Chapter 19: The Spirit Spring’s Healing and a 玉佩 (Pendant)’s Hidden Secret
Lin Yue spent the rest of the day at the Spirit Spring, trying to replenish his drained dragon qi. It was slow work— slower than before. The spring’s pure qi drifted into his dantian, but it felt like pouring water into a cracked bowl. Most of it slipped away, leaving only a tiny trickle behind.
Long Xuan’s voice was patient, guiding him through the process. “Don’t force it. Let the qi settle. Your meridians are still damaged from the fight— from the pendant’s surge. They need time to heal. The dragon qi will return, but only if you let your body rest.”
Lin Yue closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He visualized the hollow space in his dantian, and instead of pushing qi into it, he let the spring’s qi wrap around it— like a bandage, soft and protective. After an hour, he felt a faint warmth— the first sign of dragon qi returning. It was tiny, no bigger than a grain of rice, but it was there.
“Good,” Long Xuan said. “That’s enough for today. Pushing more will only hurt you.”
Lin Yue opened his eyes, stretching his legs. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Xiao Yu walked toward him, carrying the map he’d left in the cabin. “Elder Mu and I looked at this,” she said, sitting beside him. “The tunnel— it’s real. The prisoner’s map matches the old scrolls in the sect’s library. Scrolls about the Shadow Palace’s history.”
Lin Yue nodded, taking the map. “We need to go. Soon. Lord Xiao will realize the Enforcers are dead. He’ll send more. We need to reach the Shadow Palace before he merges with the Dark Dragon’s soul.”
Xiao Yu hesitated, her hand brushing his arm. “But your qi— it’s almost gone. You’re not ready. The Dark Guards are at Core Formation Stage. The corrupted qilin— we don’t know how to fight it. We need time. Time to train. Time to find allies.”
Lin Yue looked at the pendant in his hand, its surface still dull. “We don’t have time. My father is in the Shadow Palace. Every day we wait, he’s in more danger. And every day we wait, Lord Xiao gets closer to merging with the soul.”
He stood, folding the map and tucking it into his robe. “I’ll train twice as hard tomorrow. I’ll replenish my dragon qi. And we’ll leave in three days. With or without allies.”
Xiao Yu stood, her eyes determined. “Then I’ll go with you. I’ll be your scout. I’ll help you fight. I’m not letting you do this alone.”
Lin Yue smiled, a small, tired smile. “I know. Thank you.”
That night, Lin Yue lay in his cabin, unable to sleep. He held the jade pendant in his hand, running his thumb over its surface. He thought of the prisoner’s map, of the Shadow Palace’s ley line, of his father. He thought of the fail-safe technique— the one that required sacrificing his qi. Would he be strong enough to use it? Would he be willing to?
As he stared at the pendant, a faint light flickered across its surface. Lin Yue sat up, leaning forward. He held the pendant up to the moonlight, and for a heartbeat, he saw it— a faint, glowing symbol etched into the back, hidden by the dragon carvings. It was the same symbol his father had drawn in the journal: a circle with three dragons twined around it.
The key to the pearl’s prison.
Lin Yue’s breath caught. He traced the symbol with his finger, and the pendant hummed— faint, but clear. It was responding to him. To the codex.
Long Xuan’s voice echoed in his mind, surprised. “I didn’t know. The pendant— it’s not just a container for my soul. It’s the key. The key to activating the fail-safe technique.”
Lin Yue closed his hand around the pendant, his heart racing. This was it. The missing piece. With the pendant, with the map, with Xiao Yu by his side— he had a chance. A real chance.
He lay back down, the pendant clutched in his hand. The hollow space in his dantian still ached, but he didn’t care. He felt hope— bright, steady, unshakable.
Slow. Steady. Strong.
He would replenish his dragon qi. He would reach the Shadow Palace. He would save his father. He would stop Lord Xiao.
And nothing would stand in his way.
The next morning, Lin Yue was back at the Spirit Spring at dawn, his eyes focused, his resolve firm. The journey ahead would be hard. The dangers would be great. But he was ready.
And this time, he wouldn’t fight alone.