The deck of the Sky-Piercing Ark was crowded. The wind whipped at the robes of the fifty chosen disciples.
At the bow of the ship stood Ye Chen. He looked heroic, his black hair fluttering, his heavy sword strapped to his back. He was surrounded by a group of admirers.
"Brother Ye, surely you will reach the Top 10 in the Trial!" "With Brother Ye leading us, we have nothing to fear!"
Ye Chen smiled, a warm, confident smile. "We will all succeed together. We are a family."
Standing slightly apart from the group was Yan Luo. She looked beautiful, but distant. Her eyes were constantly scanning the crowd, as if looking for something—or someone.
"Senior Sister Yan," Ye Chen walked over to her, his voice full of concern. "You look pale. Are you worried about the Trial?"
Yan Luo looked at him. Ye Chen was bright. He was kind. He reminded her of what the Sect claimed to be.
But every time she looked at him, she remembered the basement. She remembered Zhao Wuji. She remembered the lie she told at the funeral.
"I am fine, Junior Brother Ye," she said coolly.
"If there is danger," Ye Chen patted his chest, "I will protect you. I promise."
Yan Luo flinched. Protect me? Like Zhao Wuji 'protected' me?
"Water?"
A hand appeared between them, holding a bamboo flask.
Ye Chen turned. He saw a plain-looking disciple with a lowered head and a humble posture.
"Thank you, Junior Brother," Ye Chen took the flask, smiling. "What is your name?"
"Han Fei," the disciple said. "I am just the porter."
"There are no 'just' porters here," Ye Chen said earnestly, placing a hand on the disciple's shoulder. "Every role is vital. We are brothers."
Mo Tian looked at the hand on his shoulder.
[System Analysis: Ye Chen] [Destiny Shield: Active.] [Warning: Direct attack will trigger 'Fortuitous Encounter' or 'Sudden Power-up' for the target.]
So I can't just kill him yet, Mo Tian thought. If I attack him, he'll probably fall off the ship, land in a phoenix nest, and come back as a God. Annoying.
"You are too kind, Senior Brother Ye," Mo Tian said, bowing low to hide the mockery in his eyes.
"Han Fei," Yan Luo's voice was sharp. She stepped forward, pushing Ye Chen's hand away from Mo Tian's shoulder. "Come with me. I need you to... organize my inventory."
Ye Chen blinked, surprised by her sudden intensity. "Senior Sister?"
"Excuse us," Yan Luo said, grabbing Mo Tian's sleeve and dragging him toward the cabins.
Once they were inside her private cabin, she slammed the door and activated a sound barrier.
She turned on him, her eyes wide.
"Why are you here?" she hissed. "This is the Ancient Trial! It is a slaughterhouse! You are a gardener!"
Mo Tian dropped the humble act. He leaned against the door, crossing his arms.
"I told you, Senior Sister. I am your porter. I carry your burdens."
"Ye Chen is dangerous," Yan Luo whispered. "He is strong. And he is... suspicious. He keeps asking me about the funeral. About Zhao Wuji."
Mo Tian's eyes narrowed. "Does he?"
"He says the story doesn't add up," Yan Luo paced the room. "He has an instinct for the truth. If he finds out..."
"He won't," Mo Tian said calmly. He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Because he will be too busy trying to stay alive."
"What are you going to do?" Yan Luo looked up at him, fear and dependency warring in her eyes.
"Me? Nothing," Mo Tian smiled. "But the Trial Grounds are full of dangers. Accidents happen. Beasts attack. Sects war."
He reached into his robe and pulled out a small, red sachet.
"Put this in his water," Mo Tian whispered.
"Poison?" Yan Luo recoiled.
"No. It's a Beast-Lure Powder. Odorless. Tasteless. It doesn't hurt him. It just... makes him very attractive to the local wildlife."
Yan Luo stared at the sachet.
"He trusts you," Mo Tian whispered, his voice like velvet. "He thinks you are the pure, perfect Saintess. If he finds out what you did... he will destroy you. He will look at you with disgust. Do you want that?"
Yan Luo shook her head. The thought of Ye Chen's righteous judgment was terrifying.
"Do it," Mo Tian pressed the sachet into her hand. "For the Sect. For us."
Yan Luo closed her fingers around the sachet.
"Gods forgive me," she whispered.
"The Gods are not watching," Mo Tian said. "Only I am."
Arrival
The Ark shuddered.
"We have arrived!" The captain shouted.
Below them, a massive vortex swirled in the center of a barren wasteland. The Ancient Trial Grounds.
Hundreds of other ships from rival sects were already there. The air crackled with tension.
"Into the breach!" Ye Chen drew his sword, shouting a battle cry. "For Azure Cloud!"
The disciples cheered and jumped into the vortex.
Mo Tian waited until the end. He stood at the railing, watching Ye Chen fall into the abyss.
"Go ahead, Hero," Mo Tian murmured. "Clear the path for me."
He stepped off the ledge, plummeting into the darkness.
The wolf was finally in the fold.