Fated Enemy, Ghost Moth

After a simple dinner, Qian Yun and Hu Liena stayed in the study to rest.

Qian Yun sat at the desk, organizing the mission reports he hadn't had time to submit after his last assignment. Hu Liena lay on the sofa, bored, pouting as she occasionally glanced at Qian Yun.

Buried in his work, Qian Yun caught a glimpse of her and said, "If you're tired, go get some rest. I expect I'll be busy until midnight."

Hu Liena raised her eyebrows slightly, a hint of anticipation in her eyes. "And what about you? I've taken over the bed, so where will you sleep?"

Qian Yun took a sip of strong tea and replied as if it were obvious, "I'll sleep here."

"Eh..." Hu Liena's mouth opened slightly, words catching in her throat. She had wanted to suggest he sleep with her, but she felt too embarrassed to say it.

Glancing at Qian Yun, who was immersed in his own world, a sudden, inexplicable sense of frustration welled up in Hu Liena's heart. She let out a soft huff, stood up, and said, "Then I really am going to sleep. Don't go complaining later that I bullied you."

"Mm, goodnight."

"Knock, knock, knock."

Just then, a series of knocks sounded at the door.

Qian Yun frowned, set down his quill, and looked up. "What is it?"

A servant's respectful voice came from outside the door, "My lord, there is an urgent letter for you."

"A letter?" Qian Yun cast a strange look toward Hu Liena.

Hu Liena glared back at him. "What are you looking at? It's not from me."

Qian Yun felt a bit puzzled and said to the servant outside, "Just tuck it into the door gap and be off."

"Yes."

The servant's footsteps gradually faded away. Qian Yun didn't get up; instead, he smiled and tilted his head toward Hu Liena.

Seeing this, Hu Liena rolled her eyes. "Tch, do you really take me for your servant?"

Although she was quite dissatisfied, her feet moved quite naturally. Hu Liena opened the door and caught the letter as it slipped through.

"Here!" Hu Liena flicked her finger with a huff, and the letter fluttered onto Qian Yun's desk.

"Thanks." Qian Yun smiled as he picked up the envelope, but the very next moment, his brow furrowed.

The envelope was thin, containing only a single sheet of paper. What truly caught his attention was the "urgent" label on it.

Qian Yun had a premonition that things wouldn't be so simple, and he opened the envelope in silence:

The thousand-year Spirit Beast Ghost Moth has appeared in the Sunset Forest!

The short sentence before his eyes hit him like a heavy hammer, shaking his body and mind. His hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and he didn't even notice that he had crushed the envelope in his other hand.

"Mm... what's wrong with you?" Hu Liena asked, confused. In her memory, Qian Yun had never lost his composure like this.

Qian Yun took a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice from shaking. "The Spirit Beast Ghost Moth... has appeared!"

The nonchalant expression on Hu Liena's face froze instantly. A few breaths later, she turned abruptly and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

After Hu Liena left, Qian Yun put down the letter and stared at the creaking, wailing door, his eyes filled with monstrous killing intent!

Whether in his past life or this one, he had never felt such an urgent desire to erase a life from existence. This feeling was like a starving beast that had finally locked onto its prey; the craving for slaughter nearly washed away all his reason.

"Hoo—"

After a long while, Qian Yun finally suppressed the red glow in his eyes and returned to his usual calm demeanor.

Picking up the letter once more, Qian Yun's gaze locked onto the words Sunset Forest. Now that he had calmed down, he finally had the time to think.

If he remembered correctly, that was Dugu Fu's territory, right? That Title Douluo was no pushover, and the forest was filled with poisonous fog. If the two of them rushed in blindly, they would likely be poisoned to death before even seeing the Ghost Moth.

Qian Yun frowned in thought. He never expected the Ghost Moth to travel thousands of miles to such a troublesome place. If possible, he really didn't want to make contact with any Title Douluo outside of Martial Soul Hall at this stage, but circumstances often forced one's hand.

"Hmph, no matter where you run to the ends of the earth, I will slaughter you."

Qian Yun tucked the letter away and put it back in the drawer. He then walked out of the study and returned to his own room. As expected, Hu Liena was not there. He sighed and turned his gaze in another direction.

Qian Yun chose not to disturb her, as they both needed to calm down at this moment.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Qian Yun was already prepared. A simple carriage for travel sat quietly at the entrance of the courtyard, and Qian Yun stood with his arms crossed, waiting for Hu Liena to appear.

Until the night shed its hazy veil and the fresh morning light bathed the earth, a head finally poked out from the doorway.

Hu Liena trotted over, keeping her head down, and said with some shame, "Sorry, I'm late."

Qian Yun looked at her haggard little face, reached out to tidy a few stray locks of hair, and laughed, "Staying up late is bad for your health. Be careful, or you'll turn into a little bald head while you're still young."

"..."

Hu Liena swatted away the hand Qian Yun had placed on her forehead, feeling as though all the emotions she had been brewing from last night until now had gone to waste.

"Go to hell! If I were bald, I'd still be the prettiest bald person ever."

Qian Yun chuckled and gestured to the side for Hu Liena. "Fine, fine, you're pretty, I won't argue with you. Shall we?"

Hu Liena furrowed her brows and climbed into the carriage, with Qian Yun following close behind.

The carriage finally set off. Inside, Hu Liena sat with dark circles under her eyes, resting her chin on her hand as she stared out the window, her thoughts drifting away, wondering what she was thinking about.

Qian Yun took out a food box and placed it on the table. "I waited for you for a long time and didn't even have time to eat. You haven't eaten either, right? Want some?"

Hu Liena said nothing, only shaking her head as she continued to stare blankly out the window.

Seeing this, Qian Yun couldn't help but sigh. As he set down the dining tray, he said, "Still thinking about that matter?"

The corners of Hu Liena's eyes twitched as she muttered, "No."

"Rest assured, we have made sufficient preparations. That Ghost Moth is as good as dead."

After a long silence, Qian Yun spoke again: "On this trip, shall we go to Muyi City first to pay our respects to Grandpa Village Chief and A-Qiang? Then we can set off for the Sunset Forest, how about that?"

Hu Liena nodded and said, "That's what I was thinking, too."

Qian Yun sat down at the table and said to Hu Liena, "Really not eating? I don't care about anything else, I'm just afraid..."

Hu Liena seemed slightly moved. "Afraid of what?"

"I'm just afraid you'll be so hungry you won't have the strength, and you won't even be able to hold your blade steady when the time comes."

Hu Liena lunged toward the table, grabbed a piece of bread, and stuffed it into her mouth. She mumbled indistinctly, "Are you kidding me? You think I'd go soft?!"

Qian Yun smiled without a word, and the breakfast was finished quickly by the two of them.

Time passed second by second. At one point during the day, Qian Yun felt a weight on his shoulder and tilted his head to look.

Hu Liena's serene sleeping face carried a hint of exhaustion. Qian Yun knew that this stubborn young girl really hadn't slept at all last night.

Last night, Qian Yun had quietly gone to look for Hu Liena and found her sitting there on the swing beneath the ginkgo tree, just staring blankly.

Qian Yun adjusted his posture to make Hu Liena more comfortable, then turned his head away as well.

He hadn't slept all night either.

A few days later, Muyi City.

Qian Yun and Hu Liena first visited the Martial Soul Hall to see Duomeng and the others, only to find that times had changed and the former trio had gone their separate ways. Elder Li had retired and was enjoying his twilight years, while Yibu and Duomeng had been promoted to deacon and acting bishop, respectively.

Without lingering, the two left the Martial Soul Hall after a brief visit and strolled along the familiar yet strange streets.

A light drizzle drifted from the sky, polishing the road until it was slick, reflecting the faces of those hurrying by. Gloomy weather always makes people sentimental. Hu Liena looked up, letting the fine mist brush against her face, feeling a sense of deep sorrow mixed with an inexplicable relief.

"Hey, little girl, come here." Qian Yun called out to a young girl selling flowers. "I'll take all these white flowers."

"Ah?! Oh, okay."

After buying the flowers, Qian Yun and Hu Liena continued walking. Not far ahead lay the cemetery where Grandpa Village Chief and A-Qiang were buried.

A gentle breeze carried the light rain, bringing the faint, earthy scent of the grass into their noses, which felt refreshing.

Since today was not a special holiday, there were only a few people in the cemetery. Before the tombstones, Hu Liena held a bouquet of white flowers and placed them gently at the base, then knelt down to carefully brush her fingers over the carved inscriptions.

"Grandpa... A-Qiang, Xiao Na has come to see you... I know you always opposed me becoming a Spirit Master, wanting me to be safe and happy. But with the enemy before me, please give me your blessing. I will definitely avenge you!"

Qian Yun glanced at the thickening dark clouds on the horizon and opened a black umbrella, holding it over her head. With his other hand, he pulled a wine flask from his robes, flicked the wooden stopper open with his finger, and tilted the bottle to pour the fine wine onto the grass, where it soaked into the soil.

Although he didn't know if such a tradition existed in this strange world, Qian Yun sincerely hoped that those resting beneath the earth could taste the wine of the mortal world once more.

After putting the bottle away and remaining silent for a long time, Qian Yun spoke: "Xiao Na."

"Hmm?"

He turned to look at Hu Liena with a sincere gaze. "I think... after this is over, we should bring the Village Chief and A-Qiang back to Beast King Village. After all, that is their true home."

Hu Liena's body trembled slightly. The word "home" seemed to possess an infinite magic, making one yearn for it uncontrollably. Beast King Village... yes, it had been a long time since she had been back.

"Yes! Thank you, Qian Yun."

After paying their respects to the departed, Qian Yun and Hu Liena stayed in Muyi City for one night. The next day, they left early to head toward their final destination—the Sunset Forest!

The Sunset Forest was located in the center of the Heaven Dou Empire. It was a natural Spirit Beast Forest. Although its area was far from being as vast as the Star Dou Great Forest, and the number and variety of spirit beasts were much smaller, its unique climate meant that some unique spirit beasts inhabited it.

Qian Yun and Hu Liena's carriage drove from the wide road directly into the dense forest without stopping for any rest.

Traveling day and night, the two finally arrived at their destination. Jumping off the carriage, the sudden solidity beneath his feet made him feel quite disoriented, as if everything before his eyes were swaying.

Although he wanted to rest properly, with the enemy at hand, he couldn't afford to care about that.

"Shh—!" A short, sharp whistle suddenly rang out through the forest under the cover of dusk, startling a row of resting birds.

It was already near nightfall. The black forest crouched on the dim earth, and the tangled, overgrown branches propped up the white mist in the woods. The entire forest looked like a silhouette on a paper window, stirring unease in one's heart.

Qian Yun put away the whistle and waited quietly with Hu Liena. Not long after, something seemed to jump out of the black forest. Relying on his keen eyesight, Qian Yun recognized it as a person.

After the newcomer leaped out of the bushes, he trotted up to the two of them, cupped his hands, and said, "Martial Soul Hall Scout Team, awaiting your orders, my lords."

Qian Yun nodded calmly, took out his token, and held it out. "Thank you for your hard work. What is the situation?"

The scout's bright eyes scanned every detail of the token carefully. After confirming their identities, he bowed again and said, "Reporting to the lords, my subordinates have been ordered to monitor the Ghost Moth here, and there have been no abnormalities so far."

"Very good!" Qian Yun took back the token, feeling a weight lift from his heart. He had been worried about having to stage a tracking mission at the last minute.

He exchanged a look with Hu Liena and then said to the scout, "Keep watching tonight. We will make our move tomorrow."

The scout was stunned for a moment. He looked at Qian Yun and then at Hu Liena before saying uncertainly, "Are only the two of you going to act?"

Qian Yun nodded as if it were a matter of course. "Yes, just the two of us. You don't need to join us; just guard the perimeter to prevent the Ghost Moth from escaping."

The scout hurriedly stepped forward, his tone somewhat anxious. "How can that be? That Ghost Moth's cultivation has already reached a thousand years. I fear the two of you alone won't be able to handle it. Why not... why not let us go and request reinforcements from the nearby Martial Soul Hall?"

Qian Yun shook his head. "Don't worry, we aren't going to our deaths. We act tomorrow, let's leave it at that!"

"...Understood." Seeing his persistence, the scout had no choice but to retreat helplessly.