All around, darkness swirled in silence, foreshadowing the ominous game ahead.

  A bunch of questions ran through the tense Bubai’s mind like restless fireflies.

  What’s this? Shadow games? One-on-one duel? Highway robbery?

  Whatever it was, why was he so careless to land in this mess in the first place?

  Merlin’s beard, getting his hands on that goddess must have made his wings grow too proud, his feathers too loose.

  Now, here he was, falling for another trap... can this get any more cliché?

  Bubai clenched his fists, his eyes discreetly searching the dark dome around. No way out, no immediate threats.

  But since he lost out on the first step, he can only bide his time—watch, wait, and look for an opening, a lifeline to pull himself out of this abyss.

  Sensing the raven statue finally stir, his attention fully snapped back to her.

  Holding her hand out, her palm opened to show a pitch-black pearl that seemed to hold swirling mist like a fortune teller’s crystal ball.

  “This is a Shadow Pearl. Unless this is broken, nobody will hear or see what happens here in the next hour.”

  Those words slithered into Bubai’s ears, igniting a flicker of calculation in his eyes.

  So, all he has to do is just take that from her, right?

  But before Bubai could take any action, that palm slipped under the black veil masking the bottom-half of her face.

  There was a faint yet audible gulp.

  Bubai’s jaws almost dropped when her now-empty hand lowered. She swallowed it?!

  A storm of curses brewed inside him. Just great! Now he gotta open her stomach…

  Drawing his dagger, Bubai leveled it at her. “You really going to force me to do this?”

  Miss Raven tilted her head ever so slightly and flatly replied, “I am not here to fight.”

  “Then why lock me up in this?” Bubai’s dagger gestured at the inky dome.

  Her response came like a drop of ice into a still pond. “Mission.”

  “Mission?”

  “The matriarch passed down an order for a vial of essence to be extracted from you.”

  “...???!!”

  For a moment, his world seemed to tilt sideways and Bubai almost dropped his dagger in shock.

  “I’m sorry. I think I heard you wrong...”

  “No. You heard me right. I am here to get a vial of your essence.”

  That straightforward answer as if she were asking for a cup of tea made Bubai feel as though he’d been struck by lightning all over again.

  Where in Merlin’s ballpark did all this nonsense come from?!

  Merlin’s beard, can this sect have any serious business for once?!

  Give him a real assassin coming after his life. Give him overrated cliche plot lines!

  He would rather face those than ridiculous forced plot like this!

  “Miss…” Bubai began awkwardly, “I appreciate the offer, really, but I really don’t see any reason why you have to do this…”

  “For our Feng Clan, a lot can be seen from the essence of men.” Miss Raven dully expounded, “It’s a vital resource for comprehending potential, lineage, and… other qualities.”

  Oh really? That’s what we’re going with?!

  Dear Merlin, why can’t it be blood, or hair, or literally anything else?

  Every plot in this sect must really be forced in that direction, huh?

  Swallowing his exasperation, Bubai forced a strained, polite smile.

  “Miss, we’ve only met twice. There’s really no need for you to force yourself. Since nobody can see what happens here, I’m sure we can... come to a more reasonable arrangement.”

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  That offer made those dull eyes fluctuate with complex emotions, but Miss Raven quickly bowed her head to hide them.

  “Usually these collection missions will be assigned to the many older sisters on duty and won’t be the turn of those of my rank. But this time…”

  The emotionless raven blankly looked back up at him. “Consider yourself lucky. It’s not every day a man catches the eye of the matriarchs.”

  Lucky?! To be a pawn in those bigwigs’ endless parade of lunacy?

  Bubai was stunned into silence. Merlin save him! If this is luck, he’d hate to see misfortune!

  Still, entering the eyes of those bigwigs did not exceed his expectations.

  It’s just that, Bubai was still confused about one thing.

  Since when did he catch the eye of those Golden Core matriarchs?

  He hasn’t even shown the real goods yet!

  What little he has revealed so far might whet those elders’ appetites, but it was still far from worthy enough to truly enter their lofty eyes!

  So why the focused interest all of a sudden? What was the cause?

  Don’t tell him that his ugly “Ah Niu” face deserves ladies flocking after it. Because it doesn’t.

  The baby face hidden underneath can perhaps earn some brownie points, but it’s not enough to make ladies swoon at first sight, assuming they could even see it.

  As for his wealth? His strength? None were enough to earn a second glance from the truly powerful cultivators.

  Then… what else?

  Bubai suddenly remembered the beguiling, cyan-hair shop assistant he got “hypnotized” by. Could it be her doing?

  Wanting to wheedle out some intel, Bubai uncertainly tried, “May I ask—”

  But Miss Raven sharply cut him off.

  “There’s no need for you to know too much. Just treat this as… what you do on a daily basis.”

  She then reached down into a black storage pouch, took out a wooden chair, and set it down in front of herself. “Come. Sit.”

  Blankly staring at that chair that looked almost the same as the one used for interrogation, Bubai wryly smiled. “Can I not... donate?”

  All he got was her blunt reply. “No. For us, the matriarch’s will is absolute.”

  Bubai groaned inwardly. Of course it is.

  “You have two choices. Either comply, or I make you comply. In your current condition... I trust you know the easy way out.”

  Her unyielding stare left little room for protest, and Bubai felt the faint chill of inevitability seep into his bones.

  But Bubai didn’t give in just yet. He coughed weakly. “Now that you reminded me… Miss, I don’t think my current condition is exactly… suitable for this sort of activity.”

  “Quit being wishy-washy. If a man can walk, he can talk. Even if you can’t do either, we’re trained to make even those laying flat talk.”

  For real?! Bubai’s lips twitched uncontrollably. Do all the women in this sect not look at appearance and have such heavy tastes?

  This oddly made him feel the aversion even more.

  But since the emotion cards don’t work, Bubai can only try his last resort.

  “Miss, there’s not much time until the next match. Aren’t you afraid you’ll be blamed for obstructing a contestant?”

  “Don’t worry. Since the matriarch gave her orders, she’ll naturally find a reason to delay.”

  Pooh! Bubai almost cursed out loud. Merlin’s stinking socks! Can your Feng family of law enforcers still play like this?!

  Rules really do bend like bamboo in the wind!

  Bubai sighed. There’s no hope. The choice, it seemed, was no choice at all.

  Well, guess it’s not entirely a bad thing...

  One extra hour. A whole lot more time for recovery.

  Plus, he wasn’t a monk. Why should he reject the meat delivered to his mouth?

  Just accept it and treat it as another winding-down session…

  Holding his hands up in mock surrender, Bubai warily approached the chair and eventually sat down with a sigh.

  “Bringing a chair everywhere you go. You Feng Clan ladies really know how to make a guy feel special.”

  There was no answer, just a lady in black stiffly coming around to stand in front of him.

  Seeing the masked officer about to get down to business, Bubai suddenly blurted out, “Wait!”

  Their eyes locked in a silent standoff.

  Those pretty eyes of hers seemed to be begging him for another excuse.

  But this time, he swallowed hard and decided to be shameless. “I really can’t do it like this… At least let me see what you look like under that. Otherwise, I don’t know how long it’ll take...”

  His demands cooled the very air around them and it became so silent that it seemed as if they were holding their breaths.

  Then, like the first stirrings of a breeze before a storm, the masked beauty’s hand moved to slowly peel off her black mask…

  Meanwhile, outside, in the Sun Disc platform above...

  The Ma Pei who finally noticed something wrong slapped the armrest of his throne and pointed at the Feng Elder duo.

  “This old man was wondering why you two quiet doves suddenly found so many reasons to delay the next match! Turns out there’s fraud! You—just what exactly do you want to do, you crazy women?!

  Despite the rude language, Feng Luping didn’t even bat an eyelid. Her expression was still as cold and unreadable as a mountain shrouded by a veil of mist.

  “When there are abnormal seedlings, it is our duty to collect and observe. This is the agreement we abide by. A small hour. We will not overstep. The price will remain the usual.”

  Ma Pei still didn’t have a happy face, but he ultimately tamped down his anger with a deep breath.

  “Hoh... as long as you understand. Could’ve just told me instead of going behind my back. Forget it this time. Let’s just treat this as that cheap brat lucking out.”

  Hearing the begrudging agreement getting settled so fast, a mocking voice chimed in from the sidelines.

  “Aye, it’s not appropriate for you lot to intervene like this. How is it fair for the little dollies waiting their turn? The next one was all prepared, too.”

  Ma Pei swung his sharp gaze toward the scarecrow, pointing accusingly at him.

  “Ha! Old Thief, you dare talk about fairness? Think we didn’t notice those little tricks you’ve played?”

  Tai Yinjun chuckled, entirely unbothered.

  “Aye! It’s not like I forced that little dollie. Since he is willing, I simply provided an opportunity. That’s not against the rules. But the next dollie... it’s definitely not me! Gawahaha!”

  “Hoh! Just listen to this shameless thief!”

  Ma Pei looked around, seeking support from the others.

  His usual partner, Mo Badao, drank his tea in silence.

  The usually impartial Feng Elders didn’t give him any good face.

  The bald musclehead already shut out the world to meditate with a clear wait-and-see attitude.

  He could only look over to the Grand Elder.

  Jia Wunan met his gaze with his ever-present kind smile. “Old Pei, there’s no need to fret. It’s better this way. We can see if that boy is worthy of joining tomorrow’s stage.”

  The abrupt change in the way he got addressed only made Ma Pei’s ruddy face twist into a scowl. “You mean worthy of joining your pig pen!”

  Combing his braided beard, the Grand Elder serenely smiled as if he had everything controlled within his palms.

  “We shall see, we shall see... It won’t be long.”