Chapter 23: The Flute Player in the Fog
The Silent Vein Forest lives up to its name—dense, misty, and heavy with silence.
Liu Guan Yi walks calmly, the fog parting around him. The Ancient Longevity Sword hums faintly on his back, reacting to the dark aura that stains this place.
Ahead, the sound of a flute echoes once more. It's haunting, playful… like a child's lullaby twisted by malice.
> "Still hiding," Liu Guan Yi says softly, scanning the shadows.
"But you've grown bold. You want me to find you."
Suddenly, he stops.
A clearing opens before him.
Seven wooden dolls hang from the trees—each carved with lifelike expressions, their limbs twisted, mouths sewn shut. One of them still bleeds.
Liu Guan Yi's eyes narrow.
> "These aren't dolls. These are real."
A figure in white robes steps into view from the mist.
His face is obscured by a smiling porcelain mask, and in his hands is a black flute carved from bone.
> "You came too early," the masked figure says in a childlike voice.
"She told me you'd arrive after I took ten. But I only have seven."
Liu Guan Yi doesn't reply.
The masked man begins to play.
At once, the seven dolls twitch violently. Their mouths split open, and from within, black insects begin to crawl out.
> "Soulworms," Liu Guan Yi mutters.
"A forbidden demonic art."
The dolls leap.
Liu Guan Yi unsheathes his sword.
Sword Escape.
A blink—and he's already behind them, blade dripping black blood.
But then the fog thickens.
The flute's tone shifts—higher, sharper. The air trembles.
Suddenly, the masked man is gone. In his place, a massive black cocoon bursts from the ground, pulsing with demonic energy.
> "He's summoning something," Liu Guan Yi says, raising his hand.
"Then I'll cut it before it's born."
Cutting Edge—the second form of his sword technique—unleashes.
A blinding arc of silver light cuts through the cocoon, splitting it in two. From within, something screams, then fades into ash.
The fog recedes.
But the masked man's voice lingers:
> "She's watching you… Sword Demon."
Liu Guan Yi's brow furrows.
> "She?"
He turns away, looking toward the village in the distance.
> "Still too many questions," he murmurs.
"But one thing is clear. This isn't just about missing girls. Someone's experimenting with souls."
He steps forward, his sword humming.
> "I need answers."