( Warning)
The room felt smaller than before.
Not because of its size—
But because of what now filled it.
Zhang Lin stood beside the bed, one hand still resting lightly near Zhang Wei's shoulder, as if anchoring him there. His calm expression had not returned—not fully. There was a tightness now, something restrained beneath the surface.
He looked toward the elders.
"What is going on?" he asked.
No anger.
No accusation.
Just confusion—deep, grounded confusion.
"All our lives," he continued, his voice low, controlled, "the Zhang family has had no conflict with the Qi Kingdom. No enemies here. No reason for this."
His gaze flicked briefly toward the window, then back.
"So how?"
Silence answered him first.
Heavy.
Reluctant.
The two elders exchanged a glance.
It was brief.
But it carried weight.
Finally, one of them stepped forward.
His aged hands folded behind his back, his posture straight despite the burden in his eyes.
"…His core."
The words were quiet.
But they shifted everything.
Zhang Lie's gaze snapped toward him.
Zhang Lin did not move—but his attention sharpened.
"The Snow Bunny," the elder continued, his tone lowering further, as though even speaking of it openly carried risk. "A rare creature. One of purity… untouched, unseen by most of the world."
His eyes moved to Zhang Wei.
The boy lay half-conscious, lashes trembling faintly, his breathing uneven but steady. His pale hair spread across the pillow like frost, his small frame barely stirring beneath the soft purple robe.
"…It attracts the opposite," the elder said.
A faint chill seemed to pass through the room.
"That is why such creatures are never found near civilization. They live high upon the snow mountains—far from reach, far from desire."
Zhang Lie frowned. "And yet—"
"And yet," the elder cut in quietly, "its blood is precious."
No one spoke.
The implication hung clearly between them.
"Used for beauty. For charm. For allure," he continued. "A drop… and it can enhance what is already there. A body infused with it—"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
All eyes shifted to Zhang Wei again.
"…He has already merged with it," the elder said.
Zhang Lin's fingers tightened slightly.
"That change…" the elder added, "is not something we can deny."
Zhang Lie let out a slow breath, running a hand through his hair. "So you're saying—what? That he's become some kind of—target?"
The elder didn't answer immediately.
Because the answer was obvious.
"…What I don't understand," the elder said instead, his brows drawing together, "is how they realized it so quickly."
That—
That was the problem.
Zhang Wei had only just entered Qi.
Yet eyes had already turned.
Hands had already reached.
Traps had already been set.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
—
A soft sound broke the tension.
All eyes shifted.
Zhang Wei had moved.
Barely.
His gaze—still unfocused, still drifting—had shifted away from them entirely.
Toward the small wooden table near the bed.
On it—
A plate.
And on that plate—
A single carrot.
Bright.
Simple.
Completely out of place in a room filled with tension.
Zhang Wei stared at it.
His expression didn't change.
But something in his eyes did.
A faint pull.
A quiet desire.
His fingers twitched weakly against the bedding, as if trying to reach—but his body refused to obey.
Too dazed.
Too distant.
"…Even now…" Zhang Lie muttered under his breath, exhaling sharply.
Zhang Lin said nothing.
But his gaze softened for the briefest moment.
Then hardened again.
—
The female disciple near the basin shifted slightly, her grip tightening on the cloth in her hands.
She hadn't spoken.
None of them had.
But the elder's words—
They weren't complete.
They couldn't be.
Because the air in the room had changed.
The wind outside picked up again, brushing against the half-broken window frame with a hollow sound.
Cold air slipped through.
Carrying with it something unseen.
Something unsettled.
—
The door opened again.
The old doctor returned.
This time—
His expression was different.
No curiosity.
No quiet amusement.
Only a deepening frown.
His sharp eyes swept across the room, taking in the gathered figures, the tension, the broken window—
And finally—
The boy.
"…Move."
No one argued.
He stepped forward, placing his worn bag down with practiced ease before immediately going to work.
His fingers moved quickly now, far more direct than before. He re-examined the wound, pressing gently along the edges, watching for reaction—there was little.
Too little.
"Hold him steady."
Zhang Lin obeyed without question.
The doctor reached into his kit, pulling out a thin needle.
Not for stitching.
For something else.
Zhang Lie watched closely. "What are you doing?"
"Stopping him from waking too soon," the doctor replied bluntly.
Before anyone could question further—
The needle slid in.
Precise.
Controlled.
Zhang Wei's already weakened body stilled further, his faint movements ceasing entirely as his breathing deepened into a more stable rhythm.
Asleep.
This time—
Fully.
The doctor withdrew the needle, exhaling slowly as he set it aside.
Then—
He looked at them.
Really looked at them.
His gaze lingered on each face before settling on Zhang Lin.
There was no respect in it now.
Only irritation.
And something close to anger.
"You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place."
The words were sharp.
Unfiltered.
No one had asked.
But he said it anyway.
The room fell silent.
The doctor scoffed lightly under his breath, shaking his head as he began cleaning his tools.
"The Qi Kingdom…" he muttered, "is full of mad people."
His eyes flicked once more toward Zhang Wei.
"…And you bring a child like this here?"
There was something almost disbelieving in his tone.
As if he truly could not understand it.
He paused.
Just for a moment.
And in that moment—
Something softened.
Only slightly.
"Listen," he said, quieter now. "If you don't want him to disappear… sooner or later—"
His gaze hardened again.
"Take him back."
The words landed heavier than before.
"And even if you do…"
A pause.
"It might already be too late."
No one spoke.
No one moved.
"No wonder the gates have been tightening," he muttered under his breath, more to himself now than to them. "Things like this don't go unnoticed…"
He stood.
Packed his things.
And without waiting for a response—
He turned and walked out.
Still muttering.
Still shaking his head.
—
The door closed behind him.
Silence remained.
But now—
It was suffocating.
The elders exchanged another look.
This time—
There was no hesitation.
They understood.
Every word.
Every warning.
Elder Mi exhaled slowly, then straightened.
"Go," he said.
The other two elders nodded.
"Protect the girls."
Without another word, they turned and left, their robes brushing softly against the wooden floor as they exited the room.
The door closed once more.
Leaving behind—
Zhang Lin.
Zhang Lie.
And the sleeping boy between them.
Zhang Wei lay still, his breathing even, his expression peaceful in a way that felt undeserved after everything that had just unfolded.
Unaware.
Unknowing.
As if fate itself had decided to move ahead without waiting for him to catch up.
And somewhere beyond that quiet room—
Something had already begun to close in.