Su Wan ran through the moonlit forest path with Ji Chen on her back. His body was burning hot, like a furnace, and sweat soaked through his shirt. Every step she took was heavy, but her eyes were filled with fierce determination.
Behind them, the alarm bells of the Su family's ancestral estate echoed across the night sky. But she never looked back.
The stone path beneath her feet was damp and slippery, winding through dense bamboo groves and towering cliffs. With each step, Su Wan adjusted Ji Chen's position, whispering to him as if he could hear her, "Just a bit longer... we're almost out."
Finally, they reached a derelict tea house nestled at the edge of the forest—long abandoned, now swallowed by creeping vines and shadows. Su Wan kicked open the door and laid Ji Chen down on an old tatami mat. His face was pale, brows tightly furrowed.
"You have to hold on…" She tore open her pouch and poured a few drops of spiritual calming elixir into his mouth. But the moment the liquid touched his lips, Ji Chen's body trembled, and a faint golden glow erupted from the mark on his palm.
Su Wan stepped back in shock as the golden light wrapped around him, forming a delicate cocoon of symbols and runes.
"Another transformation?" she whispered.
Moments later, Ji Chen's breathing steadied, and the glow gradually faded. He opened his eyes slowly, golden patterns still flickering faintly in his irises.
"You're awake!" Su Wan rushed to his side.
"…Did we escape?" His voice was hoarse but conscious.
She nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. "Yes. You burned that golden net to ash and nearly took the whole tunnel with you."
Ji Chen sat up with effort. "And Zhao Mingyang?"
"He's still breathing," Su Wan said coldly. "But not for long. Your lightning broke several of his ribs."
Ji Chen didn't respond. He clenched his fists tightly. The power he unleashed earlier was beyond his control—foreign and primal.
"The Void Scripture awakened a new ability," he said quietly. "I don't know what it is yet… but I think it's a part of something bigger."
Su Wan stared at him for a moment. "That's the second time it's saved your life."
Ji Chen nodded. "And yours."
Outside, the wind rustled the leaves. The Su family's domain was now behind them, but the threats they faced were only growing stronger.
"What do we do next?" Su Wan asked, her voice low.
Ji Chen stood slowly, the pain in his body dulled but present. He looked up at the moon through the broken roof.
"We find the rest of the scriptures."
Su Wan inhaled deeply, then gave a firm nod. "Then let's go. Before Zhao Mingyang or anyone else finds us."
Together, they left the ruined teahouse behind, their silhouettes fading into the forest shadows—two fugitives bound not by blood, but by battle and the legacy of a power older than time.