Chapter Ten: Cool Breezes Whisper, One Leaf Heralds the Fall

The man’s sharp retort left Xiao Yin speechless—of course, the string of curses he muttered under his breath didn’t count.

“All right, Xiao Yin,” Yu Shang gently interrupted the irate young man, who had abandoned all sense of decorum in his complaints—though, admittedly, he never had much to begin with. Then Yu Shang stepped forward and addressed the man, “So, you must be the guardian of this realm. Enough with the preamble. If you have a test for us, let’s get it over with.” For reasons he couldn’t quite name, Yu Shang found himself extremely uneasy in the presence of this man with rosy cheeks. The stranger’s inexplicable smile unsettled him further, filling his heart with the distinct feeling of having fallen into someone’s trap.

“Hahaha, not bad. You must be Yu Shang. Just as they said—undaunted in the face of danger, poised and forthright, with the bearing of a natural king. I am Yu Xiaoran, pleased to make your acquaintance.” The man paid no heed to Yu Shang’s cold tone, introducing himself with relentless enthusiasm, though his words were entirely devoid of genuine emotion.

“Enough with the pleasantries. Let’s get started,” Xiao Yin interjected impatiently, a trace of disdain flickering across his face, making clear just how much he disliked this Yu fellow.

“If you ask me, endless fighting and killing is both bloody and dull. Why not keep things light and play a little game instead?” Though phrased as a question, his tone made it clear this was an order—a silent assertion that he ruled everything here, including them. Defiance would not be tolerated.

“Am I even allowed to refuse? Heh, go ahead—tell us your rules,” Yu Shang replied, expressionless, his eyes probing the man as if trying to see through him entirely.

“The rules are simple. If you can find my dwelling within a single day, I’ll open the Gate of Illusion for you. Good luck!” With a burst of sinister, eerie laughter, the man vanished without a trace.

“Hey! Hey, Yu! Don’t run off so quickly! One day? Are you kidding? This place is enormous—scanning it even with spiritual sense would take forever, let alone finding his lair. Isn’t this just a joke at our expense?” Xiao Yin shouted after the vanished figure, indignant, then turned to Yu Shang for help.

“Don’t look at me like that—it’s a lot of pressure. Since we’re here, we might as well make the best of it. Let’s look around—it’s better than you panicking for nothing,” Yu Shang replied, striding off ahead.

“That insufferable brat, always acting so calm, as if nothing could ever unsettle him. It’s unbearable!” Xiao Yin grumbled, following reluctantly, his face a portrait of unwillingness.

And so, the two of them wandered, retracing their steps again and again, uncertain how many times they had traveled the same paths. Yet, their search yielded nothing. After what felt like an eternity of walking in circles, Yu Shang finally stopped, crouching to examine something on the ground. Xiao Yin, who had been silently trailing him, hurried over, puzzled by Yu Shang’s actions.

Yu Shang picked up a fallen leaf, turning it over in his hand and occasionally furrowing his brow in thought. Suddenly, he smiled and nodded to himself. With a gentle squeeze, the leaf crumbled to dust.

Yu Shang turned to Xiao Yin and asked, “Have you figured it out?”

“What are you talking about? You’re making my head spin. Can you just say it outright and stop being so cryptic?” Xiao Yin replied helplessly.

“Hopeless—some wood cannot be carved,” Yu Shang shook his head, then picked up a few more fallen leaves from the ground. More precisely, he gathered all the fallen leaves within the small area beneath their feet. Channeling his energy, he waved his hand, and the leaves crumbled to dust and vanished just as before.

Yu Shang looked expectantly at Xiao Yin. After a moment’s silence, seeing the confusion and frustration on Xiao Yin’s face, Yu Shang’s heart filled with exasperation. He snapped, “If you’re going to be this dense, just look at your feet!”

Xiao Yin looked down, first startled and then embarrassed. “Weren’t these leaves just reduced to dust by you? How are they back, completely intact, at our feet? That’s really strange.”

Yu Shang was amused by Xiao Yin’s harmlessly innocent expression. Gently, he explained, “I sensed something off when we fought earlier, though I couldn’t put my finger on it. And just now, we walked over these leaves hundreds of times, yet they never changed. Isn’t that odd? That’s why I started to pay attention. Of everything around us, only these leaves seem to possess some kind of spiritual quality. I suspect they’re linked to Yu Xiaoran. If we follow this thread, we might find something.”

“Haha! You’ve got some skill, I’ll give you that. You’re starting to resemble my younger self a little,” Xiao Yin laughed, taking the opportunity to praise himself, leaving Yu Shang speechless.

He was cute a moment ago, and now he’s back to his shameless self—such a disagreeable character, Yu Shang thought to himself. Then, seeing Xiao Yin lost in self-admiration, he said, “Don’t just stand there—help me investigate these leaves. There may be something unexpected to uncover.”

“When have I ever been idle? I’ve been keeping a close eye on you the whole time. If I weren’t so diligent, would you even have noticed these details?” Xiao Yin replied, completely unashamed.

Yu Shang had no desire to argue further. He sat down and let his spiritual sense leave his body, beginning to investigate the strange leaves. Xiao Yin, finding himself at a loose end, sat beside him and began to explore as well.

Their spiritual senses entered one leaf after another, searching for a long time without encountering anything unusual. At last, they noticed a faint glimmer of light. Chasing after it, they thought they might finally discover something, but once again, they found nothing. Just as Xiao Yin was about to withdraw, he sensed something familiar and pressed onward. Reaching the source, he was stunned.

“How can it be you?” Countless questions instantly flooded Xiao Yin’s heart.