"Eh?! Benefactor, what are you—"
Before Jiu Jiu could finish her cry, her whole body was suddenly yanked up by an overwhelming force and hurled straight across the riverbed!
Her target was none other than a freshly lit shard of silver-white crystal more than ten zhang away.
The change came so suddenly and so fast that it was almost impossible to react!
Mid-air, her eyes went round, her face written full of shock and disbelief, like she'd never imagined Xie Zhaolin would suddenly pull something like this. But just as she was about to crash into the area riddled with black holes—
Her body twisted in midair with feather-light grace. Her skirt flared as she spun, then she landed perfectly on the palm-sized shard of silver-white crystal, as though she'd weighed nothing at all.
The shard glimmered faintly, supporting her without cracking or fading.
She stood on one foot, her body steady as stone, even giving off an air of leisure, as if that heart-stopping moment had never happened. Patting her not-so-frightened chest, she turned to look back at Xie Zhaolin. Instead of fear, her face bloomed with a dazzlingly mischievous smile. Her voice rang out, brimming with excitement.
"Wow! Benefactor, that was amazing! Totally worth a thousand spirit stones! Do it again, come on!"
She didn't look like someone who needed protection. In fact, she looked more like she was playing a game. Laughing, Jiu Jiu bounced lightly, hopping from shard to shard with flawless precision. In just a few jumps, she'd made it to the opposite bank with ease.
She waved back at Xie Zhaolin. "Benefactor! Hurry up, it's easy!"
Without a word, Xie Zhaolin moved. Her body blurred as she pushed Misty Step to its limit. Reading the rhythm of the flickering shards, she crossed the riverbed effortlessly, her robes not even brushing a speck of dust.
The two met each other's gaze.
Jiu Jiu was still grinning like an airheaded fool, but deep in her eyes there was a flicker of seriousness, maybe even admiration.
Xie Zhaolin's face stayed cold, but inside, her estimation of this temporary companion shifted upward again. Dangerous, but useful—for now.
"Let's go." Her tone was flat, as she strode toward the cave entrance.
Jiu Jiu quickly caught up. She didn't chatter this time, though the corners of her mouth curved with amusement.
Past the riverbed, the barren stone mountain loomed ahead, its dark cave entrance yawning open. Up close, the edges of the cave weren't bare rock at all. Twisted, iron-black vines clung to the walls, snaking deep into the darkness within. They gave off an oppressive, ominous presence.
"This is it," Jiu Jiu said, pointing toward the cave with her usual explanatory tone. "The entrance to Youji Shàngrén's cave abode. See those dead vines? They're Iron Corpse Vines, lying dormant. They're one of the guardians of the abode. Normally they sleep, only attacking if…"
She seemed extremely familiar with this place, and was about to explain how to safely pass through.
"All we need is a few drops of Springwater—" she began, rummaging in her storage bracelet for a jade vial.
But before she could finish—
Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!
The vines that had seemed dead just moments before suddenly writhed wildly!
As if injected with violent life, their blackened bodies turned glossy and slick, sinister blood-red markings crawling across their surface.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Dozens of vines lashed out with terrifying speed, slicing through the air with ear-splitting cracks. They shot straight for the two of them, focusing most of their ferocity on Xie Zhaolin, whipping, stabbing, and stabbing again!
The assault was far beyond a mere guardian's casual strike. It was more like they'd recognized a sworn enemy.
"What?!" Jiu Jiu's carefree face froze into shock and disbelief. "That's impossible! They've never—"
She clearly hadn't expected this. Everything she knew contradicted what she was seeing.
Xie Zhaolin's reaction was instantaneous. The instant the vines stirred, her heart roared with alarm. She didn't wait for Jiu Jiu to finish. Her body slid back in a blur, Misty Step shifting her like flowing smoke.
Rip!
Several vines stabbed down where she'd just stood, piercing the ground and leaving deep, bottomless holes.
More vines whipped out, trying to ensnare her.
Xie Zhaolin wove through the cramped space at breakneck speed, her Liuyun Ribbon swirling around her, barely deflecting strike after strike. Every lash carried monstrous force. When they struck the Liuyun Ribbon, the impacts thundered, sending painful tremors through her arm. Her gaze sharpened, ice-cold, her full focus locked on survival against the ferocious assault.
On the other side, Jiu Jiu was caught off guard, a few vines wrapping around her ankles and wrists. But that golden light flared around her body again, soft yet unyielding.
Crack!
The vines strong enough to crush steel slammed into the barrier and snapped apart instead, shattered by the rebound force. The broken tendrils shrank back like wounded vipers, dripping foul, black liquid.
Standing untouched within the glow, Jiu Jiu stared at the violent scene. Her shock quickly shifted into blazing curiosity and excitement.
"Whoa! Whoa!"
Instead of fear, her eyes shone as she stared at the raging vines attacking Xie Zhaolin. "Why? Did they mutate? Or sense something special?"
She looked like a child discovering a new toy, completely absorbed.
"Benefactor! Hold on! I need to study this! This is worth ten thousand top-grade spirit stones in research alone!" She even leaned forward, like she wanted to get a closer look.
Xie Zhaolin's expression twitched at the corner. She didn't have time to think about why these vines had gone berserk. But seeing Jiu Jiu so gleeful while she fought for her life was beyond irritating.
"Shut up!" Her shout was sharp as she dodged a sweeping strike. The Liuyun Ribbon coiled around one vine, letting her vault backward and buy a breath of space.
The vines seemed to have singled her out, barely sparing a glance for Jiu Jiu's golden shield.
"Find a way!" Her voice rang like iron, laced with command. "Or I'll throw you straight into the vines!"