Chapter 25 - The Immortal Chef-Chapter 25

Chapter 25: A Shadow Behind the Flame

(The narrow alleys of Shan Yuan remain thick with fog. The clash of knives and swords has faded, but the air still reeks of danger.)

🧒 Lu Zhen (kneeling, breathless):

— "That was just one of them… but there's an army behind him…"

💀 Gu Tang (glancing at the rooftops):

— "I feel like we're the prey here… not the hunters."

🔊 Xiao Feng (calmly):

— "They're pulling us back… like into a slow trap."

🐱 Shilià (still with the group, sniffing the air with sharp instincts):

— "I smell something... old. Dark. Not familiar, but... disturbing."

💭 Xiao Feng (thinking):

"She always talks about scents... but this time it's different. Her face is pale."

(A distant clink echoes from the end of the alley. Soft, synchronized footsteps approach—unseen but deliberate.)

🔊 Gu Tang (serious tone):

— "I won't let them ambush us again."

(Shilià quietly drifts a few steps back, unnoticed. The fog thickens around her small frame.)

🐱 Shilià (whispering, almost to herself):

— "Why here... why now...?"

🧒 Lu Zhen (to Xiao Feng, whispering):

— "Is she okay? She flinched for a second..."

🔊 Xiao Feng (concerned):

— "Shilià? What's wrong?"

(She forces a faint smile, but her eyes remain locked on the mist ahead.)

🐱 Shilià (softly):

— "I just… felt like the one who's been chasing me… is finally here."

💀 Gu Tang (dry smirk):

— "Then pity the one chasing her..."

🌀 System Alert:

> [Quest path shifted: Unknown threat proximity detected.]

[Life Flame Signature: Unstable]

(Xiao Feng gazes up at the swirling fog above. It's thicker than ever, and something—or someo

ne—is drawing near...)

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🔥 End of Chapter 25