"Very well," Jun Haoxuan said. "But you must be quick."
Rong Yue only shrugged, stepping fully into the chamber. His claws lengthened slowly, catching the light.
"What you are looking for is called the Nine-Twist Serpent Vine," Lan Meishan said.
With a flick of his fingers, an emerald petal-shaped portal unfurled in the center of the room, its edges rippling like water.
"You will recognize it when you see it. It grows near the swamp trees."
Rong Yue paused at the threshold and glanced back at him. "This is going to be unpleasantly wet, isn't it?"
Meishan blinked.
Jun Haoxuan's gaze sharpened. "We do not have the luxury of complaints."
Rong Yue huffed a quiet laugh. Then he stepped through, lifting a hand in a lazy wave as the portal swallowed him whole.
Silence followed.
The portal remained open, steady and waiting.
