Heavenly Opposers-Chapter 355 - 354-Threads Around the Gorge

The sun had begun its slow descent by the time Azrail’s group left the busier market streets and moved toward one of Scarlet Peak City’s more refined districts. Here, the noise dimmed slightly, replaced by the clink of cups in upscale tea houses and the low murmur of conversations in private pavilions.

Buildings rose a little taller, their facades decorated with carved flame motifs and polished stone. Lanterns shaped as lotus flames hung from eaves, already lit with soft, flickering light even though true night had yet to fall.

"This city knows how to pretend it’s richer than it is," Raena observed, trailing her fingers along a stone railing as they walked. "Lots of effort in appearances, less in foundations."

"You can smell the debt," Valencia added mildly. "Several of these businesses are under subtle pressure from the Burning Sky family. They’ve dressed extortion up as ’protection fees’ and ’exclusive Fire Qi supply rights’."

Azrail glanced at her. "You saw the contracts?"

She tilted her head slightly, golden eyes shimmering. "I saw the fear on the shopkeepers’ faces when outer family members walked by. It’s the same pattern everywhere. The names on the papers don’t matter. The threads of cause and effect do."

Xuanyin quietly licked the last smear of sauce from her fingers. She’d just finished a skewer of grilled spirit beast meat coated in a slightly spicy glaze. Her expression hadn’t changed much while eating, but Azrail—who’d spent years watching her closely—could tell she liked it.

"Little ice," he said, pretending not to notice the way Raena’s eyes softened slightly at the sight, "later, when we’re free, we’ll come back for more."

Xuanyin nodded once, a tiny thing, but for her it was a clear "yes".

They turned a corner and stepped into a quieter street lined with teahouses and high-class inns. Azrail’s gaze settled on one in particular: a three-story building with dark-wood pillars and a polished plaque reading "Crimson Ember Pavilion".

"Here," he said.

Raena’s eyes gleamed. "You picked well. I can smell the expensive tea from here."

They entered.

Inside, the air was cooler, filtered through arrays that removed most of the smoke and dust from outside. Soft music played in the background, and servers in clean uniforms moved gracefully between low tables.

The moment they stepped in, the ambient noise dipped. A few eyes turned their way, lingering on Raena’s dangerous beauty, Valencia’s veiled elegance, and the quiet, almost eerie presence of Xuanyin and also the veiled Huifen. But it was Azrail who drew the longest stares, even with his aura suppressed as much as possible.

He ignored them.

A middle-aged attendant approached, bowing. "Honoured guests, welcome to Crimson Ember Pavilion. Do you prefer a private room or a hall seat?"

"Private room on the second floor," Azrail replied calmly. "One with a balcony view of the street, if possible."

"Of course, honoured guests. Please follow me."

They were led up a polished staircase to a corner room with sliding doors. Inside, a low table sat near a balcony overlooking the street below. From here, they could see a portion of the noble district’s lower edge and a slice of the main avenue leading toward the Lin Clan’s direction.

Azrail sat with his back to the wall, facing the door and balcony both. Valencia took the seat to his right, Raena to his left, and Xuanyin settled naturally beside him, as if the spot had always belonged to her, and Huifen went with the flow, just hella confused.

Tea was brought—fragrant, with a subtle fire-aspected Qi that warmed the meridians without burning. Light snacks followed: small dumplings with molten cores, crispy lotus chips dusted with spicy powder, and sweet candied fruits.

They ate and drank in silence for a short while, letting the room’s soundproofing arrays dull the outside noise.

Then Azrail spoke.

’All-Seer,’ he called inwardly. ’Show me the relevant information for the next three days within Scarlet Peak City. Focus on Lin Clan, Burning Sky family’s local branch, and any anomaly in the city lord’s manor.’

A cascade of data, distilled and curated, flowed through his mind—images, snippets of overheard conversations, fate disturbance markers Valencia—had partially highlighted earlier, and All-Seer’s own observations from scanning the city through subtle spiritual waves from the connection of the various satellite-like readings.

On the first mental screen: the Lin Clan.

He saw Lin Mei walking through her estate with Xiao Yuan, stopping near the front courtyard to greet her father, Lin Hao, a man with thinning hair and tired eyes, still trying to project authority despite the weight of his responsibilities. Several elders stood nearby, their expressions a complex mix of respect, calculation, and concealed resentment.

On another screen: the local Burning Sky family compound, its disciples training in courtyards warmed by controlled flames. A young man with sharp features and proud eyes—Hou Jin—laughed loudly as he sparred, each of his strikes carrying a bit more force than strictly necessary. His entourage flattered him, and in the shadows, another young woman watched with a narrowed gaze.

Luo Ying.

Vice Master Luo’s daughter.

Her eyes were filled with a possessive coldness whenever they landed on Hou Jin. When another female disciple approached him with a smile, Luo Ying’s fingers flexed, leaving faint scorch marks on the wooden railing beside her.

On a third screen: the city lord’s manor, where nervous servants whispered about increased tribute demands and letters from the capital urging them to "monitor the situation" regarding Ai family movements.

Azrail sipped his tea slowly.

"The assassination attempt will be in two nights," he said, almost casually. "It will happen during a small banquet at the Lin Clan estate. Officially, it’s to celebrate a new trade route agreement. Unofficially, it’s a pressure tactic from the Hou family to assert dominance."

Valencia listened quietly, turning her cup between her fingers.

"How?" she asked. "Poison? Blade? ’Accident’?"

"A mix," Azrail replied. "Hou Jin likes violence; Luo Ying prefers subtlety. They’ll compromise. Luo Ying will arrange for the food at the banquet to be laced with a slow-acting toxin that weakens the meridians but doesn’t kill immediately. While Lin Mei is weakened, a staged ’robbery’ will occur on her way back from the side garden, where she’s meant to get some fresh air."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"The attackers will be outer disciples disguised as bandits. Their orders are to ’leave no witnesses’ while making it look like a failed kidnapping attempt."

Raena’s lips curled. "How romantic. A night walk in the garden followed by a murder attempt. Lower realm nobles do know how to spice things up."

Xuanyin’s fingers tightened around her cup, Huifen’s eyed blinked, taking it all in.

Azrail reached over and lightly tapped the back of her hand.

"She won’t die," he said, his tone both a statement and a promise.

Valencia tilted her head, studying him.

"And what will you do?" she asked. "Save her visibly? Or from the shadows?"

Azrail smiled faintly.

"Neither," he said. "I’ll make sure she saves herself."

He set his cup down.

"Tomorrow, I’ll create an opportunity to meet her. As a ’visiting noble’ from the Ai family who just happens to be passing through, the talk of the Empire. I’ll give her a choice, a mirror, and a spark. If she takes it, then when the banquet comes, she’ll already be prepared to turn their assassination into her ascension."

"And if she doesn’t?" Raena asked, intrigued.

Azrail’s gaze turned briefly distant, as if measuring something far away.

"Then I’ll interfere more directly," he replied calmly. "But from everything I’ve seen so far, she won’t disappoint."

Valencia’s eyes glimmered.

"You like her," she said—not as an accusation, just observation.

Azrail blinked once, then chuckled.

"I like her potential," he corrected. "She’s hiding teeth behind that gentle smile. I respect people who can endure quietly without becoming empty."

"You’re projecting," Raena said with a smirk. "Still, this should be entertaining."

From the balcony, the sky was now a deeper orange, the sun slowly sinking behind the crimson mountain. The streets below glowed with lantern light, and cultivators of various levels moved about, their auras brushing faintly against one another.

As Azrail watched, a small group of Burning Sky family disciples entered the street, their red-trimmed robes sharp against the darker architecture. They walked with the exaggerated arrogance that came from having a big family name behind them, their laughter too loud, their gestures too wide.

One of them, a tall youth with badly concealed impatience, muttered under his breath.

"...can’t believe we have to babysit some noble banquet. Vice Master Luo’s daughter is making a big fuss over that Lin girl. Just kill her and be done with it, I say."

"Shh," another hissed. "Careful what you say. Luo Ying’s temper—"

"What? It’s true. She’s been sulking ever since she heard Young Master Hou Jin is still keeping that engagement. If not for the main branch’s orders, she would have burned that little Lin flower to ash already."

Their voices faded as they moved further down the street, but it was enough.

Raena arched an eyebrow. "Subtle, they are not."

Azrail’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Trash rarely is," he said.

He stood, moving to the balcony’s edge, resting one hand lightly on the railing. Valencia joined him, her shoulder just brushing his.

Below, life flowed. Above, the crimson peak loomed. In between, invisible threads of fate twisted, knotted, strained.

"So," Raena said lazily from the table, swirling her wine. "We have two days to wander, flirt with danger, and play with fire. Any special requests?"

Azrail glanced back at her.

"Tomorrow," he said, "we’ll visit the public cultivation grounds near the base of Crimson Gorge. Lin Mei’s clan has a reserved training slot there. It’s where she goes to ’practice’ under supervision."

Valencia’s eyes sharpened. "And you’ll ’coincidentally’ be there too."

"Coincidence is just poorly understood causality," Azrail replied.

Xuanyin, who had been quietly watching the interplay, spoke up softly.

"Brother."

He turned to her.

"Mm?"

"Will... will she be like us?"

The question was simple, but it carried layers.

Azrail considered it.

"Not exactly," he said finally, and that is all Azrail added.

Xuanyin nodded slowly, absorbing that.

"Then," she said, voice almost inaudible, "I hope she chooses well."

Azrail’s chest tightened for a moment, a strange warmth blooming there.

He reached out and ruffled her hair lightly. "Me too, little ice."

They lingered for a while longer, watching the city shift from day to night, from heat to ember-glow. Eventually, servants came and went, clearing dishes, refilling tea.

Later that night, when the city had settled into its evening rhythm and the sky above Scarlet Peak glittered with distant stars partially veiled by heat haze, Azrail activated the hidden formation in the corner of their room.

The door to the chariot flickered into existence—an oval of soft darkness that hummed with quiet power. Through it, the familiar scent of Manor’s inner halls drifted.

"Time to check in?" Raena asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Briefly," Azrail said. "Mother will be annoyed if I vanish for too long on the first day."

Raena chuckled softly. "Lan’s annoyance is a terrifying thing."

Xuanyin rose immediately, already stepping closer to the door. To her, that doorway was not just a spatial link; it was a tether to safety.

They stepped through together.

Inside, in a quiet room of the Manor modified by Realm Scrapper technology, Yun Lan looked up from a table covered in documents as the doorway shimmered.

Her cold, beautiful eyes softened almost imperceptibly when she saw them.

"You took your time," she said, voice calm but carrying that familiar, sharp undertone. "So? How is Scarlet Peak City?"

Azrail smiled.

"Hot," he answered simply.

Behind him, Raena laughed, Valencia shook her head, and Xuanyin moved silently to Yun Lan’s side, the cold girl’s presence softening even the icy mother’s expression. Huifen was left in the room away; she hadn’t earned the right yet.

The threads between them all pulled tighter.

And in Scarlet Peak City, under the shadow of the crimson mountain, Lin Mei went to sleep with a faint furrow between her brows, unaware that her life had just begun to tilt toward something far beyond marriage, sect politics, or even the Rexion Empire itself.