The carriage moved slowly along the mountain road south of Fengyan City. Morning fog drifted through the hills, and the world was so quiet that only the sound of hooves crushing gravel could be heard.
Suddenly, Mozi's ears twitched.
"There's someone ahead."
Lin Yaochen was startled and immediately slowed the carriage.
As the fog thinned, a blurry figure appeared by the roadside, slumped and motionless. When they drew closer, they saw it was a young woman in ragged clothes. One of her legs was injured, and beside her lay a long, oilcloth-wrapped bundle.
Lin Yaochen jumped down from the carriage and spoke cautiously.
"Hey… are you okay?"
The woman didn't answer. Instead, she shifted back half a step warily, one hand gripping the bundle tightly. Her eyes were cold, like a wild animal on guard.
Lin Yaochen raised both hands.
"Don't be afraid. We're not bad people. I have water and a blanket—do you want some help?"
She still didn't speak, but her eyes swept over the carriage, judging their trustworthiness. Her face was smeared with dirt, yet her eyes were bright, sharp with vigilance and calculation.
Mozi stepped forward, sniffing lightly.
"She's not an ordinary traveler… There's the scent of mechanical parts in that bundle. Weapon components."
At his words, a flash of alarm crossed the woman's eyes. She instinctively pulled the bundle behind her.
"Don't worry," Lin Yaochen said gently. "We're just passing through. We're not here to steal your things. If you don't trust us, you can stay here…"
He glanced at her leg.
"But you're hurt, right? How are you going to get out of here like that?"
The woman finally spoke, her voice hoarse.
"I don't need help."
After a moment of silence, she relented slightly.
"Where are you going?"
Lin Yaochen hesitated, then answered honestly.
"We're heading to Gold Yao Valley."
In the fog, her eyes flickered with shock, though she quickly hid it.
"Why… are you going there?" she asked slowly, wary.
Mozi answered this time.
"To find someone."
Her eyes flickered again—find someone? Could they be hunters sent by the Yao Marquis?
She frowned slightly. "Who are you looking for?"
"We don't know who they are," Lin Yaochen admitted, scratching his head. He took out a packet of ointment from the carriage and held it out.
"Your leg—want some medicine?"
She didn't take it, suspicion in her voice.
"You're looking for someone, but you don't even know who?"
"Yeah," Lin Yaochen nodded openly. "But when I meet them, I'll feel it."
She froze. Her mind echoed with something her father had once told her:
'A Seeker of the Yao can follow the flow of Yao energy and draw those of the Yao toward them.'
Her lips tightened.
"You're… a Seeker of the Yao?"
"You know about Seekers?" Lin Yaochen looked surprised.
"My father mentioned them…" she said quietly.
He had sealed her Yao power and warned her never to reveal her identity unless she was certain of the Seeker's character.
She studied the boy before her. He talked too much, but his eyes were honest—nothing like the greedy, vicious pursuers hunting her. And besides, they were going exactly where she needed to go.
If I go with him, I can watch him… and maybe find a way to save my family.
She lifted her head, her voice soft but clear.
"I'm going to Gold Yao Valley too."
Mozi raised a brow.
"With an injury like that?"
"You have a carriage, don't you?" she replied calmly. "Let me ride with you. I won't slow you down."
Lin Yaochen grinned.
"Hop on. It's not luxurious, but at least it has a roof and doesn't shake too much."
She stood, limping to the carriage, still clutching the long bundle tightly—inside it was the repeating crossbow she had crafted with her own hands.
"I'm Lin Yaochen. This is my spirit beast, Mozi."
"…Ge Zhiyao."
She climbed into the carriage and sat in the back, keeping a slight distance from them.
Lin Yaochen took the reins again, and the horse began to move.
The carriage rolled steadily along the mountain road, wheels crunching over gravel.
Yawning in the driver's seat, Lin Yaochen listened while, in the back, Ge Zhiyao quietly applied medicine to her leg and sat in a corner, hands gripping her bundle.
Mozi studied her for a moment.
"Girl… is your father's name Ge Ruifeng, and your mother Liu Ling'er?"
She stared at him in shock.
"You knew my parents?"
"Over twenty years ago, when I accompanied Lord Lin—Yaochen's father—to Fengyan City to search for the Five Yao, we visited your father, Ge Ruifeng."
Her heart jolted, though she said nothing.
"Back then, your father had just become city lord. He kept a low profile, but in truth he was one of the greatest experts in Yao-inscribed weaponry in the realm. Lord Lin was obsessed with weapons—they talked endlessly. Your mother, too, was a brilliant weapon researcher. You resemble her."
Her fingers trembled slightly.
"My mother died of illness when I was five… She left behind some design sketches."
"They were her legacy," she said quietly. "It took me years to turn those sketches into real weapons."
Mozi nodded.
"I've seen those designs. The way they fused ingenuity with Yao energy was extraordinary. You turning them into finished weapons… that's no small feat."
"She used to tell me…" Mozi continued gently, "that your father always hoped to have a daughter who shared her passion for weapons. She wanted you to inherit that love—not just for your family, but to protect this land."
Zhiyao listened in silence, mist gathering in her eyes. She lowered her lashes stubbornly, gripping her bundle until her knuckles turned pale.
At the front, Lin Yaochen was eavesdropping—at first out of habit, but now in shock.
Her parents… knew my father?
"For the sake of their own greed, those in power can take everything from us…" Zhiyao murmured, her pain finally breaking through.
"In a place like this… is it really still worth protecting?"
Her voice was light in the swaying carriage, yet heavy with sorrow.
Mozi was silent for a moment, gazing at her reddened eyes lit by the lantern's glow.
"What happened to Lord Ge, that the daughter of a city lord ended up like this?"
Slowly, she spoke, every word pulled from deep within.
"Three months ago, Marquis Tie Ye suddenly sent troops into the city, accusing my father of secretly building weapons to rebel…"
Her voice shook.
"That very night, our entire family was surrounded. All the men were sent to Gold Yao Valley as mining slaves. The women were registered as military courtesans…"
"Tie Ye…" Mozi said grimly. "He framed you?"
Lin Yaochen's grip tightened on the reins.
"Who is this Tie Ye?"
Zhiyao's expression darkened.
"The Yao Marquis of the Second Continent—Tie Ye. He controls the army and the government. He's a dual-Yao wielder, with both Metal and Fire. A military prodigy who rose from a low-ranking officer to Yao Marquis in just ten years."
"Metal and Fire?" Lin Yaochen gasped. "No wonder he's so arrogant… But why target your family?"
"Because he covets our craftsmanship," she said coldly. "He wants to control the source of all weapons, to build an army loyal only to him. My father refused to design exclusive weapons for him."
She paused.
"And he also wanted my mother's design blueprints."
"That bastard… he's a tyrant," Lin Yaochen muttered. "With the army and Yao power, someone like that is terrifying."
Zhiyao nodded.
"He believes the Yao Realm should be a perfectly regulated, obedient system—everyone obeys orders, no one needs to think."
Lin Yaochen fell silent…
(To be continued.)