FantasyLi

Chapter 100: Continous Mission X

Chapter 100: Continous Mission X


They landed in the Mission Hall courtyard with a soft whump of talons on stone, the crane folding its wings with a sigh like old silk. The courtyard clerks froze mid-conversation, eyes snapping toward the returning duo—then toward the small, suspiciously jingling chest tucked under Yuxin’s arm.


Tian Lei dismounted in one clean motion and strode forward with the brisk gravity of a storm given human form."Mission complete," he stated, voice as flat as a ledger line.


Yuxin hopped down after him, veil fluttering like a triumphant banner. "Mission complete with flourish," she amended, sliding the chest onto the counter. It made a musical cha-ching sound that made the nearest clerk visibly reconsider their life choices.


The senior clerk, an older man who always looked like he’d been personally betrayed by paperwork, blinked at them. "This is... the East Ridge den?"


"Was," Yuxin corrected brightly. "It’s more of a dramatic smoking crater with scenic debris now."


The clerk cracked the chest open. Gold, silver, and a few deeply questionably carved figurines winked up at him. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a prayer, then coughed."These... will be cataloged and returned to the affected villages. Your prompt response is commendable."


Tian Lei gave a short, precise nod.


Yuxin propped her elbows on the counter, eyes sparkling. "And our reward...? Shower of petals? Complimentary tea set? A parade led by enthusiastic ducks?"


"You will receive standard remuneration," the clerk said with the faint air of someone clinging to sanity by a very thin thread. He pushed two jade token slips toward them. "Please sign."


Tian Lei scrawled his name with immaculate efficiency. Yuxin signed hers with a flourish and drew a tiny smiling duck beside it. The clerk said nothing. Yuxin marked it down as a quiet personal victory.


Business concluded, they stepped back out into the courtyard. The sun had begun to slip toward the horizon, painting the sky in molten copper. The crane stretched its wings lazily, as if bracing for another inevitable round of absurdity.


Yuxin slung her token around her finger and grinned. "Mission complete, loot redistributed, no snack casualties. This calls for celebration."


Tian Lei arched an eyebrow almost invisibly. "Celebration?"


"Correct. Optional field exercise in morale enhancement." She pointed dramatically toward the descending market tiers, where lanterns were already beginning to bloom like floating blossoms of firelight. "Phase One: tea. Phase Two: dumplings. Phase Three: questionable life choices."


There was a pause, the kind of pause that could be measured in heartbeats and subtle existential calculations.


Then, quietly:"One hour," Tian Lei said.


Yuxin lit up like someone had handed her the sun on a stick. "Yes, Captain."


And with that, they descended the winding stairs toward the waiting sea of color and noise, the quiet storm and the sugar comet slipping once more into the current of the city below—just another pair of silhouettes, for now.


Cloudveil’s market tiers had fully awakened by the time their feet touched cobblestone, the evening rush rolling in like a technicolor tide.


Lanterns hung from every awning, glowing like bottled sunsets. Steam curled from food stalls in soft, savory banners—spiced noodles, sweet buns, sizzling skewers painting the air in warm, edible dreams. Merchants hollered in friendly combat over who had the most superior melons. Children darted like darting sparks between legs, laughing. Someone nearby was absolutely butchering a flute solo with heroic persistence.


Yuxin inhaled deeply, throwing her arms wide as though to embrace the entire chaos.


"Ahhh. The smell of commerce. And dumplings."


Tian Lei strode beside her with the quiet efficiency of a drawn sword that was politely pretending to be ornamental.


"Focus," he murmured.


"Focusing," she said. "Specifically... on dessert logistics."


They were swept along by the flow of people, Yuxin twirling to peer into nearly every stall they passed. A vendor hawked candied plums glazed to crystalline perfection; she bought three and promptly handed one to Tian Lei without asking. He accepted it with the air of someone signing a ceasefire agreement and ate it in a single, thoughtful bite.


They stopped at a teahouse balcony draped in silk lanterns, perched above the market like a secret. The air here was softer, fragrant with jasmine and roasted oolong. They claimed a low table overlooking the glowing river of the street below.


Yuxin flopped onto her cushion with a blissful sigh. "Field morale enhancement: initiated."


Tian Lei settled cross-legged with unshakable composure. "Status report?"


"Delightfully relaxed," she said, snatching a dumpling from the tray as it arrived. "Also possibly in love with this dumpling. We’re eloping."


He sipped his tea in silence, watching the street below with eyes that seemed to weigh every moving part. "You are loud when content."


"Joyful," she corrected automatically, mouth full. "And you are... softer when full of sugar. Like a very disciplined marshmallow."


One of his brows rose a millimeter. "...Unclear if compliment."


"Strong compliment," she promised solemnly.


The world outside hummed on—a sea of gold light, laughing voices, drifting petals. Yuxin leaned back on her elbows, veil sliding down around her shoulders like moonlight melting. For a brief, stolen pocket of time, the world was just warm tea and soft laughter and absolutely zero screaming bandits.


Then—because the universe respected neither serenity nor snacks—a shadow fell across their table.


A junior disciple stood there, bowing hastily, scroll in hand and panic hovering behind his eyes like a poorly leashed puppy.


"Senior Disciple Tian—Senior Disciple Yuxin—urgent missive. From the Council."


Yuxin groaned, flopping back like a tragic opera heroine. "Nooo. We’re in the tea zone."


Tian Lei took the scroll, broke the wax seal, and scanned it. His expression didn’t change—but Yuxin swore the air temperature dropped a polite two degrees.


"What is it?" she asked, sitting up.


"Mission." His voice was calm, precise. "Disappearance of outer sect gatherers. Sighted last near Moonspine Gorge."


Yuxin blinked. "Moonspine? That’s like... dramatic echo country."


"Correct."


"Ughhh." She stuffed the last dumpling in her mouth as if fortifying her soul. "Fine. Dramatic echoes. We’ll rescue them before bedtime."


Tian Lei stood, already tying his sash tighter. "Depart in fifteen."


Yuxin saluted with her teacup. "Roger, Captain No-Fun."


She downed the rest of her tea, grabbed her veil, and vaulted over the balcony rail before the waitress could bring the check—vanishing into the lantern-lit chaos below with all the quiet grace of an enthusiastic hurricane.


Tian Lei sighed—just barely—and followed.


Moonspine Gorge greeted them like the open mouth of some ancient stone beast—jagged cliffs biting into the sky, their black silhouettes carved sharp against the moon. Wind howled through the ravine in low, hollow notes, as though the gorge itself was trying to remember how to sing.


Yuxin stood at the edge, veil snapping like a silver banner, arms folded. "Yup," she said after a beat. "Dramatic echoes. Called it."


Tian Lei crouched by the trailhead, fingers brushing the dirt. "Recent tracks. Four sets... then three... then none."


She peered over his shoulder. "None?"


"Vanished." His eyes narrowed a fraction. "No sign of struggle. No blood."


"Love that for us." Yuxin crouched, sniffed the air theatrically, then wrinkled her nose. "Smells like old moss and bad foreshadowing."


He rose smoothly, scanning the cliffs. The moonlight clung to him like polished steel. "Stay close."


"Aw," she said, mock-sweet. "You do care."


"I care about operational efficiency."


"Same thing." She flashed him a grin, then danced after him as he slipped into the gorge.


The path wound downward like a dark ribbon, their boots crunching over loose shale. Echoes of their steps came back strange—like someone else was walking a half-second out of sync. The air grew colder, laced with a faint hum that prickled the back of their teeth.


Yuxin shivered. "Okay. Mildly creepy. I give it a three on the haunted-cave scale."


Tian Lei halted abruptly. One hand came up—silent command. She froze.


Up ahead, at the base of a sheer wall, something glimmered. A scrap of cloth—sect robes, half-buried in gravel. And beside it... a gathering basket, overturned, the herbs inside withered to black husks as if all life had been quietly persuaded to stop existing.


Yuxin’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Oh. That’s new."


He stepped forward, examining the basket without touching it. "Life-force drained."


Her brows rose. "Like... spirit leeching?"


"Or worse."


"Cool cool cool." She unsnapped her fan, holding it like a blade. "So what’s the plan, fearless leader?"


He looked up at the cliffs—the shadows between the rocks seemed deeper now, shifting faintly like they were breathing.


"Advance," Tian Lei said simply, drawing his sword in one fluid motion. Its steel caught the moonlight and held it like a promise.


Yuxin sighed. "Advance, he says. Never ’let’s retreat and eat more dumplings.’"


But her smile was quick, fierce, and she fell into step beside him anyway—two sharp points of light moving deeper into the waiting dark.


They pressed on, shadows stretching longer as the gorge narrowed around them like the throat of some vast, slumbering creature.


The hum in the air grew clearer—less like wind, more like... a voice. No words, just a soft, wavering tone that threaded through the stone. Every few steps it shifted pitch, almost curious.


Yuxin kept glancing back. The path behind them always seemed slightly different, as though the walls had quietly rearranged themselves when no one was looking.


"Okay," she murmured, fan half-open at her side, "not to cause panic in the workplace, but... the geometry back there just blinked."