Yue Qingqian moved through the twisting, wind-swept tunnels of the Blackwind Caverns like a hunted animal. Her scavenger disguise, combined with the presence-dampening talisman and the Breath-Concealing Pearl, made her blend into the shadows, but her heart hammered against her ribs. Every flicker of phosphorescent light, every gust of wind seemed like a potential threat. The heavy weight of the Harmony-Sealing Pouch containing the Deep Ocean Black Iron felt like a physical burden, a beacon calling disaster down upon her.
She stuck to the western passage, the alternate escape route Lin Fan had designated. This tunnel was narrower and less traveled than the main path, its walls slick with moisture and echoing with the unsettling groans of the mountain. She encountered a few other cloaked figures heading deeper into the caverns, likely latecomers to the Ghost Market, but she kept her head down and hurried past, avoiding any interaction.
Once, a sudden, violent gust of wind howled through a side passage, carrying with it a chilling shriek that spoke of a disturbed Wind Demon. Yue Qingqian froze, pressing herself flat against the cold stone wall, her hand instinctively reaching for an escape talisman. The shrieking faded into the distance. She waited a full minute, listening intently, before cautiously proceeding.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she saw a faint glimmer of pale moonlight ahead. The exit. She didn't rush the final few steps, forcing herself to maintain a cautious pace until she stepped out from the jagged cavern mouth and into the cold night air of the desolate valley.
She didn't stop. Following Lin Fan's instructions, she immediately moved away from the entrance, finding cover behind a cluster of large, wind-eroded boulders nearly half a li away – the pre-arranged primary rendezvous point. Only then did she allow herself to lean against the cold rock, taking deep, ragged breaths, her senses still straining for any sign of pursuit.
Meanwhile, back in the Ghost Market cavern, Lin Fan remained hidden in the shadows of the collapsed stalactite formation. He watched Yue Qingqian make the purchase, saw the brief confrontation with the other bidder, and observed her steady, swift departure towards the western tunnel. He didn't move immediately. He needed to ensure no one followed her and that her departure didn't trigger any unusual reactions from the market organizers or other attendees.
He scanned the crowd, paying particular attention to the hulking guard at the ore stall and the disgruntled bidder who had lost out. The guard simply returned to his statuesque immobility. The bidder lingered for a moment, then shrugged and moved on, apparently deeming the price too high or the risk of confronting the guard too great. No alarms were raised. No black-clad organizers emerged from the shadows. The transaction, while attracting minor attention, seemed to have passed without major incident.
Satisfied that Yue Qingqian had made a clean getaway, Lin Fan waited another ten minutes, allowing the flow of the market to return to its previous rhythm. Then, he too began his extraction. He didn't use the western tunnel Yue Qingqian had taken; using the same escape route was predictable. Instead, he melted back into the crowd, circling around to the main entrance tunnel he had originally used. He moved fluidly, just another anonymous, masked figure leaving the market, drawing no attention.
He navigated the howling tunnels back to the surface, his senses sharp, confirming he wasn't being followed. Once outside, he didn't head directly towards the rendezvous point. Instead, he took a wide, circuitous route through the rocky terrain, doubling back once to ensure he wasn't trailed, before finally approaching the cluster of boulders from the opposite direction Yue Qingqian had.
He saw her masked figure huddled in the shadows, alert and waiting. He gave a soft, pre-arranged bird call. She instantly relaxed, recognizing the signal.
He slipped into the cover beside her. "Report," he whispered, his voice low.
"Acquired. No pursuit detected. Minor encounter with Wind Demon echo in western tunnel, non-incident. Exit clear," Yue Qingqian reported concisely, her voice steady now.
"Confirmed," Lin Fan replied. "Main exit clear. No pursuit detected from my end."
He held out his hand. Yue Qingqian passed him the Harmony-Sealing Pouch. Lin Fan performed another quick scan with his instruments, confirming the contents were undisturbed and the sealing runes were intact.
"Good," he breathed, a wave of profound relief washing over him, quickly suppressed. "Phase one complete."
He looked back towards the distant, ominous entrance to the Blackwind Caverns, then up at the sliver of moon. "We move now. Different route back to the peak. Stay alert."
They rose, two shadows detaching themselves from the deeper darkness of the boulders. They didn't take flight immediately, instead moving swiftly and silently on foot through the broken terrain for several li, using the natural cover to mask their departure before finally ascending into the night sky, their disguised auras merging with the cold mountain wind.
They had entered the viper pit, stolen one of its treasures, and escaped unscathed. It was a victory, hard-won and perilous. But as they flew towards the illusory safety of Xiao Xiao Peak, Lin Fan knew this was only one battle. The materials were still incomplete, the array unbuilt, and the eyes of Elder Zhao, the Sect Master, and the ever-watchful Heavenly Dao were still upon them. Their race against time had only just begun.