The man darted behind Su Xiaobai, clutching his arm as though holding onto the last tether to life. "My tyrant of a grandfather sealed my cultivation! I can't even squash a Spirit Bug, let alone fend off that thing!"
Su Xiaobai sighed, his patience fraying. He peeled the man's hands off his robes as if removing stubborn lotus sap. "So, let me get this straight—you're weak, useless, and currently taunting a thunder-charged Ironhide Boar. Anything else, or can I start running?"
Wei Jun's face froze, panic morphing into sudden clarity. "Wait! I can introduce you to my sister!"
Su Xiaobai paused mid-step, his brow twitching. "What?"
"She's nearby! Exquisite beauty, refined temperament, and... completely untouched."
"Untouched?"
Ding.
In the depths of Su Xiaobai's soul, a phantom bell tolled—a sign from the heavens or, more likely, the meddling higher-ups. He cracked his knuckles, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "You lead with that next time."
The boar thundered toward them, its tusks crackling with arcs of wild lightning.
BOOM!
Su Xiaobai's fist met the beast's skull with the force of a falling meteor. A shockwave rippled outward, flattening the surrounding grass. The boar didn't even have time to squeal as its head caved in with a bloody crunch, its colossal body crashing lifeless to the ground.
Wei Jun stumbled backward, his legs giving out beneath him. "You killed it... with a single strike?"
Su Xiaobai brushed flecks of blood from his sleeve, his expression aloof. "Naturally. Now, about this sister of yours..."
Wei Jun scrambled to his feet, hastily adjusting his disheveled robes. His voice carried an almost breezy charm as he said, "Brother, allow me a moment to make myself presentable before we proceed. If my grandfather learns I was anywhere near the sect…" His words trailed off, the smile persistent but his eyes watchful.
Su Xiaobai caught the faint shift in tone. He arched an eyebrow, smirking faintly. "So, you were poking around where you shouldn't have been. Why does that not surprise me?"
Wei Jun froze mid-motion, his fan clutched tightly. "How... how did you know?"
"I'm not blind," Su Xiaobai replied dryly, though his thoughts whispered otherwise. 'You guys send me this? A smooth-tongued wanderer with secrets? At least give me someone with a treasure map.'
Wei Jun chuckled lightly, his fan snapping open with a practiced flick. "Brother, you're too clever by half. But I assure you, my intentions are as pure as a Spirit Lotus in moonlight."
Spit!
"Pure as mud," Su Xiaobai muttered under his breath, turning away. "Hurry up and change before the stench of the boar attracts something worse."
As Wei Jun shrugged off his robe, Su Xiaobai pointedly looked away. "Quit wasting time. This isn't a low-budget brothel drama."
Wei Jun's laughter came light and teasing. "Brother, why so shy? We're both men, are we not?"
Su Xiaobai rolled his eyes, tone dripping with sarcasm. "I'm merely shielding myself from the blinding radiance of your unmatched charm. Hurry it up."
Draping himself in a fresh green robe of fine silk, Wei Jun snapped his fan closed and inclined his head with an easy smile. "Shall we proceed, Brother?"
Su Xiaobai's gaze sharpened. "You'd better not be lying about this sister of yours. If this is some elaborate joke, I'll ensure you regret it for the rest of your fleeting existence."
Wei Jun laughed softly, waving his fan dismissively. "Brother, do I look like a man who would deceive his benefactor?"
"Yes." Su Xiaobai's thoughts were less charitable, but he gave a curt nod. "Let's go."
The forest deepened around them, the trees whispering secrets to the wind. Su Xiaobai's instincts remained taut as a drawn bowstring. "Why are we heading away from the Xiantian Sect?"
Wei Jun glanced back, his expression shadowed with a faint melancholy. "Brother, did you plan to visit the sect?"
Su Xiaobai frowned. Aloud, he said, "Didn't you say your sister was connected to the sect? Or was that just bait?"
Wei Jun tilted his head, his smile tinged with something unreadable. "Connected? No. My sister has no ties to the sect."
Su Xiaobai halted mid-step, his voice cold. "No ties? Then what was the point of saving you?"
Wei Jun's fan snapped shut, and he turned fully toward Su Xiaobai, his gaze steady. "Brother, do you truly believe every encounter is preordained by the heavens?"
"Don't try to wax philosophical with me," Su Xiaobai shot back. "Just tell me the truth."
Wei Jun hesitated before speaking, his voice soft. "My sister is real. But I admit, she's not connected to the Xiantian Sect. As for why I was there... Let's just say, admiration can take many forms."
"Peeping," Su Xiaobai said flatly.
Wei Jun stumbled, his fan slipping slightly. "It's not peeping—it's reverence from afar!"
"Right. You walked a day to spy on someone. That's 'so' dignified."
Wei Jun sighed, closing his fan with a snap. "Brother, must you always view the world through such a harsh lens?"
"Harsh? No. Practical." Su Xiaobai's tone turned light, almost mocking. "The only person worth admiring is yourself. Everyone else? Baggage."
Wei Jun's eyes flickered, a subtle sharpness behind his easy smile. "Perhaps you're right. But even baggage can surprise you."
They resumed walking, the rustling leaves masking the noise between them.
'If this wild goose chase doesn't lead to something worthwhile,' Su Xiaobai thought grimly, 'I'll feed him to the Devouring Thorny Flower myself.'
Su Xiaobai had no direct path into the Xiantian Sect. If Elder Bai still lived, there might have been a thread to pull, but that lifeline had long since frayed, leaving him tethered to the whims of the 'charismatic' Wei Jun.
Still, Su Xiaobai wasn't overly concerned.
The setup was far too convenient to be coincidence. A sealed cultivation, a clumsy escape from a wild boar—one even Xiao Lu, could dispatch with a flick of her hand. This had the higher-ups' meddling written all over it.
Fate often wrapped rewards in frustrating packaging, and Su Xiaobai's instincts told him to play along. For now.
Of course, nothing came without a price. But Su Xiaobai smirked.
"You fuck the ones below, and the ones above fuck you back. Since I can't reach the heavens, I'll make sure to fuck over everyone else—with style!"
The mantra echoed in his mind as he glanced at Xiao Lu, resting silently in the ring world. She was his hidden ace, a blade in waiting should the need arise.
By nightfall, the two had camped beneath towering trees. Enchanted stones encircled their makeshift refuge, casting faint, star-like glimmers against the gloom.
"By tomorrow afternoon, we'll reach my grandfather's retreat," Wei Jun said with a casual smile. His eyes, however, glinted with cunningness.
Su Xiaobai shrugged, stretching out on the ground. "Fine. Just don't let some prank hit me at sunrise."
______
Morning ~~
Golden rays pierced through the forest canopy, painting the world in shades of gold and jade. The air was crisp, filled with the soft murmurs of birdsong, while dew-kissed leaves shimmered like fragments of shattered crystal.
But peace, as always, was fleeting.
Wei Jun paced near the dying embers of the campfire, his fan tapping against his palm in a restless rhythm—thap, thap, thap.
His sharp eyes darted repeatedly toward Su Xiaobai, who lay sprawled carelessly, utterly unbothered by the unease saturating the air.
Yet Wei Jun's vigilance wasn't without cause. His attention locked onto Su Xiaobai's outstretched hand.
Nestled in Su Xiaobai's hand was a small doll, no larger than a clenched fist. Its porcelain face was smooth and round, framed by long black hair that cascaded like shadows. Crimson eyes, dim and half-lidded, glowed faintly as its tiny arms clung to his fingers.
The doll's lips latched onto his fingertip with soft nchu, nchu sounds, a rhythmic sucking that might have seemed childlike—if not for the faint beads of blood welling around its mouth.
Wei Jun swallowed hard, 'What in the name of the Heavenly Dao is that?'
He had encountered cursed talismans, blood-forged puppets, and even soul-devouring artifacts.
But this—this thing—defied comparison.
His gaze flicked to the faintly glowing barrier encircling the camp.
Designed to repel beasts, rogue cultivators, and wandering disciples, it had proven steadfast through countless nights. Yet this creature had bypassed it effortlessly, as if slipping through the threads of reality itself.
Wei Jun's instincts screamed at him to flee, but his curiosity rooted him in place. "Brother Su…" he whispered, his voice barely louder than the rustling leaves. "Brother Su, wake up. Something's… not right."
Su Xiaobai stirred faintly, muttering under his breath, but remained in a dreamlike haze. His fingers twitched, but the doll didn't release her grip. Instead, she nuzzled his palm softly, her crimson eyes gleaming faintly as the sucking continued—schlp, nchu, schlp—a steady rhythm both innocent and unnerving cute.
Wei Jun, trembling, accidentally brushed his fan against an enchanted stone, and the barrier let out a faint hum—wrrnnn.
"Brother Su!" Wei Jun hissed, louder this time. "Wake up, damn it!"
With a groggy groan, Su Xiaobai cracked an eye open, his vision blurred as Wei Jun's pale, frantic face swam into view.
"What?" Su Xiaobai grumbled, his voice thick with irritation. Without thinking, he waved his hand lazily in Wei Jun's direction, a reflexive motion born of annoyance.
The motion dislodged the doll entirely, sending her tumbling through the air with a soft movement.
She landed silently, her glowing crimson eyes narrowing as she scuttled backward like a startled kitten.