Detour Is Impossible

Xia Lun saw Village Chief Qiaolei again.

Compared to yesterday, the man’s eye sockets had sunk even deeper, dark circles hanging heavily at the corners of his eyes, as if something had drained him of all energy. Even appearing on the street in broad daylight made him look like a ghost.

Xia Lun, on the other hand, was full of vigor.

How strange—he was the one who had been drained by the vampire last night.

A carriage stood at the entrance, though the horse wasn’t in the best condition—a bit too thin—and the back wasn’t a proper passenger compartment but rather a wooden cargo bed lined with dry grass.

Xia Lun didn’t mind. He’d replace it once they reached the big city anyway.

If they were going on a long journey, he mused, it might be better to buy a small, sturdy earth dragon for endurance.

“Thank you so much, Chief Qiaolei.” Liyana handed over a pouch of gold coins, which Qiaolei accepted absentmindedly.

“You can leave now,” Qiaolei said, his first words urging them to go.

Mo Lini carefully climbed onto the carriage, only to slip and tumble into the pile of dry grass with a soft plop, then peeked out with just her head visible.

She was the team’s mascot… and she knew it well.

Liyana drove the carriage away.

Qiaolei watched until they had left Xialun Village completely before finally returning inside.

“Hey, Xia Lun, did you notice anything?” Liyana couldn’t help but ask. “What’s going on with that village?”

Xia Lun recounted what he had sensed the night before.

“You’re saying the villagers were digging in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”

Xia Lun nodded.

“What were they digging for? Treasure?” Liyana plucked a blade of grass and stuck it between her lips.

“No idea. Maybe.” Xia Lun shrugged. “But it’s none of our business. Let them be—we’re just passing through.”

“Or maybe they were digging a tunnel,” Mo Lini suddenly interjected.

“A tunnel? To where?” Liyana asked curiously.

“I don’t know… just a guess.” Mo Lini shrank back slightly.

Aina gave Mo Lini a meaningful glance.

The group paid no further attention to the small exchange as the carriage creaked and swayed onto the road.

The weather was lovely today—warm sunlight without any oppressive heat.

Thick greenery lined both sides of the path, dense enough to obscure anything beyond ten meters, as if a rabbit or slime might dart out at any moment.

Liyana took up the reins again. As an elven archer, she had the sharpest eyes and could spot the slightest unusual movement.

Xia Lun leaned against the edge of the haystack, Aina nestled in his arms, both enjoying the quiet comfort.

Mo Lini, however, kept looking around. She rarely left the safety of the city and was endlessly curious about the outside world, her head turning this way and that, utterly adorable.

“Sigh.”

After who knows how long, Liyana let out a bored exhale.

Mo Lini blinked. “What’s wrong, Liyana?”

“I’m just bored… Why isn’t there a single bandit trying to rob us?”

“Weren’t you the one who kept insisting we go out? And now you’re complaining already?” Xia Lun teased. “Back when we used to adventure together, weren’t you always the most energetic?”

“It’s different, completely different!” Liyana waved a hand dismissively. “I was young back then. Now I’ve seen it all—I’m over a thousand years old.”

She pretended to puff on the grass stem like a cigar, blowing out an imaginary smoke ring. “That’s all in the past.”

Mo Lini blinked again.

Back when they adventured together…

Had Xia Lun and Liyana really traveled together before? But Liyana had said…

Mo Lini felt like she had stumbled onto something, but she didn’t dare believe it.

“Most patrols are armed with magic guns now, so bandits have been wiped out,” Aina explained to Liyana, though her words seemed more directed at Xia Lun. “And with living standards improving, few are desperate enough to turn to robbery.”

She then gazed at Xia Lun with tender admiration. “All thanks to the Hero’s achievements.”

Mo Lini quietly climbed over the wooden railing and sat beside Liyana.

“What’s up?”

“Too much sweetness back there. I might turn into a sugar cube.” Mo Lini stuck out her tongue.

“Oh? Not a sourpuss?”

At Liyana’s teasing, Mo Lini puffed out her cheeks, looking irresistibly pinchable.

But the journey wasn’t entirely smooth.

A violent surge of magic erupted ahead.

“Uh… I think something’s happening up front…” Mo Lini spotted towering flames and heard sharp, piercing gunshots.

Liyana instinctively turned to Xia Lun for direction, a silent reminder of who still led the team, even after all this time.

“There’s only one road,” Xia Lun said calmly. “Do we wait here, or move forward?”

“Got it, Captain Xia Lun!” Liyana cheerfully flicked the reins.

……

“Fire, keep firing!”

The guards unloaded round after round at the man before them, but every bullet ricocheted off an impenetrable magical barrier.

Meanwhile, the man’s fireballs exploded among them, flames devouring everything in their path.

“Who the hell is that guy? A Blood Pact assassin?”

“Damn it! Why’s he targeting us?”

“The young mistress—we have to get her out of here!”

Inside the carriage, a golden-haired girl of about fifteen gripped the hand of the elderly woman beside her, her own trembling.

“Don’t be afraid, Elesha… It’ll be alright,” the old woman, Lanxia, murmured, her clouded eyes dim but her voice steady. “You are the head of the Norman Family now. We’ll protect you.”

“We’re close to Yueno City. While they’re fighting, slip into the woods and head west. When you reach the river, follow it downstream—”

“No, Grandmother Lanxia, I don’t want to—”

“You can do this, Elesha. You’re the last of the Norton bloodline… You must survive.” Lanxia stroked the girl’s hair. “Once you reach the estate, you’ll be safe… The family’s legacy must continue.”

“I…”

“Go now. This is for you.” Lanxia’s voice turned firm. “There’s no time—the servants will hold off that mage. Hurry!”

Elesha’s face paled, but she obeyed, scrambling out of the carriage.

A fireball detonated beside her, the blast hurling the girl to the ground.

Lanxia raised her staff.

“Run, Elesha! I’ll stop him!”