Chapter Text
The man carried the unconscious Shen Yuan deep into the forest, following a narrow path hidden beneath overgrown roots and thick vines until a cave came into view.
It was damp.
Cold.
And filled with the lingering scent of blood.
Broken carts, scattered cloth, and abandoned merchant goods were piled near the entrance.
Further inside—
Bodies.
Covered with old blankets, lined against the stone wall.
The missing merchants.
The man looked down at the fox cultivator in his arms and sneered.
"I had to kill so many people just to catch Cang Qiong Mountain's attention."
He brushed a strand of hair away from Shen Yuan's face.
"What a troublesome little fox."
His fingers reached one soft ear and squeezed it.
The ear twitched unconsciously.
"Hm..."
He pulled a dagger from his sleeve.
The blade glinted in the dim light.
"I could cut these off now..."
The tip rested against the fluffy ear.
"...or perhaps I should wait until you're awake."
"So you can scream."
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"Yes."
"That sounds much better."
He sheathed the dagger and instead dragged Shen Yuan toward a stone pillar.
Immortal binding cables wrapped around his wrists and waist before tightening.
The fox couldn't move an inch.
The man stepped back, admiring his work.
"Let's see if the Peak Lord you seduced can save you now."
He disappeared into the shadows.
~
Miles away—
Liu Qingge crushed a communication talisman in his hand.
Golden light shot into the night sky.
Straight toward Cang Qiong Mountain.
For the first time in years—
He didn't care about pride.
He didn't care about appearances.
He only had one thought.
Find Shen Yuan.
Now.
~
Barely an hour later—
Two swords descended from the clouds.
One calm.
One sharp and filled with killing intent.
Yue Qingyuan and Shen Jiu landed almost simultaneously.
The moment Shen Jiu saw Liu Qingge standing alone—
His expression darkened.
"You lost him."
Liu Qingge remained silent.
Shen Jiu laughed bitterly.
"I should've known."
"I never should've let A-Yuan leave Qing Jing Peak, he had always been reckless. And now he's gone."
Each sentence was sharper than a blade.
Liu Qingge accepted every word without argument.
Because Shen Jiu was right.
Yue Qingyuan stepped between them.
"Xiao Jiu."
"We don't have time."
He turned toward Liu Qingge.
"Tell this one everything."
Liu Qingge recounted every detail.
The brothel.
The disguised cultivator.
The poisoned blade.
The escape.
The more he spoke, the colder Shen Jiu's expression became.
When he finished—
Silence.
Yue Qingyuan finally spoke.
"Liu-shidi."
"Search around Heng River."
"This one and Xiao Jiu will search Jin Lan City and every nearby village."
"If the culprit planned this for months..."
"He must have prepared somewhere to hide."
Shen Jiu didn't even glance at Yue Qingyuan at the name.
He simply stepped onto his sword.
"I'm finding my didi."
Then he disappeared into the night.
Yue Qingyuan let out a shaky breath before following.
Leaving Liu Qingge alone.
For only a moment.
The next second—
Cheng Luan shot through the sky.
~
The journey should have taken four hours.
Liu Qingge reached Heng River in two.
He landed hard enough to crack the ground beneath his feet.
His spiritual sense expanded again and again.
Nothing.
He searched the riverbanks.
The abandoned trade road.
The forest.
Every cave.
Every ruined shrine.
Every hunting path.
Nothing.
His heartbeat grew faster.
'Where are you...'
—
Inside the cave—
Shen Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
"...What..."
His throat burned.
His vision blurred.
The ceiling above him was rough stone.
Water dripped somewhere in the darkness.
'A cave...?'
He tried moving, but metal scraped against skin which caused pain shoot through his wrists.
Shen Yuan looked down.
"...Immortal binding cables?"
His heart sank.
'System! Help!'
[System cannot assist Host while far from its primary power source.]
'Don't tell me...'
[Host guessed correctly.]
'...Luo Binghe?'
[Yes. ╥﹏╥]
Shen Yuan wanted to scream.
'Then do something!'
'I can't die again! I just got my memories back! I just reunited with my gege!'
[Host will have to figure it out on his own.]
"...Useless system."
A chuckle echoed through the cave.
"So."
"You're finally awake."
Shen Yuan immediately lifted his head.
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
Middle-aged.
Long hair.
Fine robes.
Cold eyes.
The same face he and Liu qingge had been searching for.
"What do you want from me?"
His ears lowered instinctively.
His three tails puffed up behind him.
The man smiled.
"Relax, little fox."
"I won't hurt you."
"...Yet."
He walked closer.
Slowly.
Almost casually.
"I'm impressed."
"You managed to seduce a Peak Lord."
Shen Yuan stared.
"...Seduce?"
"Yes."
"No."
"No?"
"I didn't seduce anyone!"
The man laughed.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Huli jings have always deceived humans. You charm them. You manipulate them. You make them forget reason."
Shen Yuan almost rolled his eyes.
'Seriously? People still believe that stereotype?'
"I'm literally just existing!"
"You cannot deceive me."
The man crouched until they were eye level.
"If Peak Lord Liu truly cares for you..."
"We'll find out."
His fingers grabbed one fluffy ear.
The ear flattened immediately.
"I wonder..."
He slowly drew out his dagger.
"...whether I should start with your tails..."
"...or your ears."
Shen Yuan's breathing quickened.
But his expression remained calm.
His hands slowly shifted behind the pillar.
His claws extended.
Quietly.
Carefully.
The sharp tips began scraping against the immortal binding cables.
Tiny threads loosened.
Not enough.
Not yet.
The man stood again.
"I'll give him until sunrise."
"If he fails..."
His gaze drifted toward Shen Yuan's tails.
"I'll remove one."
"And then another."
"And another."
Until nothing remained.
He disappeared back into the darkness.
Leaving only silence.
Shen Yuan leaned against the stone pillar.
His claws continued cutting.
Slowly.
Painfully.
His fingers trembled.
Each movement scraped his skin raw.
The cables barely weakened.
His ears flattened completely.
"...Qingge..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"...where are you..."
~
More than a shichen passed.
Outside, the first light of dawn filtered through the cracks in the cave ceiling.
Inside, Shen Yuan's breathing had become uneven.
The immortal binding cables continued to suppress his spiritual energy, making every movement feel unbearably heavy.
The man stepped in front of him once more.
"So."
He folded his arms.
"It seems your Peak Lord is taking longer than I expected."
Shen Yuan lowered his ears.
"..."
The man reached toward the fox's tails.
Shen Yuan instinctively shrank back.
"No..."
The man ignored him.
With a rough tug, pain shot through Shen Yuan's body, forcing a muffled cry from his throat.
His vision blurred as red splattered against the pillar and poured on the ground.
His remaining tails immediately puffed up in fear.
Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as he struggled against the restraints.
The man calmly examined the fox tail now in his hand.
He smiled.
"It's been a long time since I've seen one this beautiful."
He turned it over thoughtfully.
"If your protector doesn't arrive soon..."
His gaze returned to Shen Yuan.
"...I'm afraid I'll grow impatient."
Shen Yuan shook his head desperately.
Even while trembling, his hands hidden behind the pillar continued scraping at the immortal binding cables with his claws.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The strands were finally beginning to fray.
Just a little more.
Just a little—
—
Elsewhere, Liu Qingge stood before the roaring waterfall.
His breathing was controlled.
His heart was anything but.
His spiritual sense swept over the area once again.
This time—
Something felt wrong.
Behind the falling water was a narrow opening concealed by moss and stone.
Without hesitation, Cheng Luan left its sheath.
Liu Qingge stepped inside.
The cave was dark.
Silent.
Too silent.
—
The kidnapper's eyes narrowed.
Someone had entered.
He immediately extinguished the nearby lantern and concealed his spiritual energy within the shadows.
Before retreating, he shoved a cloth between Shen Yuan's lips.
"Be quiet."
Shen Yuan's eyes widened.
No.
No, Qingge—
Don't come closer—
Liu Qingge heard it.
A faint sound.
Barely audible over the rushing water.
A muffled whimper.
His pupils contracted.
"Shen Yuan?"
No answer.
He rushed deeper into the cave.
Then stopped.
For a single heartbeat, his mind went blank.
Shen Yuan was tied against a stone pillar, his robes torn from struggling against the restraints, his face pale and streaked with tears.
His remaining tails trembled uncontrollably.
One was missing.
Liu Qingge was beside him almost instantly.
The sword in his hand disappeared.
Instead, he reached for the restraints.
"I'm here."
His normally steady voice shook.
"You're safe. Don't be scared."
He removed the cloth from Shen Yuan's mouth and draped his own outer robe over his shoulders.
"I'm taking you home."
Shen Yuan looked at him with frantic eyes.
He shook his head repeatedly.
"Q-Qingge..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"Behind—!"
Too late.
A presence burst from the darkness.
Shen Yuan's instincts moved before thought.
With a desperate surge of strength, he forced his weakened arms apart.
The damaged cables snapped.
He grabbed Liu Qingge and pulled him away.
The two of them switched places.
Steel flashed.
A heavy impact struck Shen Yuan from behind.
Everything became quiet.
For one frozen second, nobody moved.
Then Cheng Luan answered its master's fury.
A single arc of light swept through the cave.
Silence returned.
Liu Qingge didn't even look at the fallen attacker.
His entire attention was on the fox collapsing into his arms.
He lowered Shen Yuan carefully onto the ground.
His hands were unsteady as he pressed spiritual energy into the wound, trying to stabilize him.
"Shen Yuan."
No response.
"Look at me."
Shen Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
"...Where's..."
His voice was weak.
"...jiu-ge...?"
"He's coming."
Liu Qingge answered immediately.
"He'll be here soon."
"So stay awake."
The usually fearless Peak Lord sounded almost pleading.
"I'm supposed to protect you."
Shen Yuan managed a tiny, exhausted smile.
"...I'm..."
"...fine..."
"My body..."
"...usually heals at this point..."
He wasn't entirely sure if that was true under the long effects of the immortal binding cables.
But he still wanted Liu Qingge to stop blaming himself.
Liu Qingge tightened his grip.
"You are not allowed to sleep."
"..."
"...Shen Yuan?"
The fox's eyes slowly drifted closed.
His breathing remained steady, but he no longer answered.
For the first time in many years, Liu Qingge felt completely helpless.
All he could do was hold Shen Yuan close and wait for the sound of approaching swords from the sky.