A tense silence followed.
Then, Wang Zhu exhaled.
"Don't bother."
Zui's brow knit in confusion.
"Are you sure? Don't cultivators hate being owed a debt, and most importantly being lied to?"
Wang Zhu's expression didn't shift.
"They mean nothing to me."
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"Figures. None of you care, do you? Not about us. Not about demons who want to be free."
His smile was razor-thin, devoid of emotions.
"You all think we're rotten to the core."
Wang Zhu's brow twitched.
"Don't put words in my mouth."
Zui chuckled, quiet and bitter.
"Am I wrong?"
She said nothing.
"But it doesn't matter," Zui whispered.
"You're the only one I can count on right now. So… bear with me."
Wang Zhu, unwilling to further the conversation, finally spoke.
"How will I recognize your sister?"
Zui reached into his hanfu, pulling out a red jade bracelet, its core pulsing faintly violet.
"This has her blood. It'll guide you when she's close."
Wang Zhu took it without hesitation. Then, without warning, she stepped forward and lifted him into her arms.
"W-What–?"
Before he could finish, her fingers struck his neck with precision. Zui's eyes widened in shock before his body slumped into her arms.
Her gaze flickered ahead, sharp and unyielding.
"Come out."
From the stone wall at the end of the alley, two children stepped forward, no older than five, clad in violet hanfu tinged with pale pink.
Their blank eyes stared forward, large swords strapped awkwardly to their small backs.
One's lips trembled.
"W-we heard…"
Their voices faltered, as though invisible hands clenched their throats.
"We know him... Zui knows us… We want freedom too… We just want to go home."
So, they're the ones who've been trailing us.
Wang Zhu's gaze sharpened, studying every detail; their stiff posture, the tension in their fingers, the slight twitch in their limbs.
Then she saw it. A flicker of something surfacing in one child's gaze, fleeting yet unmistakable; the fight to hold on to themselves.
Her eyes followed their downward glance, and there, barely catching the light, she saw it.
Thin, translucent strings.
Her breath stilled.
Demon puppets.
Her expression darkened.
"If Zui trusted you, then we—urk!"
One of the children convulsed violently, their small frame twisting unnaturally, as if unseen hands were wringing the life from their body.
"Hurry… leave now!" the other child rasped, their voice cracking under the weight of invisible chains.
"The disciples of the Mowei Sect are near. Take the right street, you'll find them, they can help you escape. We... we'll hold—urk!"
Their bodies shook, trembling under the force fighting to claim them, but their resolve burned through the cracks.
"Go! Quickly!"
There was no hesitation.
With Zui held tight against her chest, Wang Zhu vanished into the rooftops, her figure dissolving into the bright morning air like a whisper in the wind.
Fifteen minutes later, the two siblings stood in the alley once more. Their faces, once desperate, were now void of all emotion.
Their hands tightened around their swords.
Then, with eerily synchronized movements, they turned and began to run. Their bodies, once fighting against invisible chains, now moved with eerie precision.
They were no longer resisting.
They were hunting.
The air grew heavier as Wang Zhu moved swiftly across the rooftops, Zui's unconscious form remained secured in her grasp.
The distant hum of the city faded beneath the silence of her anxious steps, but she knew it wouldn't last.
The disciples of the Mowei Sect are nearby.
The young demon's words echoed in her mind.
Her sharp eyes scanned the bustling streets below, searching for any sign of cultivators lurking among the crowd.
She saw none. Still, unease curled in her gut.
She didn't fully understand why she was running instead of fighting those puppets.
Her gaze flickered to Zui.
If she stayed and fought, there was a hundred percent chance this young demon would become one of them as well—turning this entire journey into a complete waste.
Wang Zhu exhaled sharply, irritated by the absurdity of her situation. She had spent her life hunting demons, and now she was saving one.
What a cruel twist of fate.
She clenched her hands, ensuring her grip on Zui remained firm.
If the Mowei Sect had already infiltrated this area, it would be easier to lure them out rather than waste time searching for them.
That is, if those young demons were telling the truth.
Her jaw tightened.
Suddenly, the red jade bracelet in her palm pulsed, its glow flickering erratically. It was reacting to Zui's sister, but the unstable pattern hinted at distance or interference.
If those demons had been watching us all this time, there was no telling how much danger his sister was in.
Wang Zhu tightened her grip and adjusted her course.
As long as Zui remained connected to that Ruyu, those demons would track them no matter where they hid.
She needed a secure location; a place to set a trap before they caught up.
Her gaze flicked sideways, landing on a small wooden boat drifting silently toward the sea. An idea took shape.
The docks.
A warehouse near the river would do.
She landed behind a stack of wooden crates, the scent of salt and damp timber filling her lungs.
Murky waters stretched beyond the pier, fractured by slivers of sunlight cutting through the overcast sky.
Lowering Zui carefully to the ground, she swept her gaze over the dimly lit area.
Too quiet.
No sound of birds or even ripple of water. A sudden chill ran down her spine.
Then—she heard it. A faint shuffle, impossibly light, creeping along the rooftop above.
Wang Zhu reacted instantly, drawing her sword as a figure dropped behind her.
The moment their feet touched the ground, she struck; only to meet empty air.
"Fast," a voice murmured, feminine and laced with amusement.
"But not fast enough."
Wang Zhu stepped protectively in front of Zui's unconscious form, muscles coiled in preparation.
A woman emerged from the shadows, draped in flowing silver robes. Her pale skin gleamed under the dim light, almost ethereal.
A mask concealed the lower half of her face, but her eyes shone with cruel delight.
"You have something that belongs to us," she said, her gaze flicking briefly to Zui before settling back on Wang Zhu.
"Hand him over, and we won't have to make this difficult."