Jin Shu moved swiftly through the dense forest, his every step stirring the eerie silence of the forest, left in the wake of the earlier battle. Broken trees and scorched earth bore wito the csh of powerful cultivators. The air was thick with residual qi, crag faintly as it g to the atmosphere.

  His heart pounded as his eyes sed the devastation for any sign of his mother. He found bodies scattered across the ground—thankfully, all demonic cultivators. The grim se painted a clear picture of the fierce flict that had taken pbsp;

  “Mother…” he muttered, g his fists. His thoughts raced. She’s strong. She has to be okay.

  The deeper he ventured into the forest, the clearer the signs of battle became. Pits where explosions had struck dotted the ground, and shattered ons y abandoned. Jin Shu's sharp eyes picked out a faint trail of blood leadiward, but it vanished into the underbrush before he could follow it far.

  Just as despair began to creep into his chest, his gaze fell on a glint of metal half-buried in the dirt. He k, brushing the soil away to reveal a rose-gold earring.

  His breath caught.

  “This…” His voice was barely a whisper as he held it up, the design unmistakable. It was the earring he had gifted his mother years ago—a crude attempt at crafting a s phoenix that had turned out looking more like a ying chi.

  She had worn it anyroudly showing it off to anyone who would listen. The memory of her soft smile as she called it her “prized treasure” made his chest tighten.

  For a moment, the world seemed to still. A wave of nausea and panic threateo overwhelm him. She wouldn’t leave this behind. Not willingly.

  Jin Shu forced himself to take a steadying breath. Calm down. Think. She might have dropped it during the fight. That doesn’t mean… He couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought.

  He turhe earring over in his hand, his mind rag. The demonic cultivators said she was fighting their leaders. If something happeo her…

  He ched the earring tightly. No. She’s alive. She has to be.

  A memory surfaced—his mother mentioning the Immortal Phoenix Sect’s soul jades, used to monitor sect members. If a member died, their jade shattered. If she was alive, it could even guide him to her.

  His chest tightened. If I find her soul jade, I’ll know where she is.

  But the realizatiht another problem. He didn’t know where her sect was located. His mother had always been careful about revealing the sect’s location, only mentioning that it was hiddehe border of the southern region, an area ied with demonic cultivators.

  Jin Shu straightened, slipping the earring into his pocket. He needed answers, and there was only one person he could turn to now: his father.

  ***

  The journey back to Bck Mountain City was uful, though Jin Shu’s mind was far from calm. He arrived at his home te in the evening, the t gates lit by nterns. The guards reized him immediately and allowed him entry without question.

  His father, Jin , was in his fe, hammering a bde over an anvil. He looked up as Jin Shu entered, his expression hardening.

  “What do you want so te at night, brat?” He asked as he set aside the glowing bde.

  “I o know where the Immortal Phoenix Sect is located,” Jin Shu said without preface.

  Jin frowned, as he leaned back. “Why are you asking about your mother’s sect? Did something happen to her?”

  Jin Shu hesitated, then reted everything—the attack, the battle in the forest, the earring. His father listened ily, his expression growing darker with every word.

  When he finished, Jin sighed heavily. Jin Shu could sehe barely suppressed fury beh his unnaturally calm facade. “The Immortal Phoenix Sect’s location is hidden by a powerful illusion formation. Your mother told me it was necessary to protect the sect from the demonic cultivators in the southern region. I’ve never been there myself, and even if I had, I couldn’t guide you past the formation.”

  Jin Shu’s frustration boiled over. “Then how am I supposed to fihere has to be a way!”

  Jin shook his head. “The only ones who avigate the formation are sect members or those guided by one. Your best ce is Fan Biyu. She’s your mother’s disciple—if anyone knows how to reach the sect, it’s her.”

  Jin Shu exhaled sharply, f himself to calm down. His father was right. Without Fan Biyu, he was at a dead end.

  “But she’s in a a,” Jin Shu muttered, his fists g.

  “Then your priority should be waking her,” Jin said firmly. “You said you needed a Divine Physi. Then, go see your uncle, he may be able to help. He has access to resources and es beyond what we manage here. If anyone find a Divine Physi, it’s him.”

  Jin Shu nodded, his resolve hardening. “I’ll head to the capital first thing tomorrow.”

  ***

  That night, Jin Shu returo Dr. Bai’s courtyard, where Yin’er y asleep. He had left her here in his rush. He gently picked her up, frowning. Something was off with his mental state. He o figure out how to calm his emotions before they drove him to do something reckless.

  He carried Yio Fan Biyu’s bedside and sat silently. His gaze fixed on her pale fad the faint rise and fall of her chest were painful reminders of his helplessness.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured as he pced his head into his palms. “I’m useless right now. I couldn’t protect you. I couldn’t protect my mother. I couldn’t even protect my men in my st life.”

  He reached into his pocket, pulling out the rose-gold earring. Its soft shimmer caught the moonlight streaming through the window.

  “Mother, wherever you are… please hold on,” he whispered. “I’ll bring you back. Both of you.”

  Pg the earring bato his pocket, Jin Shu stood. Tomorrow, he had to get ready for what tomorrow would bring.