The soft crunch of leaves underfoot was the only sound that broke the silence as Lin Xi moved through the dense forest. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a deep amber glow through the gaps in the trees. Su Qinghe walked a few steps behind her, his gaze fixed ahead, as if searching for something beyond the trees. It had been days since they left the village where the old woman had given them the cryptic warning, and Lin Xi could still feel the weight of it pressing down on her.
"You've been quiet," Lin Xi said over her shoulder, her voice breaking the stillness.
Su Qinghe glanced up, his expression unreadable. "There's something off about this place," he replied after a moment. "I've felt it since we crossed the river."
Lin Xi frowned. She had sensed it too—a subtle, but persistent heaviness in the air, like the forest was holding its breath. Birds didn't sing here. The wind didn't rustle the leaves. It was as if the world itself had gone still, waiting for something.
They continued walking, the silence growing more oppressive with each step. Lin Xi's thoughts drifted back to the old woman's words: The Black Dragon Emperor will return, and when he does, the world will tremble. She hadn't known what to make of it at the time, but now, with each passing day, she felt the truth of it sinking in. There was a darkness gathering, something far worse than the curse that had haunted her.
A branch snapped in the distance, breaking Lin Xi from her thoughts. She stopped, her hand instinctively moving to the hilt of her sword. Su Qinghe froze beside her, his gaze sharp, scanning the trees around them.
"Did you hear that?" Lin Xi whispered.
Su Qinghe nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of his own sword. "We're not alone."
For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of their own breathing. Then, from the shadows of the trees, a figure emerged. Tall and cloaked in ragged robes, the man stumbled toward them, his face gaunt and pale. His eyes were wide with fear, his lips cracked and dry.
"Please," the man rasped, collapsing to his knees in front of them. "You have to help me. They're coming."
Lin Xi knelt beside him, her hand resting gently on his shoulder. "Who's coming? What happened?"
The man shook his head, his hands trembling as he clutched the front of her tunic. "They took them. My family…my village. They took them all."
Su Qinghe stepped closer, his voice calm but firm. "Who took them?"
The man's breath came in ragged gasps as he tried to speak. "The followers…of the Black Dragon Emperor. They're gathering power…preparing for his return. Please, you have to stop them."
A chill ran down Lin Xi's spine. She exchanged a glance with Su Qinghe, who had gone still, his eyes narrowing. The old woman's warning echoed in her mind, the weight of it settling heavy in her chest.
"Where?" Su Qinghe asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Where did they take your people?"
The man raised a shaking hand, pointing toward the north. "There's a cave…deep in the mountains. They're using it as a base. I escaped…but the others…"
Lin Xi stood, her heart pounding in her chest. She had known, deep down, that their journey would lead them to something far darker than the curse that plagued her. But hearing it spoken aloud—hearing the name of the Black Dragon Emperor—made it real in a way she hadn't anticipated.
"We need to go," she said, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her. "If they're gathering power, we can't wait."
Su Qinghe nodded, his expression grim. "We'll leave at first light."
The night was dark and still, the forest around them silent as Lin Xi sat by the fire, staring into the flames. Su Qinghe sat across from her, his back against a tree, his sword resting on his knees. Neither of them spoke, but the weight of the man's words hung heavy in the air between them.
"The Black Dragon Emperor," Lin Xi said quietly, breaking the silence. "Do you think it's true? That he's coming back?"
Su Qinghe didn't answer right away. His gaze was fixed on the fire, the flames reflecting in his dark eyes. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost resigned. "I've heard the stories, just like you. The Guardians fought him centuries ago, sealed him away in the depths of the earth. But if what the old woman said is true…if he's coming back…"
Lin Xi swallowed hard, the reality of it sinking in. "Then we're not just fighting a curse anymore."
Su Qinghe nodded, his expression unreadable. "No. We're not."
They lapsed into silence again, the crackling of the fire the only sound between them. Lin Xi could feel the weight of their task pressing down on her, the enormity of it threatening to crush her. The Black Dragon Emperor was more than just a legend—he was real, and if he returned, the world would be thrown into chaos.
But despite the fear gnawing at her, there was something else. A spark of determination, of resolve. She wasn't alone in this. Su Qinghe was with her, and together, they would face whatever came next.
"We'll stop him," she said quietly, more to herself than to Su Qinghe. "We have to."
Su Qinghe looked up, his eyes meeting hers across the fire. There was a flicker of something in his gaze—something that gave her hope. "Yes," he said, his voice steady. "We will."
The forest seemed endless, a labyrinth of towering trees and twisting paths that stretched into the horizon. Lin Xi and Su Qinghe had been walking since dawn, their steps quiet but purposeful. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, but it carried with it an ominous weight, as though the world itself was holding its breath. The man they had encountered the previous night had long since fled, disappearing into the woods after giving them all the information he could.
"I've been thinking," Lin Xi said, her voice low. "About what he said. The Black Dragon Emperor... Hēilóng Dì... if he's really returning, we might be out of our depth."
Su Qinghe didn't respond immediately, his gaze fixed ahead as they walked. His sword was strapped to his back, the hilt gleaming faintly in the slivers of sunlight that broke through the canopy above.
"Maybe," he said finally, his tone calm but serious. "But we don't have a choice. We can't turn back now."
Lin Xi knew he was right, but the weight of it still pressed down on her. The curse she carried, the dark magic that had plagued her for so long, was now only one piece of a much larger puzzle. The Black Dragon Emperor was not just a myth—he was real, and he was returning to finish what he had started centuries ago.
They reached a clearing as the afternoon sun began to wane, the sky tinged with the soft hues of dusk. Su Qinghe stopped at the edge of the clearing, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the area.
"We should rest here," he said. "We'll need our strength for what's coming."
Lin Xi nodded, dropping her pack to the ground and settling onto a nearby log. Her legs ached from the long day's journey, but her mind was restless, filled with thoughts of what lay ahead.
Su Qinghe moved with practiced ease, gathering wood for a fire and setting it alight within minutes. The flames flickered to life, casting a warm glow across the clearing, but it did little to ease the tension between them.
For a while, they sat in silence, the crackling of the fire the only sound in the quiet forest. Lin Xi stared into the flames, lost in her thoughts. She had always known that her journey would lead her to something dark, something dangerous. But the Black Dragon Emperor... it was more than she had ever imagined.
"Do you think we can stop him?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Su Qinghe looked at her, his expression unreadable. "We have to try."
Lin Xi nodded, but doubt gnawed at her. They were just two people, facing an enemy that had nearly destroyed the world once before. What chance did they have?
Before she could voice her fears, the sound of rustling leaves reached her ears. Both she and Su Qinghe tensed, their hands instinctively moving to their weapons. The sound grew louder, closer, and then from the shadows of the trees, a figure emerged.
It was a man, his robes tattered and his face gaunt with exhaustion. Lin Xi stood, her sword drawn, but the man held up his hands in surrender.
"Wait," he gasped, his voice hoarse. "I'm not here to fight. I need your help."
Su Qinghe stepped forward, his sword still at the ready. "Who are you?"
The man collapsed to his knees, panting for breath. "My name is Liú Jùn," he said between gasps. "I'm a monk... from the temple in the mountains. The followers of Hēilóng Dì... they attacked us. My brothers... they're all dead."
Lin Xi's heart pounded in her chest. "The followers of the Black Dragon Emperor? Are you sure?"
Liú Jùn nodded, his face pale. "I saw them. Dark sorcerers... cursed creatures. They took something from the temple... something powerful."
Su Qinghe's eyes narrowed. "What did they take?"
"A relic," Liú Jùn said, his voice shaking. "An ancient artifact, one of the keys to sealing the Black Dragon Emperor. If they gather all of them, his power will be unstoppable."
Lin Xi exchanged a glance with Su Qinghe, her mind racing. The stakes had just risen dramatically. They were no longer just fighting to lift her curse—they were fighting to prevent the return of the greatest evil the world had ever known.
"We'll help you," Lin Xi said firmly, stepping forward. "But you need to tell us everything you know about these relics."
Liú Jùn nodded, his gaze filled with desperation. "There are four of them, scattered across the land. They were used to seal Hēilóng Dì away centuries ago. The followers are trying to gather them, to break the seal and unleash him upon the world again."
"And the one they took from your temple?" Su Qinghe asked.
Liú Jùn lowered his head. "It was the first. There are still three left, but they won't stop until they have them all."
Lin Xi's heart raced. The Black Dragon Emperor's return was no longer a distant threat—it was happening, and they were running out of time.
"We'll stop them," Su Qinghe said, his voice filled with resolve. "We'll find the relics before they do."
Lin Xi nodded, her own resolve hardening. This was their fight now. The fate of the world rested on their shoulders, and there was no turning back.
"We leave at first light," she said, her voice steady. "We need to get ahead of them before it's too late."
As the fire crackled in the growing darkness, Lin Xi knew that this was only the beginning. The journey ahead would be long and dangerous, but she had Su Qinghe by her side. And together, they would face whatever came next—even if it meant confronting the Black Dragon Emperor himself.