---
The outer rim of Hollow Jade City was always the first to freeze.
Far from the spiritual warmth of sect arrays or blessed earth veins, the cold here was real—biting, bitter, and bone-deep. The kind of cold that didn't just freeze skin, but dignity.
Wei Xie sat beneath the shadow of the Azure Cloud Sect's towering gate, half-buried in snow-slick mud, cloakless and shoeless. His robes were brown from dirt, not by design. His long black hair hung limp across his face, matted by wind and neglect. A small, cracked bowl rested by his side—empty.
He had been there for three days.
He hadn't eaten in two.
And still, he watched.
---
They called him trash. A boy born without a spirit root. A failure in a world where power was everything.
Most cultivators awakened their root by age seven. Those who didn't—like him—were cast aside by the heavens, destined for mediocrity or death. He had no Qi. No sword arts. No family. Just two working eyes and a very sharp mind.
And that was all he needed.
Wei Xie had long learned: when you can't fight with strength, you fight with silence. You listen. You observe. You learn how people breathe when they lie. You learn what men fear. You find the cracks in their world and pry them open with a whisper.
This is how he survived.
---
On the first day, he learned where the servants dumped leftover food at night.
On the second day, he learned that two inner disciples—Han Fei and Yao Shun—had been sneaking off into the forest without escort.
On the third day, he overheard two passing alchemists whispering that Elder Mo had gone missing. Not dead. Missing. And that the sect leader had told no one.
That last bit? That was valuable.
The bowl at his side remained empty. But his mind? His mind was feasting.
---
A servant passed by carrying a basket of scrolls. He looked down at Wei Xie with curled lips.
"Still alive, worm?"
No response.
Another passed, a girl maybe a year younger, and dropped a small dumpling into his bowl. Wei Xie didn't move until she left. Then, with methodical slowness, he placed the dumpling in his mouth, chewed once, and swallowed.
Not because he was hungry.
Because people notice when you don't eat. And right now, he needed to appear weak.
It was always safer that way.
---
The main courtyard erupted with noise as Lin Yuan, young master of the sect, exited through the central archway, flanked by guards in silver-trimmed armor.
Wei Xie turned his head slowly. His eyes lit up—not with reverence, but calculation.
Lin Yuan. The golden heir. Son of Sect Master Lin Zhen. Eighteen years old. Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Arrogant. Impulsive. Insecure.
Perfect.
Wei Xie stood suddenly, wobbling on purpose, and collapsed forward just as Lin Yuan passed.
One of the guards caught him roughly. "Watch it, filth—"
Wei Xie coughed weakly. "Young Master Lin... please. I—I have something to report. I didn't know who else I could trust."
Lin Yuan's brows arched in amused disgust. "Speak, beggar."
Wei Xie dropped to his knees, head bowed.
"I was hiding under the eastern pavilion last night. I heard… something. Someone was sneaking into the Forbidden Archive. They were wearing black robes. I—I didn't see the face. But I heard them mention…"
He hesitated.
Lin Yuan folded his arms, intrigued. "Mention what?"
"…Your name."
The silence hit like a sword unsheathed. One of the guards shifted uncomfortably.
"What exactly did you hear?" Lin Yuan asked.
"I don't remember the words… only pieces. Something like… 'He'll never be ready. The heir is unworthy.' Then they laughed. I swear I didn't see the face. I just… ran."
Wei Xie trembled, then added, "I didn't want to say anything. But if they're planning something, and I stay silent… I'll die either way."
Lin Yuan stared at him a long while. Then turned to his guards.
"Tell Inner Sect Elder Zhou I want an emergency audit of all who accessed the eastern pavilion yesterday."
The guard bowed and left.
Lin Yuan glanced back at Wei Xie, eyes colder now. "You're either brave, or suicidal. Either way, I'll give you a use."
He nodded to a second guard. "Assign him to the servant quarters. Level 3 clearance. Keep him away from the elders, but let him roam the outer grounds. I want reports if he hears anything else."
Wei Xie bowed so deeply his forehead touched the snow. "I live to serve, Young Master."
---
That night, Wei Xie lay in a straw bed within the servant barracks. The room stank of sweat, mildew, and wet socks, but it was warm. His body ached from sleeping upright for three days outside, but he ignored it.
Because now he was inside.
Inside the walls. Inside the system. Watching.
And being underestimated.
Perfect.
He didn't smile, but his heartbeat was steady, like footsteps toward something inevitable.
---
Across the dormitory, another servant boy whispered to him, curious. "How'd you get in so fast? Took me six months."
Wei Xie didn't look at him. "I'm good at being useful."
The boy chuckled. "Name's Guo Ren. You?"
"…Wei Xie."
"Don't get too comfortable, Wei. Servants die all the time here. One wrong word and you disappear. You just look like a rabbit caught in the snow."
Wei Xie slowly turned, his eyes now sharp. "Rabbits live longer than hawks. Hawks get hunted. Rabbits know when to stay still."
Guo Ren blinked.
Wei Xie turned away.
---
From the servant's balcony, he could now hear conversations the disciples thought were private. He saw which elders visited which halls late at night. He noted which female cultivators entered whose chambers, and which guards turned a blind eye.
Each fact was a thread.
And Wei Xie wove them carefully.
---
The next morning, the inner sect buzzed with rumor.
Two inner disciples were expelled. Han Fei and Yao Shun.
Accused of conspiring to access forbidden materials. No trial. No mercy.
Lin Yuan stood taller that day.
He thought he had silenced a threat.
But it wasn't his victory.
It was Wei Xie's test.
And Lin Yuan had passed.
---
Wei Xie sat by the servant well later that evening, sipping cold rice water, watching the moon rise through the mist.
He had no sword. No Qi. No spirit root. No destiny.
But now he had shelter, food, and most importantly… access.
He didn't need to be strong.
He just needed to be cleverer than the strong.
And there was no one cleverer than him.
Not in this sect.
Not in this world.
---