part-2

The clearing splits in silence. Shen Yiren’s blade glimmers like water under moonlight. Liang Fenghua stands still, robe fluttering in the night wind. Neither moves for three breaths...
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
Draw it again. Like old times..
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
I’m not here to spar with the dead
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
(smirks) No. You’re here to see if I can still bleed.
In one flicker of motion, Liang Fenghua vanishes—then reappears behind Shen Yiren. Blade meets claws. Sparks fly..
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
....You’re faster
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
(mocking) Death has its perks.
Shen Yiren turns swiftly, blade slicing through shadow. Liang Fenghua moves like smoke, his black robes dancing with crimson edges—faint as dried blood. They circle, then clash again..
Disciple Xu
Disciple Xu
(watching, terrified) S-Senior! We should help!
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
(without turning) Stand back..
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
Let them watch. Let them see what your “righteous path” breeds..
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
You’re not the only one who lost something that day
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
(his smile twists) No. But I’m the only one who came back
With a sharp hiss, Fenghua lashes forward. His nails extend like black daggers, barely deflected by Yiren’s sword. The steel hums with strain. Shadows curl at Fenghua’s feet like living things..
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
(panting) You’re using blood energy
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
I’ve long stopped pretending I’m above it
He strikes again—this time not at Shen Yiren, but at the lanterns above. With a wave of his sleeve, the forest is plunged into complete darkness. Only glowing red eyes remain
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
(voice in the void) Tell me, Shen Yiren… did you ever mourn me?
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
(quietly) I never stopped..
A heartbeat. Then a hand grips Shen Yiren’s wrist—cold, sharp, trembling slightly
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
Liar..
___
(scene shift... Aftermath, Atop the Cliffside Shrine)
Dawn bleeds faintly across the distant horizon. Shen Yiren stands alone atop an old cliff shrine—overlooking the ruins of the Ye Clan estate. Wind rustles his robes
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
(internal) He’s changed… but not entirely. His cruelty is sharper. His words are venom. But his eyes… They still shake when he looks at me
A gentle crunch of footsteps..
Elder lu
Elder lu
Elder Lu (offscreen): Shen Yiren. You saw it?
Elder Lu Most conservative elder of the Sect and loyal advisor
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
(nods) It’s not a ghost. It’s… Liang Fenghua
Elder lu
Elder lu
(shocked) Impossible. His body was burned. We all—
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
(cold) I saw him with my own eyes
Elder lu
Elder lu
(grim) Then the blood curse is real And it’s spreading
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
He’s not killing without reason. His victims were corrupt—poisoners, traffickers, and oathbreakers
Elder lu
Elder lu
(stern) And that excuses him?
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
No… but it’s not random. He’s sending a message
Elder lu
Elder lu
Then we must silence it before others hear
___
[Scene shift] {Cangxue Valley: Whispering Tombs}
Liang Fenghua moves silently through a field of tombstones cracked and overgrown with snow. His black robe trails behind, soaking moonlight like spilled ink.
voice
voice
A soft rustle behind him..
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
(without turning) I wasn’t done talking..
voice
voice
(sighs) You still dream of him?
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
Quiet) Every time I feed
voice
voice
He’ll never understand. Not what they did to you. Not what you became
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
He doesn’t have to understand. He just needs to see
voice
voice
And after he sees?
Liang Fenghua turns, crimson eyes gleaming with something unreadable—hatred, longing, regret
Liang Fenghua
Liang Fenghua
Then maybe I can stop dreaming..
___
[Scene shift] {Shanhe Sect, Outer Hall}
Disciples gather around a scroll pinned to the sect’s main wall. On it: names of those slain. A pattern emerges—all linked to corruption, buried crimes
disciple 1
disciple 1
This isn’t random…
disciple 2
disciple 2
They’re all sinners..
disciple 3
disciple 3
Is it justice… or revenge?
Shen Yiren walks through them, silent
Shen Yiren
Shen Yiren
(internal) You became the very thing they accused you of. But you still choose who to hurt. You still choose.
__
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To be continue

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