Chapter Seven: The Serpent's Coil
The city awoke under a sky heavy with thick gray clouds, the chill in the air a constant reminder of the coming winter. Within the narrow confines of a dimly lit safehouse, Xiao Lang paced restlessly. The betrayal at the council meeting gnawed at him like a festering wound.
Gu Jinnian sat silently by the hearth, sharpening his sword with slow, deliberate strokes. The assassin's calm exterior masked a mind racing to piece together the strands of deception.
"We cannot trust anyone outside this room," Gu Jinnian finally said. "The Council's eyes are everywhere."
Xiao Lang stopped pacing and met Gu Jinnian's gaze. "Then we start within. We root out the traitor."
Across the table, Yin Mei watched quietly, her eyes sharp and calculating. "But the more we suspect, the more we alienate our own. Fear breeds fractures."
The three fell into a heavy silence. Outside, the city's sounds filtered in—the clatter of carts, the distant call of merchants, the laughter of children oblivious to the dangers lurking in every shadow.
Suddenly, a soft knock came at the door. All three tensed. Xiao Lang motioned silently, and Gu Jinnian moved toward the door, hand on the hilt of his sword.
The door opened just enough to reveal a figure—a slender woman cloaked in deep green. Her eyes, bright and alert, scanned the room before she slipped inside, closing the door behind her.
"I bring news," she said quietly. "From within the Council."
Xiao Lang's heart quickened. "Speak."
The woman pulled back her hood, revealing a cascade of dark hair and a face marked with a thin scar across her left cheek.
"My name is Lian Hua," she said. "I was once a servant in the Council's inner chambers, until I saw too much. I fled and joined those who seek to restore the rightful order."
Gu Jinnian's eyes narrowed. "How do we know you're not a spy?"
Lian Hua smiled faintly. "Because if I were, I wouldn't have come here alone, risking my life."
She unrolled a piece of parchment, covered in hastily scrawled characters.
"The Council plans to arrest all known dissidents within a fortnight," she said. "They have discovered Wei Lin's involvement and are closing in."
Xiao Lang clenched his fists. "We must warn him."
Lian Hua shook her head. "He's already gone. Fearing betrayal, he fled east."
Yin Mei's face hardened. "Then we're alone."
Gu Jinnian stood abruptly. "No. We are not alone. We have each other. And we have a chance to strike back."
The room fell silent again, the weight of impending war pressing down.
Lian Hua paced the room, her eyes sharp as she spoke. "The Council's power comes from fear and information. If we cut their eyes and ears, we weaken them."
Xiao Lang nodded slowly. "We need to find their spies—and turn them."
Gu Jinnian folded his arms. "But trust is scarce. One wrong move, and we lose everything."
Yin Mei's voice was calm but resolute. "Then we start small. Whisper to those we trust most. Build a network within a network."
Lian Hua pointed to the parchment. "There's more. The Council's commander, Wei Han, is ruthless but ambitious. He might be persuaded... or eliminated."
Gu Jinnian's lips curled into a slight smile. "I like the sound of that."
Xiao Lang looked at them all, determination hardening in his eyes. "Tonight, we move. We find allies and expose the serpent before it strikes again."