very cozy!"
Hanxi shot a desperate look back at the sect, but Master Zhang just waved him off with something that looked suspiciously like a smirk.
This was going to be a very long journey.
The caravan moved slowly, following the winding mountain road that would eventually lead to the imperial highway. Hanxi rode in the middle wagon with Yue Lian and her maid Xiaohua—a sharp-eyed woman in her thirties who seemed to miss nothing.
Yue Lian kept up a constant stream of chatter about the capital, about cultivation politics, about merchant clan intrigues. Hanxi tried to pay attention, but his mind kept drifting to the sensations running through his body.
Every few minutes, a pulse of cold would rise from his dantian, spreading through his meridians like frost creeping across glass. Then the Solar Essence would react, sending a wave of warmth to push it back. The two energies were in constant tension, like two fighters locked in an eternal stalemate.
And underneath it all, something else. A presence. Not quite thoughts, not quite instinct. Something wild and patient and very, very hungry.
The wolf.
"Young Master Wāng? Are you listening?"
Hanxi snapped back to attention. Yue Lian was staring at him with concern.
"Sorry, I was just... thinking about cultivation matters."
"Your eyes changed color." Xiaohua's voice was flat, matter-of-fact. "For just a moment. They were silver."
The wagon fell silent.
"The light plays tricks sometimes," Hanxi said carefully.
"Indeed." Xiaohua's expression remained neutral, but her hand had moved subtly toward the sword at her waist. "The afternoon sun can be quite deceptive."
Yue Lian looked between them, then laughed—but it sounded forced. "Xiaohua sees conspiracies everywhere! Next she'll claim you're a demonic cultivator in disguise!"
"I made no such claim, Miss." Xiaohua's eyes never left Hanxi. "I merely observed an unusual phenomenon."
The tension stretched until Yue Chen's voice called from outside: "We're making camp! Guards, establish perimeter!"
Hanxi had never been more grateful for an interruption.
The caravan formed a defensive circle, wagons arranged to create a protected space in the center. Guards took up positions at regular intervals. Fires were lit, food was prepared, and the merchant's traveling party settled into the comfortable routine of people who did this often.
Hanxi found a spot at the edge of camp and sat down to meditate. He needed to circulate his qi, to try to bring the warring energies into some kind of harmony before they tore him apart.
He closed his eyes, began the Solar Vein breathing technique, felt the familiar warmth gather in his dantian—
Cold. Sudden and vicious. The lunar energy surged, drowning the solar warmth like ice water dousing a candle flame.
Hanxi gasped, his eyes snapping open. His breath misted in the air despite the warm evening. Frost spread across the ground where he sat.
No no no not now—
"Interesting cultivation method."
Hanxi nearly jumped out of his skin. One of the guards stood a few paces away—a grizzled man in his forties with scars crossing his face and the bearing of someone who'd seen real combat. This was Wei Feng, the guard captain Yue Chen had introduced earlier.
"I was just—"
"Trying to balance opposing energies while sitting on a spiritual ley line convergence point." Wei Feng gestured at the ground. "See that pattern in the grass? This spot sits where three ley lines meet. One solar-aspected, one lunar-aspected, one neutral. You just chose the worst possible place to meditate with your particular condition."
Hanxi stared at him. "How did you—"
"Know about your condition?" Wei Feng settled down across from him, pulling out a pipe. "Son, I was a military cultivator for twenty years. Fought in the Northern Campaigns against the Frost Demon Sect. You know what their specialty was?"
"Lunar cultivation?"
"Corrupted lunar cultivation. They'd capture solar cultivators and forcibly merge the energies, creating twisted soldiers who could fight in any condition." Wei Feng's expression darkened. "Saw hundreds of those poor bastards. I watched most of them die screaming as the energies tore them apart from the inside."
Hanxi felt cold that had nothing to do with qi. "Are you going to report me?"
"For what? Having unusual cultivation?" Wei Feng snorted. "Kid, you're not corrupted. I can tell the difference. The Frost Demons' soldiers had black veins visible under their skin, eyes that leaked shadow, and they screamed constantly from the pain. You?" He gestured with his pipe. "You're uncomfortable, but you're not corrupted. You're just... unbalanced."
"Can you help me?"
"Maybe." Wei Feng blew out a smoke ring. "But first, you need to understand something. The cultivation world has rules. Strict rules. Solar and lunar don't mix—not because it's impossible, but because it's dangerous. Every major sect agrees on this. Anyone found practicing dual-path cultivation is either executed or enslaved for experimentation."
"That 's barbaric."
"That's survival. You know how many wars have been fought over cultivation resources? How many sects have been wiped out because someone got too powerful, too different, too threatening to the established order?" Wei Feng's eyes were hard. "The only reason I'm helping you is because Master Yue asked me to keep his daughter safe, and right now, you're the best protection she has. So I need you functional, not dead or insane."
"What do I need to do?"
"Stop fighting it." Wei Feng pointed at Hanxi's chest. "You've got two rivers flowing through you—one fire, one ice. You're trying to dam them both, keep them separate. That's why they're at war. Instead, you need to let them flow together. Guide them into a single channel."
"But they'll destroy each other!"
"Or they'll balance. Fire melts ice, ice cools fire. The question is whether you can control the rate of flow." Wei Feng stood up. "Try meditating at the neutral ley line point. I'll show you where. And kid? If your eyes start changing color again, get away from people. Xiaohua is loyal, but she's also paranoid. She'll kill you if she thinks you're a threat to the young miss."
As Wei Feng led him to a better meditation spot, Hanxi couldn't help but ask: "Why are you really helping me?"
The old guard captain was quiet for a long moment. "Because twenty years ago, I served under a commander who could fight equally well in blazing desert or frozen tundra. Who used fire techniques at noon and ice techniques at midnight. He was the best cultivator I ever met." Wei Feng's voice grew distant. "And I watched the Cultivation Council have him executed for heretical practices, even though he'd saved thousands of lives."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. Be better. Be smarter. And for the love of the Heavens, be more careful." Wei Feng pointed at a spot where the grass grew in a perfect circle, neither lush nor sparse. "There. That's your neutral ground. Meditate there. And kid? When the dreams start, and they will start, don't fight those either. Understand what they're trying to teach you."
With that cryptic advice, Wei Feng walked back to the camp perimeter, leaving Hanxi alone with his thoughts and the growing certainty that his life had just gotten infinitely more complicated.