Splash!!!
The sharp sound of water broke the silence like a whip.
Fen JueCheng jolted awake first, sputtering as cold water ran down his face and into his nose."Guhkk—Cough! Cough! Who dares—!?" He blinked rapidly, blinded by droplets clinging to his lashes, his limbs straining uselessly against the glowing binds around his body.
Across from him, Cang Shuo stirred with an angry groan, his head lolling before he realized his situation."Who dares splash this prince!? Men! Whoever did this—have him executed!"
"Oh… I dare," came a calm, deep voice from the shadows.
Both men froze.
The voice wasn't loud, yet it carried something heavy—something that made the air around them feel… wrong.
"Looks like scaring them earlier loosened a few screws," another voice murmured in amusement, closer this time.
The two nobles blinked against the sunlight filtering through the trees—and their world snapped into focus.
Three figures stood before them.
At the center stood a man—tall, composed, and radiating a quiet, suffocating pressure that made their hearts beat faster. Draped in strange white garments unlike anything they'd ever seen, his very presence felt alien—clean, sharp, and dangerous.
On his shoulder sat a small golden lion plush that looked absurdly out of place but somehow only made him seem more unpredictable.
Beside him stood two women they knew all too well.
The first—raven-haired, her veiled beauty cold and regal—was the same woman who had reduced their army to unconscious husks with a single burst of power. Her expression was serene now, but the faint curve of her lips promised pain if provoked.
And the second… the princess they had hunted.
Cang Yue's eyes, once full of fear, were calm and steady now. Not angry. Not afraid. Just… disappointed.
Fen JueCheng's stomach twisted. For the first time, he couldn't meet her gaze.
"You…" Cang Shuo's voice cracked. "Who are you supposed to be?"
The man's smile was faint, polite—too polite. "Oh, I'm no one important. Just someone who doesn't take kindly to trash laying hands on his women."
"Your—women?" Cang Shuo sputtered. "You dare—!"
Before he could finish, a faint click echoed.
Yun Che had raised his hand—and a flicker of red energy flared between his fingers. A small ember, no bigger than a spark.
But the air changed.
The temperature spiked instantly, the moisture in the air hissing into steam. Within seconds, the bark of the trees behind them began to blacken.
Fen JueCheng's breath caught. His instincts screamed danger.
The man before them wasn't a cultivator like any they'd seen. His power didn't hum—it burned.
"Careful," Yun Che said softly. "I don't have Retsu's patience. She was merciful. I'm not nearly as disciplined."
Kon stretched lazily on his shoulder, tail flicking. "He's not kidding either. Trust me, you don't want to see what happens when this bastard stops smiling."
Yun Che tilted his head slightly. "You two… tried to cripple a princess. Threatened her life. Insulted her honor." His tone stayed light, conversational—even as the energy around him flared like an inferno straining to break free.
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you both a choice."
He took a step forward, the ground beneath his boots cracking under the heat.
"Apologize to her," he said simply, eyes glinting gold.
"You… who in the world are you?" Cang Shuo spat, his voice trembling despite his attempt to sound commanding. The ropes of light binding his body pulsed faintly, tightening whenever he moved. "Why are you helping these two women? This has nothing to do with you!"
Yun Che stood calmly before them, hands in his pockets, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. "Nothing to do with me?"
He tilted his head toward the cavern behind him—the same one the two nobles had risked their necks to reach. "Let me guess. You came here for that cave, didn't you?"
Both men froze.
Yun Che's voice dropped a note lower, smooth but edged with iron. "Yeah. The one you were so desperate to enter… the same cave they were protecting."
He pointed lazily toward Retsu and Cang Yue standing beside him.
"The one you call 'princess' and the woman you tried to kill."
The blood drained from Fen JueCheng's face. His mind raced, connecting the dots just as Yun Che's golden eyes locked onto him.
"So," Yun Che continued, his smirk widening ever so slightly, "you must be the Burning Heaven's favorite idiot—the one who's been pestering her."
Fen JueCheng's pride flared, if only to hide his fear. "So you're the one who stole Princess Cang Yue from me!" he roared, his voice echoing through the forest.
"'Stole'?" Yun Che chuckled, the sound light but mocking. "That's a strong word, considering she didn't belong to you in the first place. And if memory serves…" His eyes flicked toward Cang Yue, then back to Fen JueCheng. "…you were the one trying to cripple her. Call me crazy, but that doesn't sound like affection."
"You… you don't understand!" Fen JueCheng stammered, sweat trickling down his temple. "I—I was only trying to scare her! A jest between friends, yes—just a harmless joke! Ha… haha…"
His forced laughter died in his throat.
Cang Yue didn't say a word. She simply lowered her gaze, her hands trembling at her sides before she stepped behind Retsu's shoulder, refusing to look at him.
That silence hurt more than any words.
Yun Che's smirk faded. "You hear that?" he said softly, his tone deadly calm. "That's the sound of someone who doesn't even want to acknowledge your existence anymore."
Cang Shuo, realizing the situation was slipping beyond his control, jumped in hastily. "Royal Sister!" he pleaded, his voice taking on a honeyed tone. "Please, let your third brother go! We only wished to bring you home safely! I swear, we meant no harm."
His words oozed false sincerity, his eyes darting between Retsu and Yun Che, searching for any hint of sympathy.
Retsu exhaled softly, her gaze cold enough to freeze the air around them. "Still lying," she said quietly, her tone like a scalpel. "Even with death staring you in the face, you try to manipulate her with pity. How pitiful."
Cang Shuo flinched as if struck.
Retsu stepped forward, her sandals crunching against the dirt. "You think she's still that naïve princess who would forgive anything? The same sister you humiliated and tried to control?" Her voice remained calm, but her reiatsu began to leak into the air—heavy, oppressive, suffocating.
"After what you did," she continued, her crimson eyes narrowing, "you've already lost the right to call her sister."
Cang Yue's breath trembled. She had never seen Retsu like this before—her aura cold, divine, absolute. It made her realize just how much this woman had been holding back to protect her.
Yun Che gave a low whistle, smiling faintly. "Retsu, you're scaring the guests."
"I'm just reminding them," she said sweetly, her energy receding slightly, "that lying in front of me is equivalent to suicide."
"That's right — try to hurt Nee-san and I'll gut you myself," the plush lion on Yun Che's shoulder announced with brazen confidence.
Cang Shuo and Fen JueCheng went pale. Talking beasts usually belonged to Emperor-level creatures; a jabbering plush was something else entirely. Before they could collect their wits, Yun Che's voice cut through, casual and cold.
"Shut it, Kon. Don't embarrass them." He stepped forward without hurry. "A worthless man like you wouldn't even notice if she died. You're not worth her trouble."
Fen JueCheng's face flushed with fury. "You—do you know who I am? If you hurt me, You and those bitches will die. If my father hears—" he spat, voice breaking as panic replaced bluster.
Yun Che's hand shot out, fingers like steel. He pinched Fen JueCheng's throat as though holding a twig.
"GUAR—" Fen JueCheng choked, eyes bulging, air ripped from his lungs. He saw the young man's eyes go cold, a slow rotation of crimson that meant something fierce and final. For a single, terrifying moment he felt just how small he was.
"You may insult me," Yun Che said quietly, letting go a fraction so Fen JueCheng could gasp, "but you will never insult my women." He released him; Fen JueCheng collapsed, coughing, trembling.
Cang Shuo swallowed and tried to regain control of the scene. If his sister had the gall to defy him in front of strangers, those strangers must be dangerous — he needed to know what kind of backing she'd found.
"Who in the world are you?" he demanded, voice regaining the practiced arrogance of a prince.
Yun Che glanced at him with an expression that made the prince's bravado look paper-thin. "Me?" he said lightly. "Just a super-lazy couch potato who somehow ended up in the world of cultivation. These two," — he flicked a thumb at Retsu and Cang Yue — "and this little plush are my family. Since you're probably not leaving alive, you can call me Yun Che."
"Yun Che?" Cang Shuo frowned. "I've never heard of you."
"Big names don't become famous overnight," Yun Che replied with a half-smile, then went serious. "Anyway—if it isn't the Third Prince of the Blue Wind Empire and the Burning Heaven's golden boy. So this is you two. Cute." His voice flattened. "Short version: you're not going anywhere. Alive, at least."
Cang Shuo bristled. "You—how dare you speak to royalty like that? I am the PRINCE OF THE BLUE WIND EMPIRE! Kill me and the empire will—"
"Spare me the theatrics," Yun Che said, deadpan. "Empty threats don't work on people who actually do things. Talk again and I'll teach you why nobles shouldn't point fingers at warriors."
The prince's face went red with the effort of keeping his composure. Fen JueCheng lay coughing, humiliated. The forest, previously filled with their confidence, now seemed to close in on them — and the three figures before them made it clear who held the real power.
Cang Shuo's mask of arrogance shattered. His voice trembled, the confidence of a prince crumbling into fear."Y–Yun Che, isn't it?" he stammered. "Let's… let's talk this over. Whatever you want—wealth, women, titles—name it, and it's yours. Just… let me go."
Yun Che didn't even look at him when he replied. His voice was calm—too calm.
"Talk it over? You knew exactly what you were doing. You sold your own sister like livestock to this thing beside you." He jerked his chin toward Fen JueCheng, who still coughed weakly against the tree."You took advantage of her kindness, her quietness, and her loyalty. You didn't see a sister—you saw a pawn to secure your throne. Do you really think there's anything left to talk about?"
Cang Shuo opened his mouth to speak again, but Yun Che had already turned his back to him. His cloak shifted with the motion, the conversation over in his mind.
He stopped beside Cang Yue, his gaze softening.
"Whatever happens next," he said quietly, "it's your decision, Yue'er. Not ours. Whatever you choose… we'll stand behind you."
Retsu stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Cang Yue's shoulder. Her crimson eyes, normally sharp as blades, softened with something like pride. "We're with you," she said.
Cang Yue met Yun Che's eyes, and for a long heartbeat, the world fell away. Then she turned and walked toward her bound brother.
"Royal Sister," Cang Shuo started, panic bleeding through his voice. "Please—forgive your royal brother! I was wrong! I was blind and foolish—I was—"
"Shut… your mouth," Cang Yue said softly.
The trembling in her voice carried more weight than a shout. Even Fen JueCheng fell silent.
She drew a slow, trembling breath and spoke, her words quivering with both fury and sorrow.
"I will never forget the things you said to me. The nights you forced me to dine with that man. The way you used our father's illness to chain me down. You called it duty. I call it cruelty."
Cang Shuo's face drained of color. "Sister, please! You're not a killer! You've always forgiven—"
Her sword left its sheath with a hiss. The steel reflected her brother's frightened face as she leveled it at his throat.
"You're right," she whispered, tears welling. "I'm not a killer."
The blade shook in her hands, not from fear of him—but from the storm inside her heart.
Retsu's hand tensed, ready to move if Cang Yue's resolve shattered. Yun Che said nothing, his expression unreadable.
Cang Yue's voice broke as she spoke again. "Even if you're vile as a demon, you're still my brother. I will never forgive what you've done… but I cannot kill you. Because if I do…" She lowered the blade, her tears falling freely now. "…then there'll be nothing left of the sister Father once knew."
The sword clattered against the dirt.
She turned away, shoulders trembling, bangs hiding her face as she walked back toward Yun Che and Retsu.
"Whether you live or die, it's in heaven's hands now," she whispered.
Behind her, Cang Shuo sagged against his bindings—too relieved to realize that this mercy was the sharpest punishment of all.
Yun Che reached out and brushed away a tear that had streaked down her cheek. "You did the right thing," he murmured. "Mercy doesn't make you weak—it proves you're stronger than they'll ever be."
Retsu smiled faintly and rested her palm on Cang Yue's back, warmth radiating from her touch. "You've grown, Sister Yue. From this day forward, no one decides your path but you."
Kon sniffled dramatically on Yun Che's shoulder. "That was beautiful," he said, wiping his button eyes with his paw. "I'd hug her myself if I wasn't allergic to human drama."
Yun Che chuckled softly, tension breaking like dawn after a storm. "Stay allergic, furball. It suits you."
Cang Yue finally looked up, eyes still shimmering with tears—but in them, a new light burned. Not the fragile glow of a sheltered princess, but the steady fire of a woman who had finally found her own will.
Her eyes lingered on them—Retsu, Yun Che, even the absurd little lion on his shoulder—and something settled inside her. They were family now. The thought gave her strength and settled the storm in her chest. She could not bring herself to kill her brother. That weakness—if it could be called that—was born of something purer: blood, history, the remnants of a childhood that still clung to her.
Cang Shuo saw it, and it drove him mad.
"In the end you're still weak!" he spat, voice raw and desperate. "You should have married Fen JueCheng while you had the chance. If you'd obeyed—if you'd stood by me—you'd have been empress by my side! You unfilial—" His voice broke into a shriek. The mask of princely civility tore off; the cruelty underneath showed through like rusted iron.
Cang Yue flinched as his words struck the raw places in her mind. Yun Che's jaw tightened. Retsu's fingers curled around the hilt at her side.
"You really are a monster," Yun Che said softly. No theatrics—just cold truth. "You used her. You used your father's illness to sell her like a commodity for your ambition."
Cang Shuo's next words were a knife to the heart—an unfiltered confession of what he would sacrifice for the throne. Cang Yue's breath hitched; tears burned at her lashes. She stepped back, unable to look at him any longer.
That was the moment Yun Che and Retsu moved.
They didn't speak; they aligned. Back to back, palms raised in a mirror image of each other—Retsu's left, Yun Che's right—both hands thrumming with focused energy. The forest seemed to hold its breath.
"Yue'er can't kill her brother," Retsu said quietly, but her voice carried iron. "We will."
Yun Che's lips twitched, not with humor but with a grim resolve. "If he goes free, he'll use her life as a bargaining chip again. I won't let that happen."
They released.
Two energies—one a cold, precise reiatsu from Retsu, the other a raw, infernal pressure from Yun Che—met in the air and braided together. The combined spell screamed into being: a massive, crackling blue torrent that scorched the very light out of the trees around it.
The blast slammed into Cang Shuo like the world itself answering a summons. For a heartbeat his eyes widened in disbelief; then the flame swallowed him. The scream that followed was brief and terrible, cut off as earth and ash filled the clearing. Where a man had stood there was now a black trench, smoke curling into the sky.
Fen JueCheng fell silent, eyes wide and wet with fear. The sight of his future ally obliterated so utterly—so absolutely—had stripped his vanity down to raw, shivering terror. He crawled, pleading without words, unable to form a single coherent threat.
Yun Che and Retsu stood in the clearing, breathing steady. The calm between them was not relief so much as settled judgment. Cang Yue shuddered, staring at the scorched earth where her brother had been, feeling the weight of the choice she could not make—and the violence others had made for her.
Retsu's hand found Yun Che's fist and squeezed once, a quiet acknowledgment. "It's done," she said.
Cang Yue bowed her head. There was no triumph in her posture — only a quiet, bitter acceptance. She had never wanted this end for her blood, but the world had handed her no clean choice. From that moment on her path was simple and ruthless in its clarity: protect the family she chose, and let others bear the violence she could not.
She turned toward the smoking trench and murmured, voice small and steady, "Rest in peace, third brother. Cang Yue will pray for your passage." The words were formal, proper, almost ritual — but no tear fell. No sorrow came. The emptiness she once felt as a child had hardened into something else: clarity.
There had been moments she'd tried to bridge the distance with her siblings, had reached across a gulf only to be pushed aside. Her brothers had treated her like a tool: an offer to trade for status, an ornament to display. When Cang Shuo and the others moved to sell her life away in the name of ambition, the last thread of her childhood trust snapped. The memory of being used and dismissed had been a slow, cold accumulation; it finally broke that day.
And now, with him gone, she felt a burden lift. Freedom arrived not as joy but as a brittle, sober relief — the quiet recognition that she could breathe without being bartered again.
Retsu came to her side, voice low and measured. "Forgiving him won't change him," she said. "He would only wait for another chance. People like that don't repent because they can't. They only hide."
Cang Yue's hands clenched involuntarily. "But… it feels heavy," she admitted. The relief in her chest was marred by a new weight: the knowledge that she had allowed others to take what she could not.
Yun Che rested a steadying hand on her shoulder. His tone was soft but unyielding. "Stand firm, Yue'er. Mercy is beautiful until it becomes your cage. If you can't end him, we will. We're your family now — and family protects. That's what matters."
The words steadied her. For the first time the idea of family felt like a refuge rather than a threat. She let herself lean on them, not as a needy child but as a woman accepting allies chosen by love rather than politics.
Together they looked toward Fen JueCheng. He shrank back as their gazes settled on him — an instinctive recoil. The memory of Cang Shuo gone, obliterated in a single calculated fury, had already carved a lesson into his bones: power that serves heartless men answers with ruin. He had once believed he could use people freely; now he understood the cost of offending those who loved fiercely.
Fen JueCheng's bravado dissolved into a raw, animal fear. In their silence there was no mercy to bargain for. The choice had been made for him by forces he'd never understood.
Yun Che looked down at the man trembling before him and recognized the seed of something far worse than petty cruelty. Fen JueCheng. The kind of scum who would grow into a poison that would one day force entire clans to die for a grudge. He had only one option left.
"Retsu—remove his bonds," Yun Che said casually.
Retsu hesitated a heartbeat, then inclined her head. "Yuu-kun?"
"Trust me."
Her fingers traced a precise pattern in the air and the Sajo Sabaku binding Fen JueCheng unknotted with a soft, crackling sound. He sucked in a breath of freedom—then Yun Che was on him like a shadow.
One hand closed on his throat, lifting him until his boots left the soil. Fen JueCheng's eyes bulged; his voice came out a strangled croak. "Wh—What are you—?!"
Yun Che's grip was firm but not reckless. He leaned close enough that Fen JueCheng could see the cold amusement in his eyes. "From now on," Yun Che said, low and lethal, "you will keep your filthy hands off Cang Yue. Try anything—send assassins, hire hunters, flood the skies with cultivators—whatever you do, know this: we will use them as stepping stones. When we're done with them, I will find you. I will kill you myself."
"Capisce?" The threat landed like a hammer. Fen JueCheng's bravado trembled and then tried to reassert itself. He spat, "You'll never get away with this—my father—"
Yun Che's smile turned thin. He flicked his hand; Fen JueCheng was hurled toward his waiting men like a thrown sack.
"Get the hell out of my sight," Yun Che ordered. "Take your Sky Profound Realm dogs and leave."
Retsu dampened her Haoshoku slightly so the warriors, still shaking, could move without fainting on the spot. They scrambled to their mounts, eyes avoiding the three who had just decided their fate. Fen JueCheng, coughing and humiliated, forced a snarled grin as the warriors carried him aloft.
As the group reached the edge of the clearing, Yun Che called after him, voice casual as a breeze. "Oh—one more thing."
Fen JueCheng froze mid-plea. "What—what now?"
"You're wearing a spatial ring. Leave it here." Yun Che's tone was businesslike, like asking for an umbrella.
Fen JueCheng's face turned white. He tried to hold onto pride, but the choked fury and sudden panic made him pry the ring off with shaking fingers and hurl it toward Yun Che. It skittered across the earth and landed at Yun Che's boot. Inside were trinkets and techniques, trophies of a pampered life—things that, if his father ever knew were given up so easily, would be used to justify execution.
"Also," Yun Che said, "have your men drop their rings. Consider it compensation for what you tried to do to her."
The Sky Profound warriors exchanged nervous glances and, without a word, surrendered their rings to one who clearly had the power to take them by force.
Yun Che's aura shifted, a low, oceanic pressure that tugged at the air. The dragon-blood in him made that presence sharper, heavier—far beyond ordinary kingly intimidation. Even empty bravado couldn't stand against it.
Fen JueCheng seethed inwardly as they rose and left, humiliation coiling into rage. He mouthed a vow to himself—bitter and small in the face of what he'd just witnessed.
You got lucky today, Yun Che—this isn't over. I will ruin you. I will ruin them. I will make you regret ever sparing me.
The warriors carried him away, leaving the clearing silent but charged. Yun Che watched them go until they were mere specks against the horizon. He rolled Fen JueCheng's ring between his fingers for a moment—a small, quiet trophy—then tucked it away.
His smile returned, casual and almost warm as he turned back to Cang Yue and the others. The plan was set in motion: humiliation, loss of resources, the slow, sweet work of hobbling an enemy until they had nothing left to do but crawl.
Fen JueCheng's threat faded into the wind; Yun Che only laughed softly.
The message had been sent—loud and irreversible.
=====================
The forest grew quiet once the dust settled. Yun Che watched the departing riders until they were little specks against the horizon, a slow smile tugging at his lips. They had abandoned their weaker men without a second thought — the sort of callousness that made him glad he hadn't taken the easy way.
He turned back, drew the scattered spatial rings to him, and handed them to Cang Yue. "Here," he said, casual as ever. "Compensation for your trouble. Retsu and I don't need this garbage." He shrugged. "I tossed their clan arts and worthless battle trinkets. I'll prepare something actually useful for your cultivation."
He'd already scanned the rings. The system had parsed herbs, catalogued rare reagents, and cloned viable samples for later planting in the inner world. The rest — weapons, clothes, trivial techniques — Cang Yue accepted with a small, practical smile. She had no desire to learn the Burning Heaven's doctrines; what she took from the rings were coins and materials that mattered, not the vanity items of spoiled nobles.
Standing at her side, she watched him with a thoughtful frown. "Yun Che… why didn't you kill him? Fen JueCheng will only keep coming back. Letting him go—are you sure that was wise?"
Retsu's response was immediate and blunt. "I wanted his head," she grunted, lips pressed into a line. "He disgusts me."
Kon, perched on Yun Che's shoulder, chimed in with a squeaky indignation. "Yeah! I wanted a big flashy finish! Boom, gone. Much more satisfying."
Yun Che only smiled, unhurried. "Letting him live was deliberate. He's a loose thread we can use." He tapped the ring in his palm as if it were nothing. "He'll send guards, assassins, and champions looking for revenge. Each one is a ladder. Every fight they bring to us is an opportunity for Cang Yue to grow stronger."
"Window of opportunity?" they echoed in unison.
"Exactly." Yun Che's smile sharpened. "We won't be crushed by their pawns — we'll climb over them. Next time you face Fen JueCheng, Yue'er, you'll beat him yourself. No hand-holding. No excuses. As for his clan… we'll handle them on our own schedule."
Cang Yue listened, a resolve settling into her features. She'd seen Yun Che's power, Retsu's calm brutality; she trusted them. The relief in her chest was practical, not romantic — a soldier's breath after a fight. Her future would be forged by her own hands, with these two at her back.
Yun Che pocketed the ring like a small token. In his mind the plan already ticked: humiliation and loss first, then the slow choke of resources, then the final, surgical strike when the clan had nothing left. Let Fen JueCheng live now, he decided, and he would become the rope that pulled the whole family down.
"Anyway," Yun Che said, folding his arms as the last specks of the clan faded into the sky, "we'll see more of him. He may come from a big house, but he'll think twice before tangling with the Blue Wind Empire now. Your eldest brother still has the Xiao Clan backing him — he won't risk open war. What he'll try is sneakiness. We'll let him show us his hand."
Retsu, Cang Yue, and Kon all nodded. Whatever Yun Che was plotting, they trusted it; he'd gotten them this far, and that certainty settled in their chests like armor.
Kon jabbed a paw at the scattered, unconscious soldiers. "So what about these guys? The ones knocked out by Nee-san's haki?"
Yun Che glanced back over the fallen men. "What do you think, Cang Yue? They followed your brother."
Cang Yue looked at the cluster of prone figures and shook her head slowly. "They made their choice when they tried to kill me. I won't spend my life protecting those who would betray my father and my home." Her voice was flat, pragmatic. Betrayal, she had learned, was a sickness — it spread if left unchecked.
Yun Che smiled faintly. "Perfect. Then we'll use them. Kon, they'll be good practice."
"Practice?" Kon's eyes lit up. "Sweet! I can't wait to push into the Earth Profound Realm. Imagine what'll happen to my lion form!"
"It means battle experience," Yun Che explained to Cang Yue when she tilted her head in confusion. "Fighting living opponents is the fastest way to level up. Those Sky Profound Realm men are ideal for Kon. For me and Retsu, they're not even worth the sweat."
Cang Yue's expression hardened with resolution. "Do what you must." She trusted their judgment; she trusted them to strip the useless vanity from those rings, to leave behind only what would make her stronger.
Yun Che clapped his hands once. "All right. We'll clean this up, gather what we need, then head for the city. Two months until the tournament — plenty of time to train and sharpen."
Retsu sheathed her blade with a soft, sure motion. "We'll make you ready," she told Cang Yue. "No more being used as a bargaining chip. You stand on your own."
Cang Yue nodded, a small, fierce light returning to her eyes. It wasn't relief so much as resolve: the kind that comes when a path is chosen and walked.
They moved as a unit back toward the cave — Yun Che gathering the useful trinkets, Kon chattering excitedly about training plans, Retsu already cataloguing strategies in her head. The forest settled behind them; ahead, the city lights waited, and with them, the next stage of their plan.
The tournament clock ticked down. They had two months — and they would make every second count.
When they turned around, all four of them froze.
The clearing was empty.
Every soldier, every groaning body that had been lying in the dirt moments ago—gone. Not a trace remained except for a scattered field of fallen weapons glinting faintly under the fading light. Even the host body Kon had borrowed earlier was missing, as if it had been erased from existence.
Retsu's hand instinctively went to her sword. "What… happened here?"
Yun Che frowned, scanning the air with his haki. "Retsu's pressure should've kept them down for another hour. Did they wake up and flee?"
Retsu shook her head. "Impossible. I would've felt their energy if they had moved."
Kon dropped onto all fours, clutching his plushy head like the world had ended. "My levels!!!" he wailed. "Those Earth Profound Realm scrubs were my ticket to leveling up! Who steals unconscious mobs?!"
Cang Yue furrowed her brows, her gaze darting between the weapons littering the ground. "But they left everything behind… Why take the bodies and not their equipment?"
Before anyone could answer, a new voice rippled through the air—smooth, feminine, and laced with a chilling amusement.
"Hmph… Compared to Danna-sama, the energy of these ants isn't even worth tasting. His flavor was far more exquisite."
The sound made every instinct in Yun Che's body go taut.
He and the others snapped their heads upward—toward the treeline.
There, perched like a dark jewel in the canopy, sat a woman dressed in black silk woven with the delicate shimmer of a spider's web. She lounged gracefully on a massive obsidian web strung between the trees, one bare leg crossed over the other as if she owned the entire forest.
Her kimono was exquisite—a layered design patterned with silver threads that mimicked spider legs wrapping across her waist and shoulders. A crimson obi cinched her figure perfectly, while a single black flower adorned her short, chin-length hair. She was beautiful—so beautiful it was almost alien, a dangerous kind of elegance that made Retsu and Cang Yue unconsciously tense.
Her eyes, however, were what held them. They were an abyssal violet, shimmering faintly like the eyes of a predator in the dark.
"W–Who… is she?" Cang Yue whispered.
Retsu narrowed her gaze, voice low and sharp. "That presence… it's familiar."
Kon's button eyes widened until they almost popped out. "Wait a second—'Danna-sama'?!" He pointed a trembling paw toward Yun Che. "You mean you tasted him?!"
The woman descended gracefully, her body suspended by threads of silver web that shimmered faintly under the dying light. Each strand retracted as her feet touched the ground, her movements smooth, almost ethereal.
Retsu's hand went to her sword in an instant, and Cang Yue followed her lead, channeling profound energy to her fingertips. The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes fixed on the approaching stranger.
But then—
"Sigh… Mio, you're out already?"
The voice came from Yun Che. Calm, familiar—almost casual.
Retsu and Cang Yue blinked, confusion flashing across their guarded faces.
If she was here… then that meant she had already finished her orientation inside the Inner World. She could freely travel between both realms now.
The black-haired woman smiled at his voice and replied with an innocent tone, "Hai, Danna-sama. I was exploring the area and found a few… ants lying around." Her gaze drifted toward the empty clearing. "Compared to your energy, Danna-sama, these ants couldn't even satisfy my hunger."
Yun Che sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course not, you dolt. You're supposed to eat normal food, not drain people like juice boxes. How are you even alive after all these years?"
Mio tilted her head curiously, as if genuinely puzzled. "Muuu… but, Danna-sama, I'm hungry right now. How do you eat normal food?" she asked so innocently it almost made the air freeze.
"...I'll teach you later," Yun Che muttered.
Retsu finally broke the silence, lowering her sword slightly but keeping her eyes sharp. "Anooo… Yuu-kun?" she asked carefully. "Do you know this woman?"
Cang Yue and Kon leaned forward slightly, all three pairs of eyes filled with curiosity. If Yun Che recognized her, she might be an ally—but that didn't make her any less dangerous.
Yun Che chuckled awkwardly and smacked his forehead. "Oh, right—almost forgot the introductions." He gestured toward the black-dressed woman. "Girls, meet Mio. She's my summoned beast. We made a contract during the Dragon's Trial Realm."
Mio gave a graceful bow, her movements as fluid as silk. "Greetings, Lady Retsu, Lady Cang Yue, and Kon." Her tone was soft but carried a strange, dignified grace. "My master saved me from a terrible fate in the trial realm. In return, I swore my eternal loyalty to him. I may be inexperienced in this new human form, but… please take care of me."
She bowed again, deeply this time.
The sincerity in her voice made Cang Yue's defensive stance falter slightly, though Retsu's eyes still studied her carefully.
Kon, on the other hand, had only one thing to say. "You made a contract with a babe?! Are you kidding me, man? You hit the jackpot!"
Yun Che gave him a deadpan stare. "You do realize that 'babe' is the Spider of Calamity, right? Strongest spider-type entity under the mortal realm. Third-Level Monarch beast. She just… looks human now."
That shut Kon up instantly.
At the same time, Retsu received a small flicker of spiritual data in her mind—Yun Che had just sent Mio's system profile to her. She scanned it briefly, her sharp eyes widening at the stats before she relaxed, satisfied.
"So you're a spider…" Cang Yue murmured, still curious rather than frightened. "Can you actually transform into one?"
Mio smiled sweetly, her violet eyes glinting playfully. "Yes, but my spider form is… a bit inconvenient."
"Inconvenient?" Kon echoed skeptically. "You mean terrifying?"
Mio ignored him and continued, still smiling. "That's why I'm training to fight in this human body instead. Don't worry," she said cheerfully, placing a hand on her hip, "I may look delicate, but my power remains that of a Third-Level Monarch."
"A Monarch Beast?!" Cang Yue's voice cracked as she stared wide-eyed at Mio.A Monarch—here? In front of her? The strongest known cultivators in the entire Blue Wind Empire barely touched the Mid of Emperor Profound Realm, and this delicate, kimono-wearing girl casually radiated power that could erase entire sects.
Yun Che nodded casually. "Yeah. When I made the contract, she assumed human form. What you're looking at right now is her spider's human shape."
Then his expression hardened a little. "Speaking of which… the men who were here a few minutes ago—what happened to them?"
Mio blinked innocently, tapping her chin with a slender finger.
"Oh… I ate them."
"You WHAT?!" Cang Yue nearly screamed, clutching her stomach as if to hold her dinner down.
The idea of a humanoid girl eating humans was more horrifying than any profound beast story she'd ever heard.
Yun Che sighed, face flat as a board. "Relax. She didn't eat them literally. Just their energy."
"Oh, thank heavens…" Cang Yue let out a shaky breath, wiping her forehead. "I thought Mio here was a… you know… man-eater.
"She paused, then blinked. "Wait—so… are they still alive?"
Mio nodded cheerfully. "Of course. After draining their energy, I just dropped them off somewhere on that mountain." She pointed casually toward a nearby ridge. "They were still breathing when I left them. Probably."
"Probably?" Kon muttered under his breath. "That's not reassuring."
Yun Che waved it off. "Forget it. The forest will decide their fate. We've already been generous not to kill them outright."
"Hai," Retsu agreed, crossing her arms. "Mercy doesn't come twice."
But then—Retsu's tone dropped an octave, soft yet dangerous.
"Though there is one more thing I'd like to know…"
Yun Che froze.
He recognized that tone instantly.
Retsu's voice took on the sweet-but-deadly calm of a wife about to interrogate her husband. "What is this 'Danna-sama,' hmm? Yuu-kun, care to explain?"
"Ah—well—it's uh—" Yun Che's brain scrambled for a diplomatic answer.
Before he could, Mio placed a hand delicately over her chest and said with utter sincerity, "It means I belong to Danna-sama. Especially after he poured lots and lots of his energy into me."
She blushed, cupping her cheeks dreamily.
"Wha—Mio!" Yun Che's eyes widened as he clamped a hand over her mouth. "Stop saying it like that! You're making it sound wrong!"
"Ohh… so you did forget to tell me that part," Retsu said, her sweet tone dropping like a blade. Her spiritual pressure began to swell—slowly, steadily, terrifyingly.
Mio smirked from behind Yun Che's palm. "Ara~ someone's jealous," she teased, voice muffled but still smug.
The ground shuddered.
Both women's auras erupted at once. Retsu's crimson reiryoku clashed with Mio's midnight-black demonic aura, filling the forest with a vibrating hum that made the air itself ripple. Pebbles lifted from the earth, leaves disintegrated midair, and the animals within a mile radius bolted for their lives.
It wasn't just a clash of energy—it was a silent declaration: Soul Reaper vs. Monarch Beast.
A battle of celestial beings.
Yun Che dragged Cang Yue gently by the wrist and took several steps back, settling her behind a protective barrier of reiryoku before sitting down on a rock with all the weariness of a man used to this.
Kon jumped onto his shoulder, his tiny lion body trembling. "Oi! You're just gonna let them kill each other?!"
Yun Che exhaled through his nose. "They won't. I'll step in if they go too far."
He leaned his elbow on his knee and watched the growing storm of energy with tired amusement. "Besides," he muttered, "maybe they'll get it out of their system."
Cang Yue peeked from behind the barrier, eyes wide. "Is Sister Retsu going to be okay? Mio is a Monarch-level spider! Won't that… be bad?"
"Don't worry," Yun Che said with a faint smirk. "Retsu's not called the First Kenpachi for nothing."
"Kenpachi?" Cang Yue asked but before she could have her answer, a sudden boom of air pressure answered him as the ground cracked beneath the two women's feet, crimson and black energies coiling like twin dragons preparing to strike.
Retsu smiled, sweet and lethal.
Mio grinned back, her eyes glowing like polished amethyst.
The forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
==================
A few moments later…
The once-tense forest was now filled with the gentle crackle of fire and the savory aroma of roasted meat.
Retsu crouched gracefully beside the bonfire, her sleeves tied neatly as she basted a slab of meat with fragrant herbs. Her expression was serene, her hands moving with the precision of a seasoned chef.
"It's like this," she explained patiently to the curious onlooker beside her. "To make the meat taste better, you must add a little herb—just enough to draw out the flavor, not smother it."
Mio leaned forward, eyes wide and glittering with childlike fascination. "Ooooohhh… so that's what makes it smell so good!" She inhaled deeply, her violet eyes practically sparkling. "Muuuu, Retsu-chan… you shouldn't keep all these secrets to yourself. I must learn! Can you teach me more?"
Retsu smiled, her earlier edge long gone. "Hai, hai. You pick up fast, Mio-chan. But I think Sister Yue's cooking might be just as good as mine."
Cang Yue, who was kneeling nearby cutting meat into smaller pieces, laughed lightly. "Sister Retsu gives me too much credit. Yun Che taught us both most of what we know. Compared to him, our cooking barely scratches the surface."
Mio turned to her, surprised. "Danna-sama can cook, Yue'er?"
"Mn." Cang Yue nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "His cooking isn't just good—it's perfect. All recipes that we learned are all from him. I can't even imagine where he learned it all. His dishes could humble royal chefs."
Mio puffed her cheeks, mock-determined. "Yosshhh! Then I'm not losing to either of you! I'll make Danna-sama's favorite dish before you two do!"
Cang Yue stuck her tongue out playfully. "Bleehh~! Not if we beat you to it first!"
"Oh? Is that a challenge I hear?" Mio's grin turned mischievous, and her spider aura briefly shimmered around her like a heat haze.
Retsu giggled softly at the sight. "My, my… looks like we have a cooking rivalry now. I'll have to double my own effort. Can't have my fiancée's meals outclassed by his new chef, ne?"
The three girls laughed together, their laughter mixing with the gentle hum of the fire. Whatever tension had existed earlier between them had melted away like frost in spring. Retsu's instincts told her that Mio had never truly intended to fight—she had simply wanted to test the women closest to Yun Che. And now, she'd found her place among them.
A few meters away, Yun Che sat on a flat rock near the fire, dressed once again in his usual outfit. He had one hand resting on his knee, the other lazily swiping through the translucent system interface hovering in front of him.
Kon sat beside him, legs dangling over the edge of another stone, watching the girls with both awe and exasperation.
"Man," Kon sighed. "First they're about to blow the forest sky-high, and now they're giggling like schoolgirls. I swear, girls are the most complex creatures in any realm."
Yun Che didn't even look up. "You're only just realizing that?" He smirked faintly. "Mio's probably just happy she discovered something better than energy-draining. She used to live on raw spiritual essence alone—poor thing didn't even know food could taste like this. Well, spiders didn't have taste buds after all."
Kon shuddered dramatically. "Yeah, and speaking of food… I still remember Yue Nee-san's first cooking attempt. I thought my plushy body was going to explode."
Yun Che laughed quietly, recalling the same event. "Yeah… I remember. You and I both suffered that one."
He closed the system interface with a flick, the light fading from his hand. His expression turned serious. "Anyway, once dinner's over, we'll move out. I need to get Cang Yue started on the next phase of her training before the tournament—and training Mio on Haki ."
Kon perked up. "You're training her already? What're you teaching first?"
Yun Che's lips curved into a knowing grin. "Something that'll suit her perfectly… and a skill she'll never expect to learn."
The firelight reflected in his eyes as he looked toward the three women laughing by the flames—the new bonds forming among them, the soft warmth in the air, and the quiet before the next storm.