Xerxes looked a bit nervous and bowed again to the man.
"It's fine."
The man's cold voice carried a tone that left no room for argument.
Then he started walking forward. A chill brushed past Xyliana, making her shiver involuntarily.
The man had a piece of smooth jade hanging from his waist. It swayed gently with his steps. The color and quality looked expensive.
Suddenly, something seemed to fall from his sleeve.
It landed right at Xyliana's feet without missing a beat.
Without thinking, she picked it up.
Now she could see it clearly in her hand. It looked like a sachet.
It was old and worn, clearly used for many years. A faint floral scent came from it, though it was so light it was hard to identify.
Just as she was about to take a closer look, a hand with long slender fingers suddenly reached out and snatched the sachet from her.
Xyliana looked up and saw that it was the same man from earlier.
Right now, he was carefully checking the sachet in his hand. His gentle movements made him look like a different person.
The next moment, a wave of coldness came over her. His gloomy gaze shot straight at her, making her tremble all over.
His eyes searched her face for a few seconds.
Then he pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve and began to thoroughly wipe the sachet. He started carefully cleaning his fingers too.
A breeze blew through. The silence in the inn's main hall became almost eerie.
Seeing this, Xicob quickly stepped forward and said,
"Oh, what a coincidence. Brother Ze, let me introduce you. This is Miss Xyliana. Miss Xyliana, this is Zehun from Beiyi."
Xicob's face looked awkward. He blushed as he looked at Zehun, who stood there silent and cold.
"Nice to meet you." Xyliana gave him a slight bow.
But the man didn't seem to hear her. He kept wiping his fingers with the same cold expression.
After cleaning all ten fingers, he tossed the handkerchief aside and walked straight up the stairs without looking back.
The atmosphere grew even more awkward.
"Miss Xyliana, don't mind him. Brother Ze… he's always been like this… ha... ha..." Xicob rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and forced a smile.
"It's fine."
Xyliana smiled lightly, but her heart grew tense.
She had clearly heard the name just now. Zehun... Prince Xavion...?
She remembered the name of the one who had chased her.
Then she looked at Xerxes and Xicob's clumsy acting and the way the beastmen looked angry but stayed quiet. Xyliana could already guess most of what was going on.
Right now, she clenched her fists and became even more determined to reach Yicheng as soon as possible. She needed to find a place where no one knew her and settle down.
These people clearly weren't ordinary. To be safe, the farther she stayed from them, the better. Xyliana made a quiet plan in her heart.
On the other side, Zhiyina had finally calmed down thanks to the soft coaxing of the beastmen.
She looked at Xyliana apologetically and said, "Sorry, Xabrina. I made a scene."
Xyliana smiled and shook her head, stepping forward to hold Zhiyina's hand in silent comfort.
A chilly night breeze came through the window, making the candle on the desk crackle and pop. The sound echoed in the quiet night.
Inside the room, Zhiyina poured her feelings out to Xyliana.
She had known Zehun since childhood and had liked him since she was a young girl.
But Zehun didn't seem to have any romantic feelings for her. In fact, he had never shown kindness to any woman.
Except for one: Miss Zonna, the other beauty of Ten Thousand Beasts City.
The night was dark and windy. The moon was covered by thick clouds, and the cry of crows broke the silence.
A strange and eerie feeling seemed to settle over the still land.
Xyliana woke up with a start and found herself standing in a place so dark she couldn't see her own hand. The air was cold and damp, sending a shiver through her body.
She looked around in confusion, swallowed by endless darkness. Where was this place? Where was she?
The cawing of crows echoed overhead in response: "Caw... caw..."
A gust of wind blew by, raising a thick white mist. Xyliana grew more afraid and shouted, hoping someone would answer her.
The cold wind lifted a few strands of her hair, as if responding to her with icy indifference.
She covered her ears with both hands, shut her eyes tightly, and squatted down, whispering softly in fear. It was as if doing this could block out everything around her.
She didn't know how long had passed when she slowly opened her eyes again.
Fog surrounded her on all sides. Xyliana was lost and helpless in the mist. She had never seen anything so strange. Everything was wet, cold, and felt completely wrong.
Suddenly, the white mist began to clear. The surroundings turned empty and blank. A distant light suddenly flashed so brightly she couldn't keep her eyes open.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to stay calm, and walked toward the light with trembling steps.
They say moths rush toward flames. In this situation, she had no choice but to be that moth.
The light grew more intense. As she pushed forward, she could barely make out a figure in the pale glow.
It looked like a boy around sixteen years old.
"Hey! Hey! Can you hear me?"
Xyliana called out nervously, but the boy didn't seem to notice her. He stood still, muttering something under his breath.
She stepped closer as she spoke. "Excuse me, do you know where we are?"
The boy showed no reaction. He just repeated the same words again and again.
Xyliana listened carefully and managed to catch a few words:
"...where are you... will you come back... ah..."
Just as she tried to listen more closely, the mist returned, and the boy's figure slowly faded away.
"Hey, don't go!" Xyliana shouted anxiously. The fog wrapped around her, blocking her vision. She reached forward through the mist.
It seemed like something floated out from the boy's hand.
She opened her palm and saw several petals of purple wisteria quietly resting in it.
In that instant, the scene changed. Before Xyliana could react, the petals had already drifted away.
After a moment of silence, she slowly opened her eyes again.
She seemed to have arrived in a new place. Xyliana looked around carefully. It appeared to be an altar.
Mountains surrounded the area. A rapid river flowed below the altar, and cold wind blew from all sides.
Looking ahead, she saw a figure at the center of the altar. As she got closer, she saw it was another boy, slightly older, maybe seventeen or eighteen. He was also muttering something.
She was still puzzled. One boy had just disappeared, and now another had shown up. Still, figuring things out was more important. She pushed aside her confusion and approached him.
"Hello..."
Just as she spoke, the boy at the altar suddenly rose into the air. A flash of bright light burst out.
Soon, the light faded, and she saw that the boy's legs had turned into a dark-colored serpent's tail.
The scales reflected a rainbow glow in the firelight, and Xyliana couldn't look away.
"What a beautiful tail..." she whispered.
As soon as she said it, the boy raised one hand and sliced his own palm with his finger.
Blood dripped from his pale skin down to his wrist and fell drop by drop. It looked strange yet mesmerizing.
His fingers moved through the air in a graceful motion, forming a shape she didn't understand.
Then the blood in his hand responded as if following an order. It gathered quickly and flew into the jade stone on the altar.
In that moment, the stone lit up brightly, and blue light began to swirl around it.
Seeing this, the boy quickly formed another hand sign and began chanting:
"With my spirit, I draw its life. Divine beast above, guide the stone, go!"
His long fingers pointed at the stone. The blue light slowly entered it and disappeared.
The next second, he raised his head to look at the floating jade stone with a faint smile on his lips.
Then he slowly closed his eyes, completely exhausted, and let himself fall gently to the ground.
"Hey!"
Xyliana was startled by the sudden turn of events.