Li Wie layed in his bed thinking about the letter.
*The Demon King knows.*
Knows *what*, exactly? That he was a fraud? That the entire Verdant Sword Sect had been duped by a janitor with a glitchy System and a concerning amount of dumb luck? Or—
**[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Host is overthinking. Demon Kings rarely send polite letters before murder.]**
**[Suggested course of action: Panic efficiently.]**
Li Wei took a deep breath, then immediately regretted it as the scent of the latrines (his current hiding place) filled his nostrils.
Right. First order of business: *stop hiding in the latrines.*
He emerged just in time to see a harried-looking disciple skid to a stop in front of him.
"V-Venerable Li!" The boy panted, bowing so low his nose nearly scraped the ground. "The sect's perimeter wards have been tripped! Elder Zhu requests your presence at the main gate!"
Li Wei's stomach dropped. *Already?*
He forced his face into what he hoped was a serene mask. "Lead the way."
---
The main gate was chaos.
Dozens of disciples milled about, their swords drawn but their expressions uncertain. Elder Zhu stood at the forefront, his usually impeccable robes disheveled, his face pale.
Beyond the gates, the forest was *moving.*
Not in the wind. Not in the way trees normally did.
No, the trees themselves were *stepping aside*, their roots tearing free from the earth with groans of protesting wood. A path was being cleared—not by manpower, but by the forest itself bowing to whatever approached.
Li Wei's mouth went dry.
"Ah," he said, because saying *"Oh hell no"* didn't seem very venerable.
Elder Zhu turned to him, his eyes wide. "Venerable Li, the forest spirits themselves yield to whatever approaches. This… this is beyond our understanding."
**[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: Host is about to meet the Demon King's lieutenant.]**
**[Survival probability: 3% (generous estimate).]**
Li Wei swallowed. "I see."
The disciples around him tensed, waiting for his command.
Li Wei had exactly zero commands to give.
Then—
A shadow emerged from the trees.
Tall. Cloaked in swirling darkness that seemed to drink in the sunlight. The air around it warped, as if reality itself couldn't quite decide whether it should exist.
The disciples flinched as one.
The figure stopped just beyond the gate. Then, with a voice like a landslide, it spoke:
"Which one of you is the so-called 'Sword Saint of the Whispering Breeze'?"
Every head in the courtyard swiveled toward Li Wei.
Traitors, he thought.
The figure's gaze locked onto him.
"You."
Li Wei's soul briefly left his body.
**[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: Activating 'Emergency Badass Protocol'.]**
Suddenly, Li Wei's body moved on its own. His back straightened. His chin lifted. His hands clasped behind him with the effortless grace of someone who absolutely hadn't been scrubbing floors three days ago.
When he spoke, his voice didn't shake.
"I am."
The figure studied him. Then, to everyone's shock, it laughed—a sound like boulders grinding together.
**"Good. My master has heard of you."**
Li Wei's blood turned to ice.
**"The Demon King demands your presence."**
The courtyard erupted in gasps.
**"You will come alone. Tonight. Or this sect burns at dawn."**
Then, as abruptly as it had arrived, the figure *dissolved* into shadow, leaving behind only the echo of its threat.
Silence.
Then—
"Venerable Li…" Elder Zhu whispered, horrified. "You can't possibly mean to go."
Li Wei stared at the spot where the figure had been. His mouth opened.
**[SYSTEM INTERRUPT: Host will accept the invitation.]**
His mouth closed.
Then opened again.
"I will go."
The disciples lost their minds.
"But Venerable Li—!"
"The Demon King's lair is certain death!"
"You can't—!"
Li Wei raised a hand. The crowd fell silent.
He had no idea what he was going to say. But the System did.
**[PROJECTING: "A true master does not fear the dark. He walks into it… and brings his own light."]**
Li Wei repeated it.
The disciples wept.
---
By sunset, the sect had armed Li Wei with exactly three things:
1. A "legendary" sword (which he was 80% sure was just Elder Zhu's ceremonial blade with a fancier hilt).
2. A map to the Demon King's fortress (drawn by a disciple who had *definitely* never been there).
3. A jar of "invincibility pills" that smelled suspiciously like fermented cabbage.
Li Wei stared at his "supplies," then at the System.
*Any last-minute miracles?*
**[SYSTEM STATUS: All functions nominal.]**
**[Tip: If Host dies, please rate this experience 5 stars.]**
Li Wei sighed.
Then he turned toward the forest—and the long, stupid walk to his probable death.
---
The forest at night was *not* Li Wei's friend.
Every rustle of leaves sounded like an assassin. Every shadow looked like a lurking demon. The "path" the lieutenant had made was long gone, leaving Li Wei to navigate by moonlight and sheer desperation.
Then—
A twig snapped behind him.
Li Wei spun, sword raised.
Nothing.
Then—
*Another snap.*
"Who's there?" he demanded, voice only slightly shrill.
Silence.
Then—
A small, bedraggled figure stumbled into the moonlight.
Li Wei blinked.
It was the junior disciple from earlier—the one who'd fetched him about the Crimson Fang Sect. The boy looked like he'd been running through brambles for hours.
"V-Venerable Li!" he gasped. "I—I couldn't let you go alone!"
Li Wei stared. "You followed me?"
The disciple nodded fiercely. "To serve as your squire! To—to witness your glory!"
Li Wei's eye twitched.
*Great. Now I have to keep two of us alive.*
**[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Host has acquired a 'Loyal Follower'.]**
**[Effect: +10% to 'Dramatic Last Stand' scenarios.]**
Li Wei sighed. "What's your name, kid?"
"Ting Feng, Venerable One!"
"Ting Feng," Li Wei repeated. "If we survive this, you're *never* leaving the sect again."
The boy beamed like he'd been given a blessing.
Li Wei turned back toward the path, his doom now slightly more inconvenient.
Somewhere ahead, the Demon King waited.
And Li Wei?
Li Wei was out of ideas.
**--- CHAPTER END ---**