The spirit wolf did not step into the light.
She circled instead, her presence moving along the edge of Wang Lin's awareness like a shadow that refused to be pinned down. He could feel her weight, her attention, the way her focus slid between him and Mei Niu with careful calculation.
"You should leave," Mei Niu said calmly into the darkness. "This is not your ground."
A low breath sounded from somewhere to the left. "It is not yours either."
Wang Lin kept his posture relaxed, hands open at his sides. He did not turn to follow the sound. He had learned already that chasing a predator's movement only made them more interested.
"We are not claiming it," he said. "We are passing through."
Silence followed.
Then the presence eased back, step by step, until the pressure faded. Not gone. Just withdrawn.
Mei Niu exhaled slowly. "She will follow from a distance."
"That bad," Wang Lin asked.
"That's curious," Mei Niu replied. "Which can become bad quickly."
They did not linger.
By dawn, they were moving again, keeping to broken ground and shallow gullies until the land leveled out. Dustfall Town appeared by midday, its low walls and crooked rooftops rising out of the haze like a promise and a warning in equal measure.
Mei Niu stopped at the edge of the scrub.
"We do this carefully," she said. "This place trades in secrets as much as goods."
"I remember," Wang Lin replied.
Dustfall Town was not new to him. He had passed through it once before as an outer disciple, eyes lowered, purse empty. It had felt large then. Overwhelming.
Now it felt watchful.
They found a shallow ravine not far from the outer wall, screened by thorn brush and scattered stone. Mei Niu settled there, pulling the hood of her cloak lower.
"You go alone," she said. "Again."
"I will not be long," Wang Lin replied.
She studied him for a moment. "If something goes wrong."
"I leave," he said. "Immediately."
She nodded.
The gate guards barely glanced at him as he entered. Mortals came and went freely here, and cultivators did not waste attention on those who carried themselves without confidence.
Wang Lin moved through the town slowly, senses open.
The Chimera Body did not shout warnings. It whispered. The way sound thickened near certain alleys. The way eyes lingered too long. The faint prickle along his skin when spiritual pressure brushed past.
He adjusted his path accordingly.
The market square was alive with noise and motion. Stalls crowded together beneath faded awnings. Mortals haggled loudly. Cultivators browsed with practiced indifference, fingers brushing talismans and pills as if selecting fruit.
Wang Lin headed for the apothecary quarter.
He did not go to the same shop as before.
Instead, he chose one near the back, smaller and dimmer, its shelves crowded with unlabeled jars. The man behind the counter looked up as Wang Lin entered, eyes sharp beneath heavy brows.
"You are early," the man said.
"I am not who you think I am," Wang Lin replied.
The man snorted. "No one ever is."
Wang Lin set a small pouch on the counter. Inside, a single vial clinked softly.
"I am selling," he said. "Quietly."
The man's gaze flicked to the pouch, then back to Wang Lin's face.
"Open it," he said.
Wang Lin did.
The glow was faint, muted by the vial, but unmistakable. The man stiffened.
"Close it," he hissed.
Wang Lin did.
The apothecary swallowed. "Where did you get this."
"I found it," Wang Lin said.
The man laughed softly. "That answer will get you killed if you use it too often."
"What is it worth?" Wang Lin asked.
The man named a price.
Lower than the last.
Wang Lin shook his head. "That will not do."
The man leaned back, studying him. "You do not look desperate."
"I am cautious," Wang Lin replied.
The man's eyes narrowed. "Then you are already in trouble."
He slid a small coin across the counter. "I will give you this much. And advice."
Wang Lin waited.
"Do not sell more than one vial per town," the man said. "Do not sell in the same place twice. And do not let anyone see you leave with empty hands."
Wang Lin pocketed the coin.
"Thank you," he said.
The man hesitated, then spoke again. "If you have more."
"I do," Wang Lin replied.
"Then you will not be free for long," the man said quietly.
Outside, Wang Lin felt it again.
That prickling along his skin.
Someone was watching.
He did not change pace. Did not look back. He moved with the crowd, letting the press of bodies blur his trail. When he reached the edge of the market, he ducked into a side alley, then another, then emerged near the inner wall.
Only then did he turn.
A man stood at the far end of the street, pretending to examine a stall. His posture was wrong. Too relaxed. Too aware.
Cultivator.
Wang Lin continued walking.
The man followed.
Not closely. Not openly. Enough to be sure.
Wang Lin led him toward a cluster of warehouses near the eastern wall. Narrow lanes. High shadows. He slowed, then slipped into a gap between buildings, counting steps, listening.
The man followed.
When Wang Lin stepped back into the open, he did so suddenly, turning to face him.
"You should stop," Wang Lin said.
The man blinked, surprised.
"I am not following you," he said smoothly.
"Then you are lost," Wang Lin replied. "This is a dead end."
The man's smile thinned.
"Perhaps," he said. "But you are not."
Spiritual pressure brushed against Wang Lin, probing lightly. Not an attack. A test.
It slid over him and found nothing.
The man frowned.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Wang Lin felt the bond tighten.
Direction. Distance. Mei Niu was alert now.
"I have nothing you want," Wang Lin said.
The man laughed softly. "Everyone has something."
Before Wang Lin could respond, a shout echoed from the main street.
"Oi. You there."
The man's head snapped around.
A patrol.
Mortal guards, but accompanied by a cultivator whose presence was unmistakable.
The man cursed under his breath.
"Another time," he said. Then he stepped back, melting into the shadows and gone in a blink.
Wang Lin did not wait.
He left the town immediately, taking a different route out than the one he had used to enter. Only when the walls were far behind him did he slow.
Mei Niu rose as he approached.
"You were followed," she said.
"Yes," Wang Lin replied. "But not caught."
She nodded. "That will not last."
They did not linger.
They moved again, keeping to broken paths until the town was nothing but a smudge on the horizon. Only then did they stop.
Wang Lin sat, breath steadying, and counted their remaining supplies.
"We cannot do that many more times," he said.
"No," Mei Niu agreed. "But we bought time."
She looked toward the trees.
"And time draws others."
As if summoned by her words, the air shifted.
A presence stepped forward.
Silver eyes caught the light.
The spirit wolf emerged from the brush, tall and lean, fur scarred and eyes sharp with intelligence. She stood a few paces away, arms crossed, tail flicking slowly behind her.
"You were watched," she said.
"Yes," Wang Lin replied.
"And you escaped," she said. "Without killing."
"Yes."
She tilted her head. "That is unusual."
Mei Niu did not move. "What do you want."
The wolf's gaze slid to her, then back to Wang Lin.
"To see," she said again. "If you are real."
Wang Lin met her eyes.
"See what," he asked.
"If you smell like chains," she replied. "Or like choice."
Silence settled.
The wolf took a step closer.
Then another.
Close enough now that Wang Lin could feel her presence clearly. Strong. Wary. Lonely, in a way that felt sharp rather than soft.
She inhaled slowly.
Her eyes widened just a fraction.
"You are wrong," she said.
Wang Lin raised an eyebrow. "About what."
"About being weak," she replied. "You are empty."
"Yes," Wang Lin said.
"But the emptiness listens," she continued. "And returns what it takes."
Her gaze flicked to Mei Niu.
"And she chose you."
Mei Niu said nothing.
The wolf straightened.
"My name is Ying Yue," she said. "I do not belong to anyone."
She met Wang Lin's gaze squarely.
"And I do not kneel."
Wang Lin inclined his head slightly. "Then do not."
Ying Yue studied him for a long moment.
Then she smiled.
Sharp. Interested.
"Good," she said. "Then we can talk."
Far away, in Dustfall Town, a cultivator reported what he had seen.
A hollow vessel.
Walking freely.
And no longer alone.