Mo Yan, Su Nian, and Duie were relentlessly following the glowing blue butterfly, weaving their way along the riverbank, deeper into the folds of the surrounding mountains.
After some distance, their steps slowed. The long trek had exhausted them. Noticing their fatigue, the butterfly gently fluttered down and perched on a flower-laden bush nearby.
They paused to rest, cupping water from the stream into their hands. But Su Nian's senses remained sharp.....unease whispered in her bones.
"Someone is following us..." he murmured under his breath.
Duie nodded subtly. He felt it too.
The air was too still. The birdsong had shifted. Even the shadows behind them seemed to move unnaturally. Without a word, Duie began to quietly scout the perimeter.
—
Elsewhere nearby…
Behind a towering tree, Joye and Shu Bi Suan crouched low, spying on Mo Yan from a distance. Their eyes squinted with focus, trying to determine where the other two had gone.
Shu Bi Suan, ever the joker, leaned in and whispered with exaggerated annoyance:
"Why in the world are we tailing them like ghosts, huh?"
He puffed up his cheeks dramatically.
"Sister Wuzu... what are we even doing? You pulled me out of the ritual, and here we are....slinking around like thieves!
And my brother? Three months ago, he vanished, saying he was off to find rare herbs. But at this point, I think he's farming them instead!"
Joye chuckled at his whining. Gently, she placed her hand on his head, her voice soft and comforting like a mother's lullaby:
"Lao Duan... if you truly want to find your brother, then following him is your only hope."
Just as her words faded into the wind....
A blade pressed cold and firm against her back.
Another blade was drawn across Lao Duan's spine.
Startled, they turned around slowly, only to find Ming Heng and Zhi Yao standing behind them.....swords drawn, eyes blazing red with fury.
Their grips were so tight around their hilts it seemed their fingers might break. There was no trace of mercy in their stance. The name "Lao Duan" had struck a nerve.
Sensing the rising danger, Joye unsheathed her sword without hesitation.
And then....it began.
A sudden master-level clash erupted between the four. Steel met steel, each strike laced with bitter tension. The sound of swords clashing echoed across the forest like lightning cracking across a night sky. Blades sang, each one thirsting for blood.
Meanwhile, Mo Yan heard the metallic chorus in the distance.
Without delay, he rushed toward the disturbance.
The moment he arrived, He drew his sword with a speed that cut through the air. he stepped directly between the fighters....unshaken, calm, commanding.
To cross swords with Mo Yan was to call death itself. The moment his shadow fell between them, the four instantly backed down. Their breath heavy. Their weapons still humming.
Yet Su Nian and Duie stood to the side, stunned. The name "Lao Duan" echoed in their ears like a gong of fate.
Su Nian stepped forward, bowing his head in respect to Mo Yan.
"Your Majesty… We know these two well.
The boy's name is Shu Bi Suan, and the girl's name is Joye.
But... they are calling each other by different names....Lao Duan and Wuzu."
Before Su Nian could speak further, Mo Yan suddenly cut in.
His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable tremor of awe....an ancient recognition awakening in his soul.
"Wuzu...?
You are Wuzu...
The Guardian of Black Heaven?"