Arataki Itto gently pushed aside Kuki Shinobu, who was blocking him, and spoke to Yelan in a hostile tone.
"Then what if we don't plan to leave right away?"
Kuki Shinobu quickly grabbed Arataki Itto's hand, her voice anxious.
"Boss, we didn't come here to fight! Didn't we say we came to check if Senior Yanfei needed any help?"
"Now that she doesn't need help, let's hurry up and leave."
Arataki Itto's eyes widened as he stared hard at Shao Yun in the distance, his voice deep and firm.
"Shinobu, this time is different. I must duel Shao Yun!"
Kuki Shinobu clung tightly to his arm, struggling to hold him back, her face full of panic as she shouted.
"Boss! What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly acting so crazy?"
Arataki Itto lowered his head, glaring at Shinobu's hand gripping him, his tone furious.
"Shinobu, let go of me! What I have with this murderer has nothing to do with you. Don't interfere!"
Seeing Arataki Itto and Shinobu on the verge of clashing, Shao Yun stepped forward, his voice calm.
"Enough, don't waste your breath on him. Let Arataki Itto get himself beaten up and spend a few days lying in bed, and the problem will be solved."
Arataki Itto's eyes bulged with fury. He gave a disdainful snort, wiped his nose with his hand, and sneered.
"I'll return those words to you!"
"But the injuries you'll suffer won't just be as simple as lying in bed for a few days."
Yelan had originally intended to deal with Arataki Itto herself, but seeing Shao Yun willing to take care of it, she secretly felt relieved.
Still, out of caution, she gave him a warning.
"Since you're willing to handle these distractions for me, I won't interfere. But I still advise you—don't cause any fatalities. Otherwise, my report to Ningguang will have a few extra pages."
…
Paimon looked nervously between Shao Yun and Arataki Itto.
The air between them was heavy, suffocating, as if the next second would ignite a violent clash.
She hurriedly tried to mediate.
"Hey, don't be so rash! I don't know what exactly happened between you, Shao Yun, and Arataki Itto…"
"But can't everyone just sit down calmly and talk it through? Maybe it's all a misunderstanding!"
Arataki Itto glanced at Paimon, then took a deep breath, trying to restrain the storm in his chest.
Yet even after forcing himself calm, he still squared his stance, ready to attack.
"Lumine, Paimon, my friends, this has nothing to do with you two."
"This is an irreconcilable grudge between me and this vile murderer Shao Yun! Today, it's either him or me!"
Standing behind Arataki Itto, Kuki Shinobu already knew this conflict couldn't be avoided. Her face full of worry, she turned her gaze toward Shao Yun.
Shao Yun caught her look, and he gave a slight nod, as if to signal—don't worry, he wouldn't go all out.
He carefully studied Arataki Itto from head to toe, the corners of his lips curling in a mocking smile.
"Oh? Is that so? Very well. Let me see just how much you've learned since you kept talking about wanting to grow stronger. Have you made any progress at all?"
No sooner had his words fallen than Arataki Itto's Vision blazed with a brilliant yellow light. At the same time, a fierce, menacing oni mask slowly emerged upon his back.
He clenched his fists, his muscles taut, power gathering in waves.
His eyes widened, teeth gritted, as he roared with fury.
"Shao Yun, you murderer! Today, I'll avenge Sara's death—you'd better be ready to die!"
Shao Yun straightened, adopting the classic Western gunslinger dueling stance. He turned slightly to the side, left foot stepping forward, lowering his center of gravity, his entire body brimming with alertness.
His right hand rested firmly on the Schofield revolver at his hip.
At that moment, his eyes locked unblinkingly onto Arataki Itto.
His mind raced, calculating—where should he shoot Itto to avoid causing too serious an injury, yet still buy enough time and strength for him to use a rope to escape the Chasm smoothly?
But just as Shao Yun focused entirely on this impending duel—
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble violently without warning!
Paimon's eyes widened in horror as she stared at the shaking earth, crying out.
"Wha… what's happening? Don't tell me it's an earthquake?!"
Shao Yun cursed inwardly at her shout.
He smacked his forehead, seething with frustration.
"Damn it! It's that Perilous Trail questline…"
Unlike the others, who panicked in chaos, Shao Yun stood utterly still, calm and unmoving, carefully observing the situation.
His composure came from one reason—he wanted to face head-on that domain which forced people to confront their deepest fears.
…
The ground gave way beneath their feet, and with screams all around, they plunged straight down.
With a series of thuds, everyone crashed into an unknown chamber deep within the Chasm.
"Ow ow ow…" Paimon winced, clutching her backside as she floated unsteadily upward, grimacing.
"Ouch! What the heck just happened? Hey, Lumine, Shao Yun, are you two okay?"
Shao Yun was unfazed. Dressed in his Legend of the East outfit, all three stats maxed out in gleaming gold, he casually brushed dust from his coat. Supporting Lumine, he reassured Paimon.
"Don't worry, I'm built tough. This little fall is nothing."
Lumine, however, looked rather worse off. One hand clutching her forehead, she wobbled as she leaned on Shao Yun to stand.
"I'm okay… just a little dizzy."
After a while, she finally shook off the vertigo.
Steadying herself, she carefully examined the strange new surroundings.
"Hey… did we just accidentally fall down?" she muttered in puzzlement.
Yanfei let out a pained groan much like Paimon's.
She was also clutching her sore backside, face twisted in discomfort, grumbling.
"Oww… and here I thought using a book as a cushion would help, but it still hurts this much…"
By contrast, Yelan was much calmer.
She quickly shook her head to clear her mind, then raised her eyes toward the massive opening above, murmuring thoughtfully.
"What in the world is this place…"
Paimon's round eyes darted nervously as she took in the unfamiliar landscape.
She instinctively hid behind Lumine, clutching her clothes, her voice trembling.
"Wh-what kind of creepy place is this…"
…
Meanwhile, Arataki Itto was also groaning in pain.
"Oww, that really hurt! Shinobu! My friends! Benefactor! Are you all okay?"
Of course, that last part didn't include Shao Yun.
Kuki Shinobu quickly scanned the group, sighing in relief once she confirmed everyone was safe.
"Whew… no one's hurt. Truly a blessing in misfortune."
Yelan frowned, analyzing the situation with composure.
"It seems the ground collapsed during our standoff. Could it have been triggered by elemental energy…"
Arataki Itto immediately jumped up, indignant, yelling.
"Hey, don't pin this on me! It's obviously that damn murderer's fault… That's right, the duel—"
Before he could finish, Shinobu cut him off sharply.
Her expression weary, she sighed.
"Boss, please calm down and save your strength. This is not the time to continue your duel with Shao Yun."
Arataki Itto stared at her in disbelief, angrily demanding.
"Shinobu, whose side are you on? Why do you sound like you're defending that murderer?"
Shinobu frowned, her tone stern and tinged with frustration.
"I'm just stating the facts. Clearly, this isn't the time for fighting. Boss, can't you calm down for once?"
Seeing them about to argue again, Shao Yun quickly intervened to draw their attention.
"Alright, enough. Arataki Itto, can you stop acting like such a child?"
Itto turned toward him, rubbing his neck, his face full of defiance and battle spirit.
"Hmph, fair enough! Let's continue—our duel isn't finished yet!"
Shao Yun waved impatiently.
"Not now. We'll settle it after we get out of here."
Itto glared, challenging.
"What, are you scared now?"
Shao Yun shook his head, his gaze shifting past Itto to Shinobu behind him, and explained steadily.
"It's not fear. It's that once we're out, we'll have a proper place with better medical care for the duel."
"Otherwise, if we fight here, Shinobu would have to waste her energy patching you up. That'd just trouble her unnecessarily."
The moment he thought of a good medical place, Shao Yun immediately pictured Bubu Pharmacy.
But Itto didn't care in the slightest, still puffing his chest and boasting.
"Or maybe it'll be you who's injured, and then my good friends Lumine and Paimon will have to take care of you, huh?"
Shao Yun's lips curled into a cold smirk, as if to say—do you even believe that yourself?
Itto waved dismissively, his tone grudging.
"Fine, fine, I'm magnanimous. I'm not some unreasonable brute."
But then he straightened his face, adding sternly.
"But I'll say this upfront—I'm not letting you off so easily!"