Chapter 108: The Poise of Parting

Early in the morning, Xun'er climbed out of bed, rubbing her eyes and announcing that she wanted to find something to eat.

Wujue, pulled along by her, left the room with dark circles under his eyes. Since the rest of the group hadn't stirred yet, the two sneaked into the main hall to forage for food on their own.

Having scavenged the area over the past few days, they had managed to scrape together some ham, pickled vegetables, and instant noodles. Xun'er looked them over with dissatisfaction and said, "These things aren't filling at all! Do you know how to stir-fry, Wujue? I'll go fetch some tomatoes and cucumbers for you, and we can have a real meal."

Wujue replied, "Where are you planning to get those? Don't tell me you're going to pilfer someone else's supplies again. Let's just fill our stomachs with what we have; isn't there bread?"

Xun'er snorted, "What's so good about bread? It can't be reheated or toasted. Can you fry an egg with your palm? I've read in novels that some masters can do that!"

"Palm? Frying an egg?" Wujue spread his hands and looked at them. "I could freeze one for you. I just absorbed Gumu’s frigid energy recently; it’s perfect for making ice sculptures."

"Tch, how boring!" Xun'er dismissed the idea, using her witchcraft to toast four slices of bread. She added a few slices of ham, split the rations with Wujue, and they tucked in with gusto.

As luck would have it, Miaopu woke up early to relieve himself. Seeing the two eating in the hall, he was startled and let out several meows: "Hey! What are you two doing? Don't skulk around here; you made me think a thief had broken in!"

Wujue said, "Why are you shouting? Want some breakfast? Have a slice!" He tossed half of his own bread to the cat. Miaopu leaped into the air, caught the bread in his mouth, landed nimbly, and began to eat.

"Delicious," he mumbled between bites. "If I get treated like this from now on, I won't leave."

"Didn't you say you weren't planning on leaving anyway?" Xun'er asked, hands on her hips, scolding him. "I don't care about the others, but you must stay obediently by my side."

Miaopu finished his bread, stretched a leg to scratch his back, and completely ignored her reprimand as he headed to the doorway to relieve himself.

Furious, Xun'er stomped her foot: "Who do you think you're giving attitude to? I'm not finished with you!"

"Hey! Master, good morning!" Alice happened to wake up and walk out, greeting them as she saw the scene. "Hi, Master, you're angry!"

Xun'er turned to her: "Don't call me Master, call me Lady Witch!"

"Yes, Master. Very well, Master." Alice saluted while instinctively grabbing a piece of bread to eat.

A little later, Tel and the others emerged. Since they had agreed to go their separate ways today, it was time to say goodbye.

Pi Ke and Luke formally bid farewell to Wujue, while also reminding Xun'er and Tel to take care of themselves, hoping they would meet again someday.

The dog-kin also expressed their gratitude to Wujue, though they explained that their people had never liked war and preferred to live in peace, so they could no longer assist him. Wujue expressed his understanding and repeatedly warned them to be careful on the road, telling them to seek out Xiao Yang or himself if they ran into trouble.

After the pleasantries, they set off. With Luke and his group gone, only five remained: Wujue, Tel, Xun'er, Alice, and Miaopu, along with the heavily injured Luosi, who was still trapped in Xun'er's barrier.

Wujue suggested everyone pack their things and prepare to depart; he didn't know when the Tianzhu tribe might return, so it was best to leave and make new plans.

Tel asked what to do about Luosi, suggesting they leave him behind, locked inside the building, never to be let out.

But Xun'er said, "It's fine. My barrier is secure, and I can store it within a crystal stone. It’s easy to carry—are you still worried?"

"Take Luosi with us; he might be useful," Wujue nodded. "Sooner or later, we will see the treasures of the First Emperor's Mausoleum. We absolutely cannot let Luosi go and help the Tianzhu tribe. However, he is a dangerous element, so let's be careful."

They organized their supplies and loaded them into two cars. Before leaving, Wujue looked at the dilapidated laboratory building and decided to seal it shut.

"Perhaps this place is no longer useful, but I won't leave it for the Tianzhu tribe to enjoy." With his own hands, he buried the remaining half of the building in ice, sealing it deep beneath the earth.

The once-proud building vanished from sight.

Everyone climbed into the vehicles, with Tel driving one and Wujue the other. The two cars drove one after the other, leaving the city behind.

"Where is our next destination?" Xun'er asked from beside Wujue. Miaopu, sprawled on the back seat, yawned and said, "I heard there's a scenic tourist area ahead that was turned into a cultural film base a few years ago. I wonder what it looks like now? Should we go check it out?"

Wujue asked, "You seem well-informed. Do you want to go, Miaopu?"

Xun'er clapped her hands: "I like looking at scenery, and if there's a place where they filmed movies, that’s even more worth seeing."

They changed course and headed straight for the site. Wujue accelerated to drive side-by-side with Tel and shouted, "They want to go to the scenic area ahead. What do you think?"

Tel shouted back, "It's up to you, I'll follow your lead."

Wujue turned back to tell the others, "You're in luck, no objections there."

Suddenly, the car next to him braked hard, and he slowed down, asking, "What's wrong?"

Tel yelled, "I think I ran over something. I don't know if it was a living person!"

Wujue glanced out the rearview mirror and said, "Nobody get out, it could be a trap. Xun'er, take a look with your crystal ball."

Xun'er followed instructions and used her magic. She quickly saw a mangled, bloody corpse in the crystal ball; it was impossible to tell if it had been run over or if it was a long-mutated zombie.

"It looks like a person, but it seems to have been dead for a long time. Is it worth getting out?" Xun'er asked dismissively.

Wujue gripped the steering wheel tight, looked at Tel in the other car, and said, "Drive, this is definitely a trap."

Just as he started the car, the bloody corpse on the ground climbed up and lunged violently at Tel's car. It really was a trap, though setting a snare with such reckless disregard for life was rare.

Tel drove forward while simultaneously firing a beam of super-strong mirror light from his back, which struck the creature and sent it flying four or five meters away. Both cars sped forward, and immediately, countless bullets rained down from all directions, striking the vehicles.

Wujue shouted for them to hold on, pulled out his pistol, and fired seven or eight shots in quick succession. The bullets spun in mid-air, knocking away the incoming fire and filling the air with sparks.

Miaopu was so frightened he cowered under the seat, screaming, "Who are these people? Why are they hunting us?"

Wujue looked back and said, "It must be the Ming organization, trying to take back Alice. Xun'er, you drive; I'll find a way to fight back."

Xun'er agreed, using her witchcraft to keep the car surging forward. Once Wujue slid to the back, she took the wheel, setting a barrier around the car to block the bullets while searching for an escape route.

Wujue shattered the rear window and fired wildly at the positions where the enemies might be hidden. His bullets were no longer ordinary ammunition; they contained his unique frigid power. They didn't just freeze the bullets they hit; after a series of shots, they could trigger a massive blizzard.

With a series of explosions blooming in the air, Wujue finally covered their escape, leading the two cars away from the enemy's pursuit.

"That was close. Don't stop, Xun'er; keep accelerating," Wujue said, returning to his seat and letting out a long breath.

Miaopu crawled out, jumped into his arms, and rubbed against him: "Wow, following you lot is truly dangerous. We’re constantly taking such huge risks. By the way, who were those people? The Ming organization, right? Oh no, that monster is back."

Wujue turned back and saw the mangled creature from before chasing after them again.

*You really are persistent,* he thought. He jumped out of the car, shouting, "You go on ahead, I'll cover the rear!"

The moment his feet touched the ground, his palm condensed a massive amount of cold air. As the monster lunged toward him, he fired a single shot. The bullet streaked through the air like a silver arc, piercing straight through the monster's body. With a boom, it sent the creature flying more than a dozen meters.

Wujue lunged forward, his other hand turning into an eagle claw. He gripped the creature’s head and slammed it into the ground: "That's enough! Your game ends here!"

The creature roared, refusing to yield under Wujue’s hand, its immense strength nearly breaking free. Wujue looked closely and noticed the stench of decay, dilated pupils, unfocused consciousness, and scars all over its body—it was clearly no longer a normal human.

It seemed to be a controlled zombie. Wujue disengaged the safety on his pistol, shoved the barrel into the creature's mouth, and pulled the trigger, blowing its head apart.

Seeing the blood splattered on the ground, Wujue stood up decisively, not looking back. It was time to catch up with the others; hidden enemies could strike at any moment, and he couldn't stay here.

The headless zombie wobbled to its feet behind him, reaching out its hands in a gruesome attempt to lunge again. But with a casual snap of Wujue's fingers, the cold air surging within the creature’s body caused it to explode into countless fragments, scattering across the ground.

Wujue’s shot had long since infused the creature with powerful frigid energy; it would never be allowed to cause trouble again.

He hurried back toward the cars, sensing an inexplicable killing intent behind him. He looked back proudly and asked into the void, "If you want to kill me, you'll have to catch me first. I'll be waiting at the scenic area ahead. I'm ready for you whenever."

From far away, a cold voice replied, "Very well. I've been wanting to meet you. And I might as well tell you—not just anyone can join the Ming organization."

Both sides returned each other's resolve, and with that, the gauntlet was thrown.