As Lin Mei turned to lead the way back, Tian Hao’s eyes lit up, a spark of excitement taking over the exhaustion on his face. With animated gestures, he leaned in, his voice buzzing with nervous energy as he launched into the tale.
"So, it turns out that tear wasn't just some random anomaly," he said, as they walked side-by-side. "It was... a pocket dimension. Or maybe a pocket prison. I’m still not quite sure."
Lin Mei nodded. "Go on," she said.
“I found this strange formation,” Tian Hao recounted.
“There were these glowing symbols, and I was curious... I touched them.” He paused, his eyes glinting as if he could still see it before him.
“I was attacked, and then my blood spilled onto the carvings, and suddenly the whole thing lit up—there was this hum, like it was waking up.”
He looked at Lin Mei, trying to gauge her reaction.
Lin Mei's eyes narrowed. "Glowing symbols, blood, and a humming resonance? That sounds like some kind of formation... You know how I feel about formations,"
Tian Hao nodded. “Then, out of nowhere, she appeared.” He gestured at his shoulder-mounted Jiuwei. “The grand spirit fox, whose power had been sealed away for millennia.”
His words hung in the air, his voice barely masking the awe and fear from the moment he had felt the energy pulse beneath his palm, the ancient fox's form emerging from the light.
Jiuwei perked her ears up at the mention of her name in the tale, her golden eyes narrowing slightly with satisfaction. She lifted her head, her silver fur seeming to glimmer a bit more brightly as she heard Tian Hao’s voice filled with awe.
It had been so long since anyone had spoken of her with such reverence. Forgotten for centuries, reduced to a mere shadow of her former power—yet here was someone recognizing her greatness, even if he didn't fully understand it. It felt good to be admired again, to have her legacy acknowledged, even if only by this foolish young cultivator. There was a subtle puffing of her chest, her tail curling with an almost smug pride.
“A spirit fox? Trapped in a formation?” Lin Mei asked, her brow furrowing, though Tian Hao could see the amusement she tried to mask. “That sounds… highly improbable.”
Tian Hao shrugged, gesturing again to Jiuwei. “Tell her that. I thought I’d wandered into some kind of celestial prank, especially considering that my blood somehow triggered it.”
“What about this pocket dimension?” Lin Mei asked. “How did you escape? You simply… vanished. I thought I’d lost you.” The memory of his disappearance clearly still troubled her, her voice laced with a mix of worry and relief.
Tian Hao explained how Jiuwei, once freed, had shrunk to her current, more manageable size. He described the strange, twisted landscape of the pocket dimension, his words painting a chaotic picture of the terrain—warped trees, impossible shadows, and a sense of disorientation that seemed to pull at every step.
"Twisted landscape? How did you even navigate through something like that?" Lin Mei asked.
Tian Hao grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Honestly? I have no idea. It was a lot of guesswork, and probably a lot of luck."
He went on, recounting the final confrontation with the oversized, monstrous rabbit. His tone shifted between moments of bravado—highlighting his wild swings and desperate lunges—and a more honest recounting of his fear and clumsiness. He admitted, "At one point, I tripped over a root. I thought I was done for, but somehow, I got back up and managed to land a hit."
Lin Mei couldn't help but snicker, her eyes softening. "Sounds like quite the heroic struggle." She paused for a moment, then added with a teasing smirk, "Or was it just a lot of falling over and hoping for the best? Honestly, I think I'd pay to see you flailing around against a giant rabbit."
Tian Hao let out a bark of laughter. "More like falling over and chaotic flailing. But hey, it worked."
As he spoke, it was clear that even he wasn’t sure how he’d managed to survive, the absurdity of the whole ordeal lingering in his expression.
Then he explained how Jiuwei led him to a hidden exit, a tear in the fabric of reality that had brought him back to the clearing.
"It was... disorienting," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Everything felt like it was twisting around me, like I was being pulled through a whirlpool of light."
Lin Mei frowned, concern clear in her eyes. "And Jiuwei knew how to lead you through that? Just like that?" Her gaze flicked to the fox, her skepticism evident.
This whole situation feels improbable, Lin Mei thought. A sealed fox spirit guiding someone through a reality tear? It sounds like the kind of story elders would tell to entertain naive disciples. But Tian Hao was serious—he wasn’t embellishing. Or was he? She found it hard to shake the doubt gnawing at her.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Jiuwei lifted her head, her ears twitching as if she were affronted. "Of course I knew the way. A being of my power understands the warp and weave of reality far better than any mortal," she sniffed, her thoughts turning inward for a moment. These mortals always underestimated her, with their limited understanding and fleeting lives.
Tian Hao smiled wryly, shaking his head. "Yes, well, disorienting or not, we made it back in one piece, more or less." He paused, rubbing his arm where one of the scratches throbbed. "Though," he added with a wince, "I could definitely use a healing salve for these scratches."
He looked at Lin Mei, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "And maybe some of that really good wine you packed."
Lin Mei sighed, her lips quirking into a reluctant smile. "You always think about wine first, don't you?" She reached into her satchel, taking out a small container of healing salve, her hands moving deftly despite her exhaustion.
Tian Hao's face lit up at the sight of the flask, his grin widening as he uncorking the flask and taking a grateful sip.
Lin Mei gave him a look—part amusement, part exasperation. "Try not to get yourself scratched up next time, alright?"
"No promises," Tian Hao said, his tone light, though with an underlying exhaustion. He applied the healing salve, his shoulders finally relaxing a bit as the soothing coolness spread over his cuts.
Lin Mei listened intently to Tian Hao's story, her thoughts swirling as she processed his words. Relief washed over her, but it was mixed with something else—a strange, unsettling sense of awe.
She tried to reconcile the tale Tian Hao was telling her. A pocket dimension? A spirit fox sealed for millennia? It all sounded like something out of the old stories she had read about mystical hidden realms and ancient powers long forgotten. Stories that were meant to entertain or teach a moral, not things one expected to hear from someone standing beside them, alive and real.
However, here he stood, with a silver fox on his shoulder, having clearly both fallen into that tear and popped back into existence in front of her. There was no way this was only a campfire tale. He didn't seem to be embellishing for effect — much—; if anything, his tone carried a rawness that made it all too real.
Did Tian Hao even realize how much he had changed? Lin Mei couldn't help but wonder. The bravado was still there, of course—he wouldn't be Tian Hao without it—but there was something else beneath it now, a depth that had taken her by surprise.
He's not just the carefree young cultivator I've been getting to know, she thought. He's faced something far beyond the ordinary. It had clearly left its mark.
As the group eventually arrived back at the outpost, weary and disheveled, Senior Disciple Li Chun stood at the entrance, his expression filled with annoyance as he saw them approach. He'd clearly been waiting for them, his stance relaxed but alert.
Lin Mei held up the pouch containing the silverleaf they’d gathered, managing a smile despite her exhaustion. “Sorry for the delay, Senior Brother. There were… complications,” she said, trying to sound casual, though the weariness in her voice betrayed the challenges they’d faced.
Senior Disciple Li Chun frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the sight of the small fox perched on Tian Hao's shoulder. The scratches on Tian Hao’s arms and their overall disheveled state did not go unnoticed.
Li Chun's gaze hardened, suspicion evident as he studied them. "You were tasked with a simple mission, yet you return looking like you’ve been through a battle. Care to explain what really happened out there?" His voice carried a sharp edge, each word a subtle demand for an answer.
He clearly wasn't buying any excuses—they weren't just dealing with minor complications, and he wanted to know the real cost of their so-called adventure.
Lin Mei stepped forward, her expression hardening slightly. “We did what you asked, Senior Brother Li Chun, and we brought back what you needed despite the unexpected events. The delay was unavoidable.”
She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "We ran into a low-tier cat-like spirit beast. It attacked us while we were collecting the herbs. We managed to defeat it, but we needed time to rest and recover afterward before making our way back." She handed him the pouch containing the herbs, her eyes meeting his with a hint of defiance.
Senior Disciple Li Chun took the pouch, his annoyance softening slightly as he examined the contents. The quality and quantity of the herbs clearly surpassed his expectations. He let out a sigh, his gaze shifting back to Tian Hao, then to the small, silver fox perched on his shoulder, arching an eyebrow.
“Very well,” he conceded. “Perhaps I underestimated… the challenges you might face.” He paused, looking at Jiuwei, before adding with a smirk, “I must admit, the young master’s choice of… companions has become increasingly intriguing.”
Tian Hao grinned, giving Li Chun a half-hearted salute, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “I’ve always had a knack for attracting interesting company,” he replied, winking at Lin Mei.
“Try not to attract any further trouble while you’re here,” Li Chun said, his earlier annoyance replaced by a weary resignation as if he were dealing with something more important.
Li Chun paused, glancing towards the sky, his expression growing more serious. “The sect has bigger problems than you lot getting into trouble or vanishing for a few days. We received news today—the Iron Talon Sect has been making… aggressive moves near our western border. There’s talk of potential conflict.”
Tian Hao’s eyes widened slightly at that, the news of impending conflict sending a wave of unease through him.
At the mention of the Iron Talon Sect, Lin Mei stiffened visibly, her entire demeanor shifting in an instant. Her eyes widened, the usual warmth replaced by a glint of alarm, and her lips pressed into a thin line.
Lin Mei's thoughts raced, her heart pounding as the implications set in. What if they found out about her secret mission for the Iron Talon Sect? Was that why they were making moves now? The timing seemed almost too coincidental. She felt a chill run down her spine—if her involvement was discovered, it wouldn’t just be her life at risk.
She could feel her pulse quicken, her heart pounding in her chest as her mind raced with a thousand possibilities, each more troubling than the last. Anxiety bubbled within her, a tightening in her chest that seemed to make each breath just a little bit harder, her gaze flicking instinctively to Tian Hao, seeking some kind of reassurance, even if she couldn’t quite name what she was hoping for.
With a final, almost dismissive wave of his hand, Li Chun turned and headed back inside the outpost. His words hung in the air like a storm cloud, a harbinger of darker days to come.
Tian Hao and Lin Mei stood for a moment in silence, both of them absorbing the news in their own way. The tension settled over their weary muscles, the weight of the unknown future pressing down on them.
The world outside the sect—the world that Tian Hao had previously dismissed so carelessly—now felt different. It felt real. It felt dangerous.
As the shadows grew longer, Lin Mei couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—was already watching them from the woods. The Iron Talon Sect was making its move, and she might not have much time left.