"How will this partnership work!?"
Lian's grip loosened slightly, though his body remained tense.
"Just as you've already seen," Shéyǎn replied calmly. "Surely you understand—there are people who have been here far longer than us."
He lowered his hands and stepped closer, his presence pressing in.
"If you go alone, you might obtain the full jade in time. But tell me, can you defend it by yourself? Can you find the people that you need, without tracking skills?"
"Damn it… He's right."
The thought churned violently in Lian's mind. But can I really trust him?
"H-how can I trust you?" Lian asked. His voice cracked despite himself.
"Ha!" Shéyǎn laughed sharply. "Trust? Trust doesn't exist in the martial world."
His brows furrowed slightly.
"What is this Aura? I'm feeling it like a thousand snakes are tightening around me."
. "Everyone looks out for themselves. We're merely using each other until the first round ends."
"First… round!?"
Lian exhaled slowly. "Whatever. One can never get stronger if they don't dive into danger."
"…Fine. Let's use each other, then."
They shook hands.
Shéyǎn's grip was cold—unnaturally so.
But it wasn't frosting Qi.
It was something else entirely.
"Is it because of a special constitution…?" Lian wondered.
Lian's gaze lifted, meeting Shéyǎn's eyes.
"Are you even human?"
"Hm."
Shéyǎn tilted his head, a faint smile forming. "Sometimes, I wonder the same."
His fingers tightened just a little around Lian's hand.
"Everyone has secrets, right? You have yours as well… don't you?"
The smile widened— as his eyes glimmered.
"Yeah."
Lian yanked his hand back quickly.
"So what's the plan?" Lian asked, forcing steadiness into his voice. "How do we do this?"
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—fangs bared, Qi thin and unstable—but they barely slowed them. Each one fell with little effort.
As they travelled, Lian 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 heavier, warmer against his skin.
So it wasn't just absorbing my Qi… Lian realised.
The mountain was farther than he had expected, and by the time they reached its base, night had already fallen.
Lian proceeded cautiously, spreading his Will Qi forward, scouting nearly twenty meters in every direction. The world ahead blurred faintly as his senses extended.
Soon, they found themselves standing among ancient ruins.
"It seems 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…
Lian'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 Lian, 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 Lian.
"Say hello. We'll be working with him from now on."
How pret—
Lian caught himself just in time, turning his gaze away.
"Hi. I'm Momo," she spoke.
Lian watched her talking, his gaze lingering on every word that came from her rosy lips.
Her voice was soft, gentle, vastly different from what Lian expected from the person who had attacked them without care earlier.