Ti passed more quickly than expected.
It had barely been three weeks since Lin Mu sent out the ssage, and already, a courier from the Smoldering Rock rchant Union arrived at their courtyard, carrying an exquisitely engraved jade box sealed with radiant golden sigils. The aura that pulsed from it was ethereal—so faint that only cultivators of a certain realm could even perceive it, yet unmistakably potent.
Lin Mu was imdiately notified, and the group gathered in the main hall to receive it.
"Looks like the horn made it here sooner than we thought," Daoist Chu remarked, glancing at the courier, who was still trembling slightly from the pressure of being in Lin Mu’s presence.
"Lady Kang never disappoints," Lin Mu said with a faint smile, receiving the jade box personally.
"Did she say anything else?" ng Bai asked, watching intently as Lin Mu examined the seals.
"She kept the channel open," Lin Mu replied. "If we need anything else from her or the Auction House, they’ll respond imdiately."
"I don’t know whether to be amazed or terrified at your connections," Elyon muttered, arms crossed.
"You’ll get used to it," ng Bai said with a grin.
While the others exchanged light banter, Elyon had already sent out a ssage through his own channels. It didn’t take long before a reply ca, and just a day later, a tall, hooded individual arrived at the courtyard under the guise of a traveling trader.
He didn’t speak much. rely handed over a jade slip with a bow, received a pouch from Elyon, and left the mont his task was done.
"Always professional," Elyon comnted, flipping the jade slip into his hand and reading its contents through a layer of darkness. "Got it."
While he hadn’t said much he had certainly managed to make an extra deal in their favor for later.
"What does it say?" Lin Mu asked, placing the horn on the table and activating the first layer of its protective seal.
"It confirms our theory," Elyon replied, his tone grim. "The Illusory River Unicorn Horn was ordered by soone affiliated with the Ephera Sect. But here’s the strange part—he wasn’t from the sect directly. More like... a supplier. Middleman. They’re outsourcing the task of finding rare artifacts for rituals or formations."
"That tracks," Daoist Chu said, tapping his fingers thoughtfully. "The Ephera Sect is known for being elusive. Letting others do their dirty work while they keep their hands clean."
"There’s more," Elyon added. "The courier traced the delivery of those Human Blood Essence Crystals. The destination was a remote valley further south of the Ashen Forest. Mountainous, heavily obscured, but... active. Several wagons were seen coming and going. Disguised as herb shipnts, but none of the herbs matched the region’s flora."
"That’s our next stop then," Lin Mu said, eyes narrowing. "But first, the horn."
He turned his attention back to the jade box. With practiced ease, he deactivated the seals, causing a soft hum to reverberate through the room.
Inside was a single, smooth spiral horn, nearly the length of a grown man’s forearm. It shimred with a gentle opalescent glow, and when the lid was removed, the ambient qi in the room seed to twist slightly—like reality itself was bending in its presence.
Elyon stepped forward cautiously.
"That’s it. Illusory River Unicorn Horn. Rare even among beasts of legend. It allows one to glimpse through the fog of fate itself. Perfect for divination rituals."
"They’ve already divined before and probably need stronger materials for better results." Daoist Chu said. "We can’t let them divine uninterrupted. It could reveal too much... or allow them to find what they shouldn’t."
Lin Mu nodded. "If we move now, we can cut their plans short."
He turned to Elyon. "You said the courier marked the location?"
"Right here," Elyon said, projecting a darkness-imbued map into the air. "The southern fork of the Ashen Ridge. There’s a set of caverns along the path. Used to be an abandoned jade quarry from what I gathered. That’s where the Blood Essence Crystals went."
"Two locations. Two pieces of the puzzle," Lin Mu said. "But only one can be approached at a ti."
"No," Daoist Chu interrupted. "I think we can thread both needles at once. If the horn was ant for divination, they’ll need ti to prepare. If we strike now, they’ll be caught off-guard."
"Assuming they haven’t already don’t know about it," Elyon warned.
"They may, but it won’t matter if we disrupt the next stage of the ritual," Lin Mu countered. "We’re not just intercepting a tool—we’re dismantling their entire setup. We’ll start with the valley."
The others nodded.
Within minutes, their preparations were complete. Lin Mu stored the horn in a sealed spatial pouch layered with several formations to prevent its aura from leaking. Elyon consulted with his tracker network, marking their optimal route through the mountains.
As the group stepped out of the courtyard and into the pale morning light, a faint wind carried the distant scent of ash and old pine from the south. The direction of their next target.
"We’ll travel light and fast," Lin Mu said. "No teleportation. They might be monitoring spatial fluctuations."
"No complaints from ," Elyon said, cracking his knuckles. "Been a while since I got to stretch my legs on foot."
Ashy flapped her wings excitedly. "Adventure ti!"
HISS~ HISS~
The twins responded too, coiling onto ng Bai’s shoulders, their auras already sharpened.
"I’ll scout ahead with Shrubby," Lin Mu said, summoning the beast in a flicker of light.
Little Shrubby appeared in a flash, tail wagging and flas flickering from its back, happy as ever to see everyone. He nuzzled Lin Mu affectionately before sniffing the air and growling lightly in the southern direction.
"I sll sothing weird," Shrubby muttered while Ashy translated. "Like old at and rot mixed with perfu."
"Sounds about right," Elyon replied with a scoff. "Welco to black market territory."
Without another word, the group took off into the wilderness, shadows trailing behind them and the flickering promise of conflict just beyond the Ashen Forest.
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