Jun Jie was just about to suggest a partial retreat—pull back slightly while keeping eyes on the road—when Ya Fen's voice cut through the silence, sharp and urgent.
"Jun Jie—the threads have been torn. Something's coming. I can see the shadows of carriages in the distance. Just give me a moment, I need them to get a bit closer... I'll check for any markings that prove they're from the Jiang Clan."
Jun Jie tensed, but nodded. "Good. Maybe they were just delayed. Let's hope it's really them."
A few heartbeats later, Ya Fen whispered again, her tone firm now. "It's them. I can see the Jiang Clan emblem clearly."
The symbol was hard to mistake—a skull with a single blue blossom blooming atop it. The flower, known as Azure Deathpetal, was native to the Jiang Clan's territory. While the skull represented their mastery of poison—the kind that killed in silence—the flower symbolized the other half of their legacy: medicine. The Azure Deathpetal was the foundation for many of their antidotes and elixirs, making the emblem a perfect balance of death and life, of venom and cure. It was a mark both feared and respected.
"They're here," Ya Fen said. "Get ready."
Jun Jie rose slowly, his expression unreadable, but deep within, his Qi was already stirring—circulating with a clear and focused intensity. He was fully committed to this mission. He needed the rewards, the recognition… the rise.
To others, Jun Jie appeared quiet—just another face in the crowd. Someone with modest ambitions, someone who never complained or asked for more. But that was merely a mask. Behind it burned an ambition so vast it would sound laughable to anyone who knew. He didn't just want to rise through the ranks—he wanted everything. Clans. Sects. This entire region.
If anyone knew, they'd sneer and mock. A frog dreaming of ruling the ocean, they'd say.
But Jun Jie didn't care.
"I will complete this mission. I'll take the rewards. Then the next one… and the next. I will gather everything I need. One step at a time—I'll rise above all those who looked down on me. I won't die as someone who never dared to look up. I'll take that first leap—towards true greatness."
His heart burned with quiet fire. His path was set. Whether it led to glory or ruin—he would walk it.
Beside him, Ya Fen was finishing her final preparations. Her mask—the Eye of the Owl—was secured. Threads of Qi-sensitive string had already been laid, and now she focused on gathering any last bits of information: How many enemies? Any hidden ones inside the carriages? Or worse… running alongside them, masked by speed or concealment?
"Just another mission," she whispered. Calm. Focused. As if trying to convince herself.
Meanwhile, Ming De remained silent, crouched in the leaves. Outgoing and arrogant on the surface, most believed he was a careless young cultivator with more bravado than brains. But Ming De had never picked a fight he couldn't win. He avoided entanglements, stayed away from foes above his weight. Arrogant, yes—but never reckless.
And right now, he was cursing the one who had chosen him for this mission.
"Damn it… of all times, why me? Just when I was making progress—finally getting stronger—they send me to war."
A gnawing unease settled in his gut. Something didn't add up.
"Why didn't the Jiang Clan try to hide their identity? Why not swap out their emblem for a sect's and avoid attention? Sure, impersonating a sect might get them in trouble with the empire, but only if they were caught. And in this chaos? Who would care? Even the larger clans are acting unchecked lately…"
He exhaled, frustrated. "If only they were a little later… I could've convinced the others to back off. Delayed it long enough for the whole mission to collapse."
But now it was too late.
He glanced at his teammates, at the road beyond the trees. "I just hope i make it out."
The sound of hooves grew louder. The carriages were getting closer.
"Anything suspicious, Ya Fen?" Jun Jie asked, voice low.
She narrowed her eyes. "Six guards are cultivators. The ones driving the carriages are mortals. No hidden backup. No one following from afar. It looks clear."
"Good." Jun Jie nodded, already slipping on his mask. "We strike with everything. Don't give them a single chance to retaliate. If any survive, we push them toward the bridge. Lin Shu and Yan Qing will ambush them there. Understood?"
"Yes," Ya Fen and Ming De replied in unison.
"Alright, le—"
Jun Jie froze. A hand touched his shoulder, light as wind.
A voice, soft and amused, spoke from behind.
"Well, what do we have here?"
Jun Jie's heart stopped. He hadn't sensed a thing. Not a single sound. Not a fluctuation of Qi. How…?
Ya Fen stood paralyzed, disbelief in her eyes. Ming De wasn't faring much better—but his mind was racing. He's close. Too close. If a fight breaks out, I have to run. I cannot die here. Not like this!
Jun Jie swung his fist blindly to his side, but it struck only air.
Then he saw him.
A boy—no older than twelve—stood a few paces away, and Jun Jie's breath caught in his throat.
The child's arm was buried in someone's chest. Ya Fen's.
"W-What…?" she gasped, turning her head slowly. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked back at the boy behind her.
His eyes were a chilling shade of green, unnaturally deep. His long black hair framed a face twisted in a smile no child should ever wear. There was no innocence—just cruelty. Amusement.
He pulled his hand out without hesitation. Blood sprayed, and Ya Fen's body dropped from the branch like a ragdoll, landing hard on the forest floor.
The carriages came to an abrupt halt. Guards drew weapons, tense and ready to attack—
"Relax," the boy said calmly. "I'm here. Go secure the perimeter. Make sure no more rats are hiding nearby."
"YES, YOUNG MASTER!" the guards replied at once, then fanned out.
The boy turned back to Jun Jie and Ming De, his eyes gleaming.
"Now, where was I?" he mused. "Ah, right. I was going to ask who you lot belong to. But I suppose that's obvious, isn't it?"
Jun Jie's mind raced. He's fast… terrifyingly fast. But maybe—maybe if I run now. I can leave Ming De behind, get enough distance to escape before he—
Suddenly, his limbs felt heavy. Sluggish. Numb.
"W-What is this!?"
The boy grinned. "You really thought I could get close enough to touch you without leaving a parting gift?"
He crouched and picked up a small spider from the mossy bark beside him, holding it between his fingers like a toy.
"This little one did the work. It's always funny, watching morons like you think you still have a chance, even after I do something like…" He gestured lazily toward Ya Fen's corpse. "…that."
Jun Jie trembled. " don't panic ming de he can't ki"
"Kill you? Rip through you like I did her?" The boy laughed. "Of course I can. And I will—unless you do what i want. But don't take it personally. I don't have any enmity against you. You're just pawns of the Stone Path Hall, right? It's not like it's your clan or your family. Just a school there's no attachment there that stops you from speaking."
He tilted his head. "You understand, right? No real grudge here."
Jun Jie's voice cracked. "T-Then why kill her!?"
The boy looked at Ya Fen's still body, then back at him.
"Because I felt like it. And now you understand what I can do."
He smiled again. "But I have questions. You answer honestly, and maybe I let you go. Sound fair?"
Ming De clenched his fists. "Then let's make an oath. A binding one."
The boy's smile vanished.
"An oath?" he repeated, stepping lightly along the tree branch above them. "An oath is made between equals. Not when one party already has the other's life in his hand."
He pointed down toward Ya Fen's corpse.
"That's your guarantee that i can kill you. Now talk."
Jun Jie didn't know what to do. If he talked, he'd be killed. If he fought, he'd die—and possibly be tortured first. Either way, death seemed inevitable. The only difference was how painful it would be.
Or… I can attack with Ming De, then run and leave him behind to buy time.
His eyes darted to Ming De, and he made his decision.
"We can't trust him!" Jun Jie shouted. "He'll kill us either way! Our only chance is to fight! Remember—the Jiang Clan are assassins, not warriors. The only reason he got us is because he ambushed us. If we force him into a direct fight, we will win. And don't forget—we're not alone here!"
The boy's interest sharpened at that. His smile widened as he tilted his head slightly. "Oh? Then there's no use keeping you two alive if there are others."
He lunged.
Ming De stepped forward, ready to strike, but the boy suddenly twisted mid-air, veering off course. He vanished behind a tree.
Jun Jie, anticipating the move, snarled and attacked the other side of the trunk, muscles bulging with strength. But there was nothing there.
And then—he felt it.
A chill down his spine.
From above.
The boy dropped out of the shadows like a phantom, his sadistic smile still painted on his face. With a brutal kick, he sent Jun Jie crashing down through the branches.
Before Jun Jie could rise, the boy landed beside him like a predator. Ming De, frozen for a breath, saw his chance—and bolted.
The boy didn't even look back.
"You can try your luck," he muttered, eyes still locked on Jun Jie. Then he drove a knee into Jun Jie's spine.
"You know what I love about how people see our clan?" the boy whispered close to his ear. "They think we're cowards. Assassins who can't fight head-on. So every time I meet someone like you… they choose to fight. And then they learn."
He grabbed Jun Jie by the hair and slammed his head into the dirt. Stars burst in Jun Jie's vision.
"I'm not like most of my clan," the boy hissed. "I'm not stupid enough to let weakness define me."
Jun Jie roared, struggling against the pain, rage replacing fear. "MING DE!! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!"
He surged upward with a burst of strength, forcing the boy back. Gasping, trembling, he popped a handful of pills into his mouth and glared at the boy with bloodshot eyes.
"If I can't survive this… then you're coming down with me, you damned bastard."
And with that, he charged.