"Rest for fifteen minutes, eat something, then look for the entrance." As Shen Fei spoke, he found a relatively clean stone step to sit on and took a wheat cake from his backpack.
Xiao Ning'er sat down as well, keeping a moderate distance from him. She took a sip from her waterskin, and her gaze drifted back to Shen Fei almost without her realizing it.
She still could not quite understand why Shen Fei had handed over the Legendary Fragment so easily.
Those were Legend Rank treasures. Even the heads of the Three Great Peak Families could not have treated them with complete indifference.
She watched him for quite a while, but Shen Fei merely kept his head lowered, slowly chewing his wheat cake. His expression remained blank, as though he had already put everything that had happened out of his mind.
Xiao Ning'er withdrew her gaze and took out her own rations. She lowered her head and bit into a wheat cake. It was as dry and hard as ever, yet her heart was no longer as calm as before.
The two left the ruins of the City Lord's Mansion and followed the route they had memorized toward the meeting point on the northern side of the ruins.
The broken walls grew more densely packed as they went. Wild grass rose above their ankles, rustling beneath their feet.
Shen Fei led the way, occasionally stopping to listen for movement around them.
Since the beast tide ambush, the nearby Demon Beasts had become noticeably more active. Low roars sounded in the distance from time to time, muffled and heavy as they carried through the ruins.
Xiao Ning'er followed behind him. After a night's rest, the wound on her left arm had improved considerably, though any broad movement still pulled at it painfully.
As she walked, she watched the traces they left behind, occasionally sweeping away their footprints with her foot to avoid drawing any trailing Demon Beasts. Neither spoke much, exchanging only a few quiet words at turns or whenever they noticed something unusual.
After a little over two hours, faint voices reached them from the ruins ahead, along with the sharp clatter of stones. Shen Fei raised a hand to signal Xiao Ning'er to stop, slipped behind a broken wall, and peered toward the sounds.
The meeting point was beside a half-collapsed stone tower. Beneath it had once been the entrance to a passage leading to the ruins' second level, but fallen rubble now blocked it completely.
Nie Li crouched at the front, using a length of iron rod to pry at a massive stone blocking the opening. Ye Ziyun stood beside him, occasionally passing him a cloth while keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.
The others were members of the Sacred Nether Family. Their leader, Sheng Mingyuan, had dust on his face and several tears in his clothes. He was directing them as they hauled rubble away from the entrance.
They seemed to have arrived only recently and were planning to clear the passage to the second level.
Shen Fei drew back and nodded to Xiao Ning'er. "It's them. Let's go." The two emerged from behind the broken wall and headed straight toward the stone tower.
The group soon noticed their approach. Sheng Mingyuan was the first to raise his head. When he saw who they were, his brows shifted slightly, and he stopped what he was doing.
Ye Ziyun also turned around, surprise showing on her face. Clearly, she had not expected the two of them to arrive together.
Nie Li stopped working as well and straightened to look at them. His gaze swept over the two, from the bloodstains on the hem of Shen Fei's clothes to the strips of cloth wrapped around Xiao Ning'er's left arm, before settling on their slightly weary expressions.
He did not ask where they had been these past two days or what they had encountered. He merely gave a slight nod in greeting.
"I'm glad you're all right." Sheng Mingyuan took two steps forward, his tone polite. "After the beast tide scattered us, we thought you'd retreated south. We were just saying we'd send someone to look for you once we'd cleared the passage."
"We ran into a few Demon Beasts and took a detour," Shen Fei replied casually, offering no details. "How did things go on your end? You didn't lose anyone, did you?"
"We lost track of two branch-family members when we were scattered, but we reunited on the eastern mountain trail. Everyone's fine." As Sheng Mingyuan spoke, he tilted his head toward the entrance. "We only just got here and were planning to clear the passage and head down to the second level.
"If you have no objections, shall we go together? With more people, we can look out for one another."
Shen Fei did not answer immediately. He turned to glance at Nie Li, who was crouching again, stirring the rubble on the ground with his iron rod as though studying the pattern of the collapse.
Hearing Sheng Mingyuan's words, he spoke without raising his head. "Don't go any farther in. There's something wrong with the Beast Horde around here. There are more than twice as many as usual. If we go deeper, we could easily get trapped inside."
His voice was quiet, but it carried a conviction that inspired confidence. Ye Ziyun chimed in beside him.
"Nie Li has a point. On our way here, we encountered three groups of patrolling beasts, all Silver Rank. They seemed organized. Going any deeper would be too dangerous."
Sheng Mingyuan frowned, clearly reluctant to give up. They had finally reached the entrance to the ruins; turning back now would mean the whole trip had been for nothing.
The family members beside him looked equally unwilling and began murmuring that, after coming all this way, it would be a shame not to go inside and take a look. Nie Li ignored their discussion, stood up, and brushed the dust from his hands.
"The second level is full of restrictions. Without someone to guide you, you'd be lucky if two out of ten people made it out alive. If you want to throw your lives away, I won't stop you."
His words were blunt, sparing them no dignity at all.
Sheng Mingyuan's expression immediately darkened, but although he opened his mouth, he ultimately offered no rebuttal. He knew perfectly well that the Elder Restriction was no joking matter. He had heard of expedition teams meeting their end on the second level before, their remains never even recovered.
Shen Fei spoke at just the right moment. "I also think heading back would be safer. This beast tide was strange. It didn't seem like a coincidence. If people from the Dark Guild are nearby too, our little group won't be nearly enough."
At his mention of the Dark Guild, everyone froze for a moment.
Sheng Mingyuan's expression shifted slightly. Clearly, he too had recalled the suspicious circumstances of the earlier ambush in the canyon. After a few seconds of silence, he finally nodded. "All right. We'll head back.
"We came out mainly to gain experience anyway. There's no need to gamble our lives." They quickly reached an agreement, abandoned their work on the passage, packed away their tools, and formed up for the return journey.
Before setting off, everyone gathered together and briefly compared what they had found along the way.
Sheng Mingyuan's group had found several mature medicinal herbs on the eastern mountain trail, along with a few low-tier inscription fragments. Better than nothing.
Nie Li and Ye Ziyun had come around through the dense forest to the west and picked up a few uncommon ores, but nothing particularly valuable.
When Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er's turn came, Shen Fei merely said they had killed a few Demon Beasts along the way and collected several Demon Crystals. He mentioned neither the hidden compartment in the City Lord's Mansion nor the Legendary Fragment.
Xiao Ning'er tacitly kept silent as well, merely nodding slightly to support Shen Fei's account.
Nie Li's gaze passed over their faces. He neither exposed them nor pressed for details, as though he did not care in the slightest whether they were holding anything back.
The group soon set off, retracing their route toward Glory City.
Shen Fei deliberately stayed toward the rear, keeping several paces between himself and those ahead.
As he walked, he listened for movement around them while also observing Nie Li up ahead.
Nie Li walked beside Ye Ziyun. He spoke little, yet whenever the group took a wrong turn, he always managed to point out the correct direction without drawing attention to himself.
Several times, when they encountered scattered Demon Beasts, he was also the first to notice them and led the group around them in advance.
The journey back went much more smoothly than the journey out.
There was strength in numbers, and ordinary Demon Beasts did not dare approach them lightly. Occasionally, a Bronze- or Silver Rank Beast Horde foolish enough to charge them appeared, but everyone joined forces and quickly dealt with them without much effort.
Along the way, they encountered no more large-scale beast tides and did not run into anyone from the Dark Guild.
At last, they caught sight of Glory City's walls in the distance. The towering blue-gray walls rose above the plain, flags fluttering along the battlements, with the figures of sentries faintly visible.
People streamed through the city gates: farmers carrying shoulder poles, merchant caravans hauling goods, and members of the City Guard coming and going. The lively warmth of everyday life reached them even from far away.
Returning from the deserted ruins to a bustling city, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Once the tension of the past several days eased, fatigue washed over them, yet their steps grew considerably lighter.
At the gates, the soldiers checked their identity tokens as usual. Seeing that they were members of the great families, they did not make things difficult and soon let them through.
The moment they passed through the gates, the clamor of city life swept over them.
Street vendors called out to customers, white steam rose from a steamed-bun shop, and a blacksmith's shop rang with constant hammering.
Passersby came and went with ordinary smiles on their faces. No one knew what these young family members had just experienced beyond the walls. The group stopped near the gates, ready to part ways.
Sheng Mingyuan offered a few polite words, saying that everyone had benefited from looking out for one another and that they should travel together again if the opportunity arose.
With that, he turned and left with the Sacred Nether Family members. The remaining members of the smaller families also said their goodbyes and headed home.
Only Shen Fei, Xiao Ning'er, Nie Li, and Ye Ziyun remained by the roadside. Ye Ziyun looked at Xiao Ning'er, then at Shen Fei, and spoke with a smile.
"We really were lucky this time. Everyone made it back safely. Ning'er, if you don't have anything else to do, would you like to come with us?" Xiao Ning'er shook her head, her gaze resting briefly on Shen Fei.
"I won't be joining you. I still have something to do, so I'll head back to the Winged Dragon Family first."
As she spoke, she turned to Shen Fei and inclined her head slightly. "Thank you for everything this time. I'll contact you later."
She kept her words discreet, making no mention of the scrolls. Only the two of them understood what she meant. Shen Fei nodded, his tone even. "It was no trouble. Be careful on your way."
Xiao Ning'er said nothing more and turned down an alley beside the street.
Her plainly dressed figure soon disappeared into the crowd.
Ye Ziyun looked curiously after Xiao Ning'er, then back at Shen Fei. She seemed to want to ask something, but ultimately remained silent.
Nie Li stood beside her with his hands tucked into his sleeves, his expression composed, as though he were thinking about something.
"We'll be going too, then."
Ye Ziyun nodded politely to Shen Fei and tugged at Nie Li's arm. Nie Li withdrew his gaze and glanced at Shen Fei. Without speaking, he merely gave a slight nod and left with Ye Ziyun.
Shen Fei remained where he was, watching their figures recede into the distance before turning toward the Sacred Family.
He headed west along the main street, the scenery on either side growing increasingly familiar. When he reached the Sacred Family estate, the guards at the gate recognized him, bowed, and let him in without further questions.
The estate was much as it had been when he left. Servants swept the courtyard as usual, while the steward stood at the entrance to the front hall checking the accounts. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, and a smile appeared on his face when he saw Shen Fei.
"You're back, young master? Did your trip go smoothly?" "Well enough," Shen Fei answered casually without stopping. "Where's my father?" "The master is handling family affairs in his study."
The steward asked attentively, "Shall I have someone prepare hot water and a meal for you?" "No need. I'll just rest in my room for a while. Don't send anyone to disturb me."
Shen Fei waved a hand and headed straight for his own courtyard.
He did not go to the study to report to Shen Hong, nor did he greet Shen Yue. There was no need to tell his family about what he had gained in the ruins. Saying too much would only invite suspicion.
Once he returned to his courtyard, shut the door, and slid the bolt into place, the whole world fell quiet.
Shen Fei took the pack off his back, set it on the table, and poured himself a cup of cold water, drinking more than half of it in one gulp.
The journey had left him travel-worn, covered in dust and a faint scent of blood, with several places on his clothes worn through. Yet instead of cleaning himself up immediately, he first went to the bed, lifted its board, and opened the hidden compartment.
He took the Gold Rank 1-Star Ironclad Beast's Demon Crystal from his pack, along with several pieces of its stripped armor, and carefully placed them inside.
These things could not see the light of day yet. He would have to wait for a suitable opportunity to deal with them.
Only after that did he sit at the table, close his eyes, and slowly circulate the soul force within his body. The aura of the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art flowed gently through his meridians, carrying a weightiness born of having settled and deepened.
During this trip, he had fought several hard battles in succession and spent days traveling through the ruins. His cultivation appeared unchanged, but his foundation had grown considerably firmer.
Especially during that fight to the death with the Ironclad Beast, pushing his soul force to its limits had widened his meridians a little further and refined his control over his power.
Beyond that, his greatest gains were still those two fragmentary Legendary Inscription scrolls. Although they were not in his possession, as long as Nie Li could restore even a portion of them, it would be an enormous boon to Glory City's defenses.
Giving them to someone who could use them was far more valuable than letting them rot in his own hands.
Shen Fei opened his eyes and looked outside. A light still burned in the direction of Shen Hong's study; presumably, he was still handling family affairs. The sounds of servants moving about drifted in from beyond the courtyard, along with Shen Yue's distant cries as he practiced his swordsmanship.
Everything was as it always had been. No one knew what he had experienced on this trip or what he had brought back.
He liked things this way. Only by remaining hidden in the shadows, away from attention, could he quietly lay his plans and quietly grow stronger. The days ahead would remain much as before.
During the day, he would help organize accounts and correspondence in the study, keep an eye on the Dark Guild's movements, and attend classes at the Holy Orchid Institute on time. At night, he would cultivate the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art and hone his coordination with the Shadow Mantis.
The trip to the ruins had been only a minor interlude. The real wind and waves still lay ahead. The Demon Beast Tide, the Dark Guild, and the unfathomable Nie Li-everything was moving forward.
All he needed to do was remain concealed and wait patiently for the next opportunity to place a piece on the board.
Shen Fei stood, walked over to the washbasin, and fetched water to slowly wipe the dust from his face. The bronze mirror reflected a youthful face, but his eyes held far more composure than those of his peers.
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