The first light of dawn bathed the abandoned courtyard in a golden glow, but Mei Lin and Li Sheng had no time to admire it. The assassin's words haunted Mei Lin—You're already too late.
What did he mean? Had the Order of the Shadowed Hand already found the Celestial Vault?
Mei Lin tightened the straps of her travel bag as she and Li Sheng mounted their horses. Their path would take them through Ghost Gorge, a place riddled with dark legends. Travelers spoke of eerie whispers, vanishing shadows, and a chilling presence that made even the bravest men turn back.
But Mei Lin wasn't afraid of ghosts. She was afraid of what waited for them at the end of this journey.
Li Sheng rode beside her, his gaze sharp as they left Yunhe behind. "Once we reach the gorge, we need to move fast. If the Order is ahead of us, we have no time to waste."
Mei Lin nodded. "I only hope Scholar Han was right about this path."
They rode hard for most of the day, stopping only to rest their horses. The land grew wilder, the roads narrower. Soon, jagged cliffs rose on either side, casting long shadows across the rocky trail.
Ghost Gorge.
The air grew thick and still as they entered. The sound of hooves echoed unnaturally, swallowed by the oppressive silence. Mei Lin could almost hear whispers riding the wind.
"This place feels wrong," she muttered.
Li Sheng nodded, his hand hovering over his sword. "Keep your guard up."
They pressed forward, but halfway through the gorge, Li Sheng suddenly pulled the reins. "Stop."
Mei Lin froze. "What is it?"
Li Sheng dismounted, crouching to the ground. He ran his fingers over the dirt, revealing faint hoofprints. "Someone passed through here recently."
Mei Lin's pulse quickened. "The Order?"
Li Sheng stood, his jaw clenched. "Maybe. But look at this."
He pointed to a deeper indentation in the ground—wagon tracks. Not just any wagon, but a heavy one, meant for transporting something large.
Mei Lin's heart pounded. "Supplies? Artifacts?"
"Or bodies," Li Sheng murmured.
A sudden rustle echoed through the gorge. Mei Lin barely had time to react before an arrow whizzed past her head, embedding itself into a rock.
"Ambush!" Li Sheng shouted, drawing his sword.
From the cliffs above, masked figures emerged, their weapons gleaming in the dim light. The Order had been waiting for them.
Mei Lin's mind raced. They were outnumbered, trapped in a narrow passage. Their enemies had the high ground.
But Mei Lin refused to die here.
She reached into her pouch, pulling out a vial of sleeping gas. With a quick flick of her wrist, she shattered it against a nearby rock. A thick, silvery mist spread, engulfing the gorge.
Shouts of confusion erupted as the masked figures staggered back, coughing. Mei Lin grabbed Li Sheng's arm. "Now! We run!"
They sprinted toward the other end of the gorge, arrows flying wildly behind them. Mei Lin felt the sting of a sharp graze on her arm, but she didn't stop.
As they burst through the gorge's exit, they didn't slow down. Only when the sounds of pursuit faded did they pause, breathless.
Li Sheng looked at Mei Lin, his eyes filled with concern. "You're hurt."
Mei Lin wiped the blood from her arm. "It's nothing."
Li Sheng frowned but didn't argue. Instead, he turned his gaze forward. In the distance, hidden within the mountain mist, an ancient structure loomed.
The Celestial Vault.
They had found it.
But so had the Order.