Shéyǎn's smile widened, and his eyes glimmered slightly.
"Yeah."
Tianyu yanked his hand back quickly.
"So, what's the plan?"
He released the cracked blade he'd been holding.
It crumbled mid-fall, fragments scattering as they touched the ground.
"Oh?!" Shéyǎn said softly.
"Most of it is already handled."
He turned, pointing toward a distant mountain veiled in mist.
"Let's go. Someone is waiting for us there."
They leapt forward, blazing through the forest.
Small beasts emerged along the path, but each one fell with little effort. Their bodies would transform into white dust each time, and the surrounding Qi would change ever so slightly each time.
Tianyu noticed something strange.
Every time he killed a creature, its Qi automatically flowed into his robe, seeping into the fabric and nourishing him. The cloth grew faintly lighter and warmer against his skin.
'So, it wasn't just absorbing my Qi…' Tianyu realised.
The mountain was farther than he had expected, and by the time they reached its base, night had already fallen.
Tianyu proceeded cautiously, spreading his Qi forward, scouting nearly twenty paces in every direction. The world ahead blurred faintly as his senses extended.
Soon, they found themselves standing among ancient ruins.
"It looks like a great sect once stood here," Shéyǎn said, gesturing toward weathered stone statues of Buddha half-swallowed by vines.
"I thought this place was merely a giant array meant to test us, but it seems to have a histo—"
Before he could finish, Shéyǎn suddenly leapt aside.
CLANK!
A loud metallic sound echoed through the ruins as he deflected a blade midair.
"Now, now, Momo," Shéyǎn said calmly, his eyes locking onto an unseen presence.
"I've told you many times there's no need to greet people so rudely."
'How frighteningly fast…'
Tianyu's eyes darted around, searching for the attacker. This time, at least, he could feel a presence thin, sharp, and concealed, but he still couldn't see anything.
A flurry of black burst from the shadows.
The two boys reacted instantly, defending in unison. Blades and needles were knocked aside, clattering uselessly to the ground.
Clank!
Another strike came from behind.
Shéyǎn blocked it without even turning his head.
"Momo."
Shéyǎn's Qi erupted outward, dark, heavy, suffocating. It pressed down on the ruins like a storm of blades.
"…Yes."
A soft voice answered from the darkness, trembling, almost whimpering.
"I told you that's enough games."
Shéyǎn spoke coldly.
Murderous intent poured from him in heavy waves. The nearby creatures shrieked and scattered, fleeing into the darkness as if chased by death itself.
"Oh… sorry about that."
Shéyǎn turned his head slightly toward Tianyu, the pressure easing.
"Show yourself," he spoke, his voice softening.
A nearby shadow shifted.
The darkness folded inward, and a figure stepped into the moonlight.
She had deep purple hair that fell loosely over her shoulders and smooth, vibrant skin that seemed untouched by hardship. Her figure was slender yet well-defined, moving with a predator's grace.
She wore light black and purple clothing, tight and unmistakably the garb of an assassin.
"Momo," Shéyǎn said with a faint smile, folding, gesturing toward Tianyu.
"Say hello. We'll be working with him from now on."
'How pretty—'
Tianyu caught himself just in time, turning his gaze away.
"Hi. I'm Momo," she spoke.
Tianyu watched her talking, his gaze lingering on every word that came from her rosy lips to her small waist.
Her voice was soft, gentle, vastly different from what Tianyu expected from the person who had attacked them without care earlier.
"Hello. I'm Tianyu Xing," he said, his eyes lingering on her despite himself.
"Xing…Xing....? I think I heard that somewhere."
"Mmm… where, though?"
She tilted her head slightly, sinking into thought.
"It's that family in the North," Shéyǎn said, casually seating himself atop the remains of a ruined building.
"The North, huh…"
Her eyes lit up. She cupped her cheek, practically drooling.
"I've always wanted to go there. I heard they have really good sweets."
"Yeah, yeah," Shéyǎn waved dismissively, tapping his leg against the stone.
"Tell us what information you gathered."
"Ahhh, right~."
Her tone brightened as she reached into her chest and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She spread it open across the broken stone.
"This whole place is actually one massive array," she said.
"Every month, people are brought here to compete for these jades."
She paused, smiling faintly.
"I got this from someone who arrived before us."
Her smile twisted.
"He was… difficult. But after a few fingers came off, he became very cooperative."
A faint bloodlust leaked from her body, thin but sharp, like a needle pressed against the throat.
"I feel like a lamb willingly walking into a slaughterhouse."
"Oh well," he muttered after a breath.
"Cooked rice can't be uncooked. I'll see this through."
"We're currently in the Old World region," Momo said, pointing to a marked area on the map.
"Apparently, there are heavenly treasures here, ones capable of changing a person's constitution."
Her finger slid across the parchment, stopping at a cluster of mountain ranges.
"I'm sure most people will gather there," she continued lightly.
"He said it opens tomorrow."
Then her tone changed.
"Plenty of test subjects for my art."
The ruins seemed to grow quieter at her words.
"Momo."
Shéyǎn shot her a cold stare.
"Hmph."
"I didn't do anything," she protested, puffing her cheeks.
"Yes, yes, go on," Shéyǎn said, brushing it off.
"Okay~"
She tapped the map lightly.
"He said this place once belonged to the Sive Flower Sect. They fought against the Demonic Sect long ago. Apparently, all their treasures are still here unclaimed, even after all this time."
She paused, then added casually,
"Oh, right. To obtain a full jade, you need five people to give you their robes."
Her lips curved upward.
"Or you can just kill them… and they'll become the jades much quicker that way."
Tianyu's stomach tightened.
"Oh! Oh! And there's more," Momo continued, animated.
"There are tiers to the jade. If you manage to seize another full jade, you can combine them. Together, they activate an array that will take you to an inheritance site.
She tilted her head.
"Too bad he didn't say what inheritance. He was already dead when I tried asking again," she pouted.
"…Good job, Momo," Shéyǎn said warmly.
He reached out and patted her head.
Momo froze, then blushed furiously, her ears turning red.
"She gathered all that in just a few hours… how talented."
Tianyu silently memorised the map.
"I really need to improve."
"So," Shéyǎn said, leaning back.
"What do you think we should do? I say we go to the Sive Flower ruins. We can gather jades quickly, and I'm sure plenty of people will already be there."
Shéyǎn glanced at Tianyu.
"Yeah," Tianyu nodded after a moment.
"I agree. It's the most feasible option."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"What kind of fool turns down treasure?"
"Hahaha!"
"I knew you'd say that. I like straightforward people," Shéyǎn laughed, his smile widening.
"Alright then," he said, rising.
"Let's move now while most people are still resting."
"Yeah, let's go…"
Tianyu stood up, stretching his stiff limbs.
"Follow me," Momo said lightly.
She dove off the mountain without hesitation.
Tianyu and Shéyǎn followed.
Momo moved through the terrain with uncanny ease, navigating cliffs and paths as if she'd walked them a thousand times before her silhouette vanished into the dark ahead, guiding them straight towards the Sive Flower remains.