"Let us not wait for Yuansong," Prince Zhanying told her once they came out of the restaurant. "Pointless waiting for someone incompetent."

Jingrui ran to catch up to him. "So, we are going to the Jade Dragon Mountain now?"

He nodded while listening to her thrill with suspicion. "Stay close to me once we go up the mountain."

It was only a short walk from the mortal village, and soon, they arrived at the foot of the Jade Dragon Mountain. Grisly rocks and willow trees fused into one as it rose into the blue, touching Heaven with its peak. Mist hung low, and a sinister miasma slithered through the path leading up to the summit.

One drop of blood, ashes eat away frost, the heart blossoms a Jade Fruit, return all that is lost.

Jingrui shivered as she remembered the line she read in the Ancient Archive. She glanced up the towering mountain as they began their hike. Shivers crawled down her spine like constant ripples the whole way up the unwelcoming path. The trees branched out, blocking the sun from reaching them, which made it seem like night time even though it was only the feast meal hour. The quietness of the forest made each crunching step against the damp dirt echo.

Jingrui walked closer to the God of War and glanced around the bushes, feeling eyes were prying her way.

"Are you scared?" Prince Zhanying suddenly asked, his voice loud within the strangling stillness.

Jingrui swallowed, her face growing pale. "O-Of course not." She forced herself to say, the crescendo in her voice held an evident tremble. "I told you I won't be your burden, this is nothing at all . . . Nothing at all. . ."

"Ah yes, I forgot. You told me that you'd. . ." He fixed his jaw as he tried to form the word. "Protect me?" he asked, the word 'protect' felt odd coming out of his tongue.

"Y-Yes," she replied as she grabbed the edge of his sleeve, tugging him to walk slower.

Over her head, no sunlight seeped in through the thick leaves that clustered together, overshadowing the land. Several spiders and poisonous centipedes ran on the high tree trunks and she fought not to drop down to the floor in fear. "What is up with this mountain?" she murmured. And what is wrong with you, she thought as she looked at the Prince's collectivity.

"It's the gate of Hell, Bao Bao. A low cultivated immortal won't be able to survive within it."

His words made Jingrui shift with uneasiness. "But . . . But I'll be fine, right? As long as I stay close to you?"

There was a dangerous amusement in his eyes. "Maybe. . ." His lips curled. "Not."

She clenched her jaw. Was the Prince trying to scare her or was he telling the truth? As she looked at the shabby path that led to a dark and dire end, she knew he wasn't lying.

"Then let's quickly get up the mountain, so we'll be safe and—" She paused when Prince Zhanying suddenly stopped in his tracks. Did he just decide to stop walking when she told him to hasten? "Is Your Highness trying to—"

Jingrui paused for good this time when he clamped his hand over her mouth and pulled her towards his chest. "Is it that hard for you to be quiet?" his voice was so low that it could pass as the wind. He angled his face towards the gap between the shadows of the trees. His brows knitted together, and his eyes became abundant with threat. "Come out."

Prince Zhanying's voice echoed throughout the mountain, and the bushes rattled as several men dressed in jade-coloured hanfu walked from within the shadow. Their hands cradled tightly onto their sword hilts.

"Stranger," they hissed, their accent thick. "We must kill."

Prince Zhanying pushed her behind him as he summoned his sword.

"They are from Heaven," another voice echoed. "Phantom Lord hates the Celestial Tribe most. Kill!"

With that, they rushed towards Prince Zhanying. The Prince cursed, but as he was about to swing his sword, a light flared in between him and the men. Jingrui held her hands over her eyes to block it from blinding her. Once the light had vanished, a man with an elegant figure like an aristocrat stood between the men in jade hanfu and the Prince.

Instantly, the men in jade hanfu kneeled to their feet. "General." They bowed and sheathed their swords.

The man, who was addressed as General, turned to face Prince Zhanying. Jingrui rubbed her eyes as she peered through the darkness, taking in his complexion. Dressed in blue and with his brown hair pulled back and secured with a tie, her eyes popped wide, and a gasp escaped her lips. She rubbed her eyes again, making sure that she wasn't hallucinating. "Senior?" She scanned him up and down. "Senior Xiao?"

Xiao snapped his gaze to her immediately. His mouth gaped open, and he pointed at her, trying to form words. "J-Junior?"

A smile brightened on her face. She pushed past Prince Zhanying and ran towards her senior. Her eyes sparkled with thrill, and suddenly, the forest didn't seem cold and dark anymore.

"Look at what we've got here?" Xiao smiled as he held his arms to the side, beckoning her to him.

Jingrui jumped into his embrace. "Senior!" She ran her hand over his back, feeling him. "Are you really my Senior?"

He nodded. "Oh my dear little one, I was just thinking the other day if you were still well in the Hell Palace." He patted her hair and rested his chin atop her head. "Have you finally had enough, so you run crying back into my arms?"

Xiao pulled out of the embrace and cupped his hands over her cheeks. "Look at you, you've gotten so much thinner. They must have hurt you, right? Your senior will take you away and look after you from now on, forget about the stupid Hell Palace—" He came to a stop when a gleaming sword shot towards his neck, pausing just an inch away from cutting through his skin.

"Who are you to take her away?" Prince Zhanying strained his words as he cocked his head to the side. His eyes were like blades that could cut Xiao in half. He pulled Jingrui from Xiao's grip and pushed her behind him.

"W-Who are you?" Xiao stuttered as he eyed the cool blade.

Jingrui furrowed her brows as she tugged Prince Zhanying's sleeves. "Let go of him, Your Highness. Don't fight—"

He shook her hand off him as he threatened Xiao with a taunting smile, his brows raised slightly. "Bao Bao is mine."

Xiao's lips paled as goosebumps crept over the spot the sword pricked. "J-Jingrui. Save me."

Jingrui sighed. She was in no place to go against Prince Zhanying, but she knew she must save her senior, so she pushed herself in between them. "W-We can talk about this nicely, Your Highness, alright?" Her eyes filled up with pleas, and when he didn't move, she nudged his arm, trying to move the blade away from her senior's neck. "Alright, Your Highness?"

Prince Zhanying clenched his jaw, and with a long moment of hesitation, he dispelled his sword and stepped back. "Who are you?" he asked Xiao again.

"I'm Jingrui's senior, but now I work under the Phantom Lord as his general," Xiao answered while flexing his neck that was tense a moment ago. And since Xiao didn't dare meet gazes with Prince Zhanying, he turned to Jingrui and pointed his finger, eyeing the Prince. "Who's he?"

"The God of War, Prince Zhanying," Jingrui whispered back, gesturing to him to pay the Prince respect.

Xiao was flustered before he bowed at Prince Zhanying. "Greetings, Your Highness."

Prince Zhanying waved him to rise, his eyes narrowing. "Take us to the Phantom Lord, Phantom General."

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