The black silt of the sandbank shifted under Ye Chen’s boots, water bubbling up through small sulfur vents that hissed with yellow vapor.
The tall reeds parted thirty paces to the north, and Senior Brother Bai stepped onto the firm mud with his broad law sword drawn, his six surviving officers fanning out along the perimeter with their bronze shields locked.
"Stand down, Ye Chen!" Bai shouted across the steaming mud, his voice carrying the formal cadence of the tribunal. "You are surrounded by the sworn officers of the Law Enforcement Pavilion, and the mudflats offer no cover for evasion!"
Ye Chen did not shift his feet into a combat stance, keeping his hands relaxed at his sides while his gray tunic fluttered in the warm draft.
"Lower your steel, Bai," Ye Chen said, his tone quiet, le
