Once the journey was set, a strange calm washed over Gu Xingyu. She hoped this trip wouldn't just be a frantic chase following the watch's guidance, but a trial—one of trust, bonds, and difficult choices. This group came from vastly different backgrounds with clashing personalities, but she believed that as long as they moved toward the same horizon, they would eventually become true comrades.
She decided not to rush the departure.
First, Li Yan's wounds needed time to close; second, they all needed a rare moment to breathe and prepare. She proposed a seven-day window to gather supplies and gear.
During those days, the Yao-Clinic found a rhythm of its own.
Lin Lie became a ghost, haunting the corners of the workshop. Box after box of components were hauled from the shelves—clinking, welding, adjusting. Aside from eating and "relieving himself in the backyard" (as Sang Qi put it), he never left his pile of machinery.
One afternoon, curiosity got the better of Xingyu. She squatted beside him, watching as he adjusted a Yao-crystal spindle with surgical precision. "What are you actually building? You've been at this for days, and you're acting so secretive about it."
Lin Lie didn't look up. "You'll know when the experiment succeeds."
"Not even a hint?" she pressed.
Lin Lie finally raised his head, nudging his goggles up. "The hint is—we won't have to rely on our feet to travel that far."
Xingyu's eyes lit up. "A vehicle?"
Lin Lie didn't answer. He simply submerged himself back into the complex mechanical structure.
Elsewhere, Sang Qi was a whirlwind of activity. Between treating villagers, he spent his time grinding powders and pressing pills. The clinic was thick with the bitter, fresh scent of herbs.
"Don't disturb me," he muttered, packing pills with practiced speed. "I have to prepare thirty days' worth of internal and external medicine for all of you. I have to account for body types, seasons, and potential emergencies... Honestly, you lot are such a headache. I should have never agreed to go."
Xingyu only laughed, handing him a cup of tea. "Then you'd better pack something for 'internal heat.' If Luo Ye and Cang Lan start bickering on the road, your head will be the first thing that hurts."
"Ha! Good point."
Luo Ye, meanwhile, had claimed the backyard kitchen. "This is my secret jerky recipe—lasts ten days without spoiling," he boasted,脫模ging steaming rice cakes. "And these dried fruit cakes are perfect for energy. Xingyu, taste this. Is it too sweet?"
Xingyu took a bite and nodded enthusiastically. "It's perfect. You could open a shop with this."
"Of course," Luo Ye grinned. "To travel far, one must eat well."
Li Yan was the model patient. He focused entirely on his rehabilitation and meditation. He spoke little, but the weight in his gaze told Xingyu that his heart had already flown back to Gray-Fang Ridge.
While everyone was busy preparing for war, one person remained an outlier: Cang Lan. The Water-bearer came and went like a breeze. He would vanish for three days and then reappear exactly at mealtime. "Is there osmanthus cake this morning? I dreamt about it last night."
Sang Qi sighed. "You're Water, not Smoke. Stop acting like an immortal."
Cang Lan only shrugged, sitting by the window to enjoy his snack. "I have a responsibility to test if Luo Ye's food is edible, don't I?"
Watching this lively chaos, Xingyu felt a warmth in her chest. These days were brief and precious. She knew that once they left, the leisure would vanish. But she also knew—they were ready.
On the morning of the seventh day, before the sun had fully risen, a series of metallic clicks echoed in the backyard. Xingyu hurried toward the sound, rubbing sleep from her eyes, and froze.
"What... is that?"
Lin Lie adjusted his goggles. "All-Terrain Yao-Crystal Drive Rover. The Yao-Rover. Seats four, auto-balancing, capable of crossing rugged mountain paths and muddy riverbeds."
Xingyu stared at the marvel of fantasy and mechanics. The body was a low, sturdy metallic chassis with three retractable crystal-drive wheel sets. A cargo platform was attached to the rear, and sensory wings for Yao-balance lined the sides.
"It looks like a mini off-road tank..." she marveled. "You built this in a week?"
"It was based on my grandfather's prototype sketches. I just adapted it for our materials," Lin Lie said. "The final test was completed at midnight. We leave now."
"Can I sit in it? I don't want to walk," Xingyu asked with a playful, slightly spoiled tone.
Lin Lie cleared his throat, averting his eyes. "You... have first priority."
The packing took all morning. Luo Ye loaded the jerky and water skins; Sang Qi stuffed in an extra bag of herbs that he insisted would "definitely be needed." Xingyu checked the map against the watch's glow. Their path would take them through two hills and a woodland toward an unnamed territory.
"Let's move," she said, tucking the watch away.
The Yao-Rover hummed as it glided along the ridge paths. By afternoon, a dense belt of trees appeared ahead—the Azure Abyss Woods.
"The map says we just need to cut through here," Lin Lie noted.
"This forest..." Sang Qi frowned, sniffing the air. "It smells wrong. Cold, damp, like rotting herbs."
Xingyu looked up. A layer of white mist clung to the trees like a heavy shroud. "The weather is perfect everywhere else. Why is it only foggy here?"
As they entered, the temperature plummeted. A damp pressure filled the air.
"This place makes me restless," Luo Ye grumbled. "I can't breathe right."
Cang Lan, who usually fussed over his appearance, sat silently at the back with his eyes closed.
"Sang Qi," Xingyu whispered. "Is this just normal fog?"
"No," Sang Qi's voice was uncharacteristically grim. "This mist disrupts Yao-Qi. It weakens the will and clouds the mind. We've entered a Phantom Mist."
"Luo Ye, stop the horse!" Lin Lie commanded. "We can't go further, or—"
Before he could finish, the Yao-Rover jolted violently as if it had run over something. A thicker surge of mist swirled around them like a living creature, swallowing the vehicle whole.
The world turned to white.