Author's Preface
Under the twinkling stars, a river gurgled along the course it had worn over countless years. On the shore, a procession of trim, well-groomed trees stood watch. As still as they were with their robust trunks, firm roots, and heavy foliage, hidden within was a different world.
A species of birds darker than the night sky, with bright golden crowns atop their heads, cried the day's trouble to one another. They were loud and not the least bit shy about it.
"This place is quite nice," A man in fine armor remarked as he stood in the clearing between the trees and the river. "Yet, I never like to visit, just because of these birds. I doubt I'm the only one. Why wouldn't they just get rid of them?"
He was an ordinary-looking man in fine armor, with short brown hair and kind eyes that seemed strangely out of place beneath polished steel. Two younger companions followed a step behind.
The taller of the two brushed his long black hair behind one ear with a frown. "Their voice is unpleasant to the ear. Want me to go kill them, Chief?"
The question was casual enough that it almost sounded routine. Between his wild hair and the ease with which he suggested violence, he looked more like a raider than a city guard.
The petite blonde nearly stumbled forward.
"No! Those are protected local species, Chief, Golden Royal Nightingales. If we kill them, we'll have to arrest ourselves immediately afterwards."
"Oh?" The leading man hummed back in surprise as he glanced over his shoulder. "Since you seem to be knowledgeable about bird matters. What is wrong with them? What has gotten them so angry? Surely there is a better way to resolve it than this tireless screeching."
"They're nocturnal. Dawn and dusk are when they're most active." The young woman launched eagerly into an explanation. "They're also very territor-"
"Deputy Grand Chief?" The Chief abruptly screamed in uncharacteristic fright upon noticing an approaching figure.
She emerged from the treeline with measured, unhurried steps.
The Deputy Grand Chief wore a dark official robe embroidered with silver, a black belt marked with the twin fiery wings of the Guard Office fastened around her waist. A sheathed sword rested at her side.
She was beautiful, undeniably so, yet there was little warmth to her appearance. Her posture remained perfectly straight, her gaze calm and unwavering. Even before she spoke, those nearby found themselves standing a little straighter.
"Deputy Grand Chief." The chief stepped forward and cupped his fist in greeting, unable to hide the unease creeping into his voice. "What brings you here? If you had required anything, you only needed to send word to this little one. I'd have attended to it immediately."
"I happened to be nearby when I heard about the incident in the Echostone."
She walked past him before he could reply.
The crime scene lay just beyond the group.
Four armored bodies remained where they had fallen, untouched since their discovery. Guards held back curious civilians while several cultivators, each bearing the insignia of a different division, quietly examined the corpses and their surroundings.
One of them guided a squat beast no higher than a man's waist. It had the wrinkled, broad face of an old pug, but everything below the neck looked as though it had been carved from weathered stone. Thick scales armored its sides, while a row of jagged ridges ran from the back of its neck to the tip of its tail, making it resemble a dragon hybrid. Although more goofy in appearance than intimidating.
The creature padded from corpse to corpse, drawing an impossibly deep breath each time. As it inhaled, the ridges along its spine began glowing one after another, the light creeping steadily toward its tail. Just before reaching the end, however, the glow faltered. The beast gave a strained wheeze, its spines dimmed all at once, and its heavy head drooped in frustration. Sneakily stealing glances at its handler before looking down once again.
"Ah, I see. That's good to kno-"
"Report?"
The Deputy Grand Chief's eyes never left the crime scene.
The patrol chief gave a short nod. "Sienna."
One of the inspectors looked up from beside the corpses.
She rose smoothly to her feet, slipping two strands of hair into a small evidence pouch before collecting a single drop of blood in a crystal vial. With a practiced flick of her fingers, both vanished into the storage ring on her hand. By the time she reached them, her expression remained perfectly composed, as though she'd done nothing at all.
She carried a small notebook beneath one arm. Like the other inspectors, she wore a black robe instead of armor. Curly black hair framed her face, and embroidered over her chest rested the insignia of the Investigation Division. A silver insect with unnaturally large eyes. A single star beneath it marked her rank.
"It's a very strange scene." She began, opening her notebook. "One died, and seemingly came to life. There are footsteps of someone else with him, but we are unable to track him."
"Using all three dimensions?" The Deputy Grand Chief inquired, clearly intrigued.
In investigations, the three dimensions referred to a person's three life signatures. Physical, Qi, and Soul.
"Yes," Sienna affirmed before turning a page.
"The remaining two bodies, from the tattoos across their neck belonged to members of the Dark Root gang."
"The unusual part," She continued, looking up at the taller commanding woman before her, "We couldn't find them in the Cultivator's Registry of the city. Which leaves two possibilities. They're foreigners, or... Ghost Children."
Silence settled for a moment.
"The latter seems unlikely," the Deputy Grand Chief said. "Dark Root may be big, but it's only on the city level. Not the sort of organization capable of raising Ghost Children."
"I agree." Sienna nodded. "Their appearance also points elsewhere. Darker complexion. Curly hair. Those are common features of the people in Sunfall City."
"It wouldn't be unprecedented," the Patrol Chief joined the conversation. "Even the famous Dark Root Peng Fu wasn't born in Rivergate."
"True," Sienna replied. "But-"
"It's fine, Inspector."
The Patrol Chief gently steered the conversation elsewhere as he scratched his cheek.
"I'm more interested in this guard who supposedly rose from the dead."
A grin tugged at one corner of his mouth.
"Why exactly do you say that? He died...Then got right back to life?"
"It's difficult to say." Sienna turned another page, skillfully changing the topic. "Our investigation shows that both the guards and the two Dark Root members died from Ashbloom Powder."
"The poison disperses into a dense cloud on activation," she continued. "Anyone caught within several paces dies within two minutes unless treated immediately. Or, of course, having ingested the Ashbloom Antitoxin beforehand"
She glanced toward the bodies. "We found no antidotes on any of the gang members. So we widened the search as there is clearly another person involved."
She flipped another page. "Residual, and very faint footsteps and Qi signatures indicate another cultivator was present."
"Faint?" the Patrol Chief asked.
Sienna nodded.
"I think they concealed themselves using Veiled Breath Pills. The traces they left behind are unusually faint, suggesting they were Foundation Establishment, or about to break through."
The Patrol Chief frowned. "If this was simply a gang ambush...why would a Foundation Establishment cultivator bother hiding?" he finished.
"Precisely."
"But what about the dead man?" The Patrol Chief's long-haired deputy folded his arms, wearing an amused smirk. "The one who got up and walked away."
Sienna closed her notebook for a brief moment, drawing a deep breath. To be perceived as an idiot by an idiot, that's something.
The Grand Deputy Chief's face visibly showed an unpleasant frown upon hearing the comment. Something the Patrol Chief was quick to notice.
"Puppetry?" He contributed, giving more credit to the inspector's idea. "I haven't seen a corpse puppet in years, but it's possible."
"No." The Deputy Grand Chief shook her head. "Corpse puppetry requires long preparation. Spirit channels must be altered, tendons reinforced, and control talismans implanted."
She looked once toward the bodies before continuing. "None of that can be accomplished in the span of a few minutes."
Silence lingered briefly, everyone having their own thoughts. "There are healing medicines capable of dragging someone back from the brink of death." She added.
She folded her hands behind her back. "We're merely wasting time here speculating. "
Her eyes landed on Sienna. "Track him, and bring him to the Guard Office. How difficult can that be?"
"Unfortunately, we've completely lost track of him the moment he came into contact with the green-cloaked individual," Sienna said.
"Green-cloaked?" the Deputy Grand Chief asked. "We have an eyewitness?"
"Yes. A one-star Avian Patrol guard was the first to arrive at the scene. He witnessed Mark Robinson pursuing a man wearing a green cloak."
"How did he arrive before everyone else? Was the incident reported?"
Sienna shook her head.
"From her account, it was purely coincidental. This is normally a popular area, but most people had gone to watch the Cloud Carp Migration on the main side of the river. She happened to be patrolling nearby when her Storm Kite smelled blood. They immediately rushed over to investigate."
The Deputy Grand Chief gave a small nod, signaling for her to continue.
"Unfortunately, she pursued them for quite some time before both disappeared into a cloud of smoke."
Sienna waited a moment before continuing, meeting the taller woman's authoritative gaze. "Deputy Grand Chief, I suggest we use the Heavenly Measure Array!"
"The Heavenly Measure Array?" The Patrol Chief let out a short laugh. "For a small little Qi Condensation boy?"
He turned toward the Deputy Grand Chief. "And saying it's connected to something bigger is just imagination."
"He's right," the Deputy Grand Chief replied. "The City Lord has already been dissatisfied with the recent rise in crime. He's been putting considerable pressure on us to keep the city stable. Asking for the Heavenly Measure Array for this would only give him the wrong impression."
"Any possibility of memory reading?" she asked instead. "I can't imagine they went through all that trouble only to overlook something so obvious."
"Correct." Sienna flipped another page. "By the time the guards applied the Spirit Frost Solution, the Silver Ants' larvae had already finished feeding."
"I have one more lead, Deputy Grand Chief." This time she was reading from a withered, old, dry, yellow paper. Her black notebook vanished from sight. "A one-star patrol team consists of five Body Tempering guards and a single Qi Condensation captain."
"Who's unaccounted for?" the Deputy Grand Chief asked. "I've only seen four guard corpses."
"Not the entire team was killed." Sienna lowered her gaze to read the scroll. The survivor is Yu Ji. Twenty-one years old. She recently broke through to First-stage Qi Condensation. Joined the Guard Office one year ago. Before that, she was a member of a small sect near Clearwater City. No known family or close friends in Rivergate."
"Why wasn't she with the rest of her team today?"
"We don't know yet. Her badge appears to have been damaged, so we're unable to determine her location. However, once I call for a Swift-Hunt team, I expect we'll find her quickly."
She paused, suddenly remembering something. "As for Mark Robinson's badge, it isn't damaged, but obstructed."
"Storage equipment," the Patrol Chief muttered, appearing deep in thought. "I doubt a one-star captain's salary can afford such a luxury."
After processing all of that information, the Grand Deputy Chief relayed her orders. "Notify the Western Office. Have Mark Robinson and Yu Ji's Threefold Imprint Stone entered into the fugitive registry? If any of them attempt to leave through the city gates, the docks, or any teleportation array, they'll be caught on sight. She waved a hand. "For now, everyone should disperse and go do their job."
Sienna left the scene with more questions than answers. After a few steps, she stopped and looked back toward the patrol chief and his deputy, her eyes lingering on them for a long, thoughtful moment. Only then did she retrieve the crystal vial. The one she had previously hidden.
Inside, two drops of blood drifted weightlessly.
A golden talisman nearly the size of her hand materialized in front of her, floating unassisted. She pressed the vial against its surface. Two crimson droplets slipped free and disappeared into the talisman. Looking left and right, she whispered into it. "Please look into this for me."
The talisman flashed with brilliant golden light before crumbling into a nail-sized arc of lightning that bolted west.
Sienna watched it disappear, letting out a quiet sigh. "There goes an entire month's pay."
A moment later, she reached into her storage ring again.
This time, she grabbed a palm-sized circular silver artifact carved from smooth gray stone. Its center rippled like the surface of an undisturbed lake, though nothing could be seen beyond it. Small apertures ringed its edge, one of them glowing softly while the rest remained dark.
The Resonance Disk. It enabled communication within a specific range.
She poured a thread of Qi into it and closed her eyes.
After a few breaths, a woman's voice echoed from within. "Investigation Division, One-Star Rank, Sienna. What do you need on this fine evening?"
Sienna sighed. "Don't waste my time, Cui Jing. Send word to Bennie Coleman and his Swift-Hunt Team immediately. Tell them to bring Yu Ji's Threefold Imprint Stone with them."
She was about to end the connection before adding, "It's urgent."
"Whatever you say," the voice replied, sounding almost disappointed. "I'll submit the request for an urgent summons. Captain Coleman will contact you once his team is prepared."
The connection faded.
High above, in the hidden avian world within the tree foliage, among the black-feathered birds crowned in gold, a lone light-brown pigeon watched everything in silence.
Unlike the noisy nightingales surrounding it, it neither chirped nor stirred. A peculiar intelligence gleamed within its eyes. And none of the other birds seemed aware of its presence.