Wuchen rushed Yan with the brush blade and a short spatial seal. The floor folded into a shallow angle beneath Yan’s feet. He felt the hostile pressure catch at his leg. The Dao of Returning Spring began to turn within his own cultivation, carrying the seal’s strain through a practiced return of energy.
The fold still threatened to trap him. Yan did not treat Wuchen’s attack as a gift. He used Heaven-Burial Step to cross the altered space, following its full sequence. His foundation reinforced along the path. He landed beside the ledger with his shoulder and forearm aching where outside strikes had reopened them.
Wuchen swung again. Yan pulled the ledger’s cover between them. The brush hit the wood. The impact drove the book against the desk, but its spine stayed intact. Yan felt the Dao gather more steadily through his body. It did not close his wounds or remove the need to return.
A runner entered through the side passage with Wei’s message. The capital wall and river districts had opened their independent releases. Wuchen’s marks were dark. The hall’s provincial line was already severed; only its separate room power remained.
Yan listened as the runner reported the last station time. He did not look away from Wuchen. “Leave the paper with the archive clerk and use the safe stair back.”
