WHAT HAPPENED?
Lily stared blankly at the servants of the Pei Clan lying unconscious on the floor.
She couldn't help but wonder.
She had just woken up, expecting a good breakfast.
Instead...
This was the sight that greeted her.
The chefs in the kitchen were asleep. So, she quickly put out the fire to prevent it from spreading.
Then she went to find Butler Chen to complain.
Only to find him asleep as well.
She checked every courtyard.
And…
Everyone was asleep.
"..."
Am I the only one awake?
With no better option, Lily set off for the council hall. Lately, the council had been holding morning meetings to discuss the clan's affairs.
So, her father should be there.
When she reached the assembly hall, she was greeted by another group of sleeping guards.
"..."
She had a hunch the same thing had happened inside. Otherwise, someone would have already moved the guards instead of leaving them lying outside.
Sure enough, when she entered the hall, she found the council members—including her father—fast asleep.
But...
"What are you doing?"
Lu Jingxuan's hand stiffened.
However, as the overwhelming drowsiness threatened to consume him again, he didn't hesitate.
He drove the dagger into himself for the nth time.
"..."
This guy is really decisive.
"Give him this. Quick!"
A potion suddenly landed in Lily's hand.
Without thinking, she uncorked it and shoved it into Lu Jingxuan's mouth.
Lu Jingxuan coughed, but he managed to swallow the potion.
Lily slowly turned her head toward the lizard perched on her shoulder.
The potion had come from her pet.
"What is the potion for?" she asked.
"It will neutralize the power that put everyone to sleep," the lizard replied. "From now on, he won't be affected."
Looking at Lu Jingxuan's wounded state, Lily found it unpleasant to look at.
She rummaged through her spatial pouch, took out a healing potion, and shoved that into his mouth as well.
"..."
Lu Jingxuan silently looked at her.
Can you stop shoving things into my mouth?
But he was too exhausted and soon lost consciousness.
Lily was startled.
"Your potion didn't work," she accused.
"He's just exhausted. He'll wake up once he's recovered."
With that many wounds covering his body, who wouldn't pass out?
Lily squatted beside the sleeping Lu Jingxuan and asked, "What happened? Why is everyone asleep?" She couldn't wake any of them.
She even slapped—--
Well, she couldn't wake someone up.
"Something emerged this morning," the lizard said with a frown. "Its pressure was so overwhelming that it put everyone to sleep."
"I wasn't affected."
"Duh. That's because of me!"
The two of them were bound by a contract, so she was naturally unaffected.
"Thank you," Lily said simply. "Then, how do we wake them up?"
"I'll search the surrounding area and find the source. If you come across anyone who's still awake, have them drink one of these."
The lizard handed Lily ten potions.
"Can't we make the sleeping beauties drink these as well?"
"It won't work. The potion only takes effect if the person drinks it while they're still awake. Otherwise, it'll be nothing more than an ordinary drink."
The lizard paused before adding,
"Anyway, don't put yourself in danger."
With that, he leaped off Lily's shoulder and disappeared.
Lily waited until Lu Jingxuan woke up.
Seeing that he looked much better, she stood up and proposed, "Let's check the other clans and see if anyone else is awake."
Lu Jingxuan held his aching head as he sat up, then asked, "How come you look okay?"
"My lizard helped me," Lily answered.
"..."
Lu Jingxuan didn't believe her. Still, he didn't ask anymore.
He stood up and said, "The Lu Clan is in the same state. I was the only one awake enough to come here."
He had just returned from the academy when he found the Lu Clan unconscious, so he went to check on the council. However, another wave of pressure came, making him drowsy. The only way he could think of to stay awake was to stab himself.
"Then to the Bai Clan we go," Lily said as she walked out.
Lu Jingxuan frowned but followed her.
"Do you know what caused this?" he asked.
"My lizard said—"
"Enough with the lizard already."
"..."
Her lizard really was her informant.
With a quiet sigh, Lily explained the situation without mentioning her poor informant.
"I am not sure what happened. Someone is already investigating."
"Who?"
Her lizard. But Lily didn't answer.
Soon, they arrived at the Bai Clan.
Before they could enter through the gates, a voice called out from behind them.
"What happened here?"
Lily and Lu Jingxuan turned around and saw Bai Yichen staring at the guards lying on the ground.
"You're awake?" Lily asked.
"Otherwise?" Bai Yichen replied. "It's already morning—a perfect time to move my muscles."
He then walked over to one of the guards and checked his breathing.
Seeing that the guard was still breathing, Bai Yichen let out a sigh of relief.
"Were you not home the whole time?" Lily asked.
"No," Bai Yichen replied. "I was in the mountain undergoing closed-door cultivation." Looking around, he asked, "What happened here? Why is everyone asleep?"
"We don't know," Lily answered. "We're here to check if anyone else is awake, though."
Then, as if remembering something, she took a potion from her spatial pouch and...
Shoved it straight into Bai Yichen's mouth.
"Mmff?!"
Bai Yichen struggled as Lily forced the potion down his throat.
By the time the bottle was empty, he finally broke free.
"..." Lu Jingxuan silently watched from the side.
"Pah! What did you make me drink?!" Bai Yichen exclaimed.
"A potion to keep you from falling asleep like them," Lily replied, pointing at the guards.
"Why couldn't you just hand it to me and let me drink it myself?" Bai Yichen said while coughing and rubbing his throat. "My throat hurts!"
"Let's check inside," Lu Jingxuan said as he entered through the gates.
Bai Yichen followed behind him, still coughing.
Then came Lily.
A lizard leaped onto her shoulder.
"Did you find something?" Lily asked.
"Bad news," the lizard said, sounding tired. "A High Spirit Beast has awakened in one of the surrounding mountains. It seems to have been forcefully awakened. The pressure it released was what knocked everyone unconscious."
"A High Spirit Beast?" Lily frowned. "What's that?"
"It also appears to have been hibernating in an attempt to evolve into a King Beast. I never expected to find something like that here."
Lily became even more confused.
But...
"Since you know what it is, can you defeat it?"
"No."
"Then what use are you?"
"Blame yourself! You're too weak!"
Otherwise, he could simply unleash his power and defeat that High Spirit Beast with the flick of a finger.
"..." Lily fell silent.
Why was he blaming her?
After searching the Bai Clan and finding no one else awake, the three of them gathered outside to discuss their next move.
Lily told them what the lizard had discovered.
"A High Spirit Beast?" Lu Jingxuan frowned. If it really was a High Spirit Beast, then the three of them were in serious trouble.
"What is a High Spirit Beast?" Lily asked.
"It is a type of Spiritual Lifeform," Bai Yichen answered. His expression turned serious.
The academy didn't only teach matters about Artisans. Students also learned about the different Paths.
"Summoners form contracts with Spiritual Lifeforms. High Spirit Beasts are among the strongest beasts they can contract with, and only powerful summoners are capable of doing so," Bai Yichen paused before continuing, "According to the records, only a handful of summoners have ever successfully contracted a High Spirit Beast. And this one... was even in the process of becoming a Beast King."
"This is not something the three of us can defeat," Lu Jingxuan said.
The three of them fell silent.
"You actually can," the lizard said. "Right now, it's at its weakest. Its meditation was forcefully interrupted, so it suffered a backlash. Becoming a Beast King is no easy feat. The more power it gathers to advance, the greater the backlash when the process is interrupted. If you want everyone to wake up, now is the time to act."
Lily hesitated, but she still relayed the lizard's words.
"Even so," Lu Jingxuan said, "it's still a High Spirit Beast. Can we even land a hit?"
"This beast has a weakness," the lizard replied. "I'll tell you where to strike."
Lily relayed his words once again.
Lu Jingxuan remained silent.
He was thinking.
Bai Yichen didn't say a word either. Instead, he waited for Lu Jingxuan to speak. The situation was far too serious. If anything went wrong, not only would they lose their lives, but the people of the clans would as well.
"If we do this," Lily asked quietly, "can you guarantee our survival and that of the clans?"
"Rest assured," the lizard replied. "If you truly can't defeat it, I'll make sure the three of you escape."
Lily looked at the two boys before slowly standing up.
She chose to entrust their lives to this lizard.
"Let's go," she said, "I have a plan."