Victor gasped for air as the world finally stabilized around him. The swirling petals that had disintegrated his body moments ago slowly faded into the wind, leaving him standing on a grassy hill under a sky painted with streaks of orange and purple from the setting sun.
The chaos of Lingyun Town was nowhere in sight.
He turned to the mysterious figure who had saved him. She stood a few feet away and her face happened to be mostly obscured by a white veil that fluttered gently with the breeze.
A conical hat sat atop her head, casting a shadow over her piercing silver eyes. Even with most of her face hidden, Victor could tell she was incredibly stunning—and exuded an aura of quiet strength.
Victor blinked, still struggling to catch his breath. "Okay… either I just died and this is heaven, or you're the prettiest hallucination I've ever had."
The woman didn't respond to his joke. She simply turned and shot him a deep glare. "You're reckless. That kind of foolishness will get you killed."
Victor groaned while sitting up; "Yeah, well, reckless is kind of my thing."
He rubbed the back of his neck, still catching his breath. "Okay… first off, thanks for the whole—uh—petal teleportation thing. That was new."
The woman didn't respond right away. She simply gave him another brief stare before speaking.
"You can't go back to Lingyun Town," she stated. "You've made powerful enemies. The Qin family will never stop hunting you."
Victor blinked, then chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I kinda picked up on that while running for my life. Thanks for the heads-up, though."
She ignored his sarcasm.
Victor sighed while glancing around at the unfamiliar landscape. "Okay, if I can't go back… where exactly am I supposed to go? It's not like I've got a map or GPS, lady."
She turned slightly, shifting her gaze toward the horizon. "There's a city to the northeast, under the rule of the Azure Ember Empire. You'll be safe there… at least for a while."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Northeast? Alright, cool. How do I get there? Just follow the sunset or—?"
She faced him again. "You'll need to journey through the Misguided Misty Paths, cross the Dark Canyon, traverse the Devil Forest, and climb the Qilin Frost Mountains before you reach the city."
Victor's grin slowly faded. "I'm sorry… the what now?"
She repeated, completely unfazed, "The Misguided Misty Paths, the Dark Canyon, the Devil Forest, and the Qilin Frost Mountains."
Victor stared at her with his mouth slightly open. "No, no, I heard you the first time. I just thought if you repeated it, it would sound less like a death wish."
Her expression was hidden as she remained silent but she was probably unimpressed.
Victor got to his feet. "Let me get this straight—I've got to stroll through a haunted mist maze, leap over a canyon that probably screams at you, camp in a forest named after literal devils, and then hike up some frosty mountain named after a mythical beast. Did I miss anything? Maybe a lava pit or a dragon-infested swamp?"
She tilted her head slightly. "No lava pits."
Victor threw his hands in the air. "Oh, thank goodness for small mercies."
After letting the sarcasm simmer in the air, he sighed. "Okay, but seriously, how safe is this route?"
She answered without hesitation, "At your current cultivation level, you'll likely die a gruesome death before you make it past the first location."
Victor blinked slowly while staring at her. "…That's reassuring. Thanks."
She turned to leave with an indifferent demeanour.
Victor's mind raced. Wait, she's just gonna leave?
"Hey, wait!" His voice echoed in the open space as he called out.
She paused but didn't turn around.
Victor swallowed. "What's your name? And… why did you help me?"
There was a brief silence before she finally turned her head slightly.
"My name is Bai Xue. I'm Bai Ting Ting's sister."
Victor's eyes widened slightly.
She continued, "Bai Ting Ting says… thanks for sticking up for Chen Wen."
With that, she leapt into the air and dissolved into a cascade of petals that drifted away with the breeze, leaving Victor standing there, utterly speechless.
He stared at the spot where she vanished, processing everything.
"So… that just happened."
Victor plopped down on the grass with a look of fatigue. He let out a long sigh while staring at the distant horizon.
"Okay, let's recap." He held up a finger. "One: Can't go back to Lingyun Town because the Qin family wants to murder me." Another finger. "Two: My only option is to trek through a death gauntlet to reach some city I've never heard of." Another finger. "Three: If I try, I'll probably die horribly."
He groaned before covering his face with his hands. "This game is getting way too realistic."
Then he remembered something else—something that made his stomach twist with frustration.
He hadn't finished his training. There were still powerful martial techniques he could've learned, skills that might've helped him survive all the nonsense ahead.
Victor flopped onto his back, staring up at the darkening sky. "Do I risk going back for more training and probably get murdered, or do I risk venturing into the great outdoors and definitely get murdered?"
He closed his eyes before letting out a dramatic sigh.
"Man, I miss the days when the worst thing I had to deal with was failing my math test."
After a few moments of silent contemplation, Victor sat up. His expression shifted from exhaustion to determination.
"Well, screw it." He dusted himself off and stood. "If I'm going to die, I'd rather do it trying to be awesome than hiding like a coward."
His gaze hardened as he looked toward the distant mountains, spotting the faint outlines of treacherous terrain awaiting him.
"Misguided Misty Paths, huh?" he muttered before cracking his knuckles. "Let's see how misguided they really are."
And with that, Victor set off, walking straight toward what could only be described as a suicidal adventure—because at this point, what did he have to lose?
'Perhaps I can return to this town when I'm stronger... then we'll see who becomes the hunter and the Hunted...'
<[ New Quest Issued ]>
<[ New Objective Unlocked ]>
<[ Hidden Quest Successfully Completed ]>