Night was black as ink, and Wutan City lay asleep. Only the occasional footsteps of patrolling guards broke the silence. In a room in the Xiao Clan's rear courtyard, Xiao Yan's eyes were lightly closed. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully, yet his Emperor Realm Soul spread like an invisible net over the entire city, catching every unusual fluctuation.
He "heard" the beasts' roars in the forests outside the city grow denser, changing from scattered stirrings into a chorus of answering howls. The thread of soul power he had set in motion was like a stone cast into a lake, its ripples spreading ever farther—the frenzy of the low-rank magical beasts began to infect one another. Several Ironclad Wolves lurking at the forest's edge could no longer restrain themselves. Their scarlet eyes glinted in the darkness as they stirred restlessly toward areas frequented by humans.
"Just about enough." Xiao Yan's lips curved almost imperceptibly.
He did not want a beast tide sweeping through the entire city. That would draw far too much attention and violate his principle of "concealment." He needed only a disturbance of precisely the right scale, enough to eliminate the spies lurking near the Xiao Clan while still passing for "normal activity in the Magical Beast Mountain Range."
His soul power stirred again, guiding the frenzied Ironclad Wolves with pinpoint precision toward a stretch of abandoned alleys west of the Xiao Clan's grounds—exactly where the two spying presences he had sensed were hiding.
"Awooo—"
A piercing wolf howl tore through the night sky, followed by the sharp clash of weapons and startled human cries. Within moments, everything fell silent. Only a few muffled chewing sounds remained, soon drowned out by the beasts roaring deep in the forest.
Xiao Yan withdrew his perception, his heart utterly unruffled.
Of those two presences, one belonged to a Dou Zhe from the Ao Ba Family, while the other was an informant for some nameless minor faction. Their strength might have ranked third-rate in Wutan City, but they did not even qualify for him to act personally. Using a few Ironclad Wolves to dispose of them fit the premise of an "accident" while also warning off other potential spies. It was perfect.
[System notification: Detected potential threats (2 individuals) have been eliminated through natural conflict. No traces pointing to the host remain. Classified as an effective concealment operation. No reward.]
The system's notification sounded as routine as ever, and Xiao Yan had long since grown used to it. He adjusted his breathing until his presence was indistinguishable from that of a sleeping person, then quietly awaited dawn.
At first light, Xiao Yan left his room with a battered backpack on his shoulders.
Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ding were already waiting in the courtyard. The former held a bulging cloth bundle, while the latter carried a broad-bladed saber on his back, clearly intending to follow secretly and escort him.
"Father, big brother." Xiao Yan walked over, his voice faintly husky in the early morning.
Xiao Zhan handed him the bundle. "There's some dried food and medicine for injuries in here, and... these are the last fifty gold coins the family has. Take them. When you reach the town on the outskirts of the mountain range, buy whatever you need."
The bundle felt slightly heavy in Xiao Yan's hands. Besides the food, he could feel a small, weighty coin purse inside. He knew those fifty gold coins were nearly all the ready money the Xiao Clan could currently scrape together.
"Father, I..."
"Take it." Xiao Zhan cut him off, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Away from home, you can't take a single step without money. Remember, safety comes first. If you can't find the herbs, come back early. Don't try to be a hero."
Xiao Yan tightened his grip on the bundle and nodded. "I understand, Father."
He looked at Xiao Ding, whose wavering gaze made it obvious he wanted to say something. Xiao Yan spoke first. "Big brother, you don't need to follow me. I'm not just going to look for herbs. I want to gain some experience on my own, too. If I always hide behind my family, I'll never grow up."
Xiao Ding opened his mouth, but in the end, he merely patted Xiao Yan's shoulder. "All right. Your second brother believes in you. Take this saber. If you run into someone who doesn't know what's good for them, at least you'll have something to defend yourself with."
It was an ordinary iron saber, with even a few chips along its edge, but it had a solid heft.
Xiao Yan accepted the saber and tucked it at his waist. "Thank you, big brother."
He said nothing more. Bowing deeply to Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ding, he turned and walked out through the Xiao Residence's main gates.
There were few people on the street outside, only several early-rising vendors arranging their stalls. Seeing Xiao Yan with a backpack on his shoulders and an iron saber at his waist, some cast curious glances his way, but no one approached to ask questions. Though the uproar over his broken engagement had yet to die down completely, most people saw little reason to pay much attention to where a "good-for-nothing" was going.
Xiao Yan headed west along the street. His pace was unhurried but unusually resolute. He could sense Xiao Ding's presence following far behind, maintaining a distance that would keep him unnoticed.
He did not expose him. Some acts of care did not need to be spoken aloud.
Beyond Wutan City's western gate lay the main road leading to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Sparse woods flanked the road, and the morning mist had yet to disperse fully. The air carried the damp scent of grass and trees.
Xiao Yan stopped and spoke softly toward the woods behind him. "Big brother, go back. Any farther, and we'll be in magical beast territory."
The presence in the woods paused. A moment later, Xiao Ding's helpless voice drifted out. "Then be careful! If you run into danger, turn around and run back immediately!"
"I know."
Xiao Yan answered without looking back, then quickened his steps toward the distant mountain range shrouded in miasma.
Xiao Ding's presence lingered there for a long time. Only when Xiao Yan was no longer visible did he reluctantly turn and head back.
Once he was well beyond Wutan City, Xiao Yan gradually slowed his pace.
He shed every pretense and stopped deliberately suppressing his body's coordination. His steps became light and steady. The iron saber at his waist swayed slightly with his stride without making a sound. His Emperor Realm Soul spread without restraint, bringing everything within ten li into his perception—rabbits foraging in the grass, birds perched in the trees, even insects burrowing underground appeared clearly within his "field of vision."
He could feel the Green Lotus Core Flame fragment stored in the system space giving off a faint resonance, as though pointing the way.
"Northwest, about fifty li away..." Judging by the strength of that resonance, Xiao Yan roughly determined the Green Lotus Core Flame's location. "It seems a little closer than the location recorded in the original novel."
Perhaps that was the Heavenly Flame Fragment's effect.
Rather than hurry, he walked along the main road as leisurely as if strolling through his own courtyard, silently sorting through the information in his mind.
Apart from low-rank magical beasts, the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range held scattered camps and temporary outposts belonging to small mercenary companies. This was where herb gatherers and low-level mercenaries operated. In the original novel, Xiao Yan had been hunted by the Mo Family here and had also met Xiao Yi Xian for the first time...
"The Mo Family..." Xiao Yan's gaze chilled slightly.
The Mo Family and the Xiao Clan had a long-standing feud. In the original novel, Mo Cheng's desire for the Xiao Clan's heirloom had driven him to target Xiao Yan repeatedly. Given how the Mo Family operated, they would most likely not let this "good-for-nothing on his own" slip away now that he was heading into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Perfect. I can use them to try my hand and get a feel for "creating accidents."
He continued onward. About an hour later, a small market town appeared ahead. A crooked wooden sign stood at its entrance, bearing the words "Stone Desert Town" in a scrawled hand, as though they had been carved directly with a knife.
This was the human outpost closest to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Most of its inhabitants were mercenaries, herb gatherers, and merchants selling magical beast materials. Dragons and fish mingled together, and order was in shambles.
As soon as Xiao Yan entered the town, he felt several ill-intentioned gazes settle on him. Wearing cloth clothes washed pale, carrying a battered backpack, and sporting a chipped iron saber at his waist, he looked like an utterly inexperienced fledgling fresh from the nest—the preferred prey of certain "hunters" in town.
Xiao Yan paid them no mind.
The strongest among those watching him was merely an Early-Stage Dou Shi, no different from an ant in his eyes.
He did not linger, passing straight through the town toward the deeper mountains. Those ill-intentioned watchers followed him out, but as he neared the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, they all stopped without a word of agreement—none wished to venture into an area teeming with magical beasts for a rookie who looked as though he had little worth taking.
Once he entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the trees grew dense. Thick branches and leaves screened out the sunlight, leaving only dappled spots of light spilling through the gaps. The air was heavy with the scent of vegetation, mingled with a faint trace of blood.
Xiao Yan slowed and began searching "earnestly" for herbs.
At times, he crouched down and pretended to identify weeds beside the path with care. At others, he frowned at an ordinary shrub, pondered for a moment, then shook his head in disappointment. Every gesture perfectly matched the image of an "inexperienced herb gatherer at Dou Qi Third Stage."
[System notification: Current disguise behavior matches the established profile. No unusual attention attracted.]
Just as his "search" brought him to a stream, his Emperor Realm Soul suddenly caught several familiar presences.
There were three of them, all at the Dou Ling realm, rapidly approaching him with unmistakable malice in their auras.
"The Mo Family got here sooner than I expected." A cold curve lifted Xiao Yan's lips.
He did not act immediately or show any sign of having noticed them. Still crouching by the stream, he pretended to wash the dirt from his hands while secretly calculating their distance and speed.
"Rustle..."
Footsteps sounded behind him, deliberately light and slow. They clearly intended to ambush him.
As though utterly unaware, Xiao Yan kept his head lowered.
"Heh, isn't this the Xiao Clan's 'genius,' Xiao Yan? What brings you to a place like this?" A chilling voice sounded behind him, laden with undisguised mockery.
Xiao Yan turned around "abruptly," his face showing "panic" as he fumbled for the iron saber at his waist. "Who are you? What do you want?"
Three men dressed in black stood before him. Leading them was a middle-aged man with triangular eyes and a sneer on his lips: Mo Feng, captain of the Mo Family's guards, with mid-stage Dou Ling cultivation. The two behind him were also Mo Family guards, both early-stage Dou Lings.
Mo Feng looked Xiao Yan up and down, his eyes full of contempt. "Xiao Yan, stop pretending. We already received word that you'd be coming to the Magical Beast Mountain Range today. Tsk, tsk. Dou Qi Third Stage, yet you dare enter the mountains alone. You must think you've lived too long."
"You're from the Mo Family?" Xiao Yan tightened his grip on the saber, putting on a show of "outward fierceness and inward fear." "I have no quarrel with your Mo Family. What do you want?"
"No quarrel?" Mo Feng looked as though he had heard a joke. "Do I need to remind you of the feud between your Xiao Clan and our Mo Family? But don't worry. We aren't here to kill you."
He paused, greed flashing in his eyes. "Hand over the Xiao Clan's heirloom, then kneel and knock your head against the ground three times. We might just spare your life."
Xiao Yan "glared" at him. "Dream on! Even if I die, I'll never give it to you!"
"You refuse the toast only to drink the forfeit!" Mo Feng's expression darkened. "Seize him! Remember, don't kill him. The family head still needs to question him!"
The two Mo Family guards behind him immediately lunged forward with vicious grins, gathering early-stage Dou Ling Dou Qi in their hands. Clearly, they thought nothing of Xiao Yan and his "Dou Qi Third Stage."
Xiao Yan retreated in "utter panic," "accidentally" tripped over a stone, and fell onto his backside. The iron saber in his hand dropped to one side.
"Hahaha! Trash will always be trash!" One guard laughed as he reached for Xiao Yan's collar.
Just as his hand was about to touch Xiao Yan—
A flicker of indifference passed through Xiao Yan's eyes.
He did not move or even raise his head. He merely gave a soft hmph in his mind.
His Emperor Realm Soul power erupted like the sharpest invisible blade, aimed straight at the guard's soul!
"Urgh..."
The guard's laughter cut off abruptly. His outstretched hand froze in midair, his eyes bulged, and the vicious grin stiffened on his face. Then he slowly collapsed, his pupils unfocused and every trace of life gone—Xiao Yan's soul power had crushed his soul in an instant.
It all happened in a flash of lightning, so quickly that neither Mo Feng nor the other guard had time to react.
"Third Brother?" Mo Feng froze for a moment, looking at his fallen companion in confusion.
The other guard stopped as well and scratched his head. "Big brother, Third Brother, he..."
At that moment, Xiao Yan "caught them off guard," scrambled abruptly to his feet, snatched up the iron saber, and fled "blindly" into the dense forest, "shouting" as he ran, "A ghost! There's a ghost!"
His performance was flawless, vividly portraying the terror of an ordinary person suddenly witnessing a bizarre death.
Hearing his shout and seeing their companion inexplicably collapse, his body cold and utterly lifeless, Mo Feng and the remaining guard felt a chill rise within them.
"After him! He can't get far!" Suppressing his unease, Mo Feng barked at the remaining guard, "That brat must have done something to Third Brother! Catch him. We have to get answers!"
The two hurried after him, failing to notice the slight distortion in space beside the fallen guard's body behind them, as though something had been silently swallowed.
Xiao Yan ran "clumsily" ahead, occasionally bumping "accidentally" into tree trunks. He appeared slow enough to be caught at any moment.
Yet he always maintained a carefully balanced distance, keeping himself within their sight without allowing them to catch up easily.
His Emperor Realm Soul had already locked onto an area a short distance ahead—a place where the spatial nodes were weak, shrouded in miasma year-round and occasionally subject to small spatial rifts.
That's the place.
With a thought, Xiao Yan "stumbled," changed direction, and ran toward the miasma.
Mo Feng and the guard followed closely. Seeing that they were about to catch him, delight spread across their faces.
Upon entering the miasma, their vision immediately blurred. A pungent odor filled the air, and even a single breath left them dizzy.
"Cough, cough... this damned place..." The guard could not help coughing.
Mo Feng frowned, hesitation flashing in his eyes. But recalling the family head's orders and the Xiao Clan's heirloom, he gritted his teeth. "Forget all that. Catch him!"
Just then, Xiao Yan, still running ahead, suddenly "lost his footing" and fell toward an unremarkable clearing.
"Catch him!" Overjoyed, Mo Feng immediately surged forward.
Just as he was about to grab Xiao Yan—
An icy curve lifted the corners of Xiao Yan's mouth.
He did not look back. He merely stirred his thoughts.
With his soul power, he lightly touched the spatial node he had already locked onto.
"Riiip—"
A faint tearing sound rang out. A rift about a foot long suddenly appeared in the space beneath Mo Feng and the guard. Dark light flickered within it, and it exuded a terrifying suction.
"What is that?!" Mo Feng and the guard's expressions changed drastically. They tried to retreat, but it was already too late.
The spatial rift's suction erupted, swallowing them both in an instant!
Just as it had appeared, the rift vanished silently, as though it had never existed.
The miasma drifted slowly, concealing every trace.
Xiao Yan lay on the ground, "still shaken." Only after a long while did he "dare" to raise his head. Seeing no one behind him, he wore an expression of "bewilderment" and "relief at his narrow escape."
"Where did they go? They were right there a moment ago..." he "muttered to himself," struggling to his feet. "Could there... really be ghosts?"
He looked around "fearfully," then fled the miasma "stumbling and scrambling," running deeper into the mountains as though a vengeful ghost were chasing him.
``` [System notification: Successfully eliminated threat targets (3 individuals). Method matches the "accident" premise. No traces remain.]
[Classified as a perfect assassination. Reward issued: Heavenly Flame Sensing Technique (beginner), which enhances the ability to sense heavenly flames.]
Xiao Yan vanished into the depths of the forest, leaving only the silent stretch of miasma and an almost imperceptible fluctuation in the air, the faint residue left after the spatial rift had swallowed its victims.
In the distance, several low-rank magical beasts drawn by the sounds of fighting poked their heads out. Finding the scene deserted, they eventually left in disappointment.
The reaper in the shadows had silently swung his scythe for the first time. And this was only the beginning.
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