Chapter 41: The Late Arrival

The sun was bleeding out against the horizon, painting the sky in bruises of purple and crimson. The West Dormitory stood at the edge of the Academy grounds like a rotting tooth, isolated by a perimeter of overgrown ironwood trees and waist-high weeds.

The massive iron gates were rusted shut, wrapped in chains that looked like they hadn't been touched in a decade.

"Where. The. Hell. Is. He?"

Gu Ling paced back and forth in front of the gate, her boots kicking up dust clouds. Her red hair was tied back in a high, aggressive ponytail, and her hands were glowing faintly with restless Qi.

"Relax, Gu Ling," Leng Yue said, leaning against a crumbling stone pillar. The Ice Princess was sharpening her sword with a small whetstone, the rhythmic shhh-shhh sound cutting through the evening silence. "He'll be here. Unless he got lost in his own bathroom."

"It's disrespectful!" Gu Ling snapped. "He's the weakest one in the group, and he dares to keep us waiting? The sun is going down! Do you want to fight ghosts in pitch blackness?"

"I... I brought a lantern," Yun Xi squeaked.

The shy girl was currently indistinguishable from a pack mule. She was wearing a backpack that looked twice her size, and she was clutching a bag of white powder to her massive chest like a lifeline.

"Yun Xi," Leng Yue sighed without looking up. "Is that... salt?"

"It's purified sea salt!" Yun Xi defended, adjusting her thick glasses. "And... and I have garlic. And a peach wood sword. And holy water from the Temple of Dawn."

"We are cultivators, you idiot," Gu Ling rolled her eyes. "We use Qi, not vegetables."

"Now, now, girls," Instructor Han Rou said, stepping between them. She looked nervous, smoothing her robes for the tenth time. She checked the sky, biting her lip. "Let's not fight before the mission starts. Teamwork is essential. Remember the Spirit Link?"

At the mention of the Spirit Link, all three girls flinched. The memory of that hot, invasive Yang energy flushing through their bodies silenced them instantly.

"Sorry I'm late," a deep voice called out from the path. "Traffic was murder."

They turned. Kai was strolling up the overgrown path, hands in his pockets, looking annoyingly relaxed.

Gu Ling marched up to him, poking a finger into his chest. "Traffic? There are no carriages on campus, you liar! We've been standing here for-"

She stopped. Her finger was pressing against his chest, but it felt... harder than she remembered. Denser. She looked up, her eyes narrowing. He looked taller? No, not taller. Broader. His uniform seemed to fit tighter around the shoulders, and there was a solidity to him that hadn't been there three days ago.

"Been working out?" Gu Ling muttered, pulling her hand back, a confused flush hitting her cheeks.

"Something like that," Kai smirked. He looked at the group. "So, this is the suicide squad?"

"Don't call it that!" Yun Xi whimpered, hiding behind her backpack.

Kai walked over to Yun Xi and peered into her bag of salt. "Planning to cook the ghost, Yun Xi?"

"It's for protection!" she insisted, her face turning red as he leaned close. "Salt creates a barrier that spirits can't cross!"

"If you say so," Kai chuckled. He looked at Han Rou. "Ready, Teacher?"

Han Rou adjusted her glasses, trying to ignore the way Kai's presence seemed to suck the air out of the immediate vicinity. "Y-Yes. Since everyone is here... let's review the objective."

She unrolled the scroll, her voice taking on a forced authoritative tone.

"Objective: Investigate the source of the 'Weeping' and the 'Moaning' reported in the West Dormitory. We are to spend one night inside. If we encounter a hostile entity, we neutralize it. If it is a anomaly, we report it."

"Moaning," Gu Ling snorted. "Probably just some students sneaking in to hook up."

"If it were students, they wouldn't have scared off the seniors," Leng Yue noted coldly, sheathing her sword. "Whatever is in there has spiritual pressure."

"Formation," Han Rou commanded. "I will take the center to monitor everyone's status. Leng Yue, you take the rear guard. Gu Ling, you have the best ranged attacks, take the left flank. Yun Xi... stay close to me."

"And him?" Gu Ling jerked her thumb at Kai. "The baggage carrier?"

"I'll take point," Kai said, stepping toward the rusted gates.

"You?" Gu Ling laughed. "You have the lowest cultivation base! You want to die first?"

"I have the best instincts," Kai said, glancing back with a grin that was sharp enough to cut glass. "And besides... if a beautiful ghost jumps out, I need to be the first one to see her."

"Disgusting," Leng Yue muttered, though the corner of her mouth twitched.

"Pervert," Gu Ling huffed.

"Let's go," Kai said.

He placed his hands on the cold, rusted iron of the gates. With Strength 14, he didn't need to struggle. He didn't even use Qi. He just pushed.

SCREEEEEEECH.

The hinges screamed in protest, a sound that sent shivers down Yun Xi's spine. The gates groaned and swung open, revealing the courtyard beyond.

It was a graveyard of memories. Dead fountains were choked with black vines. Stone benches were overturned. And looming ahead was the dormitory building itself-a four-story wooden structure with peeling red paint that looked like dried blood.

The windows were dark, like empty eye sockets staring back at them.

A cold wind blew from the building, carrying the scent of rotting wood and... something sweet. Like old perfume.

"Smell that?" Kai asked, sniffing the air.

"Jasmine?" Han Rou whispered, hugging her arms. "And... decay."

"Stay close," Kai said, his voice dropping the playful tone. He stepped into the courtyard, his boots crunching on the dead leaves.

The girls exchanged glances. For a moment, the bickering stopped. They instinctively moved closer together, forming a tight knot behind Kai. Even Gu Ling didn't argue. There was something reassuring about the broad back of the man walking into the darkness first.

"Wait for me!" Yun Xi squeaked, sprinting to catch up, a trail of salt spilling from her bag.

"Yun Xi!" Gu Ling hissed. "Stop leaving a trail! You're not Hansel and Gretel!"

"I'm panic-seasoning!"

As the group crossed the threshold, the heavy iron gates swung shut behind them with a definitive CLANG, sealing them inside.

The sun finally dipped below the horizon.

The quest had begun.