They arrived at a small clearing surrounded by twisted trees and thick fog. The moment they stepped in, Yin Rou slowed down, her dainty steps strangely cautious.
As they stepped deeper into the misty forest, Yin Rou clung tightly to Jin Yu’s sleeve, her little hand trembling just enough to look convincing.
"Big brother..." she sniffled, eyes rge and watery, "the monsters live around here. They… they took my mommy and daddy. Please save them, okay?"
Jin Yu gave a gentle smile, tilting his head as if worried. "Monsters, huh? And you led me here all by yourself? You’re really brave for such a tiny thing.”
She nodded quickly, trying her best to look bashful.
Ding!
Influence +2,000
(Emotion provoked: Disdain)
He chuckled inwardly.
Disdaining me, little fox? You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that.
They reached a clearing surrounded by gnarled trees.
Jin Yu paused, looking around casually. “Hmm… I don’t see anyone. Are you sure this is where you saw them?”
Yin Rou nodded fast, her lips trembling. “They were here! Yin Rou swears!”
Ding!
Influence +2,500 (irritation)
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Jin Yu’s lips. “Alright then. Stay behind me, Yin Rou. I’ll protect you, though I might get a little hurt, so you have to promise to cheer me on, okay?”
“Mm!” She nodded eagerly, small fists clenched by her chest.
Ding!
Influence +3,000 (Gloating)
As if on cue, a dozen beastly figures emerged from the fog.
They were muscur and had jagged bone armor sprouting from their shoulders and backs, eyes glowing a sickly yellow. They circled Jin Yu silently, eyes glowing.
Yin Rou gasped in feigned fear, grabbing the hem of his robe. “Big brother! Look out!”
Jin Yu raised a hand zily, yawning. “Ah… seems like I’ve walked into a trap.”
Her eyes twitched, but she quickly masked it with panic. “W-What do we do? Run?!”
He tilted his head and smiled faintly. “And leave you behind? What kind of brother would I be?”
With a flick of his wrist, a sword made of Qi condensed in his hands as he stepped forward.
The beasts emerged from the forest like shadows come alive, snarling.
Their movements were swift and coordinated, surrounding him with the hunger of predators that had brought down many wandering cultivators before.
Each one of them radiated pressure, the essence of early-stage Core Realm pulsating in every lunge.
Jin Yu tilted his head, sighing.
“This might be tough,” he called out, voice light. “Yin Rou, if I don’t make it… take good care of Rainbow, alright?”
Behind him, the little girl peeked out from behind a tree, watching with wide eyes, her lips twitching slightly.
The first beast pounced.
Jin Yu sidestepped with casual grace, his palm rising slowly, then striking like a bolt of thunder. A soft boom echoed as the creature’s skull shattered, its body flung back like a broken toy.
The rest surged.
Jin Yu flowed between them like water through reeds. Each movement was precise, almost zy.
He wasn’t moving fast, or he didn’t need to.
The Divine Phase technique enveloped him, divine energy weaving around his body like a misty armor, his form phasing in and out of the beasts' reach, untouchable.
It wasn’t teleportation, but to those watching, it might as well have been.
Cws scraped air. Fangs snapped at illusions. Every time a beast lunged, Jin Yu was already behind it.
“You’re making me sweat here!” he shouted dramatically, kicking one square in the ribs and sending it flying into a tree. “This might be my st battle!”
One beast tried to fnk him from the side, only to be met with a palm glowing with golden light.
Jin Yu’s strike passed cleanly through its chest, leaving a gaping hole that burned from the inside, divine essence eating away at its core.
“Too strong!” he gasped out theatrically, staggering back two steps as if barely holding on. “I might… faint any second now!”
Yin Rou clutched her little hands together, watching from behind a tree, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.
Ding!
(Emotion provoked: Gloating)
The remaining beasts hesitated, circling warily now. Blood stained the grass, steam rising from divine-inflicted wounds. Jin Yu straightened, eyes narrowing just slightly.
“No rest for the wicked” he muttered.
In a final flurry, the remaining monsters lunged together.
Jin Yu’s figure blurred, then split into afterimages. They passed through them, confused, before he reappeared midair above them, a calm smile pying at his lips.
He descended like a meteor. A burst of divine light tore through the clearing, the sound of bones snapping and flesh rupturing swallowed by the explosion of spiritual pressure. When the dust cleared, only three beasts, that had been flung away, remained.
Jin Yu nded lightly on his feet, swaying slightly.
He coughed loudly.
Yin Rou cheered behind him. “You can do it, big brother! You’re so strong!”
Ding!
Influence +4,000
Influence +4,000
Influence +4,000
(Emotion provoked: Frustration)
Jin Yu nodded weakly and attacked again, but halfway through, he suddenly stumbled, letting one beast cw him across the chest. Blood sprayed.
“Ah… that hurt,” he mumbled, falling to one knee.
Yin Rou gasped, eyes wide. “Big brother?!”
He gave her a weak smile. “Guess I overdid it... You won’t let me die here, right?”
She blinked, frozen in pce, watching him. Her expression wavered for a moment, still that cute little girl… but a flicker of something ancient passed through her gaze.
Jin Yu clutched his side and let out a shaky breath, staggering to his feet. His fingers trembled slightly as he raised his hand, forming a shaky seal. “Urgh… Just a little more…”
The three beasts lunged at once.
He stumbled backward, looking barely able to stand. “Damn it… this might be it for me…”
Yin Rou gasped dramatically from behind. “No! Big brother!”
As the beasts closed in, Jin Yu suddenly moved.
A red glint fshed in his eyes for just a split second, then silence.
Three thuds echoed in the forest as the monsters colpsed with their heads twisted in unnatural angles, their bodies twitching before falling still.
Jin Yu swayed unsteadily, blood running down his lip. “Ha… still alive. What a miracle…”
Yin Rou stood frozen for a moment, staring at the scene, then ran up to him.
“Big brother, you’re hurt! Yin Rou told you it was dangerous!” she cried, reaching out with her soft hands as if to catch him.
Jin Yu gave her a strained smile, letting himself lean on her a little. “Guess I underestimated them… I feel dizzy. My core’s drained… I need to rest.”
Ding!
Influence +6,000
(Emotion provoked: Schadenfreude)
He noticed the slight twitch in her cheek as he spoke, the way her little hands trembled, this time not with fear, but anticipation.
She smiled up at him sweetly, helping him sit at the base of a tree. “Don’t worry, big brother. Yin Rou will take care of you. You were so amazing back there.”
“Mm… praise me more, maybe I’ll recover faster,” he muttered teasingly, eyes half-closed.
Ding!
Influence +7,000 (Anger)
She giggled. “You were like a hero, big brother. So strong… but now you need to sleep, okay?”
“Sleep? Mm… that sounds good.” Jin Yu said, closing his eyes with a faint smile. “You’ll keep watch, won’t you?”
She nodded sweetly, sitting beside him with folded hands. “Yin Rou will protect big brother.”
But her eyes glinted faintly red, and her lips twitched into a tiny, hungry grin as she stared at his neck.
Behind his closed lids, Jin Yu smiled coldly.
Come on, little fox. Show me your real face.
---
Yin Rou sat dutifully at his side, her hand still resting over his, eyes soft with concern yet glinting with something unreadable.
For a long, silence-soaked moment, nothing stirred, until Rainbow, ever-sensitive and protective, twitched on Jin Yu's neck, her tiny petals shivered and, in a clumsy burst of loyalty, it shed at Yin Rou as if to ward her off.
Before the tiny flower could nd any real blow, Yin Rou’s small hand caught it mid-air. With swift, fluid motion, she flung Rainbow aside. In that moment, her gaze locked on Jin Yu’s exposed neck. The sweet, innocent expression faltered for a heartbeat, repced by a predatory focus.
Her eyes began to shimmer, and slowly, they transformed from gentle bck to a fierce crimson.
A startled gasp escaped her lips as she leaned forward, baring small, delicate fangs that glinted in the filtered light.
At the same time, two tails started to sprout behind her, one long and sinuous, the other about half as long, twitching in uncanny unison.
Jin Yu’s eyes fluttered open at that precise moment. The distance between pyful banter and true intent had vanished.
With surprising speed, he reached up and seized her by the neck.
His grip was firm and unyielding, a stark contrast to his earlier feigned vulnerability.
For a suspended moment, Yin Rou’s transformation halted, her crimson eyes widening in shock as Jin Yu’s hand tightened around her delicate throat.
The forest around them seemed to hold its breath as their roles shifted, her trap nearly sprung, and him revealing the true strength beneath the masquerade of injury.
“Really, little fox” Jin Yu murmured, his tone filled with amusement. “I must admit, you almost had me.” His fingers dug in, pausing as if to savor the betrayal and the irony of the situation.
