Dragon Moon and Po Jun Zing stared at each other.
Everything went quiet.
Dragon Moon said, "I can't fight."
Po Jun Zing said, "Why?"
The dragon laughed and said, "Ha ha ha ha, look. They ended the fight. Isn't it unfair for you to fight this guy?"
Po Jun Zing looked at Gu Yanshu and said, "I don't have any things. I will get bored and destroy this place. So, can you let me fight you?"
Gu Yanshu said, "Let us see if you can do it, you do it. If you cannot do it, you cannot do it."
Po Jun Zing said, "I am damn ready. Bring it on."
Gu Yanshu said, "Yup, I will bring it on."
Gu Yanshu jumped up.
He did not attack Po Jun Zing directly.
He tricked him.
He wanted Po Jun Zing to counterattack so he could adapt the attack and use it later.
Gu Yanshu jumped upward, then launched himself directly at Po Jun Zing's face.
When Po Jun Zing was about to attack Gu Yanshu in mid-air, Gu Yanshu stepped back to the ground.
That punch had already been copied.
It was only a straight punch.
Gu Yanshu adapted the technique and now knew he could use it later for attacks.
What Gu Yanshu needed was for Po Jun Zing to use that attack twice, so he could gain a bigger advantage.
Then Gu Yanshu kept thinking.
Po Jun Zing stared at him for a while, but Gu Yanshu was not staring back.
Gu Yanshu raised his blade and said, "You know it. Come at me."
Po Jun Zing ran at him.
It was the same straight punch.
Gu Yanshu created a barrier to stop it, but the barrier broke into pieces.
Gu Yanshu dodged it and brought his blade up, putting it into Po Jun Zing's mouth.
Then he swung it multiple times and said, "You are not winning here. I will give you pain if you try to fight me more. Get out of this area or I will stab your stomach next."
Po Jun Zing tried to speak, but his tongue was already getting sliced.
In his mind, Po Jun Zing thought fast.
He made two outcomes.
First outcome: this was a trap from Gu Yanshu.
Second outcome: this was normal and basic for Gu Yanshu.
Meanwhile, Gu Yanshu was thinking too.
The force might not work because the force also had a weakness.
Po Jun Zing could regenerate.
That was the force's weakness.
But this was torture.
Some people did not want pain.
So they left because they did not want pain.
But regenerating also hurt.
In another outcome, Po Jun Zing was normal.
He did not care about being forced because regenerating took more pain than torture.
That was the weakness of that outcome too.
If Gu Yanshu's calculation was right, he could warn him and get him out of this place.
Gu Yanshu also knew Po Jun Zing was very, very dangerous.
If he did not dodge, it could even kill him.
Gu Yanshu accepted the battle because he wanted to make him leave.
He thought of a plan quickly.
That plan became torture.
Gu Yanshu tightened his hand.
His hand became tighter than it had ever been.
Now Gu Yanshu was making the pain worse.
Po Jun Zing could not scream, not because he could not, but because his tongue had been cut and he was stuck in a place where he could not regenerate.
If he tried to create a new one, it would get cut again.
That was also why Po Jun Zing was starting to think about giving up.
Po Jun Zing thought of a new outcome.
It might be a worse situation than before.
Qu Yaoyang was watching this and said, "This is incredible. What could happen the next thing?"
The dragon said, "I really don't know, but this is not incredible. Are you just trying to believe your master for doing something that is not even good?"
Qu Yaoyang said, "Not even good? What are you saying? Our master did something that could be the end of Po Jun Zing. Yes, see and watch it. Let us see what will happen. I bet ninety money of my master million."
The dragon said, "No, I bet thirty-nine thousand money. Po Jun Zing is winning."
Then they stood quiet.
Meanwhile, the dragon and Qu Yaoyang were betting.
Qiu Weiran looked around.
This was a bad situation here.
He could not think of a way to defeat Po Jun Zing.
When he looked around, he saw Po Jun Zing lying on the ground, not moving, but it looked like he was trying to move.
Then instantly, Qiu Weiran shut his mouth.
Gu Yanshu knew he had to get some force to destroy him.
Something like metal steel, around 100,000 pounds, to jail him and make him a prisoner right there.
But Gu Yanshu could not think of a way to do it because there was no iron around him.
It was only ancient walls and ancient ground.
And he could not even carry 100 kilograms of metal steel because that would be almost impossible.
Gu Yanshu was not like a god who could lift it up normally.
Gu Yanshu was trapped in a situation where he could not do anything.
Gu Yanshu knew he could not stay there for thousands of years and wait for Po Jun Zing to give up.
The ancient ground stayed still.
The walls gave nothing away.
Po Jun Zing was still there, locked under pain, but still dangerous.
Not defeated.
Not safe.
Gu Yanshu's grip stayed tight for one more second.
He kept his eyes on Po Jun Zing's body, on the breathing, on the smallest movement that might become a counter.
Then he loosened his hand slightly and stepped back.
Not because he had lost control.
Because he was already thinking ahead.
The Base of the Greats did not offer iron.
It did not offer chains.
It did not offer mercy.
So Gu Yanshu would have to make one.
His eyes moved across the ancient floor.
Across the cracked green walls.
Across the depth of the underground space.
Across the people around him.
If the place would not give him a prison, then he would build one.
If the place would not give him a trap, then he would become the trap.
Po Jun Zing still breathed.
That meant the fight was not over.
It only meant the next move had to be better.The ancient ground stayed still.
The walls gave nothing away.
Po Jun Zing was still there, locked under pain, but still dangerous.
Not defeated.
Not safe.
Gu Yanshu's grip stayed tight for one more second.
He kept his eyes on Po Jun Zing's body, on the breathing, on the smallest movement that might become a counter.
Then he loosened his hand slightly and stepped back.
Not because he had lost control.
Because he was already thinking ahead.
The Base of the Greats did not offer iron.
It did not offer chains.
It did not offer mercy.
So Gu Yanshu would have to make one.
His eyes moved across the ancient floor.
Across the cracked green walls.
Across the depth of the underground space.
Across the people around him.
If the place would not give him a prison, then he would build one.
If the place would not give him a trap, then he would become the trap.
Po Jun Zing still breathed.
That meant the fight was not over.
It only meant the next move had to be better.
The silence after that lasted only a few seconds.
Then the dragon flicked its tail once and said, "So. What now?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Bao Yuan looked at Po Jun Zing and then at the broken space around him.
His mouth was tight.
"This is bad," he muttered.
Qu Yaoyang glanced at him.
"You are finally learning."
Bao Yuan shot him a look.
"Do not start."
Qu Yaoyang's expression did not change much.
"I did not start. You did."
Lan Wege stepped a little closer, looking at the ground where the pressure had been concentrated.
"The place is still holding him."
He Mulin followed that line of sight and nodded once.
"For now."
Jani Ying folded his arms.
"For now is not enough."
The dragon looked up at him.
"That is exactly the problem."
Jani Ying's eyes stayed on Po Jun Zing for a long moment.
Then he said, "He is still too dangerous to leave alone."
Bao Yuan frowned.
"Can we move him?"
Qu Yaoyang answered immediately, "No."
"Why not?"
"Because if you touch him wrong, you die."
Bao Yuan opened his mouth, then shut it again.
The dragon said, "That is a reasonable answer."
Bao Yuan looked annoyed.
"Why is everyone acting like this is normal?"
Lan Wege gave a dry look.
"Because in this place, it is close enough."
He Mulin crossed his arms.
"We need a real answer, not feelings."
Jani Ying looked at him.
"Then give one."
He Mulin did not react to the challenge.
Instead he said, "If we cannot imprison him, then we isolate him."
Bao Yuan looked up.
"How?"
He Mulin pointed toward the broken stone around them.
"This place is already full of rooms, corridors, and gates. It is not empty. Use the terrain. Make him move where he is weak."
The dragon said, "That assumes he has a weakness."
Lan Wege answered, "Everyone has one."
Qu Yaoyang glanced toward the dragon.
"Even you."
The dragon replied, "I know."
Bao Yuan rubbed his forehead.
"Can we not talk like this while he is still there?"
The others did not respond right away.
Because Po Jun Zing was still there.
Breathing.
He had not moved much, but his fingers twitched once against the stone.
The whole group noticed.
Jani Ying's gaze sharpened.
"He is listening."
Bao Yuan immediately stopped talking.
The dragon lowered its head slightly.
"Of course he is."
Lan Wege spoke quietly.
"Then speak carefully."
Qu Yaoyang muttered, "That should have been obvious."
Bao Yuan looked at him.
"Is anything obvious to you besides being annoying?"
Qu Yaoyang gave him a flat stare.
"Apparently not to you."
He Mulin exhaled slowly.
The tension was starting to spread through the group in a way that had nothing to do with Po Jun Zing and everything to do with the fact that nobody liked waiting under pressure.
Jani Ying looked toward the side.
"We need something to restrain him long enough to test the body."
Lan Wege asked, "Test what part?"
"His regeneration."
The dragon lifted its head.
"Yes."
Bao Yuan frowned.
"What are you planning?"
Jani Ying answered, "I am planning to see what happens when he is forced to stay still while the pain stays active."
Bao Yuan stared.
"That sounds evil."
Jani Ying looked at him.
"It sounds useful."
The fourth blacker said, "It is both."
Bao Yuan looked at He Mulin.
"Why are you all so calm?"
He Mulin replied, "Because panic will not help us make a prison."
Lan Wege nodded once.
"She is right."
Bao Yuan pointed at the ancient walls.
"There is no prison here."
Jani Ying said, "Then we make one."
The dragon gave a short hum.
"That part is easier to say than to do."
Jani Ying's mouth tilted.
"Most useful things are."
Qu Yaoyang shifted his stance and looked around the underground expanse.
The Base of the Greats stretched farther than it looked at first glance.
The broken green walls curved into distant shadows.
Ancient pillars rose from the dark like they had been waiting for a hundred generations.
And beyond them, there were more gates.
More corridors.
More things hidden in the dirt and old light.
He Mulin noticed the direction of his gaze.
"You are thinking of the gates."
Qu Yaoyang answered, "Yes."
Lan Wege looked toward one of the farther openings.
"If this place has gates, then it has routes."
Bao Yuan followed the line of her gaze.
"Routes to where?"
Lan Wege said, "That is the question."
The dragon muttered, "This place does not give easy answers."
Bao Yuan rubbed his arms.
"I hate that every answer here sounds like a warning."
Jani Ying glanced at the kid-shaped stranger in the distance, then back to the group.
"Because it is."
Another small movement came from Po Jun Zing.
This time the group saw his shoulder shift.
Not much.
Just enough.
The air around him was still heavy.
The damage in the space around him was still holding.
But he had not stopped thinking.
That was the dangerous part.
He Mulin saw it and said, "He is adapting."
Qu Yaoyang replied, "Of course he is."
"Do you know how much?"
Qu Yaoyang looked at her.
"No."
Lan Wege folded her hands.
"Then we need to assume the worst."
The dragon said, "The worst is usually correct."
Bao Yuan groaned softly.
"This is why I hate smart people."
Qu Yaoyang glanced at him.
"Then how do you feel about stupid people?"
Bao Yuan said, "Worse."
Jani Ying ignored the argument and looked at the ground around Po Jun Zing.
"If he can regenerate, then maybe the pain has to stay active."
He Mulin nodded.
"That was already obvious."
"It becomes less obvious when the pain is tied to movement."
Lan Wege turned toward him.
"What do you mean?"
Jani Ying looked at the twisted stone lines under Po Jun Zing.
"If the damage keeps happening as he moves, then he has to choose between staying still and suffering or moving and suffering."
Bao Yuan blinked.
"That is horrible."
The dragon said, "Yes."
Qu Yaoyang looked at Jani Ying.
"That is your favorite kind of idea."
Jani Ying answered, "It works."
The kid in the distance suddenly laughed.
"Are you still talking about trapping him? That is cute."
Everyone turned.
The kid was leaning against a broken stone pillar now, white beard hanging over his chest, eyes half-lidded with amusement.
The same one from before.
The same strange old-child shape.
He looked at them with mock pity.
"You are all standing around thinking that if you plan long enough, the scary thing goes away."
Bao Yuan frowned.
"What do you want?"
The kid smiled.
"I want you to stop pretending this place belongs to you."
Qu Yaoyang's eyes narrowed.
"It does not belong to us."
"No," the kid said. "It belongs to what is under it."
That made the room feel colder again.
Even Jani Ying looked slightly more serious.
Lan Wege asked, "What is under it?"
The kid shrugged.
"Many things."
He said it so casually that it was worse than a direct warning.
Bao Yuan swallowed.
"Can you be less annoying?"
The kid looked at him as if offended.
"I am ancient."
The dragon replied, "You already said that."
The kid pointed at it.
"See? Even the dragon is rude."
The dragon's eyes narrowed a little.
"It is easier to be rude when a place keeps acting mysterious."
The kid laughed at that.
Then he turned his head, looking somewhere deeper in the underground world.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
That was because the change in the air was subtle.
Too subtle.
But it was there.
A pressure shift.
Not from Po Jun Zing.
From elsewhere.
He Mulin noticed first.
Her eyes moved.
"Something is coming."
Qu Yaoyang looked in the same direction.
"Yes."
Bao Yuan tightened up.
"What kind of something?"
Jani Ying answered, "The kind that the Base of the Greats keeps hidden."
The dragon gave a low hum.
"Excellent."
Bao Yuan looked at it.
"That was not an excellent tone."
The dragon replied, "It was not meant to be."
The kid stepped aside a little.
"Now you are learning."
Nobody liked that.
Po Jun Zing remained still, but his breathing had changed.
The pain had not gone away.
The silence had not gone away either.
It had only gained another layer.
Lan Wege looked at Jani Ying.
"So what is the plan?"
Jani Ying did not answer immediately.
He looked at the others instead.
At Bao Yuan.
At Qu Yaoyang.
At He Mulin.
At Lan Wege.
At the dragon.
At the kid.
Then he said, "We talk."
Bao Yuan blinked.
"You want to talk now?"
Jani Ying nodded.
"Of course I do. This place is full of people with sharp mouths and bad patience. That means someone will reveal something useful if we keep talking long enough."
Qu Yaoyang gave him a sideways look.
"You are counting on people being annoying."
Jani Ying answered, "Yes."
The dragon said, "That is offensive."
Jani Ying looked at it.
"And effective."
Bao Yuan muttered, "That is also offensive."
He Mulin crossed her arms.
"Fine. Then what are we asking?"
Jani Ying's gaze moved toward the kid first.
"Who is under the Base of the Greats?"
The kid smiled.
"No."
Jani Ying nodded once.
"That was expected."
Qu Yaoyang looked toward the kid as well.
"What about the gate maker?"
The kid's smile weakened slightly.
"No."
Lan Wege saw that change.
Her eyes sharpened.
"Interesting."
The kid frowned.
"You are all very rude."
Bao Yuan said, "That is not an answer."
The kid pointed at him.
"You are not supposed to ask the right questions."
The dragon said, "That makes them more likely to do it."
The kid groaned.
"That is exactly why I hate you."
The dragon replied, "You seem to hate everyone."
The kid folded his arms.
"Correct."
He Mulin glanced toward Po Jun Zing.
"If he recovers before we solve this, things get worse."
Qu Yaoyang said, "Then solve it faster."
Bao Yuan looked offended on behalf of everyone.
"That is not helpful."
Qu Yaoyang looked at him.
"It is true."
Lan Wege's eyes remained on the kid.
"He is avoiding the question."
Jani Ying said, "Yes."
The kid immediately pointed.
"I heard that."
Jani Ying shrugged.
"Good."
That made the kid glare at him harder.
It did not help.
The mood was already turning into something thin and sharp.
Then Bao Yuan, in the middle of all of it, said quietly, "If the place is alive, then maybe it is listening to what we say."
Nobody responded at first.
Then the dragon looked at him.
"That is possible."
Bao Yuan frowned.
"I was not trying to be smart."
Qu Yaoyang said, "That is unfortunate."
Bao Yuan glared.
"Why are you like this?"
Qu Yaoyang answered, "Because someone has to keep you angry enough to be useful."
That made Bao Yuan look like he wanted to throw something.
Jani Ying actually smiled a little at that.
"Interesting."
He Mulin noticed the smallest shift in Po Jun Zing's body again.
"He is still there."
"Yes," Lan Wege said. "Still watching."
The kid tilted his head.
"Of course he is."
Bao Yuan looked at the kid.
"Who?"
The kid grinned.
"You think I am talking about him?"
That answer did not help anyone.
The air changed again.
This time, it felt like the underground itself had taken a slow breath.
The dragon's eyes widened a fraction.
"Everyone stop."
No one moved.
The silence that followed was not the same as before.
It was deeper.
Po Jun Zing still remained under pressure.
The kid still stood at the side.
Jani Ying still looked ready to talk or strike depending on what happened next.
Qu Yaoyang was the first to speak after the silence settled.
"What now?"
Jani Ying looked ahead into the darkness.
Then he said, "Now we see who the Base of the Greats sends next."
Bao Yuan frowned.
"Next?"
The kid gave a strange little smile.
"Oh, yes. Next."
And somewhere far beneath the ancient stone, something answered with a faint sound that did not belong to any of them.Then instantly the ground broke.
Bao Yuan instantly asked, "Who did this?"
The kid said, "I did this because I am ancient."
Bao Yuan said, "Shut up!"
They fell into the ground.
Above them, all the ground disappeared like it was nothing.
The kid came down.
He showed up and smiled.
A bad one.
When the ground broke once again, Gu Yanshu also fell into the ground.
Now Gu Yanshu's sword was not on Po Jun Zing's mouth.
Gu Yanshu was still expressionless.
He was not angry about it.
He was thinking of the next plan to make.
Gu Yanshu remembered his strategy.
That strategy was: never ask how do I do this. Ask, who will do this for me?
The dragon looked around.
Gu Yanshu was in front of it.
Gu Yanshu said, "Can you fight?"
The dragon said, "Why?"
Gu Yanshu slapped the dragon and said, "Run. You first slap Po Jun Zing on his face, then you run. Leave all next to me."
The dragon asked, "Why?"
Gu Yanshu said, "Because I said it."
The dragon said, "Stop making me frustrated, but yeah, I will do it."
The dragon moved to Po Jun Zing.
He was close to him.
Po Jun Zing looked at the dragon.
Then instantly, the dragon slapped him, then started running.
Po Jun Zing chased him and said, "I will get my revenge right there. Don't you dare attack me. Didn't you know what I just did? I defeated the final boss with just touching him."
"Perfect," Gu Yanshu said.
Gu Yanshu walked slowly.
He was not making any noise.
Then slowly, Gu Yanshu raised his blade and instantly put his sword on Po Jun Zing's mouth.
It took him back to the ground.
Whatever Gu Yanshu did was his plan.
The next one, Gu Yanshu showed an expressionless face.
Po Jun Zing said, "Did I fall for it?"
Gu Yanshu said, "Indeed, you did."
Po Jun Zing said, "Why was that trap so normal?"
Then Gu Yanshu tightened his hand.
Now Gu Yanshu's hand was tighter.
After Gu Yanshu's hand got tighter, Po Jun Zing could not speak anything.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then Po Jun Zing tried to move his hand.
Gu Yanshu said, "Now."
The strongest disciple jumped up and took his Kiwai sword.
Then he stabbed it into Po Jun Zing's hand.
Po Jun Zing knew that was not indirectly attached because it stabbed right in, and Po Jun Zing was too late to even block it on his own.
Po Jun Zing smiled and said, "Your traps are indeed tricky."
Gu Yanshu said, "My traps are known as my identity."
Po Jun Zing said, "Actually, I did not know that because I did not know who you were the whole time."Po Jun Zing stared at Gu Yanshu for a while.
Then he smiled again.
Not because he was calm.
Because he was annoyed.
"Your traps are indeed tricky."
Gu Yanshu said, "My traps are known as my identity."
Po Jun Zing replied, "Actually, I did not know that because I did not know who you were the whole time."
Bao Yuan immediately looked at Gu Yanshu.
Then at Po Jun Zing.
Then at the kid.
Then at the broken floor around them.
He frowned and said, "This is becoming more annoying than I thought."
The kid pointed at him.
"You are the one always talking."
Bao Yuan shot back, "You are the one calling yourself ancient every ten seconds."
The kid's face turned sharp.
"I am ancient."
Bao Yuan said, "You are noisy."
The kid gasped.
"How dare you."
The dragon stayed on Gu Yanshu's shoulder and watched both of them with tired eyes.
"Why are you two starting again?"
Bao Yuan immediately said, "Because he started first."
The kid replied, "You started first."
Bao Yuan said, "No, you started first."
The kid looked offended.
"I was born first."
Bao Yuan looked at him.
"That is not what I said."
The kid folded his arms.
"It is what I heard."
Qu Yaoyang stood nearby and watched the whole exchange with the exact expression of someone who had already regretted being alive today.
He said, "Could you two focus on the problem?"
Bao Yuan turned toward him.
"You say that like you are not also a problem."
Qu Yaoyang answered, "I am the strongest disciple. Being a problem is part of the job."
The dragon muttered, "That is a terrible job description."
He Mulin glanced at the broken floor and then at Po Jun Zing's still-bloodied hand.
"Does he have a limit?"
Nobody answered quickly.
That was already an answer.
Po Jun Zing looked at the hand that had been stabbed and then at the others.
He was still smiling.
That made him more frightening than if he had shouted.
The kid noticed that smile and immediately looked annoyed.
"What are you smiling for?"
Po Jun Zing answered, "Because I am still standing."
The kid snorted.
"That is not very impressive."
Po Jun Zing looked at him.
"It should be."
The kid leaned forward.
"It is not."
Bao Yuan stared at both of them and said quietly, "Why do I feel like these two are trying to out-annoy each other?"
The dragon replied, "Because they are."
Jani Ying, standing with his hands behind his back, looked at the broken stone around them and then at the gap in the floor.
"Keep moving," he said.
Bao Yuan blinked.
"What?"
Jani Ying looked at him.
"Do not stand still. Standing still here makes you more visible."
The kid immediately snapped, "I am visible because I am ancient."
Bao Yuan pointed at him.
"You are visible because of your beard."
The kid looked shocked.
"That is rude."
Bao Yuan said, "It is also true."
Qu Yaoyang rubbed his forehead.
He had the expression of someone trying very hard not to laugh.
Gu Yanshu did not move.
He was still watching Po Jun Zing.
Po Jun Zing noticed that and turned his head slightly.
"Are you still thinking?"
Gu Yanshu answered, "Yes."
Po Jun Zing grinned.
"Good. Keep thinking."
The kid suddenly said, "Why are you all acting like I am not here?"
Everyone looked at him.
Then Bao Yuan said, "Because you keep saying you are nineteen thousand years old."
The kid immediately pointed at him again.
"I said that because it is true."
Bao Yuan asked, "Do you hear yourself?"
The kid replied, "Clearly better than you do."
That made Bao Yuan stare.
Then he turned to the dragon.
"Why did we enter a place full of strange people?"
The dragon answered, "Because you followed Gu Yanshu."
Bao Yuan opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
He could not argue with that.
Qu Yaoyang looked at Po Jun Zing.
Po Jun Zing's hand was still not fully healed, but he was already flexing it as if testing what remained.
He Mulin saw that and said, "He recovers fast."
Lan Wege answered, "Too fast."
The kid looked at Po Jun Zing and muttered, "He is too loud for someone who got stabbed."
Po Jun Zing replied immediately, "And you are too old for someone who acts like a child."
The kid's face twisted.
"Say that again."
Po Jun Zing laughed.
"That was easy."
Bao Yuan instantly said, "Stop. Both of you stop."
Nobody listened to him.
That was not surprising.
The room stayed tense, but the arguments kept brushing against the tension instead of breaking it.
That was one of the strange things about the group.
They could stand in danger and still waste time insulting each other.
The dragon looked between the kid and Po Jun Zing.
"If you two are going to keep talking, then at least say something useful."
The kid turned his head sharply.
"You too?"
The dragon said, "Yes. Me too."
Bao Yuan lowered his voice.
"I think the dragon is sick of all of us."
The dragon said, "I am."
Bao Yuan sighed.
"At least you are honest."
Qu Yaoyang looked at the gap in the floor again.
"We should probably move before that thing changes again."
He Mulin nodded once.
"Yes."
Jani Ying's eyes scanned the area.
"Agreed."
But nobody moved yet.
Because Po Jun Zing had not moved.
And because the kid had not stopped glaring.
And because Gu Yanshu still had that expressionless face that made it impossible to know whether he was planning something or simply waiting for something else to happen.
Bao Yuan eventually broke the silence.
"What are you looking at?"
He asked Gu Yanshu that.
Gu Yanshu replied, "Everything."
Bao Yuan frowned.
"That is not helpful."
Gu Yanshu said, "It was not meant to be."
The kid folded his arms.
"That one is annoying."
Bao Yuan pointed at him.
"You are the one calling people annoying while you are the most annoying person here."
The kid instantly answered, "I am ancient."
Bao Yuan groaned.
"Here we go again."
Po Jun Zing looked amused now.
He looked at the kid.
Then at Bao Yuan.
Then at Qu Yaoyang.
Then at the dragon.
Then back at Gu Yanshu.
"This is the group?"
Nobody answered.
Po Jun Zing smiled wider.
"This is the group."
The kid said, "Do not judge us."
Po Jun Zing replied, "I am judging you already."
The kid stepped closer.
"You are one to talk. You are the one who likes to break things with your touch."
Po Jun Zing looked at him.
"And you are the one who likes to cry with red tears."
The kid froze.
Bao Yuan's eyes widened.
Qu Yaoyang blinked once.
The dragon's ears twitched.
Then the kid exploded.
"I do not cry! It is a red divine response!"
Bao Yuan muttered, "That sounds even worse."
The kid whirled on him.
"Shut up."
Bao Yuan pointed back at him.
"No, you shut up."
The kid went silent for half a second.
Then his face twisted again.
"I am going to curse you."
Bao Yuan answered, "You are going to annoy me, that is what you are going to do."
The dragon said, "Please do not start another argument."
Bao Yuan and the kid both said, "He started it."
Then they both turned and stared at each other.
Qu Yaoyang looked away.
"I regret everything."
He Mulin said, "You say that often."
Qu Yaoyang replied, "Because it keeps happening."
Jani Ying glanced at the kid, then at Po Jun Zing.
"Are you two always like this?"
Po Jun Zing said, "He is always like this."
The kid snapped, "And you are always unbearable."
Po Jun Zing shrugged.
"That is fine."
The kid looked personally insulted by that answer.
Bao Yuan muttered, "How is that fine?"
Po Jun Zing looked at him.
"Because I am still here."
Bao Yuan stared.
"That is your answer to everything."
Po Jun Zing said, "It works."
The dragon let out a low breath.
"It is getting more difficult to decide who is worse."
Bao Yuan immediately pointed at the kid.
"Him."
The kid pointed at Po Jun Zing.
"Him."
Po Jun Zing pointed at neither of them.
"You two."
Qu Yaoyang sighed.
"That is a fair answer."
Bao Yuan looked at him.
"You are not helping."
Qu Yaoyang said, "I know."
The room felt like it was waiting for someone to make a mistake.
The ancient Base of the Greats did that.
It liked to wait.
It liked silence.
It liked people who talked too much.
The kid suddenly stopped moving and looked around again.
His expression shifted.
Not fear.
Suspicion.
He sniffed once.
Then he said, "Something else is near."
Nobody answered immediately.
Jani Ying looked toward the deeper darkness.
"Maybe."
He Mulin followed his gaze.
"Yes."
The dragon's head lifted slightly.
"I feel it too."
Bao Yuan looked between them all.
"What do you feel?"
The dragon answered, "Pressure."
Qu Yaoyang said, "Movement."
Lan Wege said, "Attention."
Po Jun Zing frowned.
"I thought I was the attention."
The kid gave him a flat look.
"You are loud attention. That is different."
Po Jun Zing laughed once.
Then stopped.
He looked toward the darkness.
Something out there had shifted.
Not enough to see.
Enough to feel.
Bao Yuan took a step closer to Gu Yanshu.
"I do not like this."
Gu Yanshu said, "Good."
Bao Yuan looked betrayed.
"That is not a good answer."
"It is the correct one."
The kid nodded once.
"That one is smarter than the rest of you."
Bao Yuan turned to him.
"Did you just praise him?"
The kid answered, "I am allowed to be accurate."
The dragon said, "That is a new kind of annoying."
The kid looked pleased for exactly one second.
Then he remembered he was supposed to be upset and lost the expression again.
Po Jun Zing stood a little straighter.
He was still calm.
But now the calm had shape.
It was not peaceful.
It was controlled.
"That thing out there," he said, "is not waiting for your names."
Nobody replied.
Po Jun Zing looked around once more.
"Good."
Qu Yaoyang asked, "Good?"
Po Jun Zing nodded.
"I hate things that wait for names."
Bao Yuan blinked.
"That is such a strange sentence."
The dragon said, "It is also somehow true."
Jani Ying's gaze stayed fixed ahead.
"Whatever is out there, it is not the only thing this place has hidden."
The kid immediately turned toward him.
"Do not make it sound like I am not enough."
Bao Yuan muttered, "Nobody said that."
The kid replied, "You were thinking it."
Bao Yuan stared.
Then he said, "How would you know that?"
The kid lifted his chin.
"I am ancient."
Bao Yuan almost gave up.
Qu Yaoyang's voice cut in.
"Enough."
The room quieted a little.
Not fully.
But enough.
Qu Yaoyang looked at the group.
"We move now."
The fifth blacker, who had been silent longer than most, nodded once.
"Yes."
Lan Wege looked at the broken paths around them.
"We need to decide fast."
He Mulin said, "The longer we stand here, the more likely the Base changes again."
The dragon said, "It already is changing."
Bao Yuan looked around.
He hated that he could not tell.
The dark stone looked the same.
The air still felt ancient.
But the feeling had shifted underneath.
Like something beneath the ground had opened one eye.
The kid noticed the way Bao Yuan was staring and smirked.
"Scared?"
Bao Yuan answered, "Annoyed."
The kid said, "That is not the same."
Bao Yuan replied, "It is close enough."
Po Jun Zing suddenly looked amused again.
He glanced at Bao Yuan.
"Not bad."
Bao Yuan pointed at him.
"Do not encourage him."
Po Jun Zing said, "I did not."
The dragon muttered, "You probably did."
Po Jun Zing ignored that.
He looked ahead and said, "If something is coming, then let it come."
The kid immediately said, "That is what I said."
Nobody looked at him.
That was rude.
He noticed.
He hated that.
Qu Yaoyang noticed the kid's expression and said, "You are going to complain for the next ten minutes, aren't you?"
The kid replied, "Maybe."
Bao Yuan said, "It is definitely yes."
The kid pointed at him.
"See? Rude."
Jani Ying finally spoke again.
"We are wasting time."
That cut through the noise enough to make everyone listen.
He looked toward the darkness ahead.
Then he said, "Whatever is waiting, it is probably already watching this conversation."
The kid's face changed.
Po Jun Zing noticed that too.
The dragon noticed it immediately.
Bao Yuan did too, even if he did not understand why.
The kid looked defensive all of a sudden.
Then he said, "I am not afraid of being watched."
Po Jun Zing said, "You just looked afraid."
The kid snapped back, "No, I did not."
Bao Yuan muttered, "That was the first useful thing you said all day."
The kid turned and glared at him.
"I will remember that."
Bao Yuan shrugged.
"I hope you do, because I will not."
The dragon looked up at Gu Yanshu.
Gu Yanshu still said nothing.
But the dragon had learned enough from him to know when he was still building something in his head.
That was what he was doing now.
Not talking.
Not reacting.
Building.
The dragon kept its voice low.
"You are planning again."
Gu Yanshu answered, "Yes."
The dragon said, "For this too?"
Gu Yanshu replied, "Especially this."
The dragon understood that.
It looked forward again.
The others kept arguing in smaller and smaller bursts around them.
Po Jun Zing said something sharp.
The kid insulted him back.
Bao Yuan complained.
Qu Yaoyang told him to focus.
He Mulin and Lan Wege discussed the ground and the shadows.
Jani Ying listened more than he spoke now.
And under all of it, the Base of the Greats remained ancient, silent, and deeply unhelpful.
Then, somewhere ahead, a faint sound moved through the stone.
Not loud.
But enough.
The group stopped talking one by one.
The kid froze first.
Then Po Jun Zing.
Then Bao Yuan.
Then the dragon.
Then Jani Ying.
Qu Yaoyang's eyes narrowed.
He Mulin's hand moved slightly.
Lan Wege looked toward the dark.
The sound came again.
A slow scrape.
Not from above.
Not from below.
From ahead.
The kid swallowed once.
Then, very quietly, he said, "That is not good."
Bao Yuan immediately replied, "You are finally saying something useful."
The kid did not answer.
Even he knew that now was not the time.
The ancient underground air stayed still.
The dark walls held their silence.
And whatever had just moved deeper in the Base of the Greats was still out there, waiting for the next sound to make.