When Wan Ying woke up, she found it was already late, and she was lying in a soft, comfortable quilt.
Before she could let out a sigh of contentment, her peripheral vision inadvertently swept to her side, where a masked black figure stood motionless like a statue.
The figure's eyes glowed with a green light, eerily menacing in the reflection of the candle flame. She was so frightened that she sat up immediately and struck out at the shadow with a palm.
"Hah! Get out of my way!"
The black figure waved his long sleeve, easily catching her strike, and pushed her back with a counterforce.
"Little girl, you've grown bold—daring to strike your ancestor!"
As he spoke, the black figure removed his veil, revealing a gaunt, dark face. His high cheekbones and sunken eye sockets made him look like a ghost, terrifyingly ghastly.
An ordinary person would have fled in terror, but Wan Ying threw herself at him joyfully. "Ah! Ancestor! Why are you here? This is wonderful! Am I dreaming?"
With her ancestor by her side, what place in the world was off-limits for her, the troublemaker of the Wan clan? She thought happily, pinching him hard to show her delight.
Such a petty trick was child's play to the ancestor. He didn't even furrow his brow, steady as Mount Tai, as if he were a clay sculpture.
She pouted unhappily and whined coquettishly, "Ancestor, someone bullied me! You have to avenge me!"
"Hmph, you still have the nerve to say that. I gave you the Divine Spirit Sect's entry-exit token, not for you to steal their sect-protecting treasure."
"You were in the wrong first. Old Man Yanjia didn't even blame you; instead, he gave you a top-grade spirit pill. At only sixteen, you have the cultivation base of a thirty-year-old cultivator. How is our Wan clan supposed to repay this favor?"
Wan Ying stuck out her tongue and said guiltily, "I didn't mean to! I just couldn't resist the urge and snuck in by accident. Who knew I'd happen to open that secret door and find this pouch by sheer luck?"
She said dreamily, "It's so beautiful! I just wanted to borrow it to play with for a few days, not keep it for myself."
The red pouch hung on her body, making her skin as white as snow, stunningly beautiful. She loved it more than words could say.
"Enough, stop making excuses. Even I don't believe you—do you think others will?"
"Hand it over to the Divine Spirit Sect at once. It's nothing but a useless trinket; no one can unlock it. Don't ruin the harmony between our two sects over this."
The ancestor had long seen this worthless thing and tried it himself. Even though he was a powerful existence in this world, he couldn't do a thing to the tiny pouch.
It couldn't be torn, ripped, cut, or burned…
Blood, saliva, sweat, medicinal liquid, incantations…
No matter what was done to it, it remained unyielding. It was definitely a spirit treasure, and some even guessed it was an immortal treasure.
Unfortunately, without being able to open it, it was just a useless dead object.
"Ah… that… that…"
Hearing her ancestor's words, Wan Ying lowered her head and twisted her fingers. "I don't know where I lost it. It was so dark, and they were chasing me relentlessly. I thought I'd throw it away rather than give it to that masked man, so I just tossed it aside… who knew…"
"You, you! What am I to do with you!" The black figure sighed, pulled his veil back on, and urged, "We'll set this matter aside for now. Hurry and get ready—we're going to act with the Divine Spirit Sect people soon."
"Ah? Are we going somewhere fun?" Wan Ying's eyes lit up, and she asked joyfully.
To her, as long as her ancestor didn't pursue the matter, it meant it was just a trivial thing and could be forgotten.
The black figure tapped her forehead heavily, his tone grave. "You, you! How old are you, and you're still so playful! We have serious business to attend to. Leaving you alone outside is too worrying—you'd better stay by your ancestor's side!"
The ancestor had doted on Wan Ying since she was born, spoiling her into a willful, demanding girl who got whatever she wanted.
So she only half-listened to his words, never taking them to heart, having long grown used to it.
When the two hurried to a spacious training ground, they saw many Divine Spirit Sect disciples gathered around a person, pointing and talking, making the scene chaotic.
"Oh! Isn't that Senior Brother Chu Hanyang? What powerful enemy did he encounter? He's hurt so badly!"
"Mmm~~~ Senior Brother Chu is so pitiful—such a big hole in his chest! Is there any saving him?"
"I wonder how he managed to escape back? Lucky to be alive!"
"It's a pity our sect has a grudge with the Medicine King Hall; we can't beg for a Great Revival Pill. Senior Brother Chu's condition… I'm afraid… it's hopeless!"
…
Everyone wore mournful, sympathetic expressions, but not a single person stepped forward to help. They just let the injured man lie on the ground moaning, ignoring him completely.
"Cough…"
The ancestor's light cough was like thunder, faintly tinged with a tremor of pain. The disciples couldn't bear it and scattered like startled birds.
He stepped forward curiously to look, then jumped back a few steps as if electrocuted, looking quite wary.
Wan Ying didn't understand, but she cautiously stepped back too.
"Ancestor, what's wrong with him…"
The ancestor interrupted her with a look of regret. "This man used a Yo-Yo to escape. What a waste! Such a shame!"
The so-called Yo-Yo naturally took its name from the phrase "sneak away in a hurry." Due to a shortage of materials for making them, only a handful were circulated each year. Yet there were no fewer than fifty great powers in this world, all eager to seize one or two as a life-saving measure.
Such an item was priceless and rare to come by. Now, one had been used right before his eyes—how could he not feel heartache?
If he had known this man possessed such a precious treasure, the ancestor would have moved heaven and earth to get it, even at the cost of falling out with the Divine Spirit Sect.
In his hands, it would have been a second life, no doubt about it.
A waste of heaven's gifts! A waste of heaven's gifts! The ancestor screamed inwardly.
But with his black veil covering his face, no one could see the violent turmoil in his heart.
"Ancestor, what's a Yo-Yo? I've never heard of it!" Wan Ying asked like a curious child.
The ancestor glanced around, raised a hand to signal silence, and said, "Speak no more. Just remember: the blue smoke marks on his body carry a deadly poison. Outsiders must not touch them at will, or they will die without a cure."
"So vicious? How terrifying!"
Wan Ying shrank behind him, looking thoroughly frightened.
Just then, Sect Leader Yanjia, dressed in a white robe, arrived upon hearing the commotion, followed by a crowd of people clad in thick animal-skin garments, so tightly wrapped that not an inch of skin was exposed.
"Carry this useless wretch to the Great Elder's thatched cottage and let him figure out a way to save himself."
Yanjia's voice was stern without anger, exuding the aura of a superior. The animal-skin-clad men said nothing, took out a stretcher with practiced efficiency, and quickly carried Chu Hanyang away.
The entire process was smooth and swift, like a gust of wind, and they soon vanished from sight.
Sect Leader Yanjia smiled, cupped his fists, and stepped forward to salute. "My apologies for startling you two! This trivial matter won't delay our journey. Please board the carriage!"
As his words fell, clear bell chimes rang out not far away, and five luxurious carriages pulled by demonic beasts approached.
These beasts were all Dragon-Scale Horses, their scales glossy and smooth, a sign of the Divine Spirit Sect's wealth and careful care. They were also fitted with custom-made green armor, looking mighty and imposing.
In contrast, the sect disciples, dressed in ordinary black robes and holding ordinary iron weapons, looked utterly defenseless and weak.
The Dragon-Scale Horses snorted, carrying everyone toward the mountain gate. Wherever they passed, thick smoke billowed, blocking out the sky and sun.
Truly beasts that could travel ten thousand li a day. In the blink of an eye, everyone felt a blur before their eyes as they charged into a labyrinthine bamboo forest, soon disappearing into the vast green waves without a trace.