Gu Ying noted their traits and traces of their abilities in the Day Ledger.
A few days later, the portraits arrived at Golden Yao Valley.
When Yan Shuo accepted the sketchbook, his tone was still laced with casual indifference. "Another Shadow Pavilion report? Boys like this—there are plenty of them in the valley…"
Even so, he cautiously ordered the portraits copied and secretly distributed to guards and patrol leaders at every level.
He issued his command calmly: "If anyone in these drawings is spotted, report immediately. Do not act on your own."
At the time, he didn't take it seriously.
He had no idea that the two youths in those portraits would soon change the fate of Golden Yao Valley itself.
Before dawn, a thin wash of pale gray light quietly spread along the edge of the forested mountains.
Mozi spoke in a low voice. "This is the route. The supply convoy will pass here before Chen Hour. Two wagons. Six escorts—three riders in front, three guards at the rear. All wearing gray armor with fire-patterned motifs."
Ge Zhiyao nodded. "I'll handle the uniform details. Luo Yan, put the food into wooden baskets—one basket normal rations, the other laced with the sedative."
Luo Yan looked tense, but nodded firmly. "I know which is which."
Lin Yaochen tightened his grip on the small pouch of Earth Yao Sand-Sleep Dust. "I'll handle the three in the rear. The three in front—leave them to you."
A moment later, the sound of wheels arrived exactly as expected. In the distance, two wagons rolled forward slowly, the grind of wheels over stone mixing with mule snorts and the clink of armor.
Mozi whispered, "Now."
Lin Yaochen raised a hand. Fine sand condensed from Earth Yao power drifted soundlessly into the roadside shrubs. When the three rear guards dismounted to check a road obstruction, he scattered the Sand-Sleep Dust in a light sweep. The grains fell like mist. Within a few breaths, the men's eyelids drooped—and they collapsed unconscious.
At the same time, Ge Zhiyao burst from the side woods and fired an arrow into the front wagon's axle, forcing it to halt. Luo Yan then strode forward with a cheerful grin, rations basket in hand.
"Big brothers! We've been ordered to take over the handoff!"
The three forward riders were about to challenge him—but the rich scent of meat carried an odd, unfamiliar note. Their eyes quickly glazed. Within moments, they couldn't hold themselves up and slumped beside their mounts.
Everything was done in silence.
Not a single alarm was raised.
"Move—change clothes," Ge Zhiyao ordered under her breath.
They quickly put on the gray fire-pattern armor. Mozi shifted into a black-marked iron-backed hound and stood guard beside the wagon. Ge Zhiyao even adjusted the curtains and repaired the damaged axle so the convoy looked no different from a real military supply unit.
They climbed aboard. Lin Yaochen took the reins and drove toward Golden Yao Valley.
The outer perimeter of Golden Yao Valley was a high wall. Yao crystals were embedded along the top, casting a strange, cold gleam. The gate was heavily guarded, iron soldiers standing on both sides with halberds in hand, not a word spoken.
Lin Yaochen presented the forged pass and wax seal Zhiyao had prepared. The guard glanced once, compared it briefly—then waved them through.
The wagon rolled deeper inside.
Golden Yao Valley's terrain was like a massive rift carved into the earth, descending layer by layer into the underground. Along the route were mine pits, iron scaffolds, and choking smoke. Black-clad laborers could be seen everywhere, carrying heavy ore under escort. Some elderly men could barely walk, yet were still driven forward by clubs.
Lin Yaochen clenched his jaw, forcing down his fury.
"First, confirm whether Lord Ge is still here," Mozi said quietly. "Look—over there. That's the registry workshop's roster station."
A guard approached, eyeing them. "New? Unload the grain at the warehouse on the right. Then report your names and get your stamp at the registry."
Luo Yan nodded. "Understood."
They unloaded the smoked meat and dry rations, then followed Zhiyao toward the registry. She had memorized the serial number assigned when her father was escorted in months ago. Using casual conversation with the clerk to draw attention away, she quietly flipped through the rosters—and her eyes jolted.
"Found it," she whispered. "My father and the other men from our clan were assigned to the Seventh Layer mine zone—heavy labor sector. The strictest security."
Mozi's voice went low. "Exit plan?"
"Once every ten days there's a personnel rotation and miners' washing shift. We have to blend into that." Zhiyao's teeth clenched. "I'll find a way to get my father's group scheduled for the next late rotation, and we'll infiltrate during the earlier shift to meet them."
Lin Yaochen balled his fist. "That gives us three days to prepare."
Night fell, yet Golden Yao Valley remained brightly lit. Kerosene lamps and Yao-crystal lights crisscrossed through the smoky mine tunnels, throwing long shadows across the walls.
The Seventh Layer—called Stone-Sink Prison—was one of the hardest places in the entire valley to escape from. Not only was it the deepest mine sector, it was also where "important" and "stubborn" prisoners were held. Rumor said most labor slaves sent there couldn't survive even ten days.
"Past this point is the Seventh Layer. After that, I can only support from outside," Mozi said in a low voice.
Zhiyao nodded and changed into a gray cloth outfit worn by female labor aides, a tool pouch tied at her waist. Her expression was heavy. "Wait for our signal."
Lin Yaochen and Luo Yan also changed into male laborer clothing, smearing mud-coal and oil soot onto their bodies. The three of them merged into the evening washing-and-shift-change group, descending along the mine path.
The corridor was damp. The air was hot and foul.
"Don't look up. Match the rhythm in front," Zhiyao warned softly.
After passing multiple layers of patrols, the three finally stepped into the Seventh Layer mine yard.
It was worse than they'd imagined—crude scaffolding, low rock fissures, coughing and chains echoing everywhere. In one corner, a row of men leaned against the rock wall, gasping, gaunt and ash-covered.
Zhiyao searched every face—until her whole body jolted.
"Father…!"
A man in chains stood with his back to them. He was thin, but his posture was straight as a spear.
Zhiyao's voice trembled. "Ge Ruifeng!"
The man stiffened, then slowly turned. His face was weathered and unwavering—bearded, smeared with grime—yet his eyes were still sharp as ever.
"…A-Yao?" His voice was hoarse, disbelieving.
Zhiyao's eyes reddened. She forced down the surge of emotion. "It's me. I came to take you home!"
But before they could embrace—
A patrol whistle shrieked through the air.
"Something's wrong! The patrol came too fast!" Lin Yaochen cursed.
Luo Yan stepped in front of them instantly. "We have to break out!"
Black-clad patrol guards poured in from both ends of the mine corridor—more than ten of them. And at their head—
Yan Shuo himself.
"Ge Zhiyao. Lin Yaochen. Luo Yan…" Yan Shuo's gaze was ice-cold. "So it really is you. Put Ge Ruifeng down—otherwise not one of you will walk out of here!"
Zhiyao gritted her teeth and turned to her father. "Don't be afraid. We have Yao power."
With a swift motion, she assembled the crossbow hidden behind her waist—loading three bolts at once.
"Luo Yan—fire barrier!"
Luo Yan roared, hands crossing before his chest, then thrust forward. Fire Yao power surged—an intense wall of flame ignited ahead, forcing the rushing patrol back.
Lin Yaochen slammed his Earth Yao power into the ground. A rock wall erupted upward, sealing the other passage.
Zhiyao unleashed a storm of bolts, snapping weapons out of enemy hands.
"Now!" Mozi's voice came from above. He had seized the lift basket and was throwing down a rope.
Lin Yaochen hoisted Ge Ruifeng onto his back, and the three sprinted for the basket!
"Stop them!" Yan Shuo bellowed. A lightning-wrapped whip cracked through the air—snapping toward Luo Yan.
Luo Yan gritted his teeth and pushed the fire barrier again. Flame and electric whip collided—fire backwashed and exploded into a ring of heat!
He roared and hurled a blazing fireball, buying cover as Lin Yaochen and Zhiyao reached the lift basket!
"Mozi—up!"
The basket shot upward, skimming past patrol guards who tried to climb after them.
Yan Shuo leapt, reaching for the basket's edge—only for Zhiyao's bolt to slam him back.
He hit the ground, eyes blazing. "You won't escape Golden Yao Valley!"
But the lift basket had already vanished into the darkness overhead.
Lin Yaochen panted, steadying Ge Ruifeng. "Uncle—hang on. We're taking you home!"
Ge Ruifeng stared at his daughter's face, eyes reddening. He didn't say much—only a hoarse whisper.
"Zhiyao… it really is you…"
Night was thick. Not far beyond the Seventh Layer prison, the sound of overlapping footsteps crept through the dark. Lin Yaochen lowered his body, gripping a short blade seized from a guard. A shadow flashed behind him—
It was Ge Zhiyao, repeating crossbow in hand, eyes sharp as a knife.
"Ready," Luo Yan said in a low voice, an orange flame blooming in his palm. "I light the line. You protect Uncle. I'll open the path."
"Good!" Zhiyao snapped around and raised the crossbow. The bolt tore through the air, piercing a distant sentry's armor. Lin Yaochen rushed out with his blade, flipping and pinning another guard to the ground.
"Father—move!" Zhiyao hauled the injured, weakened Ge Ruifeng up. The three shielded him through the hidden passage, sprinting toward the wagon they'd prepared outside the valley.
The moment they broke past the prison boundary, multiple torches ignited in the forest—
"Loose arrows!" Soldiers hidden on the slope responded at once. A rain of arrows poured down.
"They knew we'd take this route!" Lin Yaochen's face tightened. He spun, taking the bolts meant for Zhiyao, and slammed up an earthen wall that blocked the first wave.
"It's Yan Shuo—he set an ambush at the exit!" Mozi snarled.
"Fire!" Luo Yan shouted. Both palms thrust out—flames shot forward like serpents, burning through trees and obstacles, tearing open a narrow escape corridor.
Zhiyao turned and fired three more bolts, driving the pursuers back, then shouted to her father, "Get on the wagon!"
The wagon burst out of the treeline. Behind them, dozens of cavalry surged in pursuit. Mozi leapt onto the roof, hurling smoke bombs and blasting charges in rapid succession—finally widening the distance between them.