[The Forest Path • Outskirts of Trial Valley]
Lin Lie crouched, his fingers brushing against the soil and broken twigs. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, his brow deeply furrowed. "Someone passed through here. These are tracks made by heavy infantry. Look at the depth of the hoofprints—this trail leads toward Trial Valley."
"Of all places, Si Moheng chose there... how ironic," he sneered, standing up.
"Is the reason he took Xingyu not clear enough? To use her as leverage, or... does he have other plans?" Sang Qi's voice was thick with suppressed anxiety. He gripped the medicine box in his sleeve so hard his knuckles turned white.
"You think he'll only use threats?" Luo Ye let out a cold snort, turning to glare at Sang Qi. "If he hurts her, what good will your medicine do then?"
"What did you say?!" Sang Qi whipped around, his anger flaring.
"ENOUGH!" Cang Yuan barked. His voice was devoid of its usual playfulness, replaced by a cold, heavy rage.
He stepped forward, his hair fluttering in the wind. "We are all worried. But will screaming at each other make us move faster or slower?"
The four fell silent.
Li Yan emerged from the woods, dusting leaves from his shoulder. "I've scouted the area. There are intermittent Yao-crystal fluctuations to the northeast... they are faint, but they aren't natural."
Lin Lie's eyes sharpened. "It's Xingyu. She's found a way to lead us to her."
"She's sending a message?" Cang Yuan looked down, feeling a familiar thread pull at his heart.
Sang Qi bit his lip and adjusted his medical pack. "Stop arguing. We move now."
Luo Ye didn't snap back this time. He only whispered, "She's waiting for us."
The five quickened their pace. The Yao-Rover glided silently through the shadows. Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was like a drawn bowstring. They were no longer fighting for themselves—they were a single unit with one goal: Save her.
[Outskirts of Trial Valley • Black Pine Forest]
Night was black as ink. Lin Lie lay flat on a high ridge, peering through his specialized Yao-lens at the valley below. Si Moheng's camp was sparsely lit but meticulously organized. Every sentry post and tent followed a precise pattern.
"He's using the Phantom-Shadow Array we were trained in," Lin Lie whispered, his jaw tightening. "He learns fast, and he hides well."
Li Yan nodded behind him, his longbow taut. "He knows we're coming. This layout is a lure—and a warning."
"Then we can't wait," Luo Ye leaned against a pine tree, his anger still simmering. "Xingyu is in there. Who knows what madness he's capable of."
Cang Yuan looked up, his pupils glowing with a faint blue Yao-light. He closed his eyes, the Yao-mark on his palm pulsing. Familiar Yao-energy rippled out like water, weaving through the wind and mist.
A moment later, he gasped.
"I feel it... her Yao-energy," he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. "It's faint, but it's clearly her."
"She's giving us a signal," Sang Qi's voice tightened. "She's alive... and she still has the strength to reach out."
"What's the plan?" Luo Ye asked.
Lin Lie unfolded the map, pointing to the west. "The terrain here is the weakest. It's his blind spot. We enter from there in three groups."
"I'll infiltrate the main camp and make contact," Cang Yuan volunteered, his face grim.
"Li Yan and I will take the lead to draw out the perimeter guards," Lin Lie added. "Sang Qi, prepare the restoratives and needles. Once we get her out, she'll likely be under the effects of Yao-suppressants."
"And me?" Luo Ye asked.
Lin Lie looked him in the eye. "You're in charge of breaking the array."
Luo Ye's eyes flashed with fire. He gave a savage grin. "I'm going to blow a hole in their barrier that they'll never forget."
[The Enemy Camp • Deep in the Cell]
Gu Xingyu kept her eyes closed, pressing her fingertip against the hidden Yao-crystal shard in her sleeve. The faint energy seemed to resonate. In the next breath, her heart jumped.
A familiar aura—like a light surfacing from a deep, dark ocean—touched her mind.
Lin Lie's sharp, clear energy. Luo Ye's burning fire. In that split second, she sensed them all.
"You... you really came," she whispered, her eyes brimming with light.
She suppressed her excitement and began calculating the sentry rotations. Sweat beaded on her forehead—time was too short. As the guard's footsteps faded, she examined the shard. Still a bit of resonance left.
"The pulse of the barrier is stronger toward the southwest... that must be the core."
She hid the shard in her hairpin and moved to a corner covered by a heavy beast-pelt. Beneath it lay a Yao-seal foundation. She crouched and peeled back a corner, revealing the intersecting crystal veins.
This is the 'Pressure-Stabilizer' of the barrier.
If she could disrupt it, the entire array would vibrate, creating a momentary energy backlash.
She recalled her observations:
— The guard who brings food always enters with his left foot and glances at the corner lamp.
— The sentries rotate every two quarters, unless it rains.
She used a piece of charcoal and a small bone shard to draw a "Lure Seal" inside the cell—not to break out, but to create a false signal. She wanted them to think she was trying to escape so they would waste time investigating her room.
The real trap was the oil stain she left on the rim of her bowl, where she had rubbed a few grains of Yao-dust. She knew that bowl would be taken to the surveillance tent. Her Yao-trace would find its way to him.
To the man most likely to overthink my every move: Si Moheng.
She sat back down, hands around her knees, looking as if she had done nothing. But the Yao-flow in the room had already begun to shift.
"You can see that I'm making a move," she whispered toward the door, "but you won't guess my methods."
[The Main Tent]
It was nearly the third watch. The wind howled, and the low growl of Yao-beasts echoed in the distance.
Si Moheng stood before his map, his finger hovering over the blank space between Trial Valley and the South Ridge. Suddenly, he felt a ripple of Yao-energy from behind the tent—faint, light, almost undetectable.
He whipped around. "The Yao-flow shifted?"
He summoned Xiao You. "Check the cell. See if the fluctuations are abnormal. Find out if any soldier touched her personal belongings."
"Do you suspect... her?" Xiao You asked.
"She won't stay still," Si Moheng said coldly. "But even though she's moving, I can't see what she's aiming for."
It frustrated him. He sat back down, rubbing the chess piece in his hand. Her words haunted him: "You want possession, not understanding."
She was right. And it was infuriating. But what annoyed him more was that even in a cage, she was countering him.
"She isn't just trying to escape," he muttered to himself. "She's pulling me onto her board."
He realized with a jolt that he might be the piece in her game.
He stood up and walked out into the cold night air. Looking at the stars, he whispered, "What are you really doing... Gu Xingyu?"
"If I miscalculate her, this won't be the victory I planned. And if a 'guest' can disturb my mind like this... then I haven't just lost the game. I've lost my heart."