Being Staked Out

Jiangbei City.

A dilapidated six-story building stood empty, its residents long gone.

They had no choice but to leave.

A massive hole had torn through the second floor, turning the entire structure into a hazard.

A breathtakingly beautiful girl stood below, gazing at it for a long, long time.

"Mu Xuan, let's go."

Mu Qingyi sighed as she spoke.

"Master, I just want to look a little longer."

Shen Muxuan stared at the place she had once called home, her voice soft.

Everything her eyes fell upon was a memory; every thought in her heart was of the past.

Mu Qingyi said gently, "Have you said your goodbyes?"

Shen Muxuan nodded, forcing a smile. "I’ve already spoken to Aunt Zhou and left a letter for An Yi. I told him I’m returning to the Immortal Sect’s minor realm and will be back in three months."

"Three months..."

Mu Qingyi sighed. "And if, after three months—"

She couldn’t finish the sentence. Tears welled in her eyes as she wiped them away with her fingers.

"Enough, Master. I’ve known this day would come for years."

Shen Muxuan smiled and pinched Mu Qingyi’s cheeks playfully. "Cheer up, will you? No wonder An Yi always says you’re a fake prude."

"Fake prude?! I’ll kill that brat!" Mu Qingyi’s eyes flashed coldly.

"Hey, isn’t that Mu Xuan? Where are you off to? Haven’t seen you at the supermarket these past few days."

Uncle Wang, the baozi vendor, was holding a steamer basket when he spotted Shen Muxuan and greeted her cheerfully.

On this street, no one disliked the cashier from Chuanfang Supermarket.

She was sweet, adorable, stunningly beautiful, and kind-hearted.

Shen Muxuan beamed. "Hello, Uncle Wang! I’m heading back to my hometown."

"Why so sudden? Here, take these two baskets of baozi for the road."

The baozi vendor packed two steaming baskets and handed them over.

Shen Muxuan grinned sweetly. "Then I won’t be polite—thank you, Uncle Wang!"

The vendor chuckled. "Where’s An Yi? Haven’t seen him around."

At the mention of that name, Shen Muxuan’s eyes dimmed. "He’s probably somewhere very, very far away now."

The baozi vendor, noticing her sorrowful expression, was shocked.

"That kid’s gone?"

---

A thousand miles away.

An off-road vehicle sped across a desolate plain.

The driver was a young man in black, no older than twenty. Despite the rough terrain, he handled the wheel with steady precision.

But what was truly astonishing wasn’t his driving—it was his face.

Five straight hours behind the wheel, and his expression hadn’t changed once.

In the passenger seat, a bespectacled beauty wiped down a sniper rifle with a white cloth.

In the back, a young man lounged with his legs crossed, yawning incessantly, dark circles heavy under his eyes.

Beside him, a cold-faced woman stared silently out the window.

"Didn’t sleep well last night?"

Shangguan Qianqian glanced at An Yi, curious.

An Yi waved a hand. "Don’t even ask."

Last night, Shen Muxuan had insisted on sleeping in his room.

Fine, sleep was sleep—but even lying in the same bed, it was strictly platonic.

The girl had been so excited she clung to him, chattering about everything and nothing until dawn.

By the time he could finally close his eyes, the sun was already up.

Thinking of Shen Muxuan, An Yi’s expression grew solemn.

He wasn’t stupid. From the shifts in her mood these past few days, he’d sensed something was off.

He remembered her telling him when they first met that she didn’t have much time left.

An Yi had consulted renowned physicians through the vice dean and others, but none could diagnose Shen Muxuan’s condition.

Even the medical skills granted by his system were useless.

The system’s response? Condition exceeds system capabilities.

Honestly, An Yi was starting to panic.

His determination to enter the Hongtian Secret Realm was largely driven by the hope of finding rare treasures or methods to cure her.

The odds were slim, but he had to try.

"Chen, do we really have to take such a remote route?"

Su Xue’er looked at Lin Chen, puzzled.

Lin Chen replied flatly, "It’s safer."

In the back, An Yi fiddled with his phone, scrolling through the Martial Alliance’s updates, and explained:

"Right now is prime time for token snatching. Anyone without a token who still wants in will be lying in wait. If we charge in recklessly, it’s like walking straight into a hornet’s nest."

"So, we’ve got two options."

"One is blending into crowded places—trains, for example. The more people, the easier it is to hide. But that only works for solo operators. The four of us? Too conspicuous."

"Lin Chen and I—especially me—are big names on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. Plus, Qianqian’s a celebrity. Crowds would just cause chaos."

"The other option is sneaking in like we’re doing now, but that makes us easy targets for ambushes."

"Which is why the route and timing have to be perfect. This stretch is open plains—no roads, making ambushes as likely as finding a needle in a haystack."

"And we have to time it right—arrive too early, and we’ll get jumped. But we also can’t miss the Hongtian Secret Realm’s opening."

Su Xue’er’s eyes widened in realization as she studied An Yi with newfound curiosity.

She’d always thought of him as a reckless, flashy, womanizing nouveau riche. Who knew he could strategize like this?

Lin Chen wasn’t surprised.

Anyone who underestimated this guy ended up regretting it.

In all the time he’d known An Yi, he’d never seen him lose.

Shangguan Qianqian nodded, a faint smile curling her lips.

In her past life, the Asura Sect had been the world’s most powerful faction, surpassing even the Divine Hall and the Dao Alliance.

And its leader? The undisputed overlord of this world.

No way was he just some brawny fool.

"This route was carefully planned—foolproof."

With the Tianhuang Province still some distance away, An Yi yawned and leaned back for a nap. "Lin Chen, keep it steady. I’m gonna catch some sleep."

Just then, the car screeched to a halt.

An Yi’s face smacked into the seat in front of him. "You did that on purpose, you poker-faced bastard!"

Lin Chen said coolly, "There’s a fight ahead. We’ve been ambushed."

Sure enough, a group of martial artists—about forty of them—were locked in combat outside.

But their off-roader had been spotted. The fighters quickly surrounded them from both sides.

An Yi rolled down the window, and a grotesque, pockmarked face shoved itself inside. "Kid, hand over your token!"

THUD!

An Yi frowned and threw a punch.

The man’s face twisted, two bloody teeth flying as he was sent sprawling. He hit the ground with a thud and didn’t get back up.

"Don’t shove your face in here. Has no one told you your breath stinks?"

An Yi fanned the air, scowling.

Instantly, the crowd froze, staring in shock at the fallen fighter.

One punch had shattered his facial bones. He was barely breathing—probably a goner.

This was a Dark Force-stage martial artist!

Taken out in a single hit?!