The late afternoon sun dipped behind the cloudy ridges of Combat Peak, casting long golden shadows over the inner court. At the heart of the grand estate known as Hua Jing Court, disciples of the Hua Family moved in silence, sensing a growing pressure that stifled the very air around them.
Petal-strewn gardens and dragon-carved pillars did little to mask the tension in the atmosphere. A lone disciple sprinted through the stone corridor, his robes fluttering like torn parchment in a storm, before dropping to one knee in the inner courtyard before a circular pavilion draped in dark crimson silk.
"Reporting, Young Master Hua Jing!" he gasped, sweat beading on his forehead. "We scoured the Three Sector Market, the Black Jade Alley, and even the hidden vendor tunnels beneath the Eastern Pavilion."
He placed a bundle of shimmering jade bottles and wooden vials on the polished obsidian table, each marked with various seals of potency.
