Chapter 5 — We have Guests

Chapter 5 — We have Guests

Night settled quietly over Qingyuan City.

Lanterns swayed along the street outside the herbal shop, their warm light barely competing with the pale moon hanging above the rooftops. Most vendors had closed for the evening, leaving the district calm and nearly empty.

Lan Yue stepped outside and looked toward the narrow alley beside the shop.

Something felt wrong.

Cold, twisted energy lingered in the air.

Hoshi shifted on her shoulder, ears twitching uneasily. “Ah Lan… that’s the same corruption from earlier.”

Lan Yue nodded slowly. “I thought so.”

From the darkness of the alley, a figure stumbled forward.

The man’s body moved strangely, like his joints no longer obeyed him. Dark veins spread across his neck and face, pulsing faintly beneath the skin.

His unfocused eyes lifted.

They landed on Lan Yue.

Then he smiled.

Lan Yue sighed quietly. “Of course it’s looking at me.”

The corrupted man lunged.

Lan Yue stepped aside with practiced ease. The attack rushed past her and slammed into a wooden post with a loud crack.

Hoshi blinked. “You’re not running?”

Lan Yue brushed a strand of silver hair behind her ear. “The shop owner would be furious if the building collapsed.”

Hoshi rolled her eyes. "Just say u want to fight"

Lan Yue smiled and said nothing.

The corrupted man twisted around again, his body jerking violently as the corruption spread further. Dark energy seeped from him like smoke.

Lan Yue’s gaze lifted briefly toward the sky.

The moon was bright tonight.

“…Good.”

She raised one hand.

For a moment nothing happened.

Then the moonlight shifted.

A faint silver glow spread across the ground around her feet, thin threads of pale light forming quietly in the darkness.

The corrupted man rushed forward again.

Lan Yue stepped toward him.

Her hand moved.

Silver strands of moonlight shot forward, wrapping around the creature’s body like glowing chains.

The corrupted cultivator slammed into the stone road.

The ground cracked from the impact.

For a moment, he didn’t move.

Then—

He began laughing.

The silver chains trembled as dark energy surged violently through his body. The corruption devoured what remained of his human form.

Lan Yue frowned slightly. “…That’s new.”

Bones twisted with a sickening sound. The man’s body expanded, the corruption mutating him into something far more monstrous.

Hoshi’s tail puffed up. “Ah Lan… that’s not normal corruption anymore.”

Lan Yue took a slow step back. “I noticed.”

The creature roared.

The sound echoed through the quiet district, shattering several lanterns along the street.

Far away, two figures suddenly stopped walking.

Liang Feng tilted his head. “…Did you hear that?”

Bo Ye Chen had already turned toward the source of the sound.

The corrupted energy was obvious.

Strong.

Liang Feng sighed. “Well… there goes our peaceful night.”

Bo Ye Chen was already moving.

Within moments they reached the street where the disturbance had begun.

Then both of them stopped.

Because the scene in front of them was unexpected.

A mutated corrupted creature stood in the middle of the road, roaring violently.

And directly in front of it stood a silver-haired girl.

Moonlight shimmered faintly around her, pale strands of light drifting across the ground like quiet ripples.

Liang Feng blinked.

“…Well.”

He crossed his arms.

“That’s interesting.”

Bo Ye Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“…It’s her.”

Lan Yue raised her hand again, silver threads of moonlight gathering between her fingers.

Behind her, Hoshi muttered quietly, “Ah Lan.”

Lan Yue didn’t turn. “Yes?”

“…We have an audience.”

Lan Yue sighed softly.

“…Of course we do.”

Behind them, Bo Ye Chen and Liang Feng watched as the corrupted creature roared again—and the fight truly began.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***