The words sounded like both a warning and a reminder to Yu Jiao.

She froze momentarily before her eyes widened slightly as realization struck. Gripping her knife tightly, she glared at Fang Wenlin who was watching from the sidelines, then suddenly changed direction and sprinted toward him.

Fang Wenlin clearly hadn't anticipated her move, his eyes flashing with surprise.

Reacting quickly, he scrambled backward in panic: "Yu Jiao! What are you doing?! I'm your partner!"

Yu Jiao remained silent, decisively swinging her long blade at Fang Wenlin.

With the monster chasing close behind, she had no time to waste.

However, despite its reach, the heavy blade proved too cumbersome to land a clean hit.

Fang Wenlin dodged sideways, understanding her intent as a cold smirk twisted his lips.

Then he suddenly dashed toward the monster's direction—if Yu Jiao wanted to kill him, she'd have to face the vine creature head-on.

But the moment he took that step, something tangled around his foot, sending him crashing heavily to the ground.

A pained grunt escaped him as he pushed himself up, only to feel searing agony erupt across his back—accompanied by the sickening sound of a blade piercing flesh.

"What the— AHHH!!" Fang Wenlin screamed in terror.

Yu Jiao clenched her teeth, driving the blade deeper without hesitation until it pierced his heart, ending his struggles.

Yet what happened next was unnatural.

Thick, moss-green blood oozed from the wound, strikingly similar to the monster's viscous substance.

Yu Jiao's eyes narrowed as she yanked the blade free, the eerie liquid dripping down its edge, emitting an odd fragrance like crushed fresh leaves.

Before she could process it, a vine lashed around her wrist and violently wrenched the knife from her grip.

"Tch—!" Yu Jiao paled, sucking in a sharp breath—she could've sworn she heard her bone crack.

Acting fast, she purchased another item and slapped a talisman onto the monster's tendril, shouting: "Explode—!"

The creature detonated like a bomb, scattering the threat.

Weakly kneeling, Yu Jiao saw familiar black fabric enter her blurry vision.

Forehead damp with sweat, she cradled her injured wrist and looked up at the man:

"This doesn't break the rules, right? My partner's dead. With no one to attack the monster, I had to handle both roles."

The man didn't respond, only slowly removing his mask to reveal strikingly handsome features. His bangs swept back added an aloof nobility as he murmured:

"Even if you find the treasure, you can't obtain the scarf. Opening it requires two people."

Yu Jiao paused, squinting.

"Why tell me this?"

This didn't seem like Bo Jingmo's style.

Gazing down at her, he stated: "I'll help you. But there's a condition."

Yu Jiao's lips twisted.

Of course.

Bo Jingmo surely wanted intel about the deva.

The answers she sought remained elusive, yet these two kept demanding more.

"Name your terms first."

Bo Jingmo crouched, mask dangling from his fingers as bottomless dark eyes locked onto hers:

"Follow Yu Li. Do whatever she asks."

Yu Jiao: "..." That's excessive.

"So if she tells me to die, I should?" What difference would that make?

Yet Bo Jingmo replied calmly: "She won't."

His certainty was absolute.

"Your death isn't required. She only needs your skills."

Yu Jiao: "..."

Though technically reassuring, why did it sound so odd?

And she hadn't forgotten Yu Li's earlier threat to kill them all.

Still, Bo Jingmo's next words made her falter.

That familiar sensation resurged.

Frankly, the condition surprised her.

After a silent moment, she agreed: "Fine. I'll go."

Perfect—she wanted to talk to Yu Li anyway.

Bo Jingmo stood, releasing a wisp of black mist that coiled around her blade.

"It will lead you to Yu Li."

Yu Jiao stared at the cloud-like vapor, its fluffiness tempting her to touch—was this Black Moon...?

But as she reached out, his icy warning froze her:

"Don't. Unless you want a finger severed."

She jerked her hand back.

Seriously?

Then again, even Limu disliked people touching her black mist outside combat.

The mist rotated the hilt, pointing the blade's tip somewhere.

Following its direction, Yu Jiao turned to ask Bo Jingmo—only to find empty space behind her.

"...He left?"

——

Managing four teams alone while announcing rules had already consumed too much of Bo Jingmo's time with Yu Jiao.

Fortunately, he'd pre-established rules and assigned black mist followers to each group, minimizing issues.

What intrigued him was Huang Ya and Hao Lan's luck—both secured first-attack privileges, with Hao Lan's fire-based skill proving ideal.

Since they were nearby, he'd helped Huang Ya eliminate her monster. The rules never forbade assistance.

As for Jiang Xi and Hou Liang...

They'd located the treasure without even encountering a monster, their insane luck astounding the livestream audience:

[See? Their luck stats are no joke—they didn't even fight anything!]

[Compared to this, everyone else's battles look pathetic.]

[How will they split the scarf?]

[Just cut it? Then everyone gets a piece.]

[If it's that easy, wouldn't one piece suffice?]

Approaching the signboard, Jiang Xi and Hou Liang froze upon reading its contents, their faces flushing oddly:

"Find the tree wrapped in vines... then kiss your partner beneath it?"

Behind them, a certain man stiffened, lifting his emotionless gaze.

That yao ghost... had a death wish?