Wen Xue frowned deeply. "Gu Jin, I'm serious. You can't just rush off. That country is heavily guarded. And you've got the Alchemist Competition coming up. If you're caught—"
Gu Jin raised her hand, cutting him off.
"She risked her life because of me," she said quietly. "She wouldn't have been in this mess if she hadn't tried to help uncover the truth. I can't sit around and wait."
Wen Xue opened his mouth, clearly about to argue, but then Gu Jin said calmly:
"Then at least tell me where Long Yifan is."
That stopped him.
He looked away for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts. Then he let out a long breath.
"Long Yifan… is in a better condition now. But not good."
Gu Jin's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by 'not good'? Where is he?"
Wen Xue hesitated. His fingers fidgeted with the edge of his sleeve, a rare sign of unease. Then he gave her a helpless look.
"He fell into a spatial rift."
Gu Jin blinked. "A rift?"
