Su Xiaobai stood at a respectful distance, his sharp gaze fixed on the old man. Wei Zhong moved with practiced ease, unloading herbs and spirit fruits onto a flat stone.
Yet, nothing about him was ordinary.
The faint ripple of spiritual energy around the elder weighed on the air, pressing against Su Xiaobai's skin like an invisible hand. His faded purple robes, brushed by the wind, carried an authority that defied time.
His gray hair framed a face both weathered and unyielding, while his beard lent him the majesty of a storm-bound mountain.
Danger stood in the man's very presence—silent, suppressed, but unmistakable.
'Heavenly Tribulation Realm,' Su Xiaobai thought grimly. The old man's cultivation was so far above his own, it wasn't even worth counting the difference.
What kind of family is this?
And yet, irritation itched at the back of Su Xiaobai's mind.
'The Higher-ups,' he thought darkly, 'are at it again.'
He'd spent an entire day trudging through this damned forest—for what? A crooked shack and a family drama with a thundering patriarch?
'They could've just handed me a script,' Su Xiaobai thought sourly. 'Are they allies? Informants? Or just another set of side characters to amuse the Higher-ups?'
No instructions. No hints. Nothing but vague purpose and this absurd scenario.
Of course, there was another possibility.
Wei Jun's sister.
The thought blindsided him, and Su Xiaobai stiffened. Was this some Higher-ups' scheme to shove him into a romance subplot? Was the old man's granddaughter supposed to be his destined love interest?
Impossible.
He wasn't some starry-eyed protagonist chasing flowers in the sect. Love was a distraction—a detour he couldn't afford.
'Xiao Lu was different,' he reasoned, glancing at his hand, 'She's useful.'
And — she could accompany him in his journey!
But Wei Jun's sister? Trouble. He could already picture Wei Zhong glaring at him, spiritual energy crackling like thunder, just for daring to suggest her involvement in his plans.
Su Xiaobai's jaw tightened. 'No. Absolutely not. I don't care what the Higher-ups want. I won't be their puppet for romance.'
And yet, the more he tried to ignore it, the more absurd the thought became.
'Why am I even thinking about this?'
Shaking himself, he muttered under his breath, "Forget it. I'm here for the treasury, not a love story."
[A/N: Look at this guy, planting his own red flags. Don't blame me when things go downhill later! :P]
Su Xiaobai's thoughts were cut short by Wei Zhong's sudden movement.
"Why are you standing there like an idiot?" The old man's voice cracked again like a sharp whip.
Wei Jun froze. "I—"
"THWACK!"
The old man's fist struck the back of Wei Jun's head with a resounding crack, planting him face-first into the dirt.
Su Xiaobai blinked, surprised.
"Brother Jun," he muttered, crouching near the cratered figure. "if this were a story, I'd say you've been demoted to slapstick sidekick. Thoughts?"
Wei Jun groaned, his face half-buried in soil. "I have none."
"Smart," Su Xiaobai said, grinning. "Wouldn't want to overexert yourself."
When Wei Jun finally staggered to his feet, swaying like a drunken immortal, Wei Zhong turned to Su Xiaobai.
"You," the old man said, his tone sharp and suspicious, "What do you want?"
Su Xiaobai clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Elder Wei, I merely seek guidance. As someone new to Yue Country, I find myself in need of… perspective."
"Perspective?" Wei Zhong repeated, his lips curling faintly. "Is that what they're calling greed these days?"
The old man's gaze tore into Su Xiaobai, sharp and knowing, yet tinged with something else—amusement, perhaps.
"Go on," Wei Zhong said, lighting a pipe. Smoke curled around him like a dragon's breath. "What do you want to know?"
"The Xiantian Sect," Su Xiaobai said smoothly.
The air seemed to chill. Wei Zhong's expression darkened, his voice turning to iron.
"That den of vipers."
The hate in his tone was as clear — as the vast blue sky.
"Forgive me," Su Xiaobai said lightly, tilting his head. "I didn't realize the sect's reputation was so… poor."
Wei Zhong barked a harsh laugh. "Poor? Boy, the Xiantian Sect was once a lion—mighty, proud, and feared by all. But now?" He spat on the ground. "It's a rotting carcass, picked apart by jackals and rats."
He took a slow drag from his pipe, his eyes glinting with distant memories. "War is coming. Blood will flow. And anyone foolish enough to get caught in the middle will drown in it."
Su Xiaobai nodded solemnly, his face a mask of respect. "Thank you for the warning, Elder. I will take it to heart."
Inside, though, his thoughts ran even faster than his luck. 'Jackals? Rats? Blood? Sounds like my kind of party."
Chaos meant opportunity.
It meant treasures forgotten, vaults abandoned, and materials for his Astral Gate Array lying in wait.
"Thanks for the advice, Elder," Su Xiaobai said aloud, his voice tinged with mischief. "I'll be sure to 'avoid' the Xiantian Sect…"
____
Later that day, Su Xiaobai casually probed Wei Jun about the Xiantian Sect. He noticed the faint flicker of suspicion in Wei Jun's eyes, despite the man's carefree demeanor.
Su Xiaobai didn't care.
When it came to the Higher-ups, there were only two outcomes.
If they wanted to screw him over, they would—no reason needed. And if they didn't, no one else in this damned world could.
So, he pestered Wei Jun until he got everything he wanted.
Xiantian Sect was holding a recruitment in a week. Wei Jun, misunderstanding Su Xiaobai's sudden interest, casually asked if he intended to join.
"Yes," Su Xiaobai answered, surprising him.
Wei Jun shook his head, rattling off the names of other sects and urging him to reconsider. But Su Xiaobai had already decided.
He didn't care about joining. It was perfect timing—too perfect to be a coincidence. If the Higher-ups wanted him to play along, he'd oblige, at least for now. Somewhere inside that sect was the rare material he needed for the Astral Gate Array.
Until then, he'd bide his time here, pretending to enjoy his "role." Wei Jun didn't mind, even teasing that Su Xiaobai could meet his sister when she arrived tomorrow.
Annoyed, Su Xiaobai waved him off and left for the nearby stream.
___
"Sigh~"
Standing beneath the roaring waterfall, Su Xiaobai let the icy torrent pound against his shoulders. Each droplet struck his skin like shards of glass, tearing away the sadness of the day.
The cascade masked the world's noise, leaving only the primal rhythm of water and stone.
For a fleeting moment, it was as though time had stopped.
Here, within the waterfall's embrace, Su Xiaobai could almost believe that the chaos of the outside world didn't exist—the Higher-ups, their endless schemes, and the burdens of his own inadequacies faded into an illusion.
But peace, as Su Xiaobai knew all too well, was a lie.
A faint vibration hummed from the ring on his finger, shattering his fragile reprieve.
His brow furrowed. "Huh?" He lifted his hand, the ancient black band gleaming faintly against his damp skin.
Before he could investigate further, the water around him surged unnaturally.
Splosh!
A sharp tug from below made him stagger. His eyes darted downward—and froze.
It was her.
The demon child.
She no longer resembled the tiny, harmless creature he'd first found. Now standing nearly two feet tall, her features had sharpened into an unsettling blend of innocence and beauty.
Her round face, once merely endearing, now radiated a doll-like perfection, her porcelain skin eerily flawless, as though sculpted by a master artisan.
But it was her eyes—two glowing crimson orbs—that rooted him in place.
Su Xiaobai exhaled slowly. "So, it's happening," he muttered to himself.
Somehow, he wasn't surprised. If anything, this transformation confirmed what he had suspected from the moment she appeared.
She was no ordinary creature.
She was rare. Precious. Dangerous.
Not only could she slip in and out of the ring world at will—a feat no one else, not even Xiao Lu, could achieve—but she grew at an alarming, almost unnatural pace.
Perhaps she was a gift, wrapped in the Higher-ups' usual way of ruddiles..
"A gift wrapped in a curse," he thought bitterly, imagining the smug voices.
[Su Xiaobai, you've fulfilled your duties. Enjoy your prize, the Demon Empress. She'll handle everything from here. Go on, live your salted fish dreams.]
He snorted. "Yeah, sure."
Before he could dream further, a violent splash yanked his attention back to the water.
"!"
____
Gasp!
Beneath the water, the demon child's eyes snapped open beneath the turbulent currents. Panic set in immediately as icy water forced its way into her lungs.
'I… I can't breathe!'
Her tiny arms flailed desperately, slapping against the unyielding waves. Her soft cries, muffled and pitiful, were swallowed by the roaring waterfall.
'I'm too weak!'
Her mind shook. Fragments of memories clawed at her mind, fractured and incomplete. She remembered once standing atop a desolate peak, her shadow stretching across the heavens. She had been invincible, her will absolute. Nothing and no one had dared to stand before her.
But now?
Now she was this.
A trembling squeak escaped her lips as another realization slammed into her—a memory so sharp it felt like a blade.
'The river of time… I forgot… I fell.'
Her panic surged, her fragile body twisting uselessly in the current.
'I refuse to die here!' she thought fiercely, though her strength was fading fast.
Her hands shot out blindly, brushing against something solid—long, firm, and blisteringly hot. It was her salvation.