"Brother Wu, it's been a while since we last sat down to talk."
"Things have been a bit complicated recently, Brother Wang."
Wu Huang and Wang Xiong were in a small sect tavern, away from the hustle and bustle. The faint aroma of spirit tea and the distant murmur of other customers created a relaxed atmosphere, ideal for a conversation between old acquaintances. Both were drinking while catching up, exchanging anecdotes about what had happened in recent months.
Wang Xiong placed his cup on the table gently.
"No wonder I heard complaints from some disciples... they said they were sent to clean the library almost like a divine punishment." He nodded, as if all the puzzle pieces were finally fitting together. "But still," he continued, narrowing his eyes with curiosity, "even though you have a good head on your shoulders... don't you find it extremely weird that the higher-ups asked you to train someone?"
Wu Huang let out a light laugh, shaking his head.
"Don't ask me. I have no idea what those old monsters are thinking. I just do what I'm told." He calmly took his cup and took a sip, as if the matter were of the least importance.
But Wang Xiong did not seem convinced.
"Come on, don't play dumb," he insisted, leaning forward slightly. "It's not like the sect assigns personal tasks just because."
Wu Huang set the cup down and looked at him with a half-smile.
"And since when do you care so much about my business?"
"Since those 'matters' sound suspiciously interesting."
Wu Huang let out a brief laugh.
"Then I'm afraid I will disappoint you. There's nothing special... it's just a troublesome disciple that no one else wanted to guide," he said to avoid giving too many details about Hong Jiu'er's background.
But Wang Xiong was not convinced in the slightest. Still, seeing that Wu Huang did not intend to say anything—not because he didn't want to, but because he himself didn't even know the Elders' motives—he finally gave up. He leaned back slightly in his seat and let out a low laugh.
"So... do you plan to let her support you when she becomes a powerful cultivator?" he asked with a mocking smile.
Wu Huang frowned and brought his cup down with a light thud on the table.
"You know I am not that kind of person."
"I know," Wang Xiong replied, shrugging, "but you should seize the opportunity. If you manage to win her favor and closeness while she is still young and innocent, you could secure a good future for yourself." He leaned forward a bit, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "From what you said about that Elder... at the very least, that girl should reach the Golden Core Realm. And that is already more than enough to protect you, even to make you a respected figure."
Wu Huang remained silent for a moment. He did not like that self-serving way of thinking... but neither could he deny that, from a purely pragmatic perspective in this cruel world, it was an opportunity many would desire. Finally, he sighed.
"If something is meant to happen, it will happen. I am not going to force things."
Wang Xiong looked at him with a lopsided smile.
"Trying to avoid trouble by responding like that... is basically answering without answering. Typical of you."
Wu Huang, with an impassive face and well-trained patience, simply ignored him. Once they drank a few more cups, both said goodbye and went their separate ways.
As usual, Wu Huang returned to his residence. However, as soon as he arrived, he noticed a figure waiting patiently at the entrance. Upon approaching, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Head of servants? Do you have an answer regarding the matter of the suspicious mission?"
The man opened his mouth but did not say anything immediately. He closed it, hesitated for an instant... and finally let out a deep sigh of frustration.
"This is for you," he said, extending a new official scroll.
Wu Huang took it, somewhat confused, and opened it without giving it too much importance. But as he finished reading the written contents... his hands went completely still. Slowly, he raised his head.
"This... is a fake joke?" he asked immediately, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice.
The head of servants shook his head with extreme gravity.
"It bears the seal of the head Elder in charge of managing expeditions. There is no doubt... it is an authentic order."
Wu Huang stared at him for a few seconds, as if trying to find some crack in that absurd reality.
"Can I still take that gathering mission from that Zhao Lingfeng guy?" he asked suddenly, looking for any escape route.
"Unfortunately, no," the head replied with another sigh. "It was already notified and canceled... due to the direct interference of that Elder." He took a step closer and placed a heavy hand on Wu Huang's shoulder. "Unless you are thinking of betraying the sect and fleeing... it would be best if you start preparing your will, boy."
"I'm not dead yet," Wu Huang answered with a frown.
"You will be soon."
Without saying anything else, the head of servants turned around and walked away at a funeral pace. The silence he left behind felt truly oppressive. Wu Huang remained still for a few moments, looking at the scroll in his hand, before letting out a long sigh and entering his residence.
"What kind of sick joke from the heavens is this...?" he murmured.
He closed the door behind him and read the contents again, as if expecting the words to magically change.
"Is this even possible?" He clenched his teeth with contained fury. "I am only in the middle stage of Qi Refining... not even those in the late stage would dare to accept entry into a Secret Realm of this caliber. And yet they expect me to go as an escort?"
The scroll crinkled dangerously between his tensed fingers.
"Curse them..." he cursed under his breath, feeling a sensation of cold danger begin to rise in his chest. "After all, getting involved with the Children of Destiny was a terrible idea... It's a curse! Entering the outer magical beast forest sounds a million times safer than stepping into an unknown Secret Realm."
He let himself fall heavily into a chair, passing a hand over his face to calm his thoughts. The heavy silence of the room allowed him to think with greater clarity... or perhaps with greater analytical crudeness.
"It seems that, in the end, I will have to increase my cultivation by force," he murmured. His gaze turned ice-cold. "But with the little time I have... even advancing a single stage naturally is unrealistic. And forcing it would only leave an extremely fragile foundation that would ruin my future."
He clenched his teeth. On the path of cultivation, an unstable foundation was worse than death. A single mistake in the groundwork could ruin years... even a lifetime of effort. His fingers tapped the wooden table in an irregular, anxious rhythm.
"So I cannot rely on advancing my realm overnight..." he whispered. "Then I will have to find another way to survive."
His eyes slid slowly toward the scroll thrown on the floor.
"Preparation... escape talismans... defensive artifacts... information..." A cold, calculating gleam crossed his gaze. "If I cannot make myself strong enough to crush the danger... then I will have to become absurdly difficult to kill."