The four cultivators—brave, reckless, and possibly cursed with terrible luck—weaving through the hollow remains of what had once been Lingxu's proud buildings.
Linyue's sharp eyes scanned every cracked wall and fallen roof. It was too quiet. Too neat. The only demons they had met so far were low-level ones who couldn't tell the difference between a cultivator and a glowing bolt stuffed with spiritual energy. And that was exactly what made it suspicious. Either their plan was working perfectly (which had literally never happened before), or the universe was just taking a deep breath before throwing something bigger and much more inconvenient at them.
Her gaze locked on the jagged outline of a broken watchtower ahead. She let out a soft breath, her face calm but her mind alert. Whatever waited for them in these ruins, she was ready. Fight, flee, or flail dramatically—she could do any of the three, possibly all at once if necessary.
No one spoke as they rode. Even Song Meiyu, who usually had enough volume to frighten crows out of trees, stayed pressed against Linyue's back, unusually quiet. Shen Zhenyu led the way at a steady pace, expression still calm. He Yuying slung his crossbow over one shoulder, chewing on dried fruit like he had no time for ghosts or dramatic scenery.
They twisted through narrow alleys and broken roads, following the map as faithfully as possible. Left when the map said left. Right when Shen Zhenyu's calm voice said right. And very carefully ignoring the whispering shadows that definitely weren't real. Probably.
After what felt like half a day of careful galloping, one wrong turn, and way too many trees that looked suspiciously like lurking monsters, they finally stopped. Before them stretched the edge of the Lingxu forest. It didn't just sit there like a normal forest. It loomed. A wall of crooked, twisted trees, their skeletal branches reaching toward the sky like a thousand bony fingers trying to poke the heavens in the eye. The darkness between the trunks was thick, silent, and absolutely packed with bad ideas waiting to happen.
Linyue took one long, calm look and thought, "Let's hope no one falls into a swamp this time."
They urged the horses forward at a slow pace. Even the horses hesitated at the forest's edge, ears flicking back, giving the trees a long, offended look that seemed to say, "Please no. We're just horses." But duty (or maybe stupidity) pushed them onward.
Inside the forest, the air was unnervingly still. No wind. No rustling. Every bush and tree looked like it had crawled out of a nightmare and decided to retire here forever. Most of them were black or gray, twisted into shapes that were definitely not friendly.
Song Meiyu shuddered, clutching the back of Linyue's cloak. "This place has bad feng shui," she whispered, eyes darting from tree to tree.
He Yuying popped another dried plum into his mouth. "It's fine. We just have to make sure we don't touch anything, look at anything, or breathe too loudly."
"Encouraging," Shen Zhenyu said dryly, guiding his horse deeper between the trees.
Linyue, who had lived outside the wall for ten years, felt… fine. Or close enough to it. A little tense, maybe, but not enough to panic. If anything, she felt a flicker of nostalgia as the shadows pressed in. Ah yes, she thought. The good old days of being hunted by demons and surviving on plants that might scream when you pick them.
Song Meiyu, on the other hand, was absolutely not fine. She clung to Linyue so tightly it was a miracle Linyue could still steer her horse. Her wide eyes scanned every direction, clearly expecting something to leap out and eat them at any moment.
"Is it always this quiet?" she whispered.
"Yes," Linyue whispered back.
"Oh no," Song Meiyu said immediately, shrinking even closer.
Their mission was simple: don't die, don't lose any limbs, and bring back the Crimson Bloodroot. In other words, just another perfectly normal day in the forest of "Absolutely Not."
*****
Shu Mingye stood in the middle of Linyue's chamber, the only sound in the room the faint rustle of paper between his fingers. The note was short. Too short.
"Going out for sightseeing. Will be back in few days."
The neat handwriting was unmistakably hers.
He stared at it for a long, heavy moment and then let out a deep sigh.
For the past few days, he had been far too busy managing the state, containing the spreading disease, making sure the second wall didn't collapse under the next demon attack. Even so, he had kept track of them. The reports from his shadow guards had been clear: the infamous group of four had been quietly locked inside Linyue's chamber. No explosions. No suspicious fires. No screaming. For once, there had been no chaos. He had almost believed that they were finally behaving.
Of course, they were not.
Today, after finally carving out a sliver of free time, he came in person to check on them. He had even been prepared to scold them gently for skipping meals or sleeping in strange positions on the floor. But when he pushed open the door, there was nothing.
No cultivators.
No snacks scattered on the table.
No suspicious smoke from a half-finished experiment.
Every. Single. One. Of them. Gone. There weren't even leftover shoes.
Shu Mingye stood very still, staring at the perfectly empty room. Then his gaze dropped back to the note in his hand, his jaw tightening just enough to make the paper crinkle.
Sightseeing? Sightseeing??
What part of their lives had ever involved relaxing strolls through scenic landscapes? With them, "sightseeing" could only mean one thing.
Trouble.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a slow, steady breath. The last time Linyue had left her chamber, it was to meet Shanjun. For "moon dumplings." He had let it slide. He thought, Fine. Let her have dumplings. Let her eat in peace while everything else is falling apart.
Apparently, that had been a mistake. Now, not only had she vanished, she had done it quietly. Without anyone noticing. Without telling him. Which was probably the most insulting part. He looked at the note again, as if he could glare it into confessing where exactly they had gone. Sightseeing.
Where exactly? A cursed battlefield? A scenic swamp full of man-eating vines? A romantic stroll through a demon nest?
He folded the note neatly and tucked it into his sleeve. If they weren't dead by the time he found them, they were absolutely going to get yelled at. And not the calm, dignified kind either. The loud, terrifying kind.
He didn't waste a second. He called Shanjun through the spirit transmission jade, who conveniently happened to be the last person seen near Linyue and her merry little group of chaos. Also, why hadn't he ever given Linyue a pair of spirit transmission jades? One for her, one for him. A simple way to ask, "Where are you, and what exactly are you blowing up right now?"
He sighed again.
A moment later, Shanjun appeared in the room. He bowed so low his forehead almost kissed the floor. He already looked like someone who knew his life was flashing before his eyes.
"Lord…" Shanjun began, careful and nervous.
Shu Mingye didn't bother with patience this time. His voice was cold, quiet, and sharp. "Where?"
Shanjun swallowed hard. "I don't know, Lord. They… didn't tell me."
"So," Shu Mingye said, eyes narrowing. "You knew they were leaving."
Shanjun hesitated. Then he sighed in surrender and dropped to his knees. "Lord, please punish me."
Shu Mingye tilted his head. His dark eyes gleamed faintly. "That's not what I asked."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few chilling degrees.
"Shanjun," Shu Mingye said, his voice calm but carrying a sharp edge that promised violence, "do you have many lives?"
The air thickened as his murderous aura spread through the room.
Still kneeling, Shanjun didn't dare move. "I only have one, Lord."
"Then tell me," Shu Mingye replied, his voice low and sharp.
Shanjun slowly lifted his gaze. His expression didn't waver. "Lord, my loyalty has always been dedicated to one person."
There was no hesitation. No fear. Which was either very brave or incredibly stupid.