"AHHHHHH, RUN!!"
Mo Yichen's cry echoed through the forest as he bolted like a man who had just remembered all the unpaid debts of his ancestors. Behind him, Jing Yu wailed like a banshee, his high-pitched screams blending with the sounds of snapping branches and rustling leaves.
If this weren't a life-and-death situation, Mo Yichen would have taken a moment to smack Jing Yu upside the head for being so damn loud. But alas, priorities.
And priority number one was the giant, purple, man-eating python slithering after them with murderous intent.
Mo Yichen's legs burned as he ran, but his eyes caught something up ahead—two small white dots in the distance. His heart leaped with hope.
As he squinted, the dots slowly transformed into the shapes of two young men.
His momentary relief evaporated like dew under the morning sun!! More people. More victims!
His face twitched in frustration before he let out a desperate, ragged yell, "YOU STUPID PEOPLE, RUN!!"
The two figures stood frozen in confusion, looking between him, Jing Yu, and the huge-ass death noodle that was currently hell-bent on making them dinner.
Mo Yichen barely had time to curse the heavens for putting idiots in his escape route before Jing Yu's panicked voice came from behind.
"Brother Mo, ARE WE GOING TO DIE?!!"
Mo Yichen resisted the urge to throttle him. This brat!! Did he have to announce their imminent doom like a funeral announcer?!
"DON'T JINX IT, YOU BRAT!! JUST RUN!!" he snapped, his lungs burning.
The two young men ahead did not move.
Mo Yichen wanted to cry. What kind of morons just stand there when a python the size of a house was hot on someone's heels?!
His eyes flicked to the man in a familiar light blue robe, and his brain suddenly clicked.
Wait a damn second.
That's the guy who gave me the Heavenly Nectar Peach!!
Mo Yichen had no time for pleasantries. Right now, there was a very high chance they would all be swallowed whole.
"You—!! DON'T JUST STAND THERE, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE, RUN!!"
The man in blue still looked annoyingly calm, blinking at him with clear, light-colored eyes.
Then his gaze shifted—not to Mo Yichen, but to the monstrous python currently rampaging towards them.
Mo Yichen had a really, really bad feeling.
As if in slow motion, the man's hand moved to his sword.
Mo Yichen's soul almost left his body.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! You can't kill it!" Mo Yichen lunged forward, grabbing the man's wrist before he could unsheathe his weapon. "If you don't want to die, RUN WITH ME!!"
The man in blue flinched slightly, his gaze dropping to Mo Yichen's hand—the pale, slender fingers firmly wrapped around his wrist.
For a second, there was a strange pause.
Mo Yichen, panting and sweating like a madman, suddenly became aware of how firm this guy's wrist was. But before his thoughts could spiral into inappropriate territory, a sharp, angry voice cut through the tension.
"What are you doing to Senior Brother?! Let go of him!!"
Mo Yichen turned his head sharply and finally noticed the second guy.
Bushy eyebrows.
Sharp, accusing eyes.
A mustard/ black-colored robe that screamed 'overenthusiastic disciple'.
And right now? He looked about two seconds away from launching himself at Mo Yichen for simply existing.
Mo Yichen internally groaned.
Why did he have to deal with this now?! There was a man-eating python behind them!! Did this guy really think he had time for a friendly kidnapping or some nonsense?!
"Listen here, caterpillar- cough.. young man," Mo Yichen huffs, still gripping the senior brother's wrist. "Either you run with us or you stay here and become that snake food. Your choice."
Mustard-Robe gaped at him like a fish out of water. "D-Did you just call me Caterpillar?!"
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE WE HAVE TIME FOR THIS?!" Jing Yu shouts from behind, disbelief etched on is face. Just then, the ground shook violently, a loud hiss splitting the air.
Mo Yichen didn't need to look back to know the python was dangerously close. So, without hesitation, he yanked 'Senior Brother' forward and took off running, dragging the still-stunned man with him.
"WHAT THE—?!" Mustard-Robe screeched, flailing before his survival instincts finally kicked in and he sprinted after them.
Mo Yichen was too tired to deal with their complaints.
His entire focus was on outrunning the beast behind them and figuring out how he kept getting dragged into these ridiculous situations.
He glanced at Jing Yu—who looked like he was one breath away from passing out.
Then at 'Senior Brother'—who, despite everything, was somehow still composed.
And finally, at Mustard-Robe—who was muttering angrily under his breath about 'disrespectful wild man'.
Mo Yichen felt a migraine forming.
"Fuck! You people run, I will stall it fo—"
Before Mo Yichen could finish his heroic declaration, a firm hand clamped onto his wrist.
His brain barely had time to process how the hell their positions had switched before he realized the supposed 'senior brother' was now standing in front of him, his grip unyielding.
Mo Yichen blinked.
Wait, what?
He was supposed to be the one blocking the beast, yet somehow this guy had smoothly taken his place.
The man in light blue robes calmly unsheathed his sword, a thin, almost translucent blade that shimmered in the dim light. His posture was effortless, his back straight, his shoulders broad—completely blocking Mo Yichen's view of the rampaging death noodle.
A shout came from behind.
"Brother Mo?" Jing Yu's panicked voice reached his ears.
Earlier, Mo Yichen had a perfectly good plan—stall the beast long enough for the others to escape, then, when things got dicey, sneak into his dimension like the smart (not) man he was.
But now, thanks to this guy, that plan was completely ruined.
"He will be fine! Senior Brother is with him, but you better run, or we'll just be obstacles!" Ji Yeming yelled, grabbing Jing Yu's arm to drag him away.
Jing Yu looked back hesitantly, but Mo Yichen had bigger problems. Because at that very moment, the giant purple python let out a chilling hiss, its enormous body coiling like a tightened spring before lunging forward.
The man in blue moved instantly. His sword flashed. A swift, precise strike—the python barely dodged, but the tip of the blade grazed its thick scales, leaving a deep gash along its side.
The beast reared back with a furious, ear-splitting shriek, purple blood oozing from the wound.
And that's when Mo Yichen screamed at him. "Don't step on that!" he shouted.
The man's foot halted an inch before stepping into the viscous, corrosive liquid seeping from the python's wound.
A dark, purple liquid oozed from the wound, sizzling as it hit the ground, instantly corroding the grass beneath it.
The 'senior brother' glanced back at Mo Yichen, unfazed. A slight smirk formed on his lips but before anyone could notice, it disappeared.
Mo Yichen's eye twitched. What kind of lunatic fights a venomous beast without any spiritual powers?!
The python thrashed toward the young man, two huge fangs came in view as it opened his mouth wide, almost ready to swallow the guy in front. But with a simple graceful twist of his wrist, the guy dodged the strike and slashed at the python's side, drawing another deep wound. Looking at his graceful moves Mo Yichen can't help but feel awe at the sight.
What a prodigy..!
The beast shrieked, coiling its body tighter. It was clearly getting angrier, and more aggressive. As the python thrashed, the ground quaked, loose pebbles scattering from the force.
Mo Yichen, watching from the side, felt his headache worsen. This motherfucker is so loud!!
His gaze flickered before he discreetly crouched, taking a few sharp pebbles off the ground. Carefully, so no one noticed, he infused them with enough of his mana, making them sharp and fast like battle arrows.
Then—
WHOOSH!
He flicked one straight at the python's eye when it was still busy with the man in blue. The beast let out a monstrous shriek, its massive head snapping backward in agony.
Mo Yichen, grinning like a sneaky brat, quickly threw a few more pebbles at a speed that was barely visible to the naked eye. All striking on its eyes. Leaving a trace of smoke in the sight of others.
The python thrashed violently, its entire body convulsing. Taking the chance, the man in the blue robe instantly pierced the python from its neck to its belly. It violently shrieked for a while before finally falling to the ground with a thud.
The man in blue turned his gaze to Mo Yichen, before looking down as a tiny smile forms on his lips. What Mo Yichen doesn't know is this seemingly harmless 'senior brother' might not be all that simple at all.
Jing Yu, who had been watching from a distance, narrowed his eyes. "Brother Mo…" he said suspiciously. "Did you just—?"
"Shut up."
"…Okay."
Mo Yichen trying to look as innocent as possible, cleared his throat and whistled. "Woww! My eyes almost went blind!"
"huh?" Yan Yueqing responded discreetly looking up at the warm jade-like face with youthful brightness. "You were so shinyyy with that sword!! I almost went blind!!" Mo Yichen replies shamelessly smiling.
For a moment, there was a pause and a slight flicker on Yan Yueqing's eyes. Then, Mustard-Robe rushed forward. "Senior Brother! Are you alright?!"
The swordsman nodded, sheathing his sword as if he hadn't just fought a giant, venomous monster like it was a morning exercise.
Mo Yichen, dusting off his hands, casually kicked a pebble aside.
"Well," he said smoothly, "what do I call you, gentleman?"
"Who do you think you are to know senior brother's name?" Ji Yeming's sharp voice pierced the air, his finger pointing towards Mo Yichen. But before the latter can reply, Jing Yu retorts, "And who do you think you are to decide if Brother Mo can know your senior brother or not? Are you his nanny!?"
"You-"
"What me!?"
"Yan as 'Swallow' is my family name whereas Yeqing as 'Noble of the Night' is my name given by my mother, call me whatever you like" The man in blue steps up towards him, ignoring two figures fighting like cat and dog.