Two days later, once Jiang Yan had fully settled in, Morax began preparing to set out toward the domain of the Dust God.
Since the idea to seek her out had originally come from Jiang Yan, Morax naturally intended to bring him along.
Jiang Yan, of course, had no objections.
He wasn't planning to stay in Tianheng long anyway—and with a journey ahead, there would surely be plenty of treasure chests waiting to be found!
If he wanted to unlock the Wood Human Technique, he'd need a serious power-up.
"Heaven-Shaking, Earth-Shattering!"
A stone pillar erupted from the ground, smashing through a jagged cliffside and revealing—nestled inside—a plain-looking treasure chest.
"Gotcha!" Jiang Yan leapt forward, pried it open, and grinned.
"Let's see what goodies you're hiding in there!"
Behind him, Morax sighed, his tone half helpless, half resigned.
"In general terms, ordinary chests rarely contain anything worthwhile."
It had been about a week since they'd left the settlement. In that time, Morax had discovered an uncomfortable truth—he had essentially become Jiang Yan's glorified mining tool.
Every few hours it was,
"Geo Daddy, break this rock."
"Geo Daddy, lift that boulder."
"Geo Daddy, there's another chest under there!"
Morax, the mighty Geo Lord, now reduced to an errand god for one silver-haired elf child.
"You just don't get it," Jiang Yan said, shaking his head solemnly. "The joy of opening chests is in the mystery. You never know what's inside until you pop it open. That's the thrill of it!"
Morax rubbed his temple, looking very much like a man reconsidering every life choice that brought him here.
"…Do as you wish."
By now, he had long given up resistance—and perhaps, in some corner of his stoic heart, even gotten used to it.
"Help!!"
A desperate cry shattered the calm. Jiang Yan and Morax exchanged a glance before Jiang Yan immediately said, "Let's go check it out!"
Down a winding mountain path, they saw a middle-aged man clutching a small child, running frantically as several armed bandits closed in from behind.
The man tripped on a jagged stone, crashing to the ground.
The bandits grinned viciously as they surrounded him, blades glinting coldly.
"Heh… still trying to run, old man? Quit wasting our time and hand over everything you've got!"
The man held the child tighter, eyes filled with despair—but also grim resolve. A dagger lay hidden in his sleeve. If he was to die, he'd take at least one of them with him.
"Should we intervene?" Jiang Yan asked casually.
Morax nodded. "Yes. There's… something unusual about him."
"I'll handle it then," Jiang Yan said, cracking his knuckles. "A few thugs like these aren't worth you dirtying your hands."
He stepped forward.
"Who the hell are you, brat?" one of the bandits sneered, noticing the childlike figure walking calmly toward them.
Jiang Yan didn't bother replying. He simply brought his hands together.
"Talk to us, damn it!" the bandit barked, raising his blade.
"Wood Release: Piercing Root Technique!"
Vines shot forth from Jiang Yan's arms, sprouting into countless wooden spikes that impaled every bandit in an instant.
Blood splattered across the dirt—and onto the stunned man's face.
He clutched his child tighter, trembling violently.
"Y-You… who are you?" he stammered, his voice shaking as he looked at the silver-haired youth smiling so serenely amidst the carnage, and the tall, calm man who followed behind him.
He did not relax.
If the bandits were the mantises… then these two were the oriole behind them.
And this oriole looked ready to devour both mantis and cicada alike.
If he'd had the will to resist the bandits, against these two he felt none.
"Me? I'm Jiang Xiaobai," Jiang Yan said easily. "And he's called Zhongli."
Before setting out, the two had agreed to use aliases for their journey.
The man swallowed hard. "I… my name is Hu Xing."
Morax's expression flickered. "Hu?" he murmured thoughtfully, his golden eyes gleaming.
"How interesting."
The middle-aged man blinked in confusion, but Morax only smiled faintly.
"If you seek safety, head southwest," he said. "Find Cloud Retainer at Mount Tianheng, and tell her that Zhongli sent you."
Hu Xing hesitated, then bowed deeply, holding his child close as he fled down the mountain path.
Once the pair were alone again, Jiang Yan glanced sideways.
"You've been smiling ever since you met that guy. What's with that?"
Morax chuckled quietly, hands clasped behind his back.
"We've stumbled upon a treasure."
"…A treasure?" Jiang Yan raised a brow. "You mean because his surname's Hu?"
Morax shook his head. "That man—and the child he carried—both possess a unique bloodline. One capable of communing with the powers of the Underworld."
"Underworld…?" Jiang Yan froze, eyes widening.
A family named Hu, able to connect with the dead…
Wait a damn second—
Wasn't that the Hu family?!
As in—Hu Tao's ancestors?!
Holy crap.
Was the world's timeline just that perfectly ironic?
He gave Morax a look that was… complicated, to say the least.
You call it "finding a treasure," huh?
More like finding yourself a future funeral director who'll feed you for eternity.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?" Morax frowned faintly.
"Nothing," Jiang Yan said, waving a hand. "Let's keep moving."
But before they could take another step, the ground began to rumble violently.
The mountains groaned. Rocks tumbled.
The earth itself seemed to quake in fury.
Jiang Yan stumbled, nearly falling backward as he cried out—
"Whoa—what now?!"