Linyue had already brainstormed a list of what she privately labeled "extremely illegal options." Climbing over the wall? Too risky. Digging under? Too slow. Pretending to be ghosts? Too ridiculous, even for them.
Thankfully, Shanjun had sent a message earlier with a very simple, very alarming update: "The wall is being attacked again. Everyone's too busy to care." Which was deeply concerning but also weirdly convenient. And so, like the least convincing undercover mercenaries in history, they threw on ragged cloaks, slapped on their best "we totally belong here" faces, and rode up to the gates with the air of people who definitely knew what they were doing. (Spoiler: they didn't.)
Miraculously, it worked. Sort of. They got plenty of suspicious looks, especially from one soldier who squinted at Linyue like she was a demon in disguise. She stared back with perfect calm composure until the man decided he had better things to do, namely stabbing an actual demon that had just launched itself at the wall.
No one stopped them. No one had time. The entire place was chaos. Soldiers shouted orders, crossbows fired, steel clashed against claws. A demon tried to scale the wall, only to get promptly punted back down by a guard yelling at it to "try harder next time."
They nodded like true professionals as they passed through the chaos. Well, everyone except Song Meiyu. In a moment of flawless undercover brilliance, she lifted a hand and waved cheerfully at a passing soldier. The poor man looked bewildered, glanced around as if to ask if anyone else saw that, then decided he probably had more pressing problems, like the demon currently trying to bite his helmet off.
Linyue kept her face perfectly calm, though her shoulders shook once from suppressed laughter. Even Shen Zhenyu's expression almost cracked.
Once they were past the wall and its chaos, the land quickly changed. The battlefield roar faded until only the wind remained. Above them, the night sky stretched dark and endless, dotted with a few pale stars peeking through thin clouds. No one dared use spiritual energy to light the way. That would have been the equivalent of yelling, "FREE SNACKS HERE!" to every demon within fifty miles. Instead, they used glowing talismans Shen Zhenyu had made the day before. The paper glowed a soft, steady light enough to see the road, but not enough to attract anything with too many teeth.
Earlier, Linyue had also asked Shanjun to sneak them a map of the fallen Lingxu territory. He had delivered it rolled up, tied with a neat ribbon, and accompanied by a long, tired sigh. Now Shen Zhenyu held it carefully in one hand, leading the way at the front.
The ground beneath them was a dull, sickly grey, and cracked. Roots and vines poked out from the soil, all of them twisted and dark. Trees (if you could still call them that) stood hunched and bald, their crooked branches clawing at the air. Not a single leaf in sight. The air felt heavy, thick enough to make breathing a chore.
Song Meiyu and He Yuying were busy firing iron bolts at a group of low-level demons that had sniffed them out on the road.
"Why are there so many?!" Song Meiyu hissed, reloading another bolt.
One of the demons lunged forward only to get smacked square in the face by a bolt. Fwoosh! Spiritual energy burst out in a small explosion. The wounded demon shrieked and thrashed. Then something unexpected happened. The other demons didn't come after the group. They lunged at the glowing, squealing demon instead.
"…That was not in the plan," Linyue said, eyes narrowing. "But it works."
Song Meiyu blinked, lowering her crossbow. "Wait… are they eating each other?"
Ahead, Shen Zhenyu didn't even look back. He was too focused on the map and quietly steering his horse away from anything with fangs.
"They have no taste," He Yuying said flatly, already chewing on a dried fruit again.
Song Meiyu made a face. "Ugh. That's worse than I imagined."
"Focus," Shen Zhenyu called softly, still scanning their route. "The faster we move, the less chance of running into more of them."
Song Meiyu muttered something under her breath, but nodded and reloaded anyway. Linyue kept her gaze fixed on the road ahead.
So far, it could almost be called a safe journey. If the definition of safe included riding through cursed lands, dodging demon attacks, and using spiritual explosions as bait. They marched quietly through the dark night. The glowing talismans bobbed gently, giving off just enough light to see the cracked path ahead, and the occasional vine that looked like it was planning something evil.
The map Shen Zhenyu carried was old. It showed Lingxu back when there were buildings, roads, and a healthy lack of demons. Now, it was all crooked land and twisting paths that made no sense. There were no signs, no markers, no friendly villagers waving hello. Just an old map, some hope, and a lot of creative guesswork.
Shen Zhenyu studied the map carefully. "This should be the road," he murmured.
He Yuying leaned over his shoulder. "You said that three roads ago."
"This time, it's more likely."
"How likely?"
Shen Zhenyu didn't reply.
Linyue didn't even look surprised when the road vanished for the fourth time. She had already expected it. What she did hope for though, was at least a ruined house, a broken wall, or anything to prove they weren't heading straight into a demon's private backyard.
Song Meiyu was trying to stay optimistic. "Maybe there'll be a sign up ahead. Like Welcome to Lingxu. A Place to Die For."
No one laughed.
The sky was finally shifting. The deep black of night faded into a cold, pale dawn. It wasn't much warmer, but at least they could see more than three feet ahead. And then, they saw it. A wall—cracked, crumbled, and half-eaten by time—loomed ahead of them. The ruins of Lingxu's outer boundary.
From behind Song Meiyu's hands suddenly latched onto Linyue's arm. "We made it," she whispered. Then added, "Tell me that's not a ghost. Please."
"It's just a wall," Linyue whispered back.
They rode forward, hooves crunching over broken stones and silent memories. No one spoke. Not because they were scared, but because the air felt heavy. Inside the fallen state of Lingxu, the world had changed into something strange and broken like it had once been grand, but then forgot how to be alive. The roads were cracked and uneven, swallowed by dark vines and thorny roots that slithered across the ground. Some of the old paving stones still peeked out from the dirt, worn and crooked.
He Yuying broke the silence with a low whistle. "Lovely place. Perfect for a picnic."
Song Meiyu whispered (loudly). "Stop it. You'll wake up whatever's living here."
The ruins stretched around them like a city caught between life and death. Buildings stood crooked and hollow, their roofs collapsed, windows shattered. Some had trees growing right through the middle and roots bursting out of cracked walls. Others leaned against each other for balance. Most walls were blackened by soot or stained with dark moss. Some still carried faded signs or carved names, barely readable under layers of grime and time. Broken lanterns hung from crumbling posts, swaying gently even though there was no wind.
The land was dry and cracked in some places, muddy and sunken in others, as if unsure what it wanted to be. Pools of murky water dotted the ground, too quiet and too still, reflecting nothing but gray skies. A few dead trees stood tall, brittle and leafless.
Silence ruled here. Not the peaceful kind, but the kind that made every footstep feel too loud. No birds, no insects, no voices. Just the soft creak of wood, the crunch of dry leaves, and the distant sound of something that might've been wind or something else entirely.
Lingxu had become a ghost of itself. It was ruined, cursed, and quiet. And for anyone walking through it, the message was clear, "You shouldn't be here. But if you were here... you'd better leave quickly."