NEC Chapter 9: Bloodstained Breeze Path

Breeze Path was a winding, narrow trail that snaked along the edge of the Gloomy Forest’s inner ring, stretching toward Ironback Valley’s main road to the east and twisting west toward Redtree Highlands, disappearing into its vast plateau.

Six-Leaf Grove was the nearest and busiest camp.

Controlled by a fierce centaur tribe, this camp functioned like a chaotic digestive cavity in the forest, catering to wandering merchants, mercenaries, and all sorts of fringe groups. It offered everything from basic lodging, food, and supplies to shadier services like escape, concealment, and fencing stolen goods.

And perhaps some other physiological needs on the side.

For Chen Mo, the most critical feature of Six-Leaf Grove was the dwarf-run airship route: his fastest ticket out of this mess.

From the moment he struck, Chen Mo knew there was no going back.

Neither the Black Crow Lord nor the Zircon noble family would bother reasoning with a nobody like him.

They cared only about status and power.

Even back in Xia Country, crossing someone of their caliber would spell trouble, let alone in this rigid, class-locked otherworld.

Having killed a noble heir, Chen Mo had to flee, and the farther, the better.

Boarding an airship to escape the Gloomy Forest was his best bet.

Little Eleven led the way in silence, occasionally glancing back at Ellie, then at Chen Mo.

As time passed, Ellie seemed to recover from the earlier bloodshed and began cautiously speaking.

“Brother Mo… they all said your second summoning failed, but you succeeded, didn’t you?” She tilted her face, forcing a worshipful smile. “I knew it! Your talent is the best. You’ll definitely become an amazing grand mage someday!”

She paused, gauging Chen Mo’s reaction. Her eyes quickly welled with tears, her voice trembling with a sob: “With your skills now, you could easily qualify as a high-tier apprentice… Why not come back with us? We could beg Mage Dove Tail together. The mentor values you so much, he’d surely forgive you…”

Tears rolled down her gaunt cheeks, her shoulders quivering delicately, a picture of pitiable charm.

Chen Mo didn’t want to engage, but her act, her words, crawled over his taut nerves like insects, making him uneasy.

That tea-steeped charm was suffocating.

He noticed Little Eleven’s pace slowing noticeably, several times.

At this life-or-death juncture, he couldn’t afford distractions or noise. He stopped, his voice firm:

“Ellie, be quiet!”

“I just want to leave. Don’t test my patience or kindness.”

“When we reach Six-Leaf Camp, you take your high road, and I’ll take my Breeze Path.”

“That’s it. End of story. Understood?”

Tears spilled from Ellie’s eyes as she covered her mouth, sobbing: “I’m… I’m sorry! I’m just so scared! Sorry, Brother Mo, really sorry…”

“Enough, stop crying!”

For some reason, Chen Mo’s irritation grew.

On Blue Star, a pretty junior crying like this would’ve tugged at his heartstrings.

But this was the Starry Continent, a brutal place where reason was etched on blades, carved on staff tips, and hung on noble crests.

He couldn’t risk his life or his country’s hopes on whims.

“No need for apologies. Keep up! I keep my word: we get close to Six-Leaf Camp, and you’re free to go!”

The sun dipped west, the forest growing dimmer. The long trek drained Ellie, her steps dragging, closing the gap with Chen Mo. As the team slowed, he couldn’t help but urge: “Move faster!” Before his words settled, disaster struck!

Ellie’s foot caught on a root, and with a startled “Ah!” she pitched forward.

Chen Mo instinctively stepped aside, then, feeling it wasn’t right, moved forward again, asking, “Are you okay?”

In that moment of closeness, a blinding ice-blue halo erupted around Ellie!

A chilling buzz filled the air!

Icy magic surged, crystalline frost forming an inverted cage that trapped Chen Mo precisely. Bone-chilling cold pierced his body, as if freezing his blood, every hair standing on end!

Binding Ice Ring! Damn it!

Chen Mo hadn’t expected that the Binding Ice Ring he’d cautiously let Little White tank back in the clearing would come full circle to ensnare him.

And it was his own fault.

No apprentice, candidate or formal, could cast instantly! He’d thought Little Blondie had chanted it while playing dead, but now he realized it was a magic item with a stored spell!

Worried about traps or tracking on Little Blondie’s gear, Chen Mo had ruthlessly abandoned all loot. Now he saw: Little Eleven, cleaning the battlefield, had given the item to Ellie!

And at this critical moment, she’d used it to betray him!

No wonder Little Blondie had used a seemingly useless binding spell on a skeleton instead of attacking. It was the item’s pre-set magic!

In a flash, Chen Mo pieced it together, rage and shock mixing as Ellie, the culprit, turned like a startled rabbit and sprinted toward Black Crow Castle without hesitation, stumbling but running with all her might!

Ellie was sharp and decisive.

Born to a small merchant family, she’d seen the ways of the world early, learning its harsh rules.

Her family was rich to the lowest commoners, envied by street peers, but in the face of power and strength, they were no different from mud-crawling peasants.

To rise, she needed either a fortunate marriage into the elite or to become a powerful summoner mage herself.

The Zircon heir wasn’t ideal. His family was too lofty, too grand to give a girl of her modest talent any real chance.

As her mother put it: the Zircon family lined their placentas with gold and filled their amniotic fluid with silver.

Ellie understood early that her background made a formal status nearly impossible. At best, she’d be a hidden mistress.

And she’d face the risk of a noble wife’s wrath.

So, no matter how ardently the young master pursued her, she kept a calculated distance.

The trouble was, his presence scared off boys with decent backgrounds and potential. Left with few options, she turned to commoners, seeking a “promising stock” to nurture and rely on.

Chen Mo was one of her “prospects.”

Or rather, a shield to fend off her swarm of admirers.

She’d broken several such shields before.

She felt occasional guilt, but it was quickly buried by a stronger drive to survive and thrive.

What was wrong with wanting to live better?

Now, her shield had killed.

Even if this shield showed greater potential, Ellie abandoned any thought of aligning with Chen Mo. This reckless fool couldn’t grasp how terrifying the Zircon family was.

She had to return! She had to be the first to report to the grand mage!

She needed to clear herself, to be the innocent, brave witness who tried but failed to stop a tragedy! She couldn’t be seen as his accomplice.

She was too exceptional for anything less than a brighter future!

Gasping heavily, legs pumping, Ellie ignored Chen Mo’s desperate shouts from behind, never looking back.

She knew she couldn’t waste a second.

And so, she didn’t see Little White raising the dark, hollow muzzle.

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