The sickly green blade arced toward Xiaobo’s ribs. Zhitong shrieked, raw and furious. She launched herself across the altar, a blur of motion fueled by pure, unadulterated maternal fury. Her shoulder drove hard into Granny Yao’s hip. The impact sent a jarring pain through Zhitong’s shoulder, but it wasn't enough. The curved edge sliced across Zhitong's forearm, opening a ragged trench from wrist to elbow. Warm blood welled, dark against her pale skin, and splattered onto the dark mineral clutched in Granny Yao's left hand. [WARNING: Unstable core fragment detected. Proximity to blood resonance causing unpredictable energy surges.] A brilliant flash of jade radiance erupted from the stone, tossing Zhitong back across the flagstones. A shrill shriek tore from Granny Yao’s lips as the mineral hummed violently, burning with a flare that threatened to crack it. The silvery tendrils snapped back from the twins, who coughed and choked for air. “You foolish girl!” Granny Yao snarled, clutching the erratic stone to her chest. Her pupils darted between Zhitong and the twins. “You’ve destabilized the core transfer! The blood… it’s reacting!” Before Yao could recover, the remaining timber of the temple doors splintered inward. He Tingye vaulted through the threshold. Two hulking figures, clad in dark, unadorned robes, emerged from the shadows near the entrance, bludgeons already swinging. They were not Fang thugs. These men were trained, their movements precise and brutal. Tingye met the first one head-on, deflecting a heavy blow with his forearm before driving his fist into the man's gut with a sickening *thud*. The mercenary doubled over, air rushing from his lungs, before Tingye’s knee connected with his jaw. The man collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. “Zhitong! Get them!” Tingye shouted as he spun toward the second guard. This one was quicker, wielding a short, weighted chain. It whistled through the air, aimed for Tingye’s head. He ducked, the chain slicing through the space where his temple had been, and closed the distance with terrifying speed. A flurry of blows, each one delivered with the force of a battering ram, overwhelmed the mercenary. A final, crushing elbow to the throat rendered him unconscious. Cradling her bleeding forearm, Zhitong scrambled to the altar. “Xiaobo! Xiaoxue!” She fumbled with the coarse ropes binding their wrists and ankles, her fingers clumsy with fear and urgency. The twins whimpered, tear-streaked and trembling. “Mama’s here, my darlings. Mama’s here.” She untied Xiaobo first, pulling him into a fierce hug, then moved to Xiaoxue. She scooped both of them into her arms, pressing their small faces into her shoulder, shielding them from the horror of the scene. Granny Yao stepped back toward the dais, the dark stone still thrumming in her grip. “You think this ends here, Mr. He?” she sneered, her voice raspy. “The Qingshui Magistrate has already been paid handsomely to look the other way. Any ‘disturbance’ here will be dismissed as a petty religious dispute. No police. No witnesses. Just me, finishing what I started.” She laughed, a high, unnerving sound. “And as for you, my dear Mr. He…” From a hidden pouch at her waist, Yao produced a small, carved jade pendant that cast a faint azure sheen. She held it aloft, chanting a different, sharper incantation. The air around Tingye crackled, shimmering like heat haze. He stumbled, his powerful muscles seizing. Tingye strained against the invisible lock binding his limbs, his gaze fixed on Zhitong. “A little gift from a forgotten dynasty,” Yao gloated, stepping closer to the paralyzed Tingye. “It binds even the strongest. Your hero is no more than a statue now, Zhitong. And your hidden gateway? It’s already failing. I can feel its anchor tearing. A few more hours, and it will be nothing but a barren rock in your mind, and your twins' unique connection will fade to nothing.” Her gaze hardened against Zhitong, who huddled over the twins. “Without its magic, without the children’s pure essence, it will collapse entirely. So many years of planning… and you thought you could stop me? You’re just an inconvenience.” She raised the curved steel, its poisonous sheen now a dull, hungry gleam. Her target was Zhitong, huddled protectively over her twins. “Now, to finish this. The blood of the gateway's true master will seal the transfer. A sacrifice for greatness.” Tingye stood frozen, the twins trembled against Zhitong's ribs, and Granny Yao loomed over them. There was no escape. No help coming. As the blade began its descent, a sharp viridian glint broke through the weave of Zhitong's collar. Fused below her breastbone, the anchor fragment thrummed violently against her ribs in response to the spilled blood. A wild, reckless thought flared in her mind. Zhitong yanked down the collar of her tunic, exposing the jade node embedded in her skin. It pulsed, a small, vibrant heart of light. Granny Yao paused with the blade raised. “What…?” Zhitong didn’t hesitate. She clawed at the stone, feeling it detach from her flesh with a sharp, searing pain. It ripped free, scorching her palms. She met Yao's stare without flinching. With a sharp intake of breath, Zhitong shoved the luminous shard between her teeth and swallowed it whole. A flash of jade flared behind her eyelids, setting every vein in her chest ablaze.

The Coastal Temple Clash