‘An opportunity,’ Lu Er thought, calm settling over him. He knew the archer was the greater threat. He raised his crossbow, the stock cool against his cheek, and took aim at the young woman. He held his breath, finger resting lightly on the trigger.

  …

  Then he stopped and shook his head.

  'No. I need to stick with the plan. But how do I approach…

  He retreated a few steps from the grimy window, settling onto the creaking floorboards.

  Taking a deep breath, he pitched his voice to carry.

  "Hey! You two near the wooden box! Can we talk? I come in peace!"

  His words were met with a lethal response.

  Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.

  Three shafts of lacquered wood screamed through the air, burying into the threshold beneath the window and slamming into the wall in rapid succession—one directly below the window frame, the other two flanking its sides.

  ‘That’s the best you could come up with?’ Lu Yi’s voice was laced with sarcasm.

  “Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad,” Lu Er retorted defensively.

  On the ground below.

  Xia Sahui lowered her bow, the string still humming against her leather bracer.

  'I fired three arrows and there was no reaction. Probably none hit.'

  Xia Sahui sprinted for cover, Hei Jun scrambling behind her.

  “Why did you shoot, Lady Xia?” Hei Jun whispered, his face pale. “He said he wanted to talk.”

  Ignoring his question, Xia Sahui raised her voice, clear and commanding. “I am Xia Sahui of the Xia Family. We also have no desire for a pointless fight. Let’s talk.”

  ‘Xia Family?!’ Lu Er’s mind reeled. ‘Crap, what kind of luck is this? A bigshot this early?'

  'Xia, Gao, Teng, and Hua—aren't those the four major branch families, along with the clan head's main Zhang family? What are the odds of meeting one immediately after landing?'

  “Oh, is that so?” Lu Er called back, layering his voice with suspicion. “Then why the three arrows? How do I know you won’t stab me down the moment I step out?”

  "I swear on my family's honour."

  "How do I know you're even from the Xia family?"

  "You already saw me," she retorted, a hint of exasperation bleeding through her measured tone. "You've seen my father: the instructor from the Grand Awakening. The resemblance is not subtle."

  ‘Now that she mentions it, she does share his sharp eyes and noble bearing,’ Lu Er observed.

  “Alright, I believe you. I’m coming out.”

  He emerged from the dilapidated building into the pale daylight, his movements cautious.

  The two figures stepped out into the open square in turn: Xia Sahui, her hunting bow slung across her back, and Hei Jun, a wiry youth. They stood in the open—a gesture of reciprocal trust.

  Now, he could see her clearly. She was young, with an aura of authority that belied her age. Her features were sharp and intelligent, and she was, undeniably, quite beautiful.

  “Greetings, I am Lu Zhiheng,” he said, nodding to the young man beside her.

  “Hei Jun,” the other replied cautiously.

  "What did you want to talk about?" Hei Jun prompted.

  "Oh, yeah. Well, I remember you from last night," he said, turning to Hei Jun.

  "What? What do you—"

  “It’s not what you think,” Lu Zhiheng reassured him, holding up a placating hand.

  “I was also there. Thanks to you and your friend, I am still alive. That scream was mine. The monster was hunting me. It nearly killed me, even broke my arm, that’s when I cried out.

  When you two entered the building, its focus shifted, and I managed to escape. I used a healing item to mend the bone.” He let a shudder feign its way through his body.

  “I have no idea why it targeted me. Since I can’t hope to defeat it alone, I thought we should team up. That is what I wanted to discuss.” Lu Er lied effortlessly, without a single hesitation.

  “Hmm. The scream does match his voice,” Hei Jun mused, glancing at Xia Sahui. “I think he’s telling the truth.”

  “Perhaps it marked you because you secured the first kill,” Xia Sahui remarked, a sly arch to her eyebrow.

  ‘Yes.’

  “Wha— what do you mean, first kill?” Lu Er feigned shock, his face a mask of confusion. “I haven’t killed anyone! I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

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  “Ohoh… now you are lying,” she chided, a strange, knowing smile playing on her lips. “Don’t bother. I saw you myself. I must say, for someone unknown, you are both shrewd and capable.”

  A frown darkened Lu Er’s face as his act of ignorance was stripped away. “Alright, alright, you got me. I did kill him. But you are wrong about the first kill. Someone else secured it before me. If you had checked the survivor tally, you would know.”

  “Oh, is that so—” Xia Sahui’s voice was a silken thread.

  Suddenly, a dagger came from the sky, slicing through the air straight for Lu Zhiheng’s throat.

  ‘What the—?!’ He twisted his body, his reflexes barely saving him as he pulled out his own dagger, falling into a defensive stance.

  In the same heartbeat, an arrow whistled from a different direction, aimed directly at Xia Sahui. She threw herself sideways, colliding with Hei Jun.

  As they stumbled, a second arrow found its mark.

  Hei Jun, thrown off balance, couldn’t evade. The projectile pierced clean through his ear, tunneling through his skull and erupting from the other side in a grisly spray of blood and bone.

  [Ding…]

  [You have obtained a fragment point.]

  A soft, ethereal chime echoed in Xia Sahui’s mind as she rose to her feet. She wiped the warm blood from her cheek with the back of her hand, a serene, almost cheerful smile gracing her features as she looked at the horrified Lu Zhiheng.

  “Ah… my apologies for the mess,” she said, her tone breezy. “You see, this useless asshole stole my fragment point earlier. I simply had to rectify the matter.”

  Lu Er’s mind raced, connecting the dots.

  ‘She was the one controlling the projectiles’, Lu Yi’s voice cut through the shock; cold and analytical. ‘She staged an ambush to create chaos, then used it as cover to kill Hei Jun.’

  “Ah… You know what…” Lu Er said, his eyes wide, mouth agape. “Yeah, I’d be angry too if someone stole my kill.”

  “See!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together with girlish enthusiasm. “I knew you would understand! After all, great minds think alike.”

  'She seems mentally unstable,' Lu Yi remarked without a shred of enthusiasm.

  “Oh, you mean you didn’t wait just to confirm my story or see if one of us would slip up?” Lu Er countered, his eyes sharp. “You would’ve killed him regardless he stole the point or not.”

  “Who knows?” she evaded with an unwavering smile.

  “What do you want from me?” he asked, the question hanging heavy in the air.

  “Everything,” she replied, her face bright and open, as if she were offering a gift.

  “What?!” Confusion warred with alarm on his face.

  “From this moment, you are mine. You will work for me, protect me, fight for me, and do everything I say.”

  “You mean as a slave?”

  "Aren't you already one?"

  “The agreement stated that I’ll serve the clan not you.” He discreetly hid the fact that he he’d already paid a full essence stone instead of the vow.

  “Does it even matter? It’s the same thing.”

  “No, It’s not.”

  "Hmm… Then you'll be compensated properly. Rest assured, my family has enough resources to afford."

  "I’ll decline."

  "You don't have that choice. You'll be assassinated after returning. I don't know who, but someone will. No matter how bright your future looks."

  “Threats? Now I see why most scions are usually Awakened. But here is another option, how about I kill you right now and choose to be a slave of some other family? Yours is not the only family out there, is it?” He threatened back with a slightly devilish expression.

  That was a bluff. He wasn’t going to kill an alibi like her this early. Because even if he somehow managed to get away with his other identity, he was sure that her family would still frame him as the monster. And if he got interrogated by the clan, all of his secrets would be exposed.

  But Xia Sahui couldn’t have known any of this, so she immediately backed off a few steps, getting into a cautious stance.

  “How about an alliance then?” She asked, her brows furrowed.

  “Given that you won’t kill me on a whim.”

  “Given that you will protect me with your life, if it comes to it.”

  “Seriously?!”

  “…”

  A tense silence stretched between them. “…Alright. Deal. Just don’t forget to pay me after the game.”

  Lu Er wasn’t going to put his life in danger in order to save her but there was no problem in lying about it, right? And if such a life-or-death situation doesn’t occur then he would be paid for doing nothing.

  “Splendid.” Without another word, she turned and walked into one of the less-damaged buildings, presumably to tend to her minor injuries.

  “I will gather the loot,” Lu Er said, his voice hollow.

  ‘Hah, this is great. There is no method of contract in the game which means I can get best of both worlds.’ Lu Er thought with a glint in his eyes

  'Well, this is literally the best outcome I could hope for right now. With her as the forefront, there are many things that can be accomplished. Not to mention, she's a skilled fighter to partner with, the benefits far outweigh the risks.’

  …

  Lu Er finished his grisly task and approached the building where Xia Sahui was resting.

  “Alright, young lady. Here is what I found. Hei Jun didn’t have much. A dagger, some rations, water, and this.” He held up a simple, polished stone necklace.

  “A Necklace of the Waveless. I— you take it. I have no need for it.”

  “Why?” she asked, looking up from bandaging a scratch on her arm. “Do you already possess one?”

  “No. But if you don’t want it, I will gladly keep it.”

  “Alright, I’ll take it,” she said, standing and taking the necklace. She fastened it around her neck and tucked it securely beneath her robes.

  “By the way,” Lu Zhiheng ventured, “aren’t you concerned about the repercussions of killing Hei Jun? You’re from the Xia Family. Won’t this cause a scandal? A blow to your reputation?”

  “Why would it?” she asked, genuinely puzzled. “He died because we were ambushed. Why would anyone blame me?”

  “Oh, so you’re just going to lie?”

  “Why? Can't you? You seemed perfectly comfortable with it earlier.” Her eyes glinted with challenge.

  "Fair point. But, is that telekinesis your Soul Gift, or just an ability you found in the game?"

  "I'm not obliged to answer that."

  "Well, if it is your gift, Hei Jun will recognize it and know you were lying. Did you not think of that?"

  “I did. Don’t worry. He wasn’t the brightest. And even if he causes trouble…” She looked at him, her smile returning, her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. “I can always make certain he disappears forever...”

  He looked at her silently.

  ‘She’s a weirdo.’ Lu Yi muttered, a note of morbid amusement in his tone. ‘What are they teaching children in those great families? A compulsory class on sociopathy?’

  'She seems sane enough to me. I'd say everyone else is weird, considering the world's changed into some sort of jianghu setting. She's the first one who actually fits it,' Lu Er replied.

  “So, what’s the plan now?” Lu Er asked.

  "We move toward the center, get kills, and find more allies to fight the monster if possible. But we need to leave this area if the monster's still here—"

  "It disappeared."

  "What?"

  "Just what you heard. It vanished. I don't know if it'll reappear. You're a scion, right? You should know more about it."

  "I'm also an Unawakened. I don't know everything."

  “Regardless, we will not wait for it. We move. It'll come on its own—that's how these things usually work. I will explain our route.”

  'Look at her. She doesn't even consider the idea that I'll betray her. Is she that confident in her authority?' Lu Er thought.

  “Alright,” he said, settling down beside her.

  “First, there is a vast forest between our position and the central zone. A direct crossing would take days. Instead, we will divert here,” she pointed to a location on the map, “to these abandoned ruins. There is a high probability of a temple there, and temples always hold opportunities. I had hoped this village might contain one, but I was mistaken. The ruins are much closer. We can rest, loot, and recuperate. Then, we move to this region—a mountainous area with cliffs and another village. From there, it should be merely a few hours to the center. This route maximizes our acquisition of fragment points, resources, and time.”

  “Seems like a sound strategy to me,” Lu Er agreed.

  “Good. There are still a few hours until afternoon. I will rest for half an hour. Do as you wish. Then, we depart.” With that, she leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes.

  Lu Er nodded, rising to scour the surrounding buildings for any remaining useful items.