Yan Ling moved fast.
Too fast for a normal outer disciple.
Li Xuan tried to match her steps, but his ribs ached and his legs protested. Still, he forced himself to keep pace as she pulled him along a narrow path behind the dorm buildings.
The night was dark.Cold.Silent, except for the faint echo of distant footsteps searching for him.
Li Xuan whispered, "Where… where are you taking me?"
Yan Ling didn't turn around. "Somewhere they won't look."
She led him behind a row of old storage rooms — abandoned places filled with dust and broken tools. The moonlight barely touched the walls.
Li Xuan's heart beat hard.
They weren't safe yet.
Behind them, voices echoed.
"Check the west side!""Search every room!""He can't be far."
Yan Ling pulled Li Xuan through a side door into an old kitchen building that hadn't been used for years. The faint smell of mold and old wood filled the air.
Li Xuan glanced around."No one comes here."
"That's why it's perfect," Yan Ling replied.
She led him toward the far corner where a large wooden shelf leaned against the wall, covered in dust. She placed her hand against the edge and whispered:
"Help me move it."
Li Xuan quickly grabbed the other side. Together, they slid the shelf aside, revealing a small trapdoor hidden underneath.
A dark hole.
Li Xuan blinked. "This…?"
Yan Ling opened the trapdoor carefully. "An emergency storage space. I found it two years ago while cleaning this building."
Li Xuan peered inside.
It wasn't deep — maybe one meter — but wide enough to sit or lie down. The space was dark, dusty, but surprisingly dry.
"Hide here," Yan Ling whispered. "They won't find you."
Li Xuan froze.
Something about this felt… unreal.
A girl he barely knew was helping him — no benefit, no reward, no reason.
He met her eyes. "Why are you doing this?"
Yan Ling held his gaze.
"Because," she said softly, "I've seen too many people disappear in this sect. I won't let you be the next one."
Li Xuan felt something strange in his chest.
He lowered himself into the hidden space. The wood creaked beneath him, and dust rose in the air.
The space was tight.Barely enough to sit.Barely enough to breathe comfortably.
Yan Ling closed the trapdoor halfway, leaving a small gap so he could breathe.
She whispered, "Stay silent. Don't move. Even if you hear them."
Li Xuan nodded once.
Yan Ling looked at him for a moment longer — something unreadable in her eyes — then pushed the trapdoor fully closed.
Darkness swallowed him.
Li Xuan sat perfectly still.
He could hear his own heartbeat.His own breath.The faint sound of dust settling.
Then—
Footsteps.
Li Xuan's veins turned cold.
The footsteps approached the abandoned kitchen.
Voices followed:
"Check inside.""This place smells disgusting.""Search fast."
Li Xuan lowered his head and held his breath.
The kitchen door creaked open.
Heavy boots entered.
Yan Ling's voice appeared — calm, steady, as if she had planned the moment.
"Elders… no one comes here. This building isn't used anymore."
A deeper voice replied — elder's guard.
"We were ordered to search everywhere. Step aside."
Li Xuan pressed his back against the wall of the hidden space.
He couldn't even see anything.
Only hear.
The guards walked around, kicking old pots, pushing broken chairs aside, inspecting shelves.
One guard stepped so close, Li Xuan heard the wood groan under his weight.
Another voice, annoyed:"Nothing here either."
But then —
A pause.
Short.Sharp.Dangerous.
The guard who could sense Qi.
Li Xuan felt it — like pressure running across the floorboards.
Like someone pressing a hand against his chest from the outside.
Yan Ling's voice tensed just a little."What's wrong?"
The Qi-sensing guard murmured:
"…I feel something."
Li Xuan's heart pounded.
No. No. Not now.
The guard walked toward the corner.
Closer.
And closer.
He stopped right above the trapdoor.
Li Xuan didn't breathe.
He didn't blink.
He didn't twitch a single muscle.
"…There's a faint warmth," the guard whispered.
Li Xuan felt the Immortal's presence surge inside his mind.
—Li Xuan, the Immortal murmured, quiet your Qi. Hide it. Now.
Li Xuan focused everything he had.He pulled his Qi inward, compressing it, forcing it to stay silent.
The warmth vanished instantly.
The guard froze.
"…Strange. It disappeared."
Yan Ling stepped forward, her voice smooth."This building absorbs heat during the day. You're feeling leftover warmth from the walls."
The guard frowned.Then exhaled in frustration.
"Fine. This place is empty. Let's go."
Boots moved away.The door shut.Voices faded.
Silence.
Li Xuan stayed still until Yan Ling whispered quietly, "It's safe now."
The trapdoor creaked open.
Yan Ling leaned down, her face appearing in the faint moonlight.
"You can come out."
Li Xuan slowly climbed up. Dust covered his clothes, and his legs felt stiff.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Yan Ling said softly:
"You were almost caught."
Li Xuan nodded. "I know."
Her eyes softened, but her tone remained serious."If you keep improving this fast… Elder Qiu will come after you again."
Li Xuan's voice was quiet but firm.
"I won't stop."
Yan Ling looked at him for a long moment.
Then she said:
"…Good."
It was only one word, but something in it felt like a promise — or a warning.
Before Li Xuan could say anything else, footsteps approached from outside again.
Yan Ling's expression sharpened instantly.
"Go," she whispered. "Now. Before they return."
Li Xuan nodded once and moved toward the back door.
But before he left, he heard Yan Ling call out softly:
"Li Xuan."
He turned.
Yan Ling's eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight.
"Whatever you're planning… don't die."
Li Xuan's chest tightened.
He nodded silently.
Then he slipped into the night.