By midmorning, they were airborne again, the city already dissolving into a watercolor blur behind them. The crane's wings cut long, unhurried strokes through the pale sky, each beat steady as a temple drum. Below, winding rivers gleamed like polished silver threads stitched through the patchwork of fields, while distant mountains loomed at the horizon like slumbering giants.
Yuxin lounged diagonally across the saddle, veil fluttering like lazy moonlight in the wind. "So," she murmured, "what serene backwater has the Sect blessed us with this time? Please say it won't try to scream at us."
Tian Lei withdrew a fresh mission slip from his sleeve. Crimson paper. Silver script. It pulsed faintly with spiritual light, like a heartbeat heard underwater.
"Mission — Jade Serpent Marsh," he recited, voice as still and smooth as a lake.
"Objective: Collect a matured spirit core from the marsh realm's guardian beast.
Hazards: Low-grade spirit fauna. Residual miasma from seasonal decay."
