The group got inside the room, and Lin Mu wasted no time in placing Elyon onto a low couch. He sat down cross-legged beside the wolfkin and pressed his palm against his chest. Immortal Qi surged from Lin Mu’s hand, flowing into Elyon’s meridians.

SHUA

Within moments, the stagnant traces of alcohol were being purged from his system, forced out in thin wisps of impure Qi.

Elyon’s eyelids fluttered, and his tail gave a sluggish twitch. "Ugh... what happened...?" he muttered, still groggy.

Before he could properly orient himself, Cattaleya marched over and delivered a hearty slap to his back.

THWACK!

The sound reverberated across the room like a whip crack.

Elyon yelped, jerking upright with his ears flat against his head. "Awooo! What was that for!?"

Cattaleya roared with laughter, clutching her stomach. "To wake you up, obviously!"

Elyon rubbed his sore back and glared at her but decided it was wiser not to argue.

Instead, his eyes darted to Lin Mu, Monk Hushu, Daoist Chu, and the others gathered in the room. His ears twitched as he straightened his posture, forcing his expression into something more composed.

"I... did not expect you would all arrive this quickly," he admitted.

"We are here now," Lin Mu replied evenly. "What have you found so far, aside from the information Cattaleya just pried from the guards?"

Elyon exhaled slowly and adjusted his tunic. "I have been investigating possible traces of the Ephemera Sect. Or, at the very least, individuals connected to them. I located several sites that seemed promising.

However, each time I reached one, I found it abandoned. There were faint remnants of activity, but nothing substantial. It was as if someone had deliberately wiped their tracks clean."

He paused for a moment, frowning. "That was the case until Cattaleya arrived. She heard rumors of unusually strong bandits operating near the fort. The descriptions did not match ordinary outlaws. Their coordination, speed, and use of Qi techniques all pointed toward external influence. I suspect the Ephemera Sect may be involved."

Lin Mu leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing in thought. "And now these bandits are in the Eastern Ravines?"

Elyon nodded firmly. "Correct. That was one of the permitted areas outlined for investigation. The fact that these bandits have taken root there connects the dots. The timing is too convenient to be coincidence."

Meng Bai rubbed his chin. "So these are not ordinary brigands at all. They may just be puppets of the Ephemera Sect, strengthened to act as distractions or cover for other operations."

"That is very likely," Daoist Chu said gravely. He folded his arms within his sleeves, then asked, "Have you uncovered any additional intelligence about the dynasty itself? Any movements among their court or ministries that could tie into this?"

Elyon hesitated before shaking his head. "Not much. Administrative and political affairs within the Darkhan Dynasty are tightly guarded. Even with my skill at infiltration, prying into such matters without drawing suspicion is difficult.

To reach further, I would have to slip into the bureaucracy or even the imperial court itself. Attempting that alone would be problematic. It is far too risky unless we operate as a coordinated unit."

He went quiet for a moment, his ears twitching as he searched his memory. Then he suddenly sat up straighter, as if remembering something that had slipped his mind earlier.

"There is one oddity, though. Something strange that has been happening across several parts of the dynasty."

Lin Mu’s attention sharpened. "Strange? In what way?"

Elyon’s golden eyes glinted as he spoke. "Snow. There have been reports of snow falling in multiple regions."

The room fell into a brief silence. Even Cattaleya, who had been lounging casually with her feet up on a stool, lowered them to the ground.

"Snow?" Meng Bai repeated, his brow furrowing. "But it is not the season for winter yet, is it? At least not here."

Daoist Chu shook his head. "No. The higher parts of the northeastern territories of the Darkhan Dynasty do see snow later in the year, but we are not even close to that period. For snow to fall now, and in multiple regions... something is amiss."

The Darkhan Dynasty’s land spanned a wide region spreading from the equator all the way to the southern pole. As such, other than the high altitude regions such as the mountain peaks, only the extreme southern regions got snow.

The tropical and temperate regions should not get snow here at all. And the North Eastern they were in fell right between the tropical and subtropical regions, thus snow should be impossible here.

"Very strange..." Lin Mu muttered.

Elyon nodded. "Exactly. At first, I dismissed it as weather anomalies. But the frequency has increased, and the areas affected are far from one another. Each account is similar: sudden snowfalls lasting for hours or even days, followed by equally sudden disappearances. The locals call it a heavenly sign, but I doubt it is natural."

Lin Mu’s gaze darkened as he exchanged looks with Monk Hushu and Daoist Chu. "If this is connected to the Ephemera Sect..."

"A manifestation of their techniques, perhaps," Monk Hushu said softly. "Or an omen of something they are preparing. The sect has dabbled in methods that disturb the balance of the heavens. Snow in summer... it would not surprise me if it were their doing."

Cattaleya cracked her knuckles and grinned. "Well, if it is their doing, then it makes it easier for us to track them down. Just follow the trail of frozen bandits."

Her jest drew a few chuckles from Meng Bai and Daoist Chu, though the humor could not fully hide the tension building in the room.

Lin Mu’s mind, however, was already working quickly. Snow in multiple locations, abandoned traces of sect activity, and suddenly empowered bandits... all the signs were pointing toward something larger. Something that the Ephemera Sect was preparing within the dynasty’s borders.

The pieces were slowly falling into place, but the picture they formed was one that carried both opportunity and grave danger.