irresistible force meets an immovable object, resulting in a spectacular crash. It wasn’t a graceful tumble, more like a fleshy antenna plunging into a pile of mud. The sharp, earthy smell hit her nostrils first, followed by the excruciating pain that radiated from her wrist.

Ling Erfeng spat out a mouthful of muddy water, her eyes wide as saucers. The air was thick with the scent of summer fields, but it was混杂 with something else too—a raw, primal fury that vibrated in the ground beneath her.

She was supposed to be picking herbs for her afternoon tea. That's what she told herself, a believable enough excuse for wandering so close to the edge of the cliff. Actually, she'd been snooping. Again.

Dr. Zheng had sent her on a fool's errand, asking her to retrieve a lost silver ingot he claimed had been stolen from his medical dispensary. She'd spent half the morning trailing clueless townsfolk and eventually started wondering if the old man was just trying to gaslight her. Silver ingots? More like pebbles buried by bored children.