The Woman and the Wall

The mountain trail stretched beneath a cold morning sun.
Mist clung to the trees as the expedition wound deeper into the wilds, across narrow stone passes and ridges that felt older than the city itself.

But even older than the mountains was the silence.

It was not the silence of wilderness.
It was the silence of memory.

No one had forgotten the night before.

Nie Li walked near the front, alone.
Not by choice, but because the others made space.
Not from arrogance.
But from awe — and fear.

They had seen something they could not explain.
Chu Yuan had thrown his full soul force at him.
And Nie Li had not flinched.
Not once.
Not even a blink.

Now whispers followed every step.

“He didn’t even move…”
“No chanting, no formations…”
“They said his soul realm was sealed. Solid as iron.”
“But that’s impossible, isn’t it?”
“He’s thirteen.”

Not all the voices admired him. Some were sharp, biting.

“Trickery.”
“He’s hiding some artifact.”
“Bronze trash who thinks silence makes him a sage.”

Nie Li said nothing.
He had no desire to explain.
The fire that burned in his back was explanation enough — but it was not for them.

“Brother,” Lu Piao muttered, jogging up beside him. “You know what you’ve done, right?”

Nie Li raised an eyebrow.

“You’re officially the most desirable Bronze nobody in the entire expedition.” Lu Piao smirked, waving at the girls whispering in the rear ranks. “Half of them are wondering about your mysterious eyes. The other half are betting you’ve got some hidden master training you in secret.”

Du Ze shot him a look. “Or they think he’s dangerous. You don’t inspire awe without inspiring suspicion.”

Ning’er, walking quietly on Nie Li’s other side, finally spoke. Her voice was calm, silver like her eyes.
“Suspicion is safer than ignorance. At least they’re watching now.”

Nie Li gave a small nod but didn’t answer.

By midday, the expedition stopped in a shallow basin lined with pine. Water trickled faintly from a cracked stone wall, pooling into a clear stream. Most of the group broke into smaller clusters — nobles at one fire, commoners at another, the four Sealed at the edges.

Chen Linjian gave a few commands for scouting teams, but his eyes strayed once toward Nie Li. Thoughtful. Measuring. As if weighing not just a boy, but the weight of what he carried.

And then she came.

Every campfire dimmed for a heartbeat.
Huyan Lanruo walked through the basin as if it were a stage built for her alone. Her violet robes swayed like banners, her hair catching the light, her perfume cutting faintly through the woodsmoke. Conversations faltered, eyes turned.

“Little brother Nie Li,” she purred. Her smile was practiced — dazzling — but today sharpened, predatory.

Nie Li didn’t move.

She came closer, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
“You’re quite the mystery these days.”

Silence.

“I saw your tent last night,” she went on. “All alone, out in the dark. It must be lonely. Why not pitch yours beside mine tonight?” Her voice lowered, playful, dripping honey. “We could… compare cultivation techniques.”

Across the clearing, Ye Ziyun’s head lifted. Her serene mask slipped for a heartbeat — a flicker of annoyance, jealousy, confusion — before she smoothed it again and looked away. Predictable. Of course Lanruo would play her games here. But Nie Li’s reaction? That, she couldn’t predict.

Ning’er, however, froze where she stood. Her jaw tightened, though she said nothing. The firelight on her silver eyes made them sharper.

Lanruo leaned closer, her voice softer, intimate, though the whole camp strained to hear.
“You don’t have to pretend. Everyone saw what you did. You’re hiding something. Share it with me. Maybe… I can help carry the weight.”

At last, Nie Li turned. His expression calm, unreadable, like stone weathered by centuries.
“I thank you for your offer, Miss Huyan. But I don’t mix purpose with distraction.”

Her smile flickered, then steadied. “So serious. Surely you don’t think a little conversation is dangerous?”

“Conversation is not the danger,” Nie Li replied. “Desire is.”

Lanruo blinked, caught off guard.

“I’m not interested in being desired,” he continued. “Not like that. Not now. Not for what I carry.”

It wasn’t sharp. It wasn’t cold.
It was worse.
It was inaccessible.

Her smile faltered for the first time. “Most boys your age would be flattered. Some would beg.”

“I’m not most boys,” Nie Li said.
“And what I was sent to protect doesn’t bend for beauty.”

His words fell like stones into still water.

For a moment, there was nothing.
No fire. No flirtation.
Just stillness.
Like staring into a wall of stone that refused to become a door.

Lanruo swallowed hard. A flush touched her cheeks — not of victory, but of shame. Or perhaps awe. She murmured almost to herself:
“…Then what are you?”

Nie Li did not answer.
Some truths weren’t hers to hear.

When she turned to leave, the whispers rose immediately.

“He turned her down?”
“No one turns Lanruo down.”
“Maybe he really is insane…”
“Or maybe he’s too strong to need her.”

The gossip swelled. Nie Li became not just mystery, but myth.

Lanruo’s steps slowed as she passed Ye Ziyun. She felt the other girl’s eyes on her — not pity, but scorn edged with satisfaction. For once, Lanruo didn’t meet the look. Her usual commanding aura was shaken.

On the far side, Chen Linjian watched with a faint smile, half amusement, half respect. Shen Yue, by contrast, glared openly, his jaw tight, his pride bleeding with every whisper that glorified Nie Li.

Nie Li stood where he was, eyes lifted toward the ridges above. His hands folded behind his back, his robe stirring faintly in the wind. He looked not like a boy, but like a wall — unmoved, unyielding.

From a short distance, Xiao Ning’er came to stand beside him.
She said nothing at first. Neither did he.

Finally, she murmured:
“You could have played along. Pretended. Kept her away with her own games.”

Nie Li’s lips tilted faintly. “Walls don’t play.”

She let the words linger. Then added softly:
“…I thought for a moment you might. I was afraid.”

Nie Li turned to her, his gaze steady. “Don’t be. What’s sealed stays sealed.”

Her eyes lowered. She nodded once, almost to herself.

The stillness between them was not empty.
It was sacred.

And far above, behind the clouds, beyond the sun…

The Voice stirred.

“Purity is not withdrawal.
Purity is not pride.
Purity is remembrance.
A wall that forgets why it stands is only stone —
but you are My witness.”

Nie Li closed his eyes briefly. Then opened them again.