Half an hour later, Lin Shijin looked at the other two people in the cave, his lips pressed into a thin line, his displeasure evident.
“The fog has already started to rise outside. It seems we won’t be getting out today.”
Xue Dangui had already set up a barrier at the cave entrance. He had gathered a pile of firewood from somewhere and lit it, and flickering firelight now glowed faintly within the cave.
The barrier kept the poisonous fog at bay. Cui Haoxue stood beside Lin Shijin, concern visible in his eyes.
“Mianmian, are you feeling unwell?”
Lin Shijin’s feelings towards Cui Haoxue were complicated. He shook his head. His wrist still ached slightly, and he tightened the gauze around it.
Those two had found him again, and now the poisonous fog had risen outside. Tonight would likely be quite eventful.
He muttered this to himself inwardly, still holding the jade lock in his arms, wondering how Sheng Rufei was faring.
“I’m fine. How did you find me?”
“We weren’t far,” Cui Haoxue replied. “It was easy enough to locate you.”
“Lin Shijin.” Xue Dangui called his name, and he turned to look.
Xue Dangui was crouched halfway down, his tone casual. “Why are you standing there? Come and do something useful.”
“What are you afraid of? Do you think we are going to eat you?”
Lin Shijin found himself at a loss for words. He rose slowly and dawdled over, feeling that Xue Dangui was deliberately picking fault.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Watch the fire. Don’t let it go out. I’m going to check the situation outside.”
Before Lin Shijin could respond, a figure stepped in front of him. Cui Haoxue blocked him, saying, “Mianmian, I will watch the fire. You can rest over there.”
“What is the point of him sitting idle? Just loafing about?” Xue Dangui’s eyes held a faint, mocking smile. “If you have the time, you might as well go and check the inside.”
The cave stretched deep within. They had yet to explore it, having only set up a barrier.
“I will go in a moment.” Cui Haoxue remained in front of Lin Shijin, unwilling to see him treated harshly. He lowered his voice. “Mianmian, do not worry. I will protect you.”
Lin Shijin, who had no need of protection whatsoever, thought in silence that he would be far happier if they both kept their distance.
Xue Dangui let out a soft scoff and said to Lin Shijin, “Since you are not tending the fire, come out with me.”
Lin Shijin glanced at him. He did indeed want to take a look outside. Seeing that Cui Haoxue was about to refuse on his behalf, he spoke first.
“Then I will go out. You two stay here?”
“What are you thinking?” Xue Dangui said. “This is an ancient shadow forest. There are not only maze formations and poisonous fog, but demonic beasts within the mist as well. Are you going out to throw your life away?”
Cui Haoxue was equally unwilling to let Lin Shijin go alone. “Mianmian, if you wish to go, I will accompany you.”
“Two people are enough. Why do you need to join in?”
None of the three were entirely willing, but in the end Cui Haoxue set down the firewood and all three went out together.
Lin Shijin walked between them as Xue Dangui continued lecturing him. “If we left you here alone, you might not even survive the night, yet you still think of running about…”
Lin Shijin rubbed his ear, feeling as though flies were buzzing incessantly beside it. He pressed his lips together and ignored him.
Cui Haoxue stepped slightly forward, frowning. “He would manage perfectly well without you.”
“Do neither of you have tasks in Wuxiang Mountain?” Lin Shijin interrupted, sensing that they would start arguing again otherwise.
The two of them together were not described in the original account, but now that he saw it himself, it felt like two fighting cockerels.
And he, being the smallest chick, was inevitably caught in the middle.
“We do,” Cui Haoxue replied. “I have separated from Yue Han and the others. I will go to find them later. Mianmian, I am still somewhat worried about you.”
“Would you like to come with me?”
Lin Shijin met his gaze. Cui Haoxue’s eyes softened slightly, carrying a hint of expectation. He was asking, not forcing.
Lin Shijin shook his head.
Xue Dangui interjected, “Do not believe him. He came to Wuxiang Mountain for you. Do not end up being sold off and still counting money for him.”
“Idiot.”
Lin Shijin was scolded again. He knew Xue Dangui never spoke kindly. Remaining good-tempered, he replied, “There is no need. I also have my own task. Once we leave the maze forest tomorrow, we will part ways.”
“That will not do,” Xue Dangui said at once. “You must stay with me.”
“You are not to wander off with others.”
Cui Haoxue frowned. “Why should Mianmian listen to you?”
“I am his shixiong,” Xue Dangui said matter-of-factly, his eyes dark. “Naturally, he should listen to me.”
Lin Shijin ignored them both. If they had the energy to argue, they might as well fight.
He stepped outside the barrier and noticed a faint black mist spreading through the forest, obscuring the sky so that everything appeared dim and indistinct.
The shadow forest was utterly silent, as though all living things had fallen asleep. Peering into the depths of the mist, he could just make out fleeting flashes of crimson eyes.
“Come back.”
His wrist was suddenly seized. Before he could react, he was pulled back into the barrier, nearly colliding with Xue Dangui.
Xue Dangui still held his wrist. “Those are high-level demonic entities. Do not approach.”
“Do not look into their eyes. You will be bewitched.”
The hand gripping him pressed directly against his injured wrist. Pain flared sharply, and his face twisted as he drew in a sharp breath. “Let go, it hurts.”
At this, Xue Dangui released him. His gaze dropped to the wrist. “How did you manage that?”
Cui Haoxue’s gaze followed. The gauze had not escaped his notice earlier, but since Lin Shijin had not mentioned it, he had refrained from asking.
“I knocked it,” Lin Shijin said, clutching his wrist. He had not intended to explain, but it seemed the other would not stop asking otherwise.
“What did you say just now? Those inside are demonic entities?”
Standing within the barrier, Lin Shijin watched as crimson eyes flickered faintly within the black mist, vanishing almost as soon as they appeared.
There were clearly quite a number of them.
“The poisonous fog does not merely invade the body. High-level demonic entities are mixed within it, which makes it extremely dangerous.”
“Moving through the maze forest at night is very difficult.”
Xue Dangui said difficult, not impossible. Whether one could endure within the mist depended entirely on one’s cultivation. For him, it would not be fatal, merely troublesome.
But for the youth, it was another matter entirely. Lin Shijin likely would not last even half an hour.
Lin Shijin gave a soft acknowledgement. Having seen it for himself, he abandoned the idea. His fingers brushed lightly against his scabbard before he returned to the cave.
The fire had not been tended and had grown weak, as though it might be extinguished by the slightest breeze. Lin Shijin added a couple of bundles of firewood, all of which Xue Dangui had gathered.
He could tell that the poisonous fog did have an effect, but it seemed to affect Xue Dangui far less.
He cast a few more glances at him. Before long, Xue Dangui went out again and returned with more firewood. The tip of his sword bore traces of blood, which he casually discarded to one side.
Noticing his gaze, Xue Dangui raised a brow slightly and sat down at ease, patting the space beside him.
“Little fool, come here. Let me take a look at your injury.”
Cui Haoxue, who remained beside Lin Shijin, said, “Mianmian, your wrist… shall I take a look?”
“I am fine.” Lin Shijin sat by the fire, still thinking about what he had seen earlier. “You can remain in the poisonous fog?”
“Why not?” Xue Dangui added more wood to the fire. Having entered Wugou City, as a demonic cultivator he dealt with such conditions almost daily.
“This sort of poisonous fog is not uncommon. Wuxiang Mountain was modelled after an ancient battlefield from a thousand years ago. At that time, malevolent curses ran rampant. Wherever high-level demonic entities gathered, such fog would accompany them.”
“The fog within this formation is a recreation of that time. The entities outside are all at least sixth rank.”
Sixth rank was already considerable. Lin Shijin asked casually, “The highest would be ninth rank?”
“Yes.” Xue Dangui’s eyes lifted slightly, a faint smile hidden in their darkness. “Interested? Thinking of going out at night?”
“Do you have no regard for your life?”
“I was only asking.” Lin Shijin spoke once, and Xue Dangui answered ten times. He glanced at Cui Haoxue, who remained polite towards him.
Cui Haoxue removed his outer robe and offered it to him, but Lin Shijin declined. He sat in a corner, intending to quietly speak with Fuheng.
He transmitted his voice. Fuheng would hear.
“Fuheng, how do I shake them off?”
The two of them together were truly vexing. Xue Dangui buzzed in his ear like a fly, while Cui Haoxue’s gaze remained fixed upon him, making his scalp prickle.
“I want to find my shixiong.”
“Why has he not come to find me? Has he run into trouble?”
“Yes,” Fuheng replied. “Your shixiong is in difficulty. It will not be easy for him to extricate himself.”
“There are currently two groups. One is after your shixiong, for the sacred artefact. The other is after you.”
Lin Shijin did not understand.
“The one beside you,” Fuheng said. “He did not come for you without reason. The scourge-slayer’s task is to seek out Qiushui.”
“They have already uncovered some clues and suspect you are connected to it. They intend to trace its whereabouts through you.”
Lin Shijin was stunned. “Fuheng, how do you know all this?”
“A guess.” Fuheng patted his head. “Do not trust others too easily. Appearances are not always true. Cui Haoxue may seem straightforward, but his thoughts run deep. As for the one surnamed Xue beside you, for now he has approached you without ulterior motive.”
He could see clearly that Xue Dangui merely wished to spirit the little fool away. Of all the nuisances, his intentions were the simplest.
Though a nuisance was still a nuisance.
After hearing this, Lin Shijin lifted his gaze. Xue Dangui was still watching him, his expression faintly dark as he stared at the outer robe in Cui Haoxue’s hands, as though he wished to tear it apart.
Lin Shijin had not taken the robe. Cui Haoxue had set it aside.
He had no time to pay attention to them. He continued speaking with Fuheng.
“You wish to find your shixiong?” Fuheng said. “There is no need to rush. He is likely searching for you as well.”
“It should not take long.” Fuheng glanced at the black mist outside the cave. He was likely already on his way.
“What trouble has he encountered? Has he been injured?”
Fuheng did not answer. Lin Shijin called his name twice more, but received no reply.
He had likely gone back to sleep.
With both Xue Dangui and Cui Haoxue present, Lin Shijin had no intention of sleeping. He leaned against the wall, meditating with his eyes half-closed. At first he managed to hold on, but eventually drowsiness overtook him.
Cui Haoxue’s voice echoed faintly in his ears. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt heavy, as though sealed shut, and he gradually drifted into sleep.
Outside, the fog thickened.
Within the cave, Xue Dangui’s expression was dark as water. Chains bound him, clashing dully as they shifted, runes flickering along their length.
Cui Haoxue lifted the youth from the corner. The restraint in his bearing fell away. His eyelids lowered slightly, his sword half drawn, his gaze cold.
“I will spare you this time. The curse will fade in two hours.”
“If you interfere again, I will not hesitate to kill you.”
His voice was low. He glanced at Xue Dangui, bound before him. Though they shared the same soul, their temperaments were entirely different, their chosen paths utterly opposed.
Perhaps because they came from the same root, they repelled each other all the more.
Holding the youth, Cui Haoxue vanished from where he stood. The moment he stepped beyond the barrier, he halted.
Thick black mist surrounded him, crimson eyes flickering in and out of sight. Not far ahead stood a vague figure.
A creaking sound echoed through the air, like the turning of an aged wooden axle. Within the mist, silver threads glimmered as the figure slowly came into focus.
It was a puppet, bound in silver threads.
