The story splits in two. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

As the saying goes, the human imagination is limitless.

Zheng Xiu’s description was so vivid that Dou Xie’s own mind filled in the blanks, conjuring an image of "Fairy Mei" that he found impossible to accept.

So much so that every time he heard those two words, it was like a switch had been flipped, making Dou Xie retch uncontrollably.

Leaning against the wall and dry-heaving, Dou Xie was exhausted, having thrown up nearly all the bile in his stomach.

"SOB..."

Dou Xie was dizzy from vomiting. When he looked up, he saw with despair the three figures’ backs receding into the distance of the cave.

TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!

While Dou Xie was still completely bewildered, a faint tapping sound reached his ears.

It sounded like someone was tapping a stick on a rock—dull and brief.

Startled, Dou Xie spun around, clutching his handwritten manual, ready for Casting.

He flipped directly to the page for *Lanxin Ruomeng*.

Dou Xie believed in the greatness of true love, capable of warding off all calamities.

As for the *Song of the Vast Righteous Qi*, that was his trump card. It had taken him three full days and nights to copy, filling sixteen pages, and was not to be used lightly.

Besides, it had too many words.

The pitch-black cave seemed endless.

The sound suddenly vanished.

’Did a rock just fall?’

Dou Xie wondered. He didn’t dare to linger. Clutching his stomach and fighting back the nausea, he staggered after the three figures.

A fork appeared in the path ahead.

Dou Xie clearly remembered that his three companions, who hadn’t waited for him, had taken the left path.

’Left, left, left.’

Dou Xie chanted the correct path to himself, not daring to make a mistake.

In the Ghostly Realm, getting separated from your companions was a death sentence.

When he had just been promoted to the Twenty-Eight Constellations and become "Dou Xie," Yue Yan had told him the story of the previous Dou Xie—he had entered a Ghostly Realm, gone on a rampage, his companions couldn’t keep up, and he died a "heroic" death.

But what even Dou Xie himself didn’t realize was that while he was mentally chanting ’left, left, left,’ his feet inexplicably stumbled, and he staggered into the middle path, disappearing into the darkness.

TAP!

TAP!

TAP!

The dull tapping sound echoed through the cave once more.

...

「In the left-hand path, after Dou Xie went missing.」

Feng Bei, Zheng Xiu, and Yue Yan fell into silence.

Without Dou Xie’s light, their expressions were nearly invisible in the darkness, leaving only five faintly glowing eyeballs.

"Something’s happened."

After a moment of silence, Yue Yan nodded and said gravely.

Zheng Xiu spread his hands in the darkness, indicating he was powerless to help.

’He had a very detached view of "death" now.’

’It’s not time to get nervous yet.’

’Besides, he and Dou Xie weren’t that close.’

’Dying in the line of duty would earn his family a pension. It wouldn’t be an unfair death for Dou Xie.’

Now the three of them faced a choice.

Go back and look for Dou Xie, or keep moving forward.

Dou Xie was clearly in trouble.

Normally, she would be chattering away, but at this critical moment, Yue Yan remained silent, waiting for the Upper Three to make a decision.

"He is one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, Dou Xie."

Feng Bei said this, then turned and walked deeper into the cave.

Yue Yan understood. Smiling, she patted the back of Zheng Xiu’s neck. "Let’s go!"

Zheng Xiu felt a light prick on the back of his neck, as if from a needle. He glanced back and saw Yue Yan holding that Silver Needle, its faint light glinting.

He rubbed his neck. Yue Yan patted him again and added, "Let’s go! Be careful."

Zheng Xiu frowned but said nothing more, silently walking forward.

With the light gone, the three had to feel their way through the darkness.

[Intuition] triggered again.

Zheng Xiu had just drawn his Broken Saber slightly.

Feng Bei thrust out a palm.

SMACK!

A monster lurking on the wall was instantly obliterated.

A few steps later.

Zheng Xiu was about to draw his saber again when Feng Bei annihilated another monster with a single palm strike, her methods utterly vicious.

By the time Feng Bei had crushed the eighth insect-like creature as if squashing a bug, Zheng Xiu was speechless. Every time his Intuition triggered, he would simply turn his head, and Feng Bei would strike wherever he looked, as if she had a targeting system installed on his head.

’Riding her coattails like this was incredibly satisfying.’

But Zheng Xiu also felt a little frustrated.

’Lady, could you at least give me a chance to shine?’

’You’re so fast. How am I supposed to grind my Experience Level?’

"You can see them?"

After casually destroying the tenth creature, Feng Bei suddenly turned and asked. In the darkness, they could vaguely make out a fork with four paths.

"Intuition, I guess," Zheng Xiu answered honestly. "I just get a feeling that something’s over there."

’[Intuition]’s Experience Level, on the other hand, was shooting up nicely.’

Suddenly, in the darkness, Feng Bei moved close to Zheng Xiu for the first time, holding her hands tightly behind her back.

Next to Zheng Xiu, Feng Bei lowered her voice. "Don’t move. Don’t touch my hands."

Zheng Xiu’s whole body went rigid.

"Yue Yan."

Feng Bei called out in the darkness.

There was no reply.

Zheng Xiu was stunned.

’Yue Yan was gone too!’

But Zheng Xiu remained calm.

’All fear stems from a lack of firepower.’

’And clearly, Feng Bei had more than enough firepower to dispel any fear.’

"So, we..."

Zheng Xiu mumbled in the dark, asking tentatively.

Feng Bei hesitated for a moment, then crouched down in front of Zheng Xiu, nudging him with her back. "Get on."

"Is... is this appropriate?"

The child’s face flushed with embarrassment.

But Feng Bei’s next words carried an undeniable authority, spoken one syllable at a time. "Get. On."

At this moment, Feng Bei’s usually hidden, strange right eye was glowing with a faint gray light, completely different from her left.

Deep within her pupil, the two words "Ding Wei"—representing Feng Bei’s Path, [Executioner]—were slowly rotating.

The moment Feng Bei glanced at Zheng Xiu, he felt a stirring in his chest. The "Caged Sparrow," which had been silent for so long, seemed to resonate with Feng Bei’s eye, creating a strong pulsation.

Zheng Xiu suppressed the restlessness in his heart and said nonchalantly in his childish voice, "You’re the one who said it."

Feng Bei warned him again, "Don’t touch my hands."

’She was genuinely worried she might accidentally obliterate the son of her old friend into dust.’

Knowing how dangerous Feng Bei’s "Omen" was, Zheng Xiu didn’t dare to touch her recklessly, even though he was in the Ghostly Realm and could respawn after death.

Clearing this Ghostly Realm was tied to Zheng Erniang’s safety. Thinking of this, Zheng Xiu stopped being fussy. He climbed onto Feng Bei’s back and wrapped his arms around her neck.

Feng Bei was tall and slender. If anyone were watching, the scene would look just like the child Zheng Xiu riding on Feng Bei’s back.

Just then, the strange tapping sound from the cave behind them reached the ears of both Feng Bei and Zheng Xiu.

Feng Bei acted as if she hadn’t heard it and asked, "Can you see where they are?"

Zheng Xiu nodded, about to focus his mind and use [Spiritual Vision].

Feng Bei quickly added, "I would never ask you to take such a risk if it weren’t absolutely necessary. But right now, you can see more clearly than I can, so we have no choice. However, if you feel any discomfort, remember to close your eyes immediately. Don’t look for too long."

To be honest, Zheng Xiu had some reservations about the location of the Darkness. But when it came to a mere Fairy Mei, after muttering her name back and forth, it was as if he’d developed antibodies. Recalling her image a few times no longer stirred up distracting thoughts. Everyone’s tolerance is different; no matter how grotesque Fairy Mei’s form was, Zheng Xiu was gradually getting used to it.

"Okay!"

Zheng Xiu agreed and, with Concentration, successfully activated [Spiritual Vision].

It wasn’t a critical success.

Whether that was fortunate or not, he couldn’t say. In any case, his vision filled with gray specks of mist lurking in the darkness, ready to strike.

Just then, Zheng Xiu looked down and to his left in surprise. There was a dense cluster of tiny gray dots, gathered like an army under a shroud. Amidst the dots, a larger, humanoid silhouette was curled up, motionless.

"Fairy Mei is there!"

Zheng Xiu patted Feng Bei’s cheek, pointing in Fairy Mei’s direction.

"Hold on tight." Feng Bei nodded and warned him again, "Remember, be careful not to touch my hands."

"Alright, alright, I promise I won’t touch your hands," Zheng Xiu guaranteed.

WHOOSH!

The moment the words left Zheng Xiu’s mouth, Feng Bei shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, sprinting into the depths of the cave.

Insect eggs embedded in the cave walls began to burst one after another. Zheng Xiu had barely reacted, just turning his head, when Feng Bei struck out with both hands, one for each monster, annihilating them.

’Fast!’

The thick stench of blood instantly filled the cave. Zheng Xiu couldn’t find the words to describe Feng Bei’s efficiency at clearing out monsters.

’She was like a walking cheat engine. The monsters were slapped back to their respawn point before they could even fully materialize.’

’Mystics... they’re truly on another level!’

TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!

The rapid tapping sound came again, and Feng Bei’s steps suddenly faltered, veering in another direction.

’Weird!’

"Hold on to me!"

Zheng Xiu was about to warn her, but Feng Bei planted a foot on the wall, forcibly changing her direction and getting back on the right path.

TAP-TAP-TAP!

The rapid tapping from behind caught up, sounding like it was right behind Zheng Xiu. Riding on Feng Bei’s back, he glanced over his shoulder but saw only pitch-black darkness.

But Zheng Xiu was almost certain.

In the cave behind them.

Someone was there!