Chapter Five: Shared Path
Morning mist lingered, the ground beneath their feet muddy and slick. Yue Yao walked ahead, but suddenly faltered, bracing herself against a tree.
Xuan Jin moved fast, grabbing her arm. His brows furrowed. "Your soul resonance just wavered."
"I know." Her voice was steady, but there was a tightness to it. "My body's not fully recovered."
Yue Yao forced herself to maintain composure. She had never been close to a man before. This was the first time someone had grabbed her arm.
Xuan Jin didn't let go immediately. His fingers lingered briefly on her wrist, checking her state. Then he released her. "The medicine's still working. Your soul body hasn't fractured. It's an external trigger."
He looked ahead, voice lowering. "There's something wrong with this place."
They stepped out of the forest and found themselves facing a ruined village. Collapsed houses, crumbling stone walls—deathly silence, yet soul energy stirred strangely in the air.
Yue Yao stopped. "Something's not right."
Xuan Jin crouched, fingers brushing the ground. "Residual soul energy is too dense. Feels like… a trial zone used by the Soul Parasite Sect."
"What's that?"
"That nasty bunch." Xuan Jin stood, tone flat. "I saw it once outside the Scorched Realm. Three hundred soul soldiers entered. None came out. The soul worms were still hatching."
Yue Yao frowned and stepped into a collapsed building, eyes scanning the broken stone and wood.
Suddenly, she froze, knelt, and pulled a fragment of metal from the debris.
It was a piece of a broken soul weapon. The edge was clean-cut, and the Yue family crest was etched faintly onto it. Her fingers trembled slightly, her gaze growing complicated.
Xuan Jin approached. "What is it?"
Yue Yao said nothing. She quietly slipped the piece into her pocket and stood. "Let's go."
Xuan Jin didn't press her, sweeping his gaze across the ruins. "The soul worms are hatching. We can't linger."
"What exactly is the Soul Parasite Sect?"
"In short, a revolting but highly effective cultivation method." He walked ahead, tone light. "They refine others' souls to strengthen their own."
"Sounds like sorcery."
"Scared?" he teased with a crooked grin. "They don't just eat your body. They feed on memories, emotions—your joy, your happiness."
Yue Yao paused. "…You know them well?"
Xuan Jin turned his head, gaze colder. "Saw them once. Someone paid them to hunt me. I sent them all to hell."
Yue Yao gripped the fragment in her pocket. "Where are you from?"
Xuan Jin smiled faintly. "Your family and mine—might be one and the same."
"Don't joke."
"If you cheer me up someday, maybe I'll tell you."
He pointed at the token on her chest. "Yue Yunxuan's not chasing you anymore. But not everyone in your clan listens to him—or ever did."
"Side branches. The elder council. People who've never supported him."
"He won't act again, but they'll find someone else to do it."
"You think he'll just let that happen?" Yue Yao fell silent. She knew him too well. That cold, distant man—her father.
"He absolutely will," Xuan Jin said flatly. "That's what your father does best."
 Meanwhile · Shadowed Domain, Mirror Break Terrace Below the terrace, a soul signature map flickered. Pale golden light revealed a single name.
"Yue Yao."
A black-clad figure stood before the diagram, voice low, finger paused on a fractured line.
"Her soul is stabilizing faster than expected. Mental resilience exceeds projection."
A servant bowed. "Shall we list her as a candidate?"
"Observe her for now." The man turned away, voice calm. "If she walks out of that forest, she's worth something."
"And Xuan Jin?" the servant asked.
He paused. "His resonance boundary shifted as well."
"The old covenant—might be ready to restart." 
By afternoon, the sun had broken through the clouds, casting soft light across the woods.
Yue Yao walked in front. Her steps were still a bit unsteady, but she moved with unwavering determination. Xuan Jin trailed a few paces behind, relaxed on the surface but ready to strike at anything that moved.
"Still feeling off?" he asked.
"I'm fine."
She didn't answer further, but their steps began to sync.
Up ahead, the forest path split in two—one road winding south toward a nearby town, the other veering northwest into the highlands.
Yue Yao asked suddenly, "Where will you go after this?"
Xuan Jin smirked. "Anywhere's fine. I'm your partner, remember?"
She gave him a flat look over her shoulder. "You don't have to stick with me. Go find somewhere safer."
"Safe is boring. I like trouble."
He pointed at the token in her pocket. "Anyone carrying that thing out of these woods won't walk away untouched."
"You either get dragged back and killed—or die out here. Which do you prefer?"
"Lucky for you," he grinned, "I'm not afraid of either."
He added, tone light but sharp, "So, how about we kill them first? What do you say?"
Yue Yao stared at him for a moment, then turned and kept walking.
The wind brushed past her ear. She muttered, "You better not regret this."
Xuan Jin snorted, hefting his sword as he followed. "I never regret anything."
The sun warmed the forest floor. Ahead, two shadows stretched long along the path. One after another. Unbroken.
[End of Chapter Five]