Chapter 141: Broken Stems

Chapter 141: Broken Stems

Under the pale light of the moon, the man moved like a shadow, his blade cutting through the winter air with lethal precision. The sound of steel slicing through the frozen stems and delicate plants of the garden filled the night, each swing methodical, destructive. His eyes narrowed as he approached the nearly finished greenhouse, the fragile structure gleaming faintly under the moon's gaze. With a smirk curling his lips, he stepped forward, intent on reducing it to splinters with a single strike.

He raised his blade, preparing for the decisive blow, when he suddenly froze. A sensation crawled up his spine, prickling his skin. It was a feeling he knew well—killing intent. Cold, sharp, and unmistakable.

His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword as he slowly turned, scanning the dark garden for the source. His gaze fell on a white serpent, coiled beneath the snow-dusted bushes, its body shimmering with a faint blue sheen. The snake's hiss cut through the silence, its blue eyes gleaming with fury.

The man’s shoulders relaxed slightly, a chuckle slipping from his throat. "Just the snake," he muttered, tilting his head as he considered whether to kill it as well. “It’s only a matter of time before it becomes a nuisance.”

He took a step toward it, but something caught his eye, movement just above the greenhouse, high on the rooftop.

There, bathed in the soft glow of the full moon, stood a figure. A woman cloaked in a flowing blue silk robe that shimmered like water. Her face was obscured, half-hidden beneath the folds of her hood, but what struck him most were her eyes.

Too large. Too blank. Cold, emotionless, and unnerving. She glowered at him with an intensity that sent a chill through his body, freezing him in place.

For a moment, the woman stood perfectly still, like a statue carved from ice. The wind tugged at her robe, but she remained motionless, her gaze never leaving him. There was something deeply unsettling about her presence, her stillness unnatural, her silence deafening.

His heart hammered in his chest, his fingers twitching at the hilt of his blade. "What the hell...?" he whispered, backing away, his bravado slipping. "They didn't say anything about this."

Something primal told him to run.

Before he could even finish the thought, she moved.

A blur of motion, faster than his eyes could follow. The next thing he knew, she was no longer on the rooftop—she was upon him.

Her foot crashed into his chest with the force of a battering ram, the impact so sudden and brutal that his breath was knocked out of him. He barely registered the searing pain in his ribs as his body flew backward, crashing past the garden fence, and skidding across the cold ground. The world spun, and blood filled his mouth as he coughed violently, struggling to breathe.

The man wheezed, clutching his ribs, feeling the sharp sting with every breath. His mind raced as he forced himself to his feet, his vision swimming. Gritting his teeth, he lifted his blade, eyes wild with desperation.

This was no ordinary opponent.

With a growl, he swung his sword at her in a wide arc, putting all his strength into the blow. But the woman didn’t move to dodge. Instead, she raised her arm, bare and delicate, and deflected the blade with casual indifference.

His sword collided with her arm, and to his shock, it bounced off, barely leaving a small scratch. He stared, dumbfounded, as the blade trembled in his hands, the sting of the recoil shooting up his arms. "What the—"

Before he could finish, she struck.

A barrage of punches rained down on him, each one lightning-fast, blurring into a flurry of strikes. The blows weren’t heavy, but their speed disoriented him, forcing him back step by step as he tried to keep up with her movements. He swung wildly in an attempt to regain control, but it was futile. She was too fast, her fists hammering into him with precision, leaving him with no opening.

With a frustrated roar, he threw his sword to the ground, opting for hand-to-hand combat. His fists came up defensively, and he lashed out, striking at her midsection. To his surprise, she didn’t dodge this time. His punch connected with her side, and for a brief moment, he thought he had the upper hand.

He pressed forward, swinging harder and faster. Without the blade, he fought noticeably better, his strikes more fluid, more familiar. His confidence surged as he blocked her next punch and retaliated with a heavy strike to her ribs. She staggered, if only for a fraction of a second, and he grinned in triumph. This was it. He had her.

The man caught her fist in his hand, squeezing tightly. "Got you now," he spat, his grin widening as he looked her dead in the eye.

Wei Long shook his head. “No. The trail is faint, but they’re skilled trackers. If anyone can find him, it’s them.”

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm. My mind was racing, though. If they didn’t know who it was... I couldn’t afford to take any chances. My eyes darted discreetly around the area, searching for any sign of Tianyi or Windy.

A flicker of movement caught my attention near the base of the shop. Windy, coiled in the snow, watching me closely. It was as if the serpent knew what I was looking for. Slowly, Windy’s head tilted toward the house, his gaze fixating on the doorway.

My eyes followed, and I understood. Tianyi. She was inside, hiding. She had listened to me. Thank the heavens.

I turned back to Wei Long, doing my best to mask my relief. “Thank you,” I said, nodding to him. “I appreciate your help. Let me know if they find anything.”

Wei Long studied me for a moment, his expression unreadable, before nodding in return. “We’ll keep you informed. Stay vigilant. Whoever did this might return.”

As the first-class disciple turned to leave, his figure blending into the shadows, I remained rooted to the spot, my gaze slowly shifting back to the garden. The cold breeze stung my skin, but it was nothing compared to the ache that had started to form in my chest.

The Moonlit Grace Lilies I had been cultivating for months were crushed, their silver-white petals scattered like remnants of a broken memory. My hands trembled as I walked toward them, crouching down to gently pick up one of the trampled stems. It was limp in my fingers, the life force of the plant fading as quickly as my hope for their recovery.

The scent of crushed herbs and broken soil filled the air, but it was the sight of those lilies that hurt the most. They weren’t just any plants; they were my connection to my mother. I had nurtured these flowers as a way of remembering her, of keeping a part of her with me. And now...

My vision blurred, a lump forming in my throat as I struggled to hold back the tears. The weight of the destruction was too much. I clenched my teeth, my breath shaky, trying to find the anger I knew should be there. But all I felt was grief.

Deep, aching grief.

"Kai..." Lan-Yin's voice broke through the silence, soft and filled with concern. She knelt beside me, her hand resting gently on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Wang Jun stood behind her, his fists clenched, a mixture of anger and sympathy on his face. "We'll help you rebuild," he said, his voice firm but strained. "We’ll fix this."

I wanted to say something. To thank them, to tell them it wasn’t their responsibility... but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I just nodded, my hand still holding the ruined stem of the lily, its once-vibrant glow now nothing more than a dull shimmer under the moonlight.

I had worked so hard, pouring my time and energy into these plants, hoping to create something beautiful, and a potent medicine in the case of an emergency. But this... this was beyond fixing with just effort. Months of cultivation, of care and attention, were destroyed in one careless moment. It wasn’t just the garden; it felt like a part of me had been trampled as well.

Lan-Yin gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze. “We’ll find whoever did this,” she whispered, her voice steady. “And we’ll make sure they pay.”

But I wasn’t thinking about revenge. Not in that moment. I was just thinking about the waste of it all.

"Why these?" I mumbled, my voice barely audible, speaking more to myself than anyone. "Why the lilies?"

I couldn’t shake the image of my mother’s smile as she had shown me how to prepare them long ago. The way her hands had moved so gently over the petals, her voice full of warmth and patience. I had carried that memory with me, and seeing the lilies bloom had been like a small piece of her living on. But now they were gone, and it felt like I had lost her all over again.

The cold pressed in, and I wiped at my eyes hastily, not wanting my friends to see the tears that had finally escaped. But they didn’t need to say anything. Their presence was enough, grounding me as I mourned the loss of something more than just a garden.

Lan-Yin sat beside me, her silence filled with understanding, while Wang Jun stood vigil, his gaze scanning the surroundings as if daring the attacker to return.

The night stretched on, the moonlight casting long shadows across the destroyed garden.