Suddenly, rain began falling across the town. At first,no one reacted. Then someone looked up and screamed."It's raining!Get inside!" A shopkeeper's hands slipped from the wooden shutter, and he nearly fell trying to drag it down.Another demon snatched a child into his arms so quickly that the child shout out in surprise.Someone knocked over a basket of vegetables while scrambling toward a doorway. "Hurry!" another voice shouted. "Close the doors!" People shoved past one another in their haste, stumbling over steps and grabbing at children, belongings, anything they could carry.
A woman fumbled with her door latch twice before forcing it shut.Shopkeepers left their stalls and slammed wooden shutters into place.A demon stumbled in the street, caught himself against a wall, then hurried on without looking back.A few drops splashed across the stone, leaving dark crimson marks that spread between the cracks.Within moments, the street that had been crowded only a breath ago was almost empty.
Su Yuan stood beneath the wooden eaves, staring at the street as red water poured from the rooftops. "Why is the rain red?" Chen Yu grabbed his arm."I don't know. Stay under here!" "But why is everyone running?" Su Yuan pointed toward the street. A demon stumbled past them, nearly slipping on the wet stone, then caught himself against a wall and hurried into a nearby house. "Close the door!" someone shouted. "Don't let it in!" Su Yuan's face tightened. "Don't let what in?" Chen Yu looked toward the voice, but there was no time to answer.
Another family rushed across the street, the father pulling two children by their hands while the mother kept looking over her shoulder. Their door slammed shut behind them. "What is happening?" Su Yuan asked again. "I don't know!" Chen Yu pulled him closer. "Come on. Our inn is just ahead." Lin Chen was already moving toward the inn where they had been staying. "Everyone, inside!" The group hurried along beneath the covered walkway, keeping away from the open street.
Xu Yang slowed when he noticed red water dripping from the edge of a roof. He crouched and touched a small puddle with one finger. "Xu Yang!" Lin Chen called. "I'm coming!" Xu Yang quickly caught up, rubbing his fingers together. "There's nothing unusual about its energy." Yan Luo glanced toward the street. "Then why are they terrified of it?" "Maybe they know something we don't," Qing Li said, pulling the inn door open. "We'll figure it out inside." Su Yuan stepped through first, still looking back at the deserted street. "But why would rain scare an entire town?" No one answered.Chen Yu shut the door.
Su Yuan turned toward the window. "Why is everyone so afraid of this?" He pulled the curtain aside slightly and saw the empty street. "It's only rain." "It's not normal rain," Lin Chen said. "Look at it." Su Yuan glanced down at the stone road, where the water had gathered in dark red streams. "But what is it? Blood?" "It doesn't smell like blood," Yan Luo said. He had moved closer to the window but kept his hands away from the rain. Qing Li frowned. "Then why is it red?"
Xu Yang shook the drops from his fingers. "I don't know. I couldn't sense anything strange from it." Chen Yu looked at him. "Nothing?" "Nothing obvious." Su Yuan turned from the window. "Then why did everyone panic the moment it started?" Lin Chen gave a small shake of his head. "Because they've seen it before." "You think this happens often?" Qing Li asked. "The way they reacted?" Yan Luo glanced toward the closed doors of the neighboring houses. "They didn't need anyone to tell them what to do." Hei Long had been standing near the window without saying much."Exactly." Everyone looked toward him.He pushed the curtain aside a little farther. "They weren't surprised." Chen Yu stepped closer. "Then what are you looking at?"
Hei Long didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the far end of the street.Something there had caught his attention. He noticed that rainwater was running down the stone road, gathering along the edges before flowing toward the lower part of the street.But near an old wooden doorway, the water was behaving differently.A thin stream was slowly moving in the opposite direction, climbing over the uneven stones instead of flowing down with the rest.
Hei Long's eyes narrowed. "Wait." Qing Li looked toward him. "What?" Hei Long stepped closer to the edge of the eaves, keeping his eyes on the strange stream. "Look there." The others followed his gaze, but the heavy rain made everything beyond the inn look blurred. Chen Yu squinted. "I can't see anything." Hei Long pointed toward the old doorway. "The rainwater." Lin Chen frowned. "What's wrong with it?" "It's flowing upward." Everyone fell silent. For several seconds, the thin stream continued moving against the slope. Then, without warning, it stopped. The water spread across the stones and began flowing normally again, as if nothing had happened. Qing Li's expression tightened. He caught Hei Long's sleeve. "Leave it." Hei Long kept staring at the doorway. "Something is there." "You don't know that," Qing Li said. "And you don't know what caused it."
Hei Long finally looked at him. "That's why I need to check." Qing Li stepped directly in front of him.When Hei Long tried to move past, Qing Li caught his wrist. "There's no reason to go outside." Hei Long looked down at his hand. "Let go." Qing Li hesitated, then released him. Lin Chen glanced toward the street. "Whatever you saw is gone now." Hei Long looked past them. The old doorway stood empty and strange stream had disappeared, and the water was flowing normally again.
Chen Yu frowned. "Then what are you going to find?" "I don't know." Hei Long reached for the wooden bar. Su Yuan watched him uneasily but said nothing. Qing Li caught the edge of Hei Long's sleeve before he could open the door. Hei Long turned back.Before anyone could stop him, he lifted the bar and stepped outside. "Hei Long!" Qing Li rushed after him, but stopped beneath the inn's roof when the rain suddenly came down harder.
Hei Long walked toward the place he had noticed earlier. His hair and clothes quickly became soaked. He stopped near the old wooden doorway and slowly looked around. The nearby lanterns were still burning, but their flames were all leaning in the same direction,away from the doorway.Hei Long turned toward the door. It was closed, but the rain falling around it seemed to avoid the entrance, leaving a narrow dry space beneath the eaves. He stepped closer.
The rain suddenly grew heavier. It struck the rooftops so loudly that Qing Li could barely hear himself. "Come back!" he shouted. Hei Long turned his head slightly but didn't move. Then the rain around him changed. Every drop hitting the stones was running toward him instead of away from him. Thin red streams gathered around his boots, circling them in slow, uneven lines. Hei Long looked down. His expression changed slightly. He took one step back. The streams stopped. He took another step. They moved with him.
For a moment, the entire street seemed to be drawing toward his feet. Then Hei Long heard something beneath the rain. It was faint at first, almost like a whisper carried through the water. He couldn't make out the words. He turned toward the empty houses. Nothing. The whisper came again, closer this time. Hei Long's eyes narrowed. "Hei Long! Get inside!" Qing Li shouted. The sound broke whatever had caught his attention. Hei Long looked down once more. The red water was flowing normally again. He stood there for another second, then turned and walked straight back toward the inn.
Qing Li reached for him the moment he came under the roof. "What were you thinking?" Hei Long ignored the question and looked down at his sleeve. Water dripped from the fabric onto floor. He wiped it away with one hand and calmly said, "I'm fine."Qing Li stared at him,clearly unconvinced. Chen Yu stepped closer and looked him over. "You sure?" Hei Long nodded. "Nothing happened." Xu Yang remained silent. Xu Yang's eyes stayed on the red drops caught in Hei Long's hair. It's not as simple as it looks. There is something we can't see...His eyes narrowed slightly. But whatever it is...He stopped his thought.
Before anyone could speak, a scream tore through the street. "Help!" Another shout followed, then the sound of something crashing through a wooden stall.Chen Yu immediately moved toward the door. Lin Chen pulled it open, and the group rushed outside.The scene outside was already chaotic. Several demons were fighting in the middle of the street, while others were trying to escape through the narrow alleys. A demon raised both arms, and golden light formed around him like a shield. Another demon rushed toward him with a curved piece of pale material wrapped around his arm. It had no handle.It moved around his arm like a living creature, sliding across his skin before suddenly whipping forward. "Moon Fang!" Yan Luo said quietly. The pale curved edge struck the golden shield and sent a sharp crack through the light. The demon holding the shield staggered backward, his feet scraping across the wet stones. "I told you to stay away from me!" he shouted. "I'm not the one controlling it!" the other demon yelled back. The Moon Fang twisted around his arm again before he could pull it away.
Lin Chen instinctively stepped backward. "Why are they fighting like this?" He barely finished speaking when another demon appeared behind the one with the shield. He was a water demon, his dark scales glistening beneath the rainwater still covering the street. A flat circular disc spun between his fingers. Shifting symbols covered its surface, changing every time it turned. Qing Li's eyes narrowed. "Grave Wheel." The disc stopped. A burst of blue energy struck the ground. Water and broken stones exploded upward, forcing everyone nearby to scatter.
Lin Chen grabbed Su Yuan by the arm and pulled him behind the wooden post of a nearby shop. Su Yuan's face had gone pale, his breathing becoming quick as he stared at the street. "They're not stopping," he whispered.A stone-skinned demon stumbled out from the smoke and raised both hands and cracks ran across his gray arms as golden light gathered around his palms. "Don't spin it again! You'll hit everyone!" "I can't stop it!" the water demon yelled. The Grave Wheel turned once more. "Down!" Chen Yu moved before anyone else.Green light spread from his hands and formed a barrier in front of the group.The next blast struck it with enough force to make the barrier shake.
Chen Yu's arms trembled as he held the barrier in place. "It's stronger than I expected." Yan Luo stepped beside him, his hand already around the hilt of his flame sword. Orange fire crawled along the blade. "Keep the barrier up." Chen Yu glanced at him. "And you?" Yan Luo looked toward the fighting demons. "I'll keep them away from us." Before he could move, another demon stepped through the smoke. He was a wind demon, thin and pale, with long silver hair whipping around his face even though there was barely any wind in the street. He opened a strange empty fan. Its blades looked completely hollow, with nothing inside them.
Qing Li's eyes widened. "Everyone, brace—" The fan opened and invisible pressure exploded outward.Two demons were lifted from the ground and thrown across the street.They crashed into the walls of nearby shops, sending pieces of wood and roof tiles falling into the road. Lin Chen flinched and covered his head. Su Yuan grabbed the front of his robe. "Don't let go." Lin Chen looked at him, startled by the fear in his voice. "I'm not."
The wind demon lowered the Fan, but instead of stopping, he suddenly turned toward one of the demons who had been thrown aside. His silver hair whipped around his face as he rushed forward. The empty fan opened again, and invisible pressure gathered around its hollow blades. "He's going for him again!" Lin Chen shouted. Yan Luo moved first. His flame sword flashed from its sheath, orange fire racing along the blade as he stepped between the two demons.The Fan struck against the wall of heat and the force exploded sideways, tearing apart a wooden stall. Yan Luo was pushed back several steps, his boots sliding across the wet stones."Qing Li!" Yan Luo called.
Qing Li understood immediately. He thrust one hand forward, and his wind energy surged through the street. A powerful current wrapped around the Wind Demon's arm and pulled it sideways before he could open the fan again. The demon fought against the pressure, twisting violently as the Hollow Fan shook in his hand. "Let go!" he shouted. "I'm not finished!" Qing Li gritted his teeth. "That's exactly the problem." The Wind Demon tore one arm free and swung the Hollow Fan toward him. Qing Li ducked as the invisible pressure cut over his head and smashed into the roof behind him. Chen Yu rushed forward. Green light burst from both his hands and wrapped around the Wind Demon's legs.
The demon stumbled, but the force around the Hollow Fan pushed against the green bindings and began breaking them apart. Xu Yang saw the opening. Golden energy flashed from his body and struck the ground beneath the demon, forming a glowing restraint around his waist. The Wind Demon jerked backward as the golden energy tightened. Wei Han finally moved and his ring glowed with a cold silver light. Several thin strands of energy shot from it and wrapped around the Wind Demon's wrists before he could raise the Hollow Fan again. The demon pulled hard, but the silver bindings tightened around his arms. Wei Han's expression remained calm. "Now." Hei Long stepped in without hesitation. He caught the Wind Demon from behind and locked both arms around his upper body, forcing him away from the Hollow Fan.
The demon struggled violently, kicking against the wet ground and trying to twist free. Yan Luo caught the fan before it could fall and kicked it several steps away. Qing Li strengthened the wind around the demon's legs while Chen Yu reinforced the green light around his body. Xu Yang's golden energy tightened around his waist, and Wei Han's silver threads pulled his wrists together. Behind them, Lin Chen hurried toward one of the injured demons lying beside a broken stall.Su Yuan followed him without hesitation. "Is he breathing?" Su Yuan asked. Lin Chen knelt beside the demon and checked his condition. "Yes. Help me move him away from the street." Su Yuan nodded.
Together they pulled the injured demon toward the side of the road, away from the fighting. Another demon was struggling to sit up nearby, and Su Yuan immediately went to him while Lin Chen helped the first one. A sudden burst of blue energy struck the ground several steps away. The Water Demon was still fighting. The Grave Wheel spun rapidly between his fingers, shifting symbols flashing across its surface as blue water energy surged outward. A wave of water crashed into a damaged wooden stall, scattering broken pieces across the street. Yan Luo turned his head. "He's still out of control."
The Water Demon tried to stop the Grave Wheel, but his hand shook violently. "I can't!" The blue energy burst again. Before it could reach the injured demons, Chen Yu extended one hand. His green light spread across the ground and pushed the wave away from them. "Get them farther back!" Chen Yu called. Lin Chen pulled another injured demon away while Su Yuan supported one of the demons who could barely stand. Neither of them entered the fight. They kept moving the injured toward the safety of the shops while the others dealt with the attackers.
The Stone Demon suddenly stepped forward between the Water Demon and the rest of the street. Cracks of golden light spread across his gray arms as he raised both hands. A broad Golden Shield formed in front of him, absorbing the next wave of blue energy. The impact made the Stone Demon slide backward. "Stop!" he shouted at the Water Demon. "You're going to hit everyone!" "I can't control it!" the Water Demon shouted back. The Grave Wheel spun again. Yan Luo moved immediately. His flame sword flashed through the air, striking the ground in front of the Water Demon and forcing the blue energy upward instead of toward the injured demons.
At the same time, Qing Li tightened his hold on the Wind Demon. The Wind Demon suddenly roared and fought against all of them at once. His body twisted violently, the air around him growing stronger. The Hollow Fan lay several steps away, but he kept trying to reach it. Hei Long tightened his grip. "Don't let him move." "I know." Qing Li answered through clenched teeth. The Wind Demon suddenly tore one arm halfway free. Wei Han's ring flashed. The silver threads snapped tight around the demon's wrist and pulled his arm back before he could reach the Hollow Fan. The demon stared at the glowing threads in shock, then struggled harder. Xu Yang's golden energy tightened around his waist. Chen Yu's green light wrapped around his legs again. Qing Li's wind pressed down from both sides. Hei Long held him firmly from behind.
For several seconds, the Wind Demon fought against all of them. His breathing became rough, his face twisted with anger, and the wind around his body grew stronger. Loose pieces of wood and dust began moving across the street. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, his resistance stopped. His body went completely still. Hei Long loosened his grip slightly but did not let go. Qing Li kept the wind around his legs. Chen Yu's green light remained wrapped around his body, while Xu Yang's golden energy continued to hold his waist. Wei Han watched him carefully, his glowing ring still connected to the silver bindings.
The Wind Demon slowly lifted his head. His expression had changed. The anger was gone. He looked at the people holding him with complete confusion. His eyes moved from Hei Long's arms to the green light around his body, then to the golden energy at his waist and the silver threads around his wrists. "Why…" His voice was quiet and unsteady. "Why is everyone holding me?" No one answered. Yan Luo stood several steps away with the Hollow Fan in his hand. "You attacked that demon."
The Wind Demon looked toward the injured demon lying near the broken stall. "I did?" Qing Li's eyes narrowed. "You threw him across the street." The Wind Demon shook his head. "No." "You opened the Hollow Fan." Chen Yu said. "I know what I have." The Wind Demon looked at the empty fan in Yan Luo's hand, then back at them. "But I didn't attack him." Yan Luo's expression hardened. "We all saw you." The Wind Demon's breathing quickened. "I'm not lying."
For a moment, nobody believed him. The broken stalls, the damaged walls, the injured demons, the Grave Wheel still glowing faintly in the Water Demon's hand, and the Hollow Fan lying in Yan Luo's grasp all pointed to the same thing. Yet the Wind Demon looked genuinely terrified. "I remember standing here." he said suddenly. Qing Li said nothing. The demon looked toward the row of shops. "The rain was falling." Xu Yang's ears lifted. "I remember everyone running inside. I remember the water flowing along the street." His voice became steadier as he followed the memory. "That shopkeeper was standing outside. He looked angry because people were blocking his door. Then he went inside and closed it."
Lin Chen slowly stopped what he was doing and looked toward the Wind Demon. The demon continued. "I remember looking toward the roof. I remember the rain hitting my face." He swallowed. "Then someone called my name." "Who?" Wei Han asked. The demon shook his head. "I don't know." He closed his eyes. "I heard my name. I turned around." His face slowly lost its color. "After that…" He opened his eyes. "Nothing." The street became silent. "My next memory is waking up with all of you holding me." He looked down at his restrained hands. "I don't remember picking up the fan. I don't remember attacking him. I don't remember fighting anyone."
Su Yuan stared at him from beside the injured demon he had been helping. "But you remember the rain?" he asked quietly. The Wind Demon nodded. "Xu Yang remained silent, watching him carefully. Nearby, the Water Demon slowly lowered the Grave Wheel. The blue water energy faded from its surface. The Stone Demon lowered his Golden Shield, though golden light still remained around his arms. Lin Chen looked at the injured demons around the street. Su Yuan was still helping one of them sit against the wall.
Around them, the other demons were slowly getting back on their feet. Some checked their arms and shoulders, while others looked at the broken stalls and damaged walls as if they could not believe what they had done. No one seemed willing to speak about it. The Water Demon lowered the Grave Wheel completely. The last traces of blue water energy disappeared from the circular disc, leaving only its shifting symbols.Yan Luo stepped away from the Fan and picked it up carefully. He turned it once in his hand before closing it. "Keep this away from him for now." Qing Li said. Yan Luo nodded and tucked it securely at his side. The Wind Demon simply looked down at his hands, still confused by the restraints that had been around him moments ago.
Then the clouds above the town began to change. The dark clouds slowly started to move apart, and the pale evening sky appeared behind them.Within a few moments, the sky was almost clear. Xu Yang looked up,his eyes narrowing. The change was too sudden.The street became strangely quiet.Only the sound of water dripping from the rooftops could be heard. After a moment, one door slowly opened. A villager looked outside before stepping onto the street.Then another door opened farther down the road.
Soon, people began coming out of their houses, but no one came too close.They stood near their doors and watched the damaged street in silence.Nobody asked what had happened. Nobody talked about the rain. A woman pulled her child closer when she saw the injured demons. An old man stepped outside, looked at the broken stalls, and quickly lowered his eyes. Even the shopkeeper who had closed his door earlier remained near the entrance, watching quietly.
Lin Chen noticed the silence and frowned. "Why is nobody talking?" Qing Li looked toward the villagers. "Because they already know." "Know what?" Su Yuan asked. Qing Li glanced at the sky. "Maybe we should ask them." Lin Chen looked at the nearest villager. "Excuse me. What was that rain?" The villager stared at him for a moment. His face was pale. Then he quietly said, "You shouldn't have stayed outside when it started." Lin Chen frowned. "Why?" The villager looked toward Hei Long.
Before he could answer, someone called his name from across the road. He turned quickly. An older man was standing near one of the houses, waving at him with a worried expression. "Come inside." the older man called. The villager looked back at Lin Chen and the others. For a moment, it seemed like he wanted to say something. Then he shook his head and hurried toward the house.