Reinforcements

The decision to join the reinforcements was already set in stone.

Eighteen cultivators left Yuxian Platform ahead of schedule and returned to Xianze for final preparations.

Xu Ya still couldn’t accept why a useless person like her had been assigned to go along. She couldn’t help but worry about whether her life would be in danger.

That night, Xu Ya couldn’t sleep at all. She had just lain down when she sprang up from the high bed. Moments later, lanterns were lit in the room, and Xu Ya pulled out dozens of chickens from her treasure pouch.

Several dozen specially made food boxes were neatly arranged, and the marinated chickens were dropped into hot oil.

Before long, the crisp sound of frying echoed from Xu Ya’s room.

But she didn’t dare stay up all night. After finishing the batch, she quickly packed up all the fried chicken with practiced hands.

She also tidied up the room to avoid giving other cultivators an excuse to pick on her when she returned.

Once everything was done, Xu Ya’s anxiety about the reinforcement mission returned. She really didn’t want to go!

She stayed up until nearly dawn, then finally collapsed into sleep, hugging her small blanket in frustration.

She hadn’t even slept for two hours before waking up again, her mind still preoccupied.

Dragging her feet, she washed up and still arrived at the meeting point early.

In contrast, the other seventeen cultivators were much more relaxed.

Each of them looked refreshed and energetic as they gathered, while Xu Ya stood out with her gloomy expression.

Xu Ya had developed a headache-inducing condition: just seeing Shi Yuzhen made her temples throb.

The system, however, was in high spirits: 【Hehe, now we don’t have to worry about the male lead’s mission anymore.】

What was there to worry about? Xu Ya didn’t get it. The male lead had been doing just fine without her fried chicken, hadn’t he? The system’s smug electronic tone only made her more suspicious.

Everyone paid their respects to the sect elders. Xu Ya blended in quietly, pretending to be part of the group—everyone knew she hadn’t officially taken a master yet.

Then it was time to depart.

With so many people, and each of the seventeen cultivators having their own specialties, they decided to split into three teams to scout ahead. After all, the formation trapping their fellow cultivators was of unknown origin, and they wouldn’t know anything for sure until they reached the scene.

After a few brief words to confirm directions and divide into groups, they were ready.

Xu Ya hesitated as she followed closely behind the male lead.

As a sword cultivator, he would naturally ride his sword ahead. Did that mean she had to ride the same sword with him?

It seemed she had no choice.

Shi Yuzhen beckoned to her. Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Xu Ya reluctantly shuffled over to the sword she knew all too well—the Ink Sword. It radiated a sharp, chilling light, looking extremely lethal. The last time Xu Ya had been this close to a cold weapon was a kitchen knife in the modern world. Now, a sword five times that length floated in the air, and it was downright terrifying.

What’s more, Xu Ya had no idea how to ride a sword. She could only stand there, clutching her sleeve and craning her neck, waiting for the male lead to lower the sword so she could step on.

Shi Yuzhen gave her a meaningful smile and waved his hand casually.

Caught off guard, Xu Ya was suddenly lifted into the air. She spun perfectly mid-flight and landed steadily atop the Ink Sword the next second.

Shi Yuzhen’s warm voice came from behind her: “Hold on. We’re taking off…”

Immediately, Xu Ya felt like she was standing on a skateboard that suddenly shot forward at a speed of at least 300 km/h.

Aaaaaaah!!

Her head slammed into the man’s broad chest from the inertia. Shi Yuzhen quickly reached out to steady her.

For some reason, his warm body gave Xu Ya a faint sense of security.

The Ink Sword, as if sentient, leveled out after climbing to a certain altitude. If Xu Ya hadn’t opened her eyes and seen the endless sea of clouds, she would’ve thought she was riding some kind of hoverboard.

That’s when Xu Ya realized she was afraid of heights. Cold sweat broke out on her palms, and she gripped the hem of her robe tightly, trembling in the wind.

As the wind brushed past her cheeks and the sky stretched endlessly ahead, Xu Ya actually found it a bit cathartic. She suddenly understood why people in the modern world were so obsessed with extreme sports.

Turns out, overwhelming stimulation could be a form of stress relief.

Shi Yuzhen could sense every shift in Xu Ya’s mood. When he felt her fear, he silently formed a hand seal to slow the Ink Sword’s speed.

As a result, despite riding the fastest “vehicle,” the two of them were the last to arrive at the destination.

When the Ink Sword was still a meter off the ground, Xu Ya had already jumped off.

She had already felt the scorching stares while in the air.

With half a prophetic manuscript in hand, Xu Ya knew full well the status Shi Yuzhen held in the hearts of all cultivators—male or female. She didn’t dare get too close. That was a fast track to becoming cannon fodder.

Before them stretched a vast forest. The air was thick with dark green smoke, and the distance was pitch black, bottomless.

A cultivator holding a compass double-checked and said, “The direction is correct. One of the array cores is indeed one kilometer north of here.”

Rong Aoqing nodded, made some marks around the area, and gave the order: “In that case, let’s move out.”

Xu Ya screamed internally for the umpteenth time. She was done pretending—she wasn’t just afraid of heights, she was afraid of the dark too!

The system chimed in sneakily: 【If you’re scared, just hold Shi Yuzhen’s hand. I’m sure, based on the male lead’s personality in the book, he won’t refuse~】

Ha. Ha.

Xu Ya chose to ignore it.

She now had every reason to believe the system was siding with the male lead. Why else would everything it said carry such weird, ambiguous undertones?

Xu Ya didn’t understand what was so ambiguous about it anyway. She just wanted to finish the mission quickly and return to where she belonged.

She warned the system in her mind: “Don’t you dare come up with any more bad ideas. I have my own plan.”

Suddenly, Shi Yuzhen reached out and took her hand, saying calmly, “Let’s go.”

Aaaaah???

What was that supposed to mean?

Their group consisted of six people—three men and three women. Rong Aoqing and another female cultivator were sword cultivators traveling together. Then there was Shi Yuzhen and two male sword sect cultivators.

With that one move, Shi Yuzhen and Xu Ya, already the center of attention, became the burning focus of everyone’s gaze.

The female cultivator traveling with Rong Aoqing had introduced herself during the reinforcement team’s briefing yesterday. Xu Ya knew her name was Yu Manjing. At this moment, Yu Manjing was glaring at Xu Ya with a sharp, piercing look.

Xu Ya felt like her clothes were about to be burned through by that stare.

The two male cultivators, meanwhile, wore expressions that clearly said, “We get it.”

Dragged into the forest by Shi Yuzhen, Xu Ya was dead inside. What exactly do you all think you understand?

Shi Yuzhen, used to being in a position of authority, paid no mind to others’ gazes.

He simply found that Xu Ya’s reactions were always especially lively and amusing whenever he did something unexpected.

He couldn’t help but want to tease her now and then.

Right now, Shi Yuzhen could feel how stiff Xu Ya was with him holding her hand. She was like a puppet, nearly moving in sync with him, arms and legs all tangled up.

Every time he noticed this, it stirred something in him.

He hadn’t yet realized the mischievous streak growing inside him.

Shi Yuzhen led the way, holding Xu Ya’s hand, completely ignoring the others. His grip wasn’t tight—Xu Ya could easily pull away with a little effort—but now that they were in the forest, she had no choice.

The path ahead was dangerous and unknown. This was no place for Xu Ya to act on her own whims. Back in Xianze, she had heard all kinds of rumors. Even if the distress signal wasn’t the most dangerous thing, one careless move could still cost lives. She had no choice but to let Shi Yuzhen lead her.

Although they were holding hands, they kept a wide distance between their bodies—about two arm spans apart—creating a ridiculous scene: those in the know would think they were a sweet couple, while those who didn’t might assume they were a quarreling pair.

Unaware of the rumors already swirling around them, the two of them had now made things even harder to explain.

Following the guidance of the Immortal Compass in Zhan Zhengzhen’s hand, the group cautiously made their way deeper into the dense forest.

For the first time, Shi Yuzhen spoke with the tone of the Great Senior Brother as he gave instructions to the others. “Seal off your spiritual sense. Rely only on sight and hearing. If necessary, split up. Do not charge ahead recklessly. Mark your paths clearly. We’re heading deeper in.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.” Although Xu Ya had no spiritual power, she was well-versed in the “basics.” She let go of Shi Yuzhen’s hand and immediately followed the instructions.

Once everything was prepared, Shi Yuzhen quietly took Xu Ya’s hand again.

Thick fog swirled around the array core in this area. The deeper they went, the more disoriented they became. Every step was taken with the utmost caution, wary that hidden dangers might lurk within the mist.

To prevent Xu Ya from accidentally triggering a trap, Shi Yuzhen formed a hand seal and summoned the Ink Sword, motioning for her to step onto it.

Xu Ya had no spiritual power—at best, she was slightly stronger than an ordinary person. The others were already harboring complaints, especially since only Rong Aoqing had tasted Xu Ya’s fried chicken and wasn’t impressed enough to justify the extra effort of bringing her along.

After all, this was a reinforcement mission. One more capable fighter was always better than none. But everyone knew Xu Ya wasn’t one. Now she even needed to be looked after because she had no spiritual power. Though no one voiced their frustration aloud, resentment simmered beneath the surface.

Xu Ya stepped steadily onto the Ink Sword and quickly realized that Shi Yuzhen had no intention of letting go of her hand. Resigned, she allowed herself to be led. This place was far too dangerous to argue, and she didn’t want to risk activating a trap in the array.

As they ventured deeper, they seemed to hear the distant roars of wild beasts. But when they listened closely, there was only a haunting silence.

The group grew even more cautious, uncertain of what dangers lay ahead.

Not far behind them, the sound of someone stepping on dry leaves could be heard. A shadow suddenly flickered into view, trailing the small squad led by Xu Ya at a distance of about five meters—close enough to follow, yet nearly invisible to the six of them.

What was even more alarming was that this figure moved through the formation as if it didn’t exist, vanishing into the mist without a trace.

The Yunmeng Immortal Marsh had always been a place of discipline and cultivation. When one accidentally entered a formation like this, the most important thing was to find the array core and work together to break through. Every formation had a method of unraveling. The fact that this enormous array had enveloped nearly the entire forest suggested there was something unusual about it.

The six of them heard footsteps behind them more than once, prompting them to glance back repeatedly. But beyond the thick fog, they saw nothing.

After several such occurrences, Yu Manjing couldn’t hold back and whispered to Rong Aoqing, “Senior Sister, did you hear something? It sounded like footsteps, but I’m not sure.”

Rong Aoqing focused her senses. Sure enough, she could hear faint, rustling footsteps too. It was unclear whether they came from a beast or a person.

Beasts were not the same as cultivators. There were many ways they could stumble into a formation. The most important thing was not to kill by mistake.

If they were to unjustly harm an innocent creature, the resulting resentment could condense and make the formation even harder to deal with, creating unnecessary complications.

Rong Aoqing speculated that the cultivator who had entered this place before them had likely been trapped for so long that they triggered a distress signal.

The longer one remained inside a formation, the more they would begin to assimilate with it. In the past, when they set out the day after receiving a call for help, they could usually resolve the issue quickly. But now, it felt like they were stuck outside a gate that refused to open, making them worry whether this mission would go smoothly at all.

With that thought, Rong Aoqing furrowed her elegant brows and focused intently, trying to make sense of the situation.