Lin Yaochen collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air, his mind still in utter chaos. Passing through that rift moments ago had felt as if the entire world had flipped upside down. When he landed, there was even a brief instant where he couldn't feel his own feet.
He lifted his head and stared at the unfamiliar sky and the bizarre, otherworldly forest around him, murmuring softly,
"Is this… the Yao Realm?"
"It is the Yao Realm, yes. Good thing you didn't throw up."
"Who's there?!" Lin Yaochen spun around abruptly, fists clenched, scanning his surroundings.
"What are you looking at?" The voice sounded again—this time right beside his ear.
Lin Yaochen froze.
He slowly turned his head and looked at the familiar black dog next to him—Mozi. The dog was sitting lazily, tail swaying back and forth, looking even calmer than Lin himself.
"Y-you… you just spoke?"
"Well, who else would it be?" Mozi replied unhurriedly, his tone even carrying a hint of teasing. "It's just you and me here."
Lin Yaochen's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.
"You can talk?! All these years—you never—"
"Not talking doesn't mean I couldn't talk," Mozi shook out his fur. "I'm a spirit beast, not an ordinary dog. In that world, I was sealed and couldn't use spirit speech. The moment we entered the Yao Realm, the seal was lifted. Naturally, I can speak now."
Lin Yaochen opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. His brain spun for a long while before he finally managed to squeeze out a question.
"So… everything I said before… you understood all of it?"
"Of course I did," Mozi replied casually. "Your practice confessions when you treated me like a stand-in crush, your crying and complaining when you got dumped, and even when you secretly read dirty magazines—I remember it all perfectly."
"..."
Seeing his completely stiff expression, Mozi finally softened his tone a little.
"Don't just stand there like an idiot. The Yao Realm isn't as safe as the human world. You need to get moving."
Lin Yaochen swallowed and asked quietly,
"Not safe? How many things are there that I still don't know about?"
He didn't understand how simply looking for someone could be dangerous.
Mozi turned slowly, tail sweeping in a circle.
"So many things that I could talk for three days and three nights and still not finish. For now, focus on staying alive. I'll explain things bit by bit."
"Then start explaining. Let me at least understand what kind of place this is," Lin Yaochen said, glancing up at the sky, where faint streams of light in five different colors drifted. "Aside from the sky… and these weird-looking trees…"
"Because you don't have any Yao power yet, the most important thing right now is that," Mozi said, nodding toward the Yao Disc in Lin Yaochen's hand.
"Some Seekers of Yao have ability but no Yao Disc. Yao Discs are extremely rare—especially the one you're holding. That thing is top-tier even among treasures that have assisted several Realm Emperors." Mozi paused. "A Yao Disc requires a blood-binding ritual. Once it recognizes you as its master, you can control it and use it to enhance your Yao power."
"Blood-binding…?" Lin Yaochen stared at the disc in his palm and slowly raised his other hand.
At that moment, Mozi bit his finger.
"Ah—! What are you doing?!" Lin Yaochen shouted in shock and anger as blood welled up.
"I'm helping you bind it, obviously. Hurry—drip the blood onto the Yao Stone."
With a sigh, Lin Yaochen did as he was told.
"Well… the blood's already flowing anyway…"
The moment the blood touched the Yao Stone, it was instantly absorbed. A beam of light shot straight toward Lin Yaochen's forehead.
Warmth surged through his entire body.
Mozi watched from the side as Lin Yaochen began to emit a faint Yao aura.
"Why do I suddenly feel lighter… like there's power flowing inside me?"
Mozi nodded.
"You now have low-tier Yao power."
Lin Yaochen still looked lost.
"And then?"
"With low-tier Yao power, you can cultivate to mid-tier—and if you're lucky, even high-tier," Mozi said, licking his paw. His tone suddenly turned grave. "You need to reach mid-tier as soon as possible. If someone with mid-tier Yao power comes to seize the Yao Disc right now, we'd be in serious trouble."
"Wait—so the danger you mentioned is because people want this?" Lin Yaochen said lightly. "Then I'll just give it to them. Problem solved, right?"
Mozi stared at him deeply, his voice low.
"Kid, the Yao Disc has already recognized you. Only you can use it. Anyone trying to take it will capture you and force you to search for the Five Yao for them. You'll live under their control—without freedom… possibly not even as a human."
A chill ran down Lin Yaochen's spine.
"Th-then how about this? You take me to find my grandpa first. Once I pass on what my dad told me to say, we'll go back."
After all, he hadn't really come to look for the Five Yao—he just wanted to see his grandfather.
"With your current state…" Mozi looked him up and down. "You won't be able to see him."
"Why? Don't tell me he's… gone?"
"Peh, peh, peh!" Mozi immediately shook his ears and stamped his paw. "Watch your mouth! The Realm Emperor is perfectly fine!"
His tone shifted, turning serious.
"The main city is a restricted area. Without a direct summons from the Realm Emperor, no one may enter. If you barge in, you'll be dealt with as a realm disruptor before you even reach the gates."
"Realm Emperor? Main city?" Lin Yaochen's eyes lit up. "My grandpa's the emperor? Then my dad is— a prince?!"
He clapped his hands, suddenly energized.
"Then that means I'm— a royal grandson! The chosen one! The moment I enter the city, people will kneel and call me 'Your Highness,' right?!"
Mozi didn't even bother rolling his eyes. He merely glanced at him coldly.
"The Realm Emperor probably doesn't even know you exist."
"…Huh?"
"Your parents never brought you back to the Yao Realm. Your name was never registered. In the main city's records, you're an 'outsider,'" Mozi said flatly. "You're not a royal grandson. You're an illegal entrant."
Lin Yaochen's smile froze, his lips twitching.
"You really didn't have to put it that harshly…"
"The truth is that harsh," Mozi replied, flicking his tail.
"…So my grandpa really doesn't know me at all?"
"It's not his fault," Mozi said, his voice a little heavier. "Your father was busy searching for the Five Yao back then. Later, to avoid those who sought to steal Yao power, he left the realm and hid in the human world. From the time you were born until now, he never brought you back."
"If there's anyone to blame, blame your father for being too headstrong. He didn't want the throne—he wanted freedom."
Lin Yaochen looked down at himself, as if falling from a dream back into reality.
"So… I've been downgraded from 'royal grandson' to 'undocumented citizen,' huh?"
"You still have a chance to meet him," Mozi said. "As long as you find the Five Yao and complete the mission, you'll be able to go to the main city together and meet the Realm Emperor."
Lin Yaochen laughed bitterly.
"Finding the Five Yao… that's basically like Tang Sanzang going on his pilgrimage."
So many trials. So ridiculously hard.
He lowered his gaze to the Yao Disc in his hand, its metal surface flashing with a faint Yao glow.
"Forget it. He doesn't know I exist, and I've never met him. We're just blood-related strangers."
He sighed, then waved at Mozi.
"Teach me how to use the Yao Disc to go back—like my dad did, just swipe his hand and—"
Mid-sentence, realization hit him.
"You said the Yao Disc needs blood-binding to work… and I didn't have any Yao power at all…"
Seeing his wide-eyed expression, Mozi chuckled.
"Kid, you finally figured it out, huh?"
'Dad… my own dad… How could he trick me like this?!'
"Ah—! He actually lied to me!" Lin Yaochen stomped in frustration.
"To open a realm rift, three conditions are required," Mozi said calmly. "A Yao Disc, a spirit beast, and a high-tier Yao cultivator."
"I've got the disc," Lin Yaochen raised his hand. He pointed at Mozi. "You're the spirit beast. So the high-tier one is… my dad?"
Mozi nodded.
"That's right. He's one of the strongest high-tier Yao cultivators. Back then, he was the Realm Emperor's favored successor."
Lin Yaochen's shoulders slumped.
"So… I can't go back."
Mozi moved closer, tail swaying gently.
"Of course you can. Train hard, actively search for the Five Yao—there is a way back."
Lin Yaochen waved him off, deflated like a punctured balloon.
"Don't comfort me. I know myself—I don't have that kind of perseverance."
When he was young, his father tried to train him, but he'd lived a pampered life. He couldn't endure hardship.
Mozi fell silent.
He knew some things couldn't be eased by a few words of comfort. They had to be worked through alone.
"Let's go," Mozi said at last, looking into the distance. "It's getting dark. Since we're here, we might as well settle in. I see cooking smoke ahead—there should be a village. I'll take you there to rest."
Lin Yaochen nodded mechanically. He carefully put the Yao Disc into his backpack, took a deep breath, and followed Mozi in silence.
In the distance, thin trails of smoke rose from the forest, and dusk dyed the world in a faint lavender hue.
His journey had quietly begun.