Lin Shu continued through the market, searching stall after stall for anything of value. He didn't walk away empty-handed. Among the goods, he bought a small case of mid-tier Rank 1 antidote pills, designed to cleanse the body of poisons. The cost was steep—2,000 gold coins—but he considered it necessary. Poison was always a threat, especially in the darker corners of the cultivation world.
That left him with 13,000 gold coins, after accounting for earlier purchases—materials for the first stage of the Thunderforge Physique, which had cost him 6,900 gold coins after repeated failures, and 15,000 gold coins spent on the Burning Vein Art. He'd also quietly acquired various robes and garments from distant minor clans and small institutes, all intended to help him fabricate identities if needed.
It was a calculated risk. If he were caught wearing such clothes and someone linked them to missing or dead members, he could be accused of murder. Worse, some clans could use tracking techniques based on their sect's clothing—something Lin Shu was careful to avoid. That's why he chose only small, obscure groups from remote regions, far enough that any tracking methods wouldn't reach this far.
With nothing else useful in the market and the rest too expensive or irrelevant, he slipped out through an exit that led to another hidden building in Cloudrest.
He took a winding path through side alleys and backstreets, changing direction several times, just in case anyone had been watching him. Only after he was confident he wasn't being followed did he remove his bone mask, preparing to return to the mine.
But just as he stepped back onto one of the main paths, his body froze.
Not far ahead stood three familiar figures.
Two of them were talking. One had wild, free-flowing hair, loose robes, and mad eyes filled with savage glee—Xie Lang. The other, slightly older and broader, wore tidy, respectable clothing, his short brown hair and measured speech a sharp contrast to the wildness beside him—Zeng Shiyang. The third was a blue-haired girl, quiet and cold, her icy gaze unbothered as she listened to the two argue—Han Yi.
Lin Shu's blood chilled. He didn't hesitate. He turned sharply into a different alley and slipped away, heart steady but thoughts racing.
"What are those three doing here…?" he thought, frowning deeply. He knew their personalities, knew their strength—and more importantly, he knew that if they saw him now, it could ruin the excuse he planned to use for arriving late at the mine.
"I can't let them see me. If they do, I'll lose any chance to explain my delay. I need to wait until they move away from the gate…"
Lin Shu hid in the shadows of a nearby rooftop, watching the trio carefully from a distance, his mind calculating every possible escape route and outcome.
Fortunately for Lin Shu, the trio left soon after and headed deeper into Cloudrest City. Lin Shu returned to the gate and left immediately, heading toward the mine.
Zeng Shiyang, Xie Lang, and Han Yi walked side by side. Han Yi, as usual, was quiet, while Zeng Shiyang spoke softly to Xie Lang. In contrast, Xie Lang maintained his usual carefree demeanor.
"Xie Lang, how many times do I have to tell you? You need to fix your attire and your way of speaking. We're on a secret mission—so why are you attracting so much attention?" Zeng Shiyang whispered, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice.
Xie Lang replied casually, "Who's gonna recognize us anyway? We're not even sure if we'll find them here."
Zeng Shiyang sighed, his patience slowly running out.
Han Yi finally spoke. "He's right, Xie Lang. We need to take this mission seriously. It's extremely dangerous, based on what the Vice Dean told us."
Their minds drifted to the day before.
The three of them had been standing inside the main tent of the mine. Vice Dean Lu Heng sat calmly in front of them, composed as he sipped tea. He slowly set the cup down and said, "I called the three of you here because I have a mission for you."
Han Yi's expression remained still, Zeng Shiyang allowed himself a small smile, and Xie Lang had a broad smirk, excitement flashing in his eyes.
Finally, he thought, I'm sick of this damned mine and those filthy worms I have to kill every day. A real mission is much better.
But Lu Heng spoke again, his gaze sharpening as he noticed Xie Lang's grin. "Xie Lang, this won't be one of your simple missions where you get to play with some enemy."
Han Yi asked, "Is it not about the Jiang Clan?"
The Vice Dean shook his head. "No. It's about two of our own members. Two that you, Xie Lang, have previously worked with."
He paused, then continued. "The twins—Yan Bai and Yan Hei. They've gone rogue. They've betrayed the institute. They killed multiple of our own students and stole a large amount of our merchandise. We don't know why they did it, but it doesn't matter. They must pay."
He looked at each of them in turn. "Based on the intel we've gathered, you three will be enough to bring them back—or kill them if necessary. They're still at the mid-stage of Rank 1, while the three of you are on the verge of breaking through to the high stage. That's why I'm sending you."
He handed over a set of documents. "These are all the locations they've been seen in and where we think they're headed. You leave today."
After answering their remaining questions, he dismissed them. But Lu Heng remained seated, deep in thought.
I should've put a harsher watch on those twins months ago, he thought. Unfortunately, I didn't think they'd go this far. I was only curious about their background... Hmph. Well, it doesn't matter. What's done is done. But I'm not making the same mistake again.
He called out, "Tao Mu."
A middle-aged man entered the tent. Long scars stretched across his face—this was the instructor who had previously sent Lin Shu to intercept the Jiang Clan's carriages.
"Yes, Vice Dean?"
"I want you to go with those three. Make sure they're safe in Cloudrest."
"Yes, sir. But... may I ask something?"
Lu Heng nodded.
"Is there something more to this mission that those three wouldn't be able to handle, even with their capabilities?"
Lu Heng replied, "According to everything I know about their targets, no. They should be more than capable of completing this mission. But… let's just say I have a bad feeling. So I'm sending you—to watch over them."
"I see. But why not send other members instead? That would ensure their safety, and we wouldn't have to risk students as valuable as Han Yi, Zeng Shiyang, and Xie Lang."
Lu Heng gave a small smile. "That's a good way to keep them safe. But the word is safe, not spoiled. If we keep sheltering them, if we never let them experience the real world… if we confine them and prevent them from ever seeing true danger, do you think they'll grow? Do you think they'll ever become something greater?"
He stood and walked slowly to the tent flap. "No. They wouldn't. That's why I want them to take this mission—and I want them to earn their growth. But I also want to protect them. That's why I'm sending you—without their knowledge."
He turned and looked Tao Mu in the eye. "That way, they'll face the world for what it is—and if they falter, you'll be there to keep them alive… until they're ready to carry that weight themselves."
Tao Mu nodded, fully understanding the Vice Dean's intentions, before turning and heading out to complete his assignment.
Back in Cloudrest, Xie Lang nodded and admitted defeat. After all, the Vice Dean was a very intelligent man, and Xie Lang had met him multiple times. He could trust his words.
"Alright, let's just get this over with," he said.
Zeng Shiyang was satisfied—his patience had been running thin, and he had been close to knocking Xie Lang out just to keep him from ruining the mission with his carefree attitude.
"Say, Xie Lang," Han Yi asked calmly, "the Vice Dean said you did some missions with the Yan twins. And while we got a lot of information about them in the report… I want to hear from someone who actually fought alongside them."
Xie Lang thought for a moment, then replied, "They're really good at fighting, both alone and together. I'm sure I can beat either one of them alone without even going all out. But if I had to fight them both at the same time, I'd need to get a little serious."
He smirked. "Still, I'm sure I can win even then."
His self-praise and admiration for his own strength didn't go unnoticed. Han Yi remained silent, while Zeng Shiyang let out a heavy sigh.
Why didn't they send someone else with us? Why the hell did they send this moron with me? Zeng Shiyang thought, clearly annoyed by Xie Lang's constant boasting.