The world spun. Her vision blurred, the familiar feeling of being pulled through an invisible vortex overwhelming her. For a terrifying second, nothing happened. Then, a desperate surge of energy from her core, fueled by pure adrenaline and the Lore Stone's essence, erupted. The sigil on her wrist burned with an unbearable heat.
The forest, the masked figures, the poisoned Liu Mo Fei – they dissolved into a streaking blur of light and shadow. When the world solidified again, they were not far, perhaps a few miles, but enough. They were in a small, moss-covered cave, tucked away behind a waterfall, its entrance obscured by dense foliage. Liu Mo Fei slumped against the damp rock, his breathing ragged, the black tendrils of poison visibly spreading. Jia Wei Xin gasped, utterly drained, her body trembling with the effort of the impossible teleportation. She had done it. Barely.
The cool, damp air of the cave did little to soothe Jia Wei Xin's frantic heart. Liu Mo Fei lay slumped against the rough stone, his face pale, lips tinged blue.
The black poison snaked visibly beneath his skin, radiating a chilling aura that made her stomach clench. Her own body screamed in protest from the strenuous teleportation, every muscle aching, her spiritual core feeling utterly depleted. But exhaustion was a distant whisper compared to the icy grip of fear that tightened around her.
"Liu Mo Fei! Can you hear me?"
Her voice was hoarse, laced with a desperation she hadn't realized she was capable of. She pressed her hand to his forehead, finding it clammy and cold. This wasn't some minor injury. This was life-threatening.
The image of his strong, confident demeanor fading, his intelligent eyes clouding over, filled her with an unbearable ache. He was the anchor in this chaotic world, the calm in her storm. The thought of losing him… it was unacceptable. Utterly and completely unacceptable. A fierce, protective fire ignited within her, burning away the last vestiges of her modern-world detachment. She cared. Deeply. More than she ever thought possible.
"You idiot. You absolute… perfect, beautiful idiot. You are not allowed to die," she whispered, her voice cracking, pressing her face against his clammy hand, ignoring the searing pain in her own body.
Just as panic threatened to consume her, a low growl echoed from the cave entrance, followed by the familiar, infuriated voice of Zhang Tian. "Jia Wei Xin! Liu Mo Fei! You thought you could escape me?!" The cave seemed to vibrate with his indignation.
Jia Wei Xin looked up, her bloodshot eyes narrowed, exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "Zhang Tian! What are you doing here?!"
The Demon King stalked in, looking disheveled but bursting with indignant energy. His hair was still wild, his magnificent robes stained with mud and what looked suspiciously like scorched earth. "What am I doing?! I'm here to reclaim what's mine! And to lecture you about abandoning your allies, you devious little viper! And to kick that pretty-boy sect leader's… whoa."
His bluster died in his throat as his gaze fell upon Liu Mo Fei. The vibrant spiritual energy that usually radiated from the Sect Leader was now subdued, replaced by the chilling, sickly aura of demonic poison.
Zhang Tian's usually arrogant expression morphed into something akin to genuine shock, then a flicker of concern that he tried, and failed, to hide. "Liu Mo Fei is poisoned… That's the Serpent's Kiss poison… that's nasty stuff."
Jia Wei Xin scrambled to her feet, swaying slightly, the fight draining her remaining energy. "You know about it? Can you… can you help him?" Hope, fragile yet burning, ignited within her, a desperate flicker in the darkness.
Zhang Tian scoffed, though the bravado felt a little forced, edged with genuine worry. "Of course I can help. This poison was invented by demons, remember? It's basically gourmet wine to us," He knelt beside Liu Mo Fei, surprisingly gentle, his large, powerful hand carefully feeling Liu Mo Fei's pulse. "Humph. Barely clinging to life. This is a mess. Fine. I suppose I'll save him. Not for him, mind you," he added quickly, glaring at Jia Wei Xin, "but because you clearly shaken about this."
Jia Wei Xin didn't argue. Her hands trembled at her sides, the weight of fear and relief catching up to her all at once.
Zhang Tian summoned a vial of dark, shimmering liquid. He uncorked it and, with surprising care and precision, poured a few precious drops onto Liu Mo Fei's pale lips. The moment the elixir touched him, a faint golden light shimmered around Liu Mo Fei's body, and the black tendrils on his skin began to recede, slowly but steadily, like shadows retreating from the dawn. His ragged breathing eased slightly.
Liu Mo Fei groaned.
Zhang Tian rolled his eyes. "You'll live. Unfortunately."
Zhang Tian held the vial steady as the shimmering liquid sank into Liu Mo Fei's skin, reacting to the qi within him. His fingers lingered briefly—more tenderly than he intended. Jia Wei Xin caught the shift in his expression, the tight line of his jaw, and something unspoken in his eyes.
"He's lucky," Zhang Tian muttered, quieter now. "Ten more minutes and the poison would've shattered his core."
Jia Wei Xin watched, tears pricking her eyes – tears of relief, of exhaustion, of overwhelming gratitude. Jia Wei Xin's knees buckled as the world tilted violently. The cave walls blurred into streaks of moss-green and stone-gray. No—not now—
She barely registered Zhang Tian's startled curse as she crumpled forward. His arms shot out, catching her before her head could strike rock.
"Stubborn woman!" he growled, but his grip was unexpectedly gentle, cradling her against his chest. His usual theatrics were absent—only raw, bewildered concern. "You push yourself to the brink for him?"
Her vision darkened at the edges, but she managed a weak smirk. "Guess… I'm… greedy too."
Zhang Tian's breath hitched. For once, he had no retort.
Behind them, Liu Mo Fei stirred, his voice a ragged whisper. "Jia… Wei… Xin…"
Zhang Tian's jaw clenched. "Both of you—insufferable!" Yet he adjusted his hold on her, his thumb brushing a smudge of blood from her cheek—a fleeting, tender gesture he'd deny to his dying day.
The last thing Jia Wei Xin felt before unconsciousness took her: Zhang Tian's heartbeat, frantic against her ear, and the distant, desperate scrape of Liu Mo Fei's fingers dragging across stone toward her.