Forbidden Land, Mysterious Mist Locks the Abyss

The moonlight was obscured by layers of thick clouds, and the forbidden area behind the mountain was shrouded in a suffocating silence. Mo Xiaoyu stood alone before the mottled boundary marker, the cold sweat on her palms almost making her unable to hold the scalding jade slip. The two characters "Forbidden Area" on the boundary marker were vividly red, gleaming eerily in the night, as if they were truly written in blood.

The night wind howled through the withered trees, creating a series of soft, rustling sounds, like the whispers of countless wronged souls. She couldn't help but shiver, the image of Xie Yunzhi's hesitant gaze as he left flashing through her mind, along with the terrifying records of the Su family's secret techniques in the journal.

"If you wish to know the truth, come to the forbidden area behind the mountain at midnight tonight."

The voice from the jade slip was icy cold, yet carried an irresistible allure. She knew it was likely a trap, but the fragments that flashed through her mind, the figure tightly embracing in the flood, were driving her forward.

Finally, she took a deep breath and stepped across the forbidden line.

The moment she crossed the boundary marker, the surrounding air suddenly became cold and viscous, and even the moonlight seemed to be completely blocked by some invisible force. Mo Xiaoyu lit the lantern she carried with her, and the dim yellow light struggled to open up a small patch of vision in the thick fog, but it could not penetrate the deep darkness around her.

The cobblestone path beneath her feet gradually disappeared into weeds and boulders, replaced by gnarled ancient trees and jagged rocks. With each step, the sound of snapping branches was particularly jarring in the deathly silence. She felt as if countless eyes were watching her from the shadows, their gazes cold and filled with malice.

"You've arrived."

A hoarse voice suddenly came from the thick fog, startling Mo Xiaoyu so much that she turned around abruptly. The lantern's light flickered violently, barely revealing a blurry outline of a person—a figure draped in a black cloak, their entire face hidden in shadow, with only a corner of a familiar cloud pattern peeking out from the cuff, the unique mark of the Su clan.

"Who are you?" Mo Xiaoyu forced herself to remain calm, her right hand secretly gripping the dagger hidden in her sleeve. She had secretly hidden it before leaving the servants' quarters; the sharp blade gleamed coldly in her sleeve.

The man in black let out a low chuckle, his voice like sandpaper rubbing against a rough surface: "Someone who knows the truth. For example, why you can trigger the empathy of the Dream Jade, why you always appear in Xie Yunzhi's illusions..."

Mo Xiaoyu's heart trembled violently, and she even missed a breath: "You...you know about empathy?"

"More than just knowing." The man in black slowly raised his hand, holding in his palm a jade pendant that was extremely similar to Xie Yunzhi's, except that this pendant was covered with fine cracks, as if it would shatter at any moment. "The Su family has studied the Dream-Tracing Jade for generations, so naturally they know all its secrets. Including how to forcibly activate it, how to... turn the tables."

The last four words carried a chilling meaning, and Mo Xiaoyu involuntarily took a step back: "Including how to forcibly activate it?" She recalled the smeared words on the journal, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.

The man in black paused slightly, his voice suddenly turning cold: "Little girl, knowing too much won't do you any good."

Before she could finish speaking, the surrounding fog suddenly churned violently, and countless dark figures attacked from all directions. Mo Xiaoyu hurriedly retreated, but the lantern fell to the ground in the chaos. The flame struggled for a few moments before being swallowed by the fog.

In the darkness, she felt cold fingers gripping her throat; the touch didn't feel like that of a living person, but rather like... a skeleton.

"Since you insist on investigating," the man in black's voice was close to my ear, filled with intense killing intent, "then stay here forever."

A suffocating feeling washed over her, and Mo Xiaoyu struggled desperately, scratching at her cold arms with her fingertips, but to no avail. Just as her consciousness began to fade, the dagger in her sleeve suddenly glowed faintly—the talisman Xie Yunzhi had secretly given her during the day had been activated!

A soft yet resolute light instantly illuminated the surroundings. The man in black loosened his grip as if burned, letting out a suppressed cry of pain. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mo Xiaoyu broke free and staggered backward, but accidentally missed her footing and plummeted downwards!

The expected pain didn't come; instead, she fell into a warm embrace. The familiar, refreshing scent instantly calmed her down.

"Don't be afraid."

Xie Yunzhi's voice rang out above them, carrying a reassuring power. His longsword was already drawn, its blade gleaming with a moonlit luster that illuminated their surroundings—they were standing on the edge of a cliff, below which lay a bottomless abyss, thick fog churning at the bottom as if concealing some terrifying being.

"How could you...?"

"I left a tracking mark on you," he explained briefly, his gaze scanning the thick fog warily. "Looks like someone's eager to silence you."

The man in black stood not far away, letting out a chilling laugh: "Young Master Xie, you've arrived just in time. Too bad, none of you are leaving tonight."

Suddenly, countless blood-red eyes lit up in the thick fog, accompanied by a sickening grinding sound of bones. Skeletons crawled out of the ground, their stark white finger bones gleaming coldly in the darkness, surrounding the two.

"This is... the Su family's corpse control technique!" Xie Yunzhi's expression changed, and he shielded Mo Xiaoyu behind him. "You really are from the Su family!"

The man in black pulled back his hood, revealing a scarred face. Mo Xiaoyu recognized him as one of Su Qingqing's uncles, who was said to have been expelled from the sect years ago for practicing evil arts and had disappeared without a trace ever since.

"The Su family?" He laughed maniacally, the scars on his face appearing particularly grotesque under the gleam of the sword. "That outdated family should have been wiped out long ago! Clinging to those old rules and regulations all day, they didn't know that only by mastering the true power of the Dream-Tracing Jade could the Su family's glory be restored!"

The skeletons swarmed forward, their stark white claws tracing sharp arcs in the darkness. Xie Yunzhi swung his sword to meet them, the sword light flowing like moonlight, shattering skeletons wherever it passed. But more skeletons crawled out from the ground, seemingly endless, gradually forming an encirclement.

"This can't go on!" Mo Xiaoyu said urgently, noticing that Xie Yunzhi's breathing was becoming erratic. "He's draining our energy!"

Xie Yunzhi frowned, then suddenly pressed the Dream-Tracing Jade onto the hilt of his sword. The jade pendant emitted a soft light, creating a wondrous resonance with the sword, and the sword's power suddenly became sharper.

"Close your eyes!" he shouted to Mo Xiaoyu.

A sudden burst of intense light, like daylight appearing out of nowhere, illuminated the entire forbidden area. In that instant, Mo Xiaoyu witnessed a shocking sight—

In the abyss below the cliff, a massive dragon skeleton lay dormant! The skeleton was pure white, gleaming like jade under the bright light, and a longsword identical to the one in Xie Yunzhi's hand was stuck in its heart!

As the light faded, the skeletons had turned to dust and vanished with the wind. Su Qingqing's uncle knelt on the ground, staring incredulously into the abyss: "So the legends were true... the remains of the Ancestral Dragon really are here... what our ancestors searched for their entire lives..."

Xie Yunzhi's face was ashen, and fine beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, clearly indicating the immense strain of his previous attack. He forced himself to stand, pointing his sword at his opponent: "Now, it's your turn to answer my question."

However, at that moment, a white ribbon suddenly shot out from the mist and pierced the man's heart with precision.

Su Qingqing slowly emerged from the mist, her face bearing a perfectly measured expression of sorrow: "Uncle, you've finally come to this."

She turned to Xie Yunzhi and Mo Xiaoyu, her eyes brimming with tears, her voice choked with emotion: "I'm sorry, I'm late. I discovered long ago that my uncle was secretly practicing evil arts, but I never imagined he would dare to trespass into the forbidden area and almost hurt you..."

This explanation was flawless, and her expression was so sincere that it was hard to doubt it. But Mo Xiaoyu keenly noticed that in a hidden spot on Su Qingqing's sleeve, there were traces of cinnabar, the same as those on the jade slip.

Xie Yunzhi stared silently at Su Qingqing, his gaze unfathomable. After a long while, he slowly said, "This isn't the place to talk. Let's leave first."

On the way back, all three remained silent. Mo Xiaoyu glanced at Xie Yunzhi and noticed that his gaze was fixed on the direction of the abyss, his brows furrowed, as if he were pondering something extremely important.

She knew that tonight's discovery was just the tip of the iceberg. The dragon bones deep within the forbidden area, the Su family's true purpose, the secret of the Dream Jade, and her intricate connections to all of this...

All of this points to a larger mystery, a shocking secret about past and present lives.

After escorting Mo Xiaoyu back to the servants' quarters, Xie Yunzhi, taking advantage of the deep night, suddenly whispered to her, "Wait for me at the usual place tomorrow morning."

His eyes held a resolute light, a light that was both firm and carried an indescribable heaviness.

That night, Mo Xiaoyu couldn't fall asleep for a long time. When she finally closed her eyes, she had another strange dream.

In her dream, she stood before the colossal dragon skeleton, the Dream-Tracing Jade in her hand radiating an unprecedentedly intense light. An ancient and weathered voice echoed in her mind, carrying a timeless quality:

"When the time comes, you will understand everything... The gears of fate have already begun to turn, and no one can stop them..."

She awoke with a start in the darkness before dawn, her palms still feeling the burning sensation from her dream.