Ramon didn’t move.

  His fingers hovered near the spear propped against the bedpost, body tense, breath shallow.

  The window was still cracked. The flickering oil lamp cast trembling light across the room. And there—just outside the glass—stood a figure, cloaked in black, still as the night.

  They didn’t flinch when Ramon turned. Didn’t retreat.

  He didn’t wait.

  In one swift motion, he grabbed the spear and dropped into a low stance, the dull wooden floor creaking beneath his bare feet.

  “If you’re here for a fight,” he said coldly, “come in. Let’s not waste time playing games in the dark.”

  The figure tilted its head slightly—curious, amused maybe. Then, slowly, a gloved hand pushed the window open further. A soft rustle. A gentle thud. The figure landed inside without a sound.

  Even in the room’s dim light, their face was completely obscured—black hood, loose robes, and something shimmering like a veil where the mouth and nose should’ve been.

  Ramon didn’t lower the spear. Not yet.

  “Speak.”

  The figure raised both hands. “Peace.”

  A woman’s voice—soft, melodic. It almost didn’t match the presence.

  “I come in peace,” she said again, then reached up and pushed the hood back with a smooth motion.

  Ramon blinked.

  Dark hair spilled across her shoulders, silk-like and straight. Her face was partially covered by a delicate veil—translucent enough to show high cheekbones, smooth pale skin, and full lips faintly curved in a smirk. But it was her eyes that stopped him.

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  Black, like still water. Calm and bottomless.

  She was… stunning. The kind of beauty that made his thoughts lag for half a second too long.

  He immediately forced his gaze back to her eyes. Focus.

  “Who are you?”

  She chuckled. “That’s how you greet someone who climbs into your room in the middle of the night? I’m hurt.”

  Ramon’s jaw tightened. “Say what you came to say.”

  She sighed, hand resting on her hip.

  “Li Meiyun,” she said. “Outer disciple of the Cloud Lotus Sect.”

  Ramon narrowed his eyes. That was unexpected.

  A sect disciple walking around the outer district at night wasn’t unheard of—but climbing through windows?

  “…And?”

  “I saw you earlier,” she said, stepping closer. “In the alley. Fighting those little rats from Crimson Ash.You moved well. Too well.”

  Ramon stayed silent, but his mind raced.

  So I was spotted after all.

  He had expected the possibility—but hoped no sect disciple had bothered to pay attention to a scuffle between outer district nobodies.

  No such luck.

  “You beat Darin without breaking a sweat,” she continued, circling the room slowly. “He’s not much, but still. Most rogue cultivators wouldn’t last ten seconds against someone under Soorin’s leash.”

  “And you followed me?” Ramon asked, still not lowering the spear.

  “No.” She stopped beside the desk, glancing at the scroll. “I asked around. Then I waited.”

  He exhaled slowly.

  “And now you’re here. What do you want?”

  She looked back at him, that half-smile returning.

  “I want you,” she said simply.

  Ramon raised a brow. “Excuse me?”

  “As a subordinate,” she clarified, almost teasing. “Not… whatever else you’re imagining.”

  “I wasn’t—” he began, then stopped. She was definitely teasing him.

  “I don’t work under anyone,” he said flatly. “Especially not people who sneak into rooms.”

  “That’s fair,” Meiyun replied. “But let me explain before you decide.”

  She walked past him and leaned casually against the wall, arms folded.

  “You’re strong,” she said. “More than the outer district deserves. Strong, desperate, clever. That’s a rare mix.”

  Ramon said nothing.

  “I don’t know how you got to Bone Refinement on your own, but that means you’ve survived where most get chewed up. I like survivors.”

  “And?” he asked cautiously.

  “And I’m offering you something,” she said. “A way in.”

  He tilted his head. “Into the sect?”

  She gave a small nod. “I can pull strings. Get you through the gate officially. You won’t have to grovel or scrape for attention. You’ll be a disciple, just like that. Shelter, resources, pills. Spear manuals that aren’t… half-burnt, probably.”

  She glanced at the scroll on the desk again.

  Tempting.

  Too tempting.

  But there had to be a catch.

  “Why?” he asked.

  She tapped a finger against her chin. “Let’s just say I’m… building something. A little network of my own. Eyes, ears. Muscle. Talent. The sect is a game of stones and swords—if I want to rise, I need pieces on the board.”

  “And you think I’m a piece.”

  “No,” she said, smirking. “I think you’re a blade. I just want to make sure it points in the right direction.”

  Ramon lowered the spear slightly—but only slightly.

  “I need to think about it.”

  “Of course,” she said, pushing off the wall and walking to the window again. “But don’t take too long.”

  She perched on the sill, one leg already outside. Then she turned her head just slightly, her veil catching the light.

  “Because the sect eats the slow.”

  Her voice grew a touch more playful again.

  “Oh—and get stronger quickly, will you? I hate investing in weaklings.”

  And just like that, she was gone.

  Ramon stood there in silence for a long moment.

  Then he looked down at the scroll again.

  Black Lotus Sect. Li Meiyun. Subordinate.

  This world really never let him rest.