Killing with a Girl in His Arms Beneath the Moon

Early the next morning, Lin Yuan was on his way to Holy Soul Village. Five Gugas followed behind him, bobbing in the morning light.

Holy Soul Village lay south of Nuoding City, just beyond two hills. It was a small village, with a few dozen households and adobe houses scattered at the foot of the mountain. The old locust tree at the village entrance was still there, its leaves thicker than they had been five years ago.

Lin Yuan did not enter the village. He circled behind it and followed a dry streambed uphill to a cliff. The waterfall had dried up. Only a dark brown water stain ran down from the cliff top like an old scar. The cave entrance was still there, but it stood high above the ground, at least twenty meters up.

Lin Yuan raised his head and looked at it. The cliff was steep, and vines concealed the entrance. Without knowing where to look, he would never have found it.

"Little Moon."

Little Moon flashed silver-white and teleported onto Lin Yuan's shoulder.

"Take me up."

Little Moon reached out a tiny hand and gripped Lin Yuan's collar. Silver-white light poured from her, wrapping around his entire body. Space twisted; the air around them seemed to tear open, then close again.

Lin Yuan stood inside the cave.

Guga poked a head out from behind Lin Yuan, getting dust all over the brim of the hat.

"What a run-down cave, Guga!"

Dark Gold Guga shook moss off a claw.

"So dirty, Guga."

Little Moon crouched on a rock and looked around.

"So dark, Guga."

The entrance was small, but the cave was spacious inside. Moss covered the stone walls, and the air smelled of damp earth. At the very back, a Blue Silver Grass had taken root in a crack. Its slender leaves bore faint golden lines along their edges and gave off a dim blue glow in the darkness. She was still asleep, her delicate leaves stirring in the faint current of air.

Lin Yuan spared the Blue Silver Grass no more than a glance. He went to the stone wall and began to feel along it. His fingers slid over it inch by inch, crushing moss beneath his fingertips and exposing the rough rock below. On the third wall, his fingers found a narrow seam. It was too straight to be a natural crack, as though cut by a blade.

He dug his fingernails into the seam and pried. A stone slab swung open, revealing a compartment the size of his palm. At the back sat a lead box, heavy and cold to the touch, its surface carved with intricate patterns.

Lin Yuan took out the lead box, set it on the ground, and opened it.

The Blue Silver Emperor Leg Bone.

It was deep blue and translucent, with golden lines flowing slowly inside like a golden river sealed in amber. It felt cool, but against his palm, he could sense a faint pulse.

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged and pressed the leg bone against his right leg. As he poured Soul Power into it, blue light burst from its surface, bathing the entire cave in blue. Golden lines spread from the bone and climbed his right leg, winding around his bones.

It hurt.

His bones were being remade, his meridians torn apart, every inch of his skin set aflame. Lin Yuan gritted his teeth. Sweat rolled down his forehead, drop by drop, and struck the stone beneath him. Soul Power surged wildly through his body like a dammed river suddenly breaking free.

Four black Soul Rings lit up and began to turn. The blue light on the leg bone grew brighter and brighter, then abruptly contracted and sank into his right leg. A faint blue glow washed over his skin before slowly fading.

His Soul Power climbed. Level forty-six, the peak of level forty-six, then past the threshold. Level forty-seven.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes and looked down at his right leg. He tried to stand, but his feet suddenly felt light, and he floated upward, nearly striking his head on the cave ceiling. Suspended in midair, he stared down at the stone beneath him.

I can fly.

Guga covered the mouth with tiny hands, the hat brim tipped to one side.

"...You're flying, Guga!"

Little Moon crouched nearby and looked up at him.

"You're flying, Guga."

Xuanwu Guga tilted the head.

"He's flying, Guga."

At some point, Xuanwu Guga had crouched beside the Blue Silver Grass. Tiny hands gripped its stem, and Xuanwu Guga had already pulled it up by the roots and was bringing it toward the mouth.

Lin Yuan snatched it away.

"Don't eat things at random!"

Xuanwu Guga tilted the head and blinked.

"I'm hungry, Guga."

"If you're hungry, tell me. I'll find you something to eat. Don't go eating things on your own."

Lin Yuan crouched and planted the Blue Silver Grass back in the crack, patting down the soil. Its faint golden lines flashed once, then slowly dimmed. He stood and patted Xuanwu Guga on the head.

Xuanwu Guga nodded obediently.

"Okay, Guga."

Nuoding City.

In the courtyard of Su Yuntao's home, he and Sisi sat drinking tea at the stone table while Zhu Zhuqing sat on the steps. All three were waiting.

By the time Lin Yuan appeared at the end of the road, it was nearly dark.

Zhu Zhuqing stood. Lin Yuan walked up to her.

"Are we leaving now?"

"Yes. Let's go."

Su Yuntao came out of the house, with Sisi behind him. Lin Yuan looked at him.

"We're off."

Su Yuntao stood beneath the osmanthus tree and nodded.

"Be careful on the road."

All five Gugas turned together and waved their tiny hands at Su Yuntao and Sisi.

"Goodbye, Guga!"

Sisi smiled and waved back. Su Yuntao watched Lin Yuan's retreating figure and shook his head.

Zhu Zhuqing followed Lin Yuan through the south gate of Nuoding City. Darkness had fallen completely, and the moon emerged from behind the clouds to light the road ahead.

Lin Yuan stopped and turned to Zhu Zhuqing.

"Suotuo City is a long way off. Walking would take too long."

He bent down, slipped one arm around Zhu Zhuqing's waist and the other beneath her knees, and lifted her into his arms. Zhu Zhuqing went rigid. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Her hands hovered in the air, unsure where to go. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, she placed them around Lin Yuan's neck.

Lin Yuan pushed off the ground, and they flew into the air.

Zhu Zhuqing glanced down. The ground fell away, the treetops shrank beneath them, and the walls of Nuoding City became a gray line. Wind swept across her face, sending her long black hair streaming behind her.

Guga looked up at the sky, holding tiny hands over the brow.

"They flew away, Guga... What about us, Guga?"

Lin Yuan glanced down and stirred his Soul Power. The five Gugas became five streaks of light, rising from the ground and flying into his body. Guga, Dark Gold, Sky Star, Little Moon, and Black Tortoise flashed once in the night, then vanished into the moonlight.

Moonlight spilled across the clouds, turning the whole sky silver-white. They passed through the clouds, and the wind loosened Zhu Zhuqing's long hair. A few strands drifted across Lin Yuan's face. She turned to look at his profile. Moonlight fell on his face, sharpening the hard line of his jaw.

"...How can you fly?"

Her voice was soft, and the wind tore half of it away.

"Secret. Take a guess."

Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together and stared at him for a moment, then turned her face away. The tips of her ears reddened, the color spreading down to her neck. She did not let go. Her fingers tightened slightly around his collar.

Lin Yuan held her a little closer. She was so light in his arms, and so warm. Ahead lay Suotuo City.

"Are you cold?"

"...No."

But she nestled a little closer against him, so slightly he could barely feel it.