Chapter 8 – The Warning & The Pursuit

  Shen Mu stood at the edge of the village, adjusting the strap of the small bag over his shoulder. He didn’t own much, but leaving behind familiarity, no matter how unimportant, always left a strange feeling.

  Wei Jin shifted beside him, still processing what had happened. “You’re really just leaving? No hesitation?”

  “There’s nothing here for me,” Shen Mu said simply. He glanced at Li Mei, who stood nearby with her arms crossed, watching him closely. “And apparently, I don’t have a choice.”

  Li Mei nodded. “You don’t. Someone will come looking for you, and they won’t be like Qiao Han.”

  Wei Jin scowled. “You keep saying that, but you haven’t told us who ‘they’ are.”

  Li Mei let out a short breath. “Because I don’t know exactly who they are. Only that when people like you—” she looked at Shen Mu, “—break the pattern, things start moving. Things no one understands.”

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  Wei Jin folded his arms. “This pattern-breaking stuff again.”

  Shen Mu ignored him. “And where are we going?”

  Li Mei hesitated. “Somewhere with answers.”

  Shen Mu stared at her. “A location would be nice.”

  She sighed. “The Hollow Library.”

  Wei Jin blinked. “The what?”

  “A place where things that shouldn’t exist are hidden away,” she explained. “Including knowledge on abilities that don’t follow normal cultivation rules.”

  Shen Mu considered her words. He had never heard of it before, but if it had information on what he was beginning to understand about himself, then it was worth the trip.

  Wei Jin sighed. “Fine. But if this turns out to be a trap, don’t expect me to be polite about it.”

  Li Mei smirked. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”