Chapter 18: The Dragon Qi’s Slow Return and a Prisoner’s Critical Clue
Dawn’s light spilled over the western clearing, turning the frost on the grass to dew. The air smelled of ash and blood—remnants of the wolf bodies, still smoldering in a pile—and the disciples moved in quiet groups, tending to wounds, gathering weapons, or just sitting in silence, processing the night’s fight. Lin Yue sat on a fallen log, his back propped against the tree he’d slammed into, his head throbbing. His qi was gone—completely. It felt like a hollow space in his chest, cold and empty.
Xiao Yu knelt beside him, holding out a clay bowl of warm soup. “Master Liu made this—qi-replenishing broth. He said it’ll help, even if it’s slow.”
Lin Yue took the bowl, his hands shaking. The soup was thick with herbs—qingxin grass, lotus root, and a hint of something sweet—and it warmed him from the inside out. He sipped it slowly, his eyes drifting to the sky, where the sun was climbing higher. “The pendant,” he said, suddenly remembering. “I threw it. Did anyone find it?”
Xiao Yu nodded, pulling the jade pendant from her pocket. It was dull now, no longer glowing, but the dragon carvings on its surface were still clear. “Chen found it. He said it was lying in the grass, cold as stone. Master Liu looked at it—he said the dragon qi inside is drained, but not gone. It’ll recharge, with time.”
Lin Yue took the pendant, running his thumb over the carvings. He could feel a faint, almost imperceptible hum from it—like a heartbeat, slow and weak. “Good,” he said. “We’ll need it. For Lord Xiao.”
Elder Mu walked over, his robe stained with wolf blood, but his posture straight. “The disciples are resting. We’ll bury the dead wolves today, repair the traps—just in case more come. But we need to talk. The prisoner—he asked for you again. Said he has information about the Shadow Palace. Information that might help us find your father.”
Lin Yue stood, wincing at the pain in his back. “Let’s go. I need to hear what he has to say.”
The dungeon was even colder in the daylight, the damp stone walls glistening. The prisoner sat on the straw mat, his head in his hands, but he looked up when Lin Yue and Elder Mu entered. “You survived,” he said, his voice soft, almost relieved.
“I did,” Lin Yue said, leaning against the bars. “Elder Mu says you have information about the Shadow Palace.”
The prisoner nodded, his eyes darting to the dungeon door, then back to Lin Yue. “The Shadow Palace isn’t just a fortress. It’s built on a ley line— a place where dark qi is strongest. That’s why Lord Xiao chose it. The Azure Dragon Pearl needs dark qi to keep the Dark Dragon’s soul contained. Without it… the soul would break free, and even Lord Xiao couldn’t control it.”
Lin Yue’s breath caught. “So if we cut off the ley line’s dark qi… the pearl would weaken. Lord Xiao couldn’t merge with the soul.”
“Exactly,” the prisoner said. “But the ley line is guarded by the Palace’s elite— the Dark Guards. They’re stronger than the Black Robe Enforcers. All at Core Formation Stage. And the ley line’s core— it’s in the Palace’s basement, beneath Lord Xiao’s throne room. You’d never get close enough to cut it off.”
Elder Mu frowned. “Then what good is this information? If we can’t reach the core, we can’t stop Lord Xiao.”
The prisoner pulled a small, folded piece of paper from his pocket and slid it through the bars. “This is a map. Not of the Palace— of the caves beneath it. There’s a secret tunnel, dug decades ago by a previous Shadow Sect leader, in case the Palace was attacked. It leads directly to the basement, to the ley line’s core. But it’s guarded by a beast— a qilin corrupted by dark qi. It can sense cultivators’ qi. It’ll kill anyone who tries to pass, unless…”
“Unless what?” Lin Yue asked, unfolding the map. It was rough, hand-drawn, with a red line marking the tunnel’s path.
“Unless you have a Shadow Sect token,” the prisoner said. “The same token I gave you. The qilin was trained to ignore anyone with a token. It thinks they’re part of the sect.”
Lin Yue clutched the map, his heart racing. This was it— a way into the Shadow Palace, a way to save his father, a way to stop Lord Xiao. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked. “Why help us, after everything you’ve done?”
The prisoner closed his eyes. “Because I was there. When Lord Xiao first got the Azure Dragon Pearl. I saw what it did to him— how it twisted him, how it made him crave power. I don’t want that for anyone. And I don’t want your father to suffer the same fate as mine.” He opened his eyes, his voice breaking. “My father was a Shadow Sect elder. He tried to stop Lord Xiao. Lord Xiao killed him. Fed his qi to the pearl. I don’t want that to happen to you. To your father.”
Lin Yue nodded, folding the map and tucking it into his robe. “Thank you. For this. For everything.”
The prisoner smiled, a small, sad smile. “Just… find my family. Tell them I’m sorry. Tell them I tried to make things right.”