They waited long enough for the underworld noise to become a rhythm instead of a threat.
Long enough for Shen Lu to feel every second like a bead sliding down a string.
Gu Li stayed sternly close, watching Shen Lu's breathing like he was guarding a pulse. Pei Xun leaned against the wall with arms crossed, paper strips tucked away but restless under his sleeve. Tang Ye crouched with his fox, whispering to it as if bargaining with a storm. Xie Han watched the plain door with bright patience, like he was watching a stage curtain.
Helian Feng didn't move.
He stood with his back straight, eyes fixed, aura cold and contained.
Shen Lu's flame warmed in tiny pulses, responding to Shen Lu's tension.
Yuan's voice slid into Shen Lu's mind, quiet. Master… breathe. Don't feed it.
Shen Lu forced himself steady.
In.
Out.
Then the plain door clicked.
Shen Lu's heart jumped.
A breath later, the door opened.
Not a crack.
Wide.
A tall figure stepped out in a dark cloak with an elegant cut, the kind worn by people who never walked through mud. A thin veil covered the lower half of the face, not for anonymity—more like a gesture of refinement.
The envoy.
Behind the veil, the eyes were calm and polite.
Too polite.
The envoy's gaze swept the corridor once and stopped directly on Helian Feng.
Not on Shen Lu.
Helian Feng's jaw tightened.
So this wasn't only about Shen Lu anymore.
The envoy's voice was smooth, genuinely courteous. "Junior disciple Helian."
Shen Lu's stomach dropped.
Helian Feng's voice was ice. "You know me."
The envoy's eyes smiled slightly. "Of course. Your reputation reaches farther than you think."
Pei Xun muttered, "Everyone's reputation reaches farther than swords in this place."
Gu Li's stern gaze flicked to Shen Lu, then back to the envoy, as if deciding how much blood he'd have to stop tonight.
Tang Ye's fox went very still, tail stiff. In Shen Lu's mind it whispered, He's dangerous.
Xie Han's smile sharpened. "So polite. Makes me want to punch him."
The envoy ignored them all and continued addressing Helian Feng like the others didn't exist.
"I didn't expect to meet you here," the envoy said. "It's… beneath your sect's taste."
Helian Feng's eyes narrowed. "Speak your business."
The envoy's gaze drifted, finally landing on Shen Lu for the first time.
Polite.
Assessing.
Like looking at merchandise without the rudeness of staring.
"I came to collect an item," the envoy said softly. "And it seems I've encountered another."
Shen Lu's flame pulsed warm and uneasy.
Shen Lu forced his breath even.
Helian Feng stepped half a pace, subtly blocking the envoy's direct line to Shen Lu. "He is not for sale."
The envoy's eyes smiled again. "Everything is for sale. The only question is price."
Gu Li's voice cut in, stern and sharp. "Then name yours and leave."
The envoy turned slightly toward Gu Li, acknowledging him as a person for the first time. "Healer."
Gu Li's expression didn't change. "Try again."
Pei Xun's tone was dry. "He means don't call him that like it's his value."
The envoy's gaze flicked to Pei Xun. "Talisman."
Pei Xun's paper strips twitched. "You're very annoying."
The envoy returned his attention to Helian Feng, still calm. "I'm not here to purchase him tonight."
Shen Lu's stomach didn't unclench.
"Tonight," Xie Han echoed softly, amused. "That's comforting."
The envoy's eyes glinted, polite as poison. "My name is Bai Mo."
Tang Ye's breath caught.
The name meant nothing to Shen Lu, but the way Tang Ye stiffened meant it meant something in the lower world's gossip web.
Helian Feng's gaze didn't shift. "State your faction."
Bai Mo smiled faintly. "Yaochuan."
The word landed heavy.
Shen Lu's blood went cold.
Tang Ye's fingers clenched.
Pei Xun's face tightened.
Gu Li's jaw set.
Xie Han's fan clicked open, delighted in the worst way.
Helian Feng's aura sharpened, lightning qi tightening under his skin until the air felt charged. "You bought the rumor."
Bai Mo nodded once, gracious. "Yes."
Shen Lu's throat burned. "Why."
Bai Mo's gaze slid to Shen Lu again, calm. "Because rumors are cheaper than bodies. And bodies are cheaper when rumors prepare the market."
Shen Lu's flame warmed sharply, anger rising.
He forced it down, hard.
Helian Feng's voice dropped. "You won't have him."
Bai Mo's eyes softened slightly, like he found Helian Feng's certainty endearing. "I'm not here for him."
Helian Feng didn't believe him.
Neither did Shen Lu.
Bai Mo continued, voice gentle. "I'm here for you, Junior Helian."
Shen Lu's heart slammed.
Helian Feng's jaw tightened, a faint crack in his control. "Explain."
Bai Mo took one step closer—slow, polite, like he didn't want to threaten.
"I've come," Bai Mo said, "with a message from a senior who respects your path. A senior who believes you're wasted in the lower world."
Helian Feng's eyes narrowed. "I didn't ask."
Bai Mo's gaze stayed steady. "You will be asked. Soon."
Pei Xun muttered, "This is recruitment."
Gu Li's voice was stern. "And coercion."
Bai Mo's eyes smiled again. "Call it opportunity."
He turned his gaze back to Shen Lu. "And I've also come with a separate offer for your companion."
Helian Feng's aura snapped colder. "No."
Bai Mo didn't flinch. "A private escort."
Tang Ye made a sound of disgust.
Xie Han laughed softly. "Oh, that's bold."
Bai Mo's gaze stayed on Shen Lu, calm and polite. "Three months of travel is dangerous. A rare alchemist with a rare flame is a beacon. I can provide protection."
Shen Lu's throat tightened.
Protection.
The sweetest word for a cage.
Shen Lu's voice came out dry and steady. "I already have protection."
Bai Mo's eyes flicked to Helian Feng, then back. "A junior disciple with a righteous sword is not protection. It is a provocation."
Helian Feng's lightning qi crackled faintly.
Gu Li's needles slid into his fingers, hidden but ready.
Pei Xun's paper strips stirred.
Tang Ye's fox bared its teeth, tail stiff, and in Shen Lu's mind it hissed, Say no.
Shen Lu swallowed hard.
He thought of Qin Rui's smile.
He thought of the rumor being sold.
He thought of the star masks that tracked stamps.
He thought of Helian Feng's hand on his wrist in the fire chamber.
He lifted his chin slightly.
"No," Shen Lu said.
Bai Mo's eyes didn't change.
Only the politeness sharpened.
"I expected that," Bai Mo said softly. "So I will be patient."
Helian Feng's voice was ice. "Leave."
Bai Mo inclined his head, a perfect bow. "I will."
He stepped back, cloak whispering.
Then he added, still polite, "But I will offer you a warning, because I prefer clean dealings."
Shen Lu's stomach tightened.
Bai Mo's gaze met Shen Lu's. "If you keep traveling with him, the ones who want you will start targeting his rules instead of your body."
Shen Lu's breath caught.
Targeting his rules.
Targeting his righteousness.
Helian Feng's jaw tightened.
Bai Mo's voice remained gentle. "And if you ever find yourself tired of being hunted, Shen Lu…"
He smiled behind the veil.
"You can come to me," Bai Mo said. "I will always answer."
Shen Lu's skin crawled.
Helian Feng's aura flared, a cold violent edge that made the lantern light tremble.
Bai Mo stepped back again, still calm. "No offense intended."
Xie Han muttered, delighted, "I'm offended."
Bai Mo's eyes flicked to him, amused. "Of course."
Then Bai Mo turned and walked away down the corridor with unhurried steps, like the underworld itself would make room for him.
He didn't look back once.
But Shen Lu felt it anyway.
The offer wasn't gone.
It had simply been placed on the table like a knife, waiting for the day Shen Lu's hands shook enough to pick it up.
When Bai Mo's footsteps finally faded, Tang Ye let out a shaky breath. "That was… bad."
Pei Xun's tone was dry. "That was an introduction."
Gu Li's voice was stern, tight. "We leave. Now."
Xie Han's smile sharpened. "After we stab someone."
Gu Li glared.
Helian Feng turned to Shen Lu.
His eyes were cold.
But there was something else behind it now—something like anger that wasn't only for Bai Mo.
"He knew your name," Helian Feng said quietly.
Shen Lu's throat tightened.
He nodded once.
Helian Feng's jaw clenched. "That means the rumor slip contained more than flame."
Shen Lu swallowed.
Gu Li's hand landed briefly on Shen Lu's shoulder, stern but grounding. "We move."
They turned away from the plain door and started walking fast through underworld corridors, toward the staircase back up.
Shen Lu's flame pulsed warm under his ribs, restless.
Not angry.
Not afraid.
Curious.
Like it wanted to burn through the polite veils and see what the world looked like when the masks came off.
Shen Lu forced his breathing even and kept walking.
Aboveground, there was still three months of travel waiting.
And now, a new pursuer had introduced himself properly.