Author of The Multiverse

Xianwei World – The Chase Begins

The air in Falling Leaf City was thick with the scent of incense and damp earth as the last traces of twilight faded. Within the maze-like alleys of the lower district, a small figure darted through the shadows.

A girl—no older than eleven—clutched a small jade bottle to her chest, her breathing ragged.

Behind her, furious voices roared:

> "That little rat stole from Elder Wang!"

"Find her! Break her legs!"

She ran faster. Too fast.

Her name was Xiao Lan, a street orphan who had long since learned that survival in Falling Leaf City meant stealing before being stolen from.

Tonight's target had been an old cultivator's stall, where he sold rare pills and spiritual herbs. She had only meant to steal one, but her fingers had been too greedy.

Now, the sect disciples were after her.

---

Xiao Lan zigzagged through the narrow streets, dodging baskets and startled vendors.

She vaulted over a wooden cart, scattering apples across the ground.

One of the pursuers slipped on the rolling fruit, cursing as he crashed into a fish stall.

> "Damn brat! Get her!"

She grinned, but her victory was short-lived.

Ahead, the alleyway split into two paths.

She turned left—only to find herself trapped.

> A dead-end.

Her heart pounded. She whirled around just as her pursuers burst into the alley, their faces twisted with rage.

> "No more running, little thief!"

A large man grabbed a dagger, his eyes gleaming with intent.

> "Since you stole from Elder Wang, we'll take your hand as payment."

Panic surged through her veins.

---

Without thinking, Xiao Lan scrambled up a wooden ladder, pulling herself onto the rooftops.

> "After her!"

The tiles beneath her feet wobbled dangerously as she sprinted across them.

She leaped from one rooftop to the next, her small frame barely making the jump.

The sound of shouting men echoed behind her.

The rooftops ended abruptly.

Beyond the last house lay a sheer cliff, plunging into the misty depths of the valley below.

She skidded to a stop, rocks crumbling beneath her feet.

> Trapped.

Her pursuers smirked as they closed in.

> "Nowhere left to run."

Xiao Lan's hands trembled. She could feel the wind pulling at her, beckoning her over the edge.

> I don't want to die.

A trembling step backward.

Another.

Her foot slipped.

And then—

She fell.

---

Xiao Lan's body plunged through the fog, wind howling in her ears.

For a moment, everything was just cold and silence.

And then—

A soft glow bathed the darkness.

She wasn't dead.

Her back rested against soft moss, and above her, silver moonlight streamed through an opening in the cliffs.

Her body ached, but she was alive.

Suddenly, she noticed Something.

At the heart of the cavern, buried beneath vines and ancient stone, a flute pulsed with golden light.

Something about it called to her.

Slowly, she reached out.

> The moment her fingers touched it—

Her eyes flashed golden.

Chapter 8: The Thief and the Flute of Spirits