Patches of small red plants dotted the edge of the crater. Their dark green leaves were jagged at the edges, red veins running through them like angry lightning. And crimson flowers curled in tight bundles shaped like tiny hearts, glowing vividly even in the dim light.
Song Meiyu gasped loud enough for a demon to hear. "Is that… the plant?"
Linyue slid off her horse without a word. The others followed quickly.
"Don't touch them with bare hands," Shen Zhenyu reminded her, his eyes sharp.
Song Meiyu was already prepared. She pulled out a cloth and a pouch from her belt. She crouched, her face scrunched up in serious concentration. Carefully, with her hands wrapped in cloth, she plucked one of the plants from the soil.
As Master Yin Xue had warned, the moment the roots came free, a deep red stain spread across the ground. It looked unsettlingly like the plant had bled. The roots themselves were thick, the same rich crimson as the flowers, and they glistened faintly in the dim light.
Song Meiyu's eyes widened. "Oh wow… it's so red. It's redder than Brother Zhenyu's face when I caught him reading poetry last time."
Shen Zhenyu didn't respond. Which meant it was absolutely true.
Finally, they had found it. The Crimson Bloodroot. One step closer to success. Now all they had to do was not die on the way back. Easy. Hopefully.
Song Meiyu had just finished plucking what could only be described as an extremely greedy amount of Crimson Bloodroot. She was still happily stuffing the last bundle into her pouch when—
Crunch.
It wasn't the sound of leaves rustling.
It wasn't the wind brushing against dead branches.
It wasn't even the low, disgusting gurgle of a low-level demon looking for snacks.
This was different. Slow. Careful. Deliberate footsteps. Which was never a good sign. In fact, in the middle of a cursed forest. It was the worst sign.
All four of them froze.
Song Meiyu slowly straightened from her crouch, her arms still half-shoving the plants into her pouch. He Yuying raised one eyebrow in a way that usually meant, "I told you this trip needed more weapons."
Linyue didn't move her eyes from the sound. She lifted her hand slightly, fingers making a sharp, silent gesture of stay behind.
The crunching steps drew closer, unhurried. Whoever or whatever, it was wasn't trying to sneak. No demon would walk like that. Not unless it had pride and a deep sense of self-importance.
Then, from behind the thick, twisted trees, a figure stepped out.
A man. He was tall, draped in flowing white robes embroidered with clouds and cranes. His face was completely hidden behind a blank white mask. No mouth slit, no eye holes, no decoration. Just smooth, cold nothingness staring at them.
The moment Linyue saw him, her heart dropped. And then it started pounding, fast and loud like it wanted to escape through her ribs. She took a step back, her arm instantly sliding in front of Song Meiyu to shield her.
This was not part of the sightseeing plan.
Scenic tour through the forest of regret? Fine.
Accidentally stepping into a cursed pond? Expected.
Him? Absolutely not.
Her chest tightened. This wasn't fear, but it wasn't far from it either. She wasn't the only one tense. Shen Zhenyu moved silently to her left, his hand already glowing as he summoned his sword. He Yuying stood at her right, posture relaxed but eyes sharp. And behind her, Song Meiyu clutched her overstuffed pouch of Crimson Bloodroot tightly.
The masked man didn't speak. No chilling threat. No smug monologue. Not even a dramatic villain laugh. He simply raised one hand and a sword appeared in a flash of cold, pale light. It was elegant and terrifying. The silver-colored sword shimmered with blue wave patterns along the edge. Near the hilt, the blade curved in delicate, dangerous waves before straightening into a thin, sharp line. White and blue spiritual energy shimmered along the blade.
It was beautiful. Beautiful in the way things had no right to be when they were made only to kill.
Linyue didn't waste a second. Her voice came out calm but fast. "Brother Yuying, take Sister Meiyu and the horse. Go. We'll catch up later."
Song Meiyu's eyes went wide. "What? No! No way! We're not leaving without you!"
Unfortunately, the mysterious masked man didn't seem interested in giving them time for family drama. He lifted his sword. The air split with a sharp crack. Blue-white mist exploded out from his body, swirling around him like a storm. And then—BOOM.
Lightning came down from the sky, striking the ground around them in thick, blinding bolts. The forest lit up in a blinding flash. Trees shuddered. The earth shook.
Song Meiyu screamed as the force slammed into them.
The four of them leapt back at the same time, barely avoiding a group death by instant frying. Even though the lightning hadn't touched them directly, the blast wave made their skin tingle and their hearts pound out loud warnings: MISTAKES WERE MADE.
"Lightning cultivator," Shen Zhenyu muttered, eyes narrowing as he adjusted his grip on his sword.
He Yuying tilted his head. "Huh. I've never met one before."
Song Meiyu clutched her Crimson Bloodroot pouch tighter. Her voice came out as a whisper. "Well… he's not very friendly."
The man in the white mask didn't seem to hear them. Or care. He just stood there, his sword glowing faintly in the darkness.
And then came a screech. A loud, awful, soul-shaking shriek echoed through the trees. It was deep and raw, the sound made the air feel too heavy in their lungs.
The four of them froze. The lightning spiritual energy from earlier must have attracted high-level demon.
The masked man tilted his head. Calmly, he turned to face the noise as if preparing to greet it.
Linyue's instincts screamed. "Go!" she snapped, already grabbing Song Meiyu's arm and hauling her toward the horses.
Shen Zhenyu didn't need telling twice. He was already running. He Yuying followed, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "I told you we needed more weapons. And snacks."
They all scrambled onto the horses. Panic had apparently given them perfect coordination. The horse, sensing the urgency, bolted into full-speed gallop. Not a single one of them looked back. Whatever was coming out of that forest wasn't going to offer tea and pastries.
Linyue's jaw tightened. They couldn't fight that man. They couldn't fight whatever screamed. And they definitely weren't going to stick around long enough to see what happened when the two met. They had the Crimson Bloodroot. Mission sort-of accomplished. All they had to do now was not die.
The glowing talismans they had left earlier flickered gently in the distance, marking the path. Bless whoever had suggested that idea. (Definitely not Song Meiyu, who once got lost in her own herb garden for three hours.) The horse ran like it knew their lives depended on it. Trees whipped past in a blur. The forest's heavy darkness clung to their backs.
Not long after, they broke free. The horses leapt over the cracked stones of Lingxu's outer wall, and the cursed forest faded behind them. No one spoke. Not until the pounding in their chests settled back into something resembling a heartbeat.
"So. Sightseeing, huh?" He Yuying said dryly, brushing dirt off his sleeve like they hadn't just sprinted for their lives from both a creepy masked swordsman and a screaming demon.
Song Meiyu, still clutching her pouch of precious plants, finally found her voice. "Who was that?"
Linyue kept her eyes fixed ahead, her voice steady. "Someone you don't want to meet again. If you ever see him… run."
"Wait. Sister Linyue, you know him?" Song Meiyu asked.
"This isn't the time for gossip or bedtime stories," Linyue said firmly. "We're going to the spring. Now. People are dying while we're talking."
Song Meiyu nodded fast. "Right. Saving lives. Very important. Less talking. More running."
The horse galloped harder, hooves pounding against the cracked earth. They followed the glowing talismans they had left, moving as fast as their exhausted bodies allowed. The wind tugged at their hair and sleeves. Above them, the sky stretched dark and starless.
No one said a word for a long while.