The shadowy figure chuckled, "You don't understand. The reason I came here is because I heard rumors, but I had no idea where exactly it grew. I only sent you to check—and to think you actually found it. All those years of waiting weren't wasted after all."
"I see. If there's nothing else, we're leaving." Evan Yang took Lora Luo and prepared to go, but the shadowy figure blocked their path. "Don't be in such a hurry to leave."
"What do you want now?" Evan asked.
"Relax, it's nothing serious. I just want to ask a favor." The shadowy figure said.
"A favor? What is it this time?" Evan Yang frowned.
"Do you know why I want the Black-Mist Lotus?" the shadowy figure asked.
"No idea," Evan Yang replied bluntly.
"Because of its medicinal properties—and its allure," said the shadowy figure.
"Allure?" Evan Yang was puzzled.
"The Black-Mist Lotus doesn't do much for humans, but it's extremely valuable for demon beasts. The reason I need it is to save—" The shadowy figure paused.
Evan Yang asked suspiciously, "Save who? Don’t tell me it’s a demon beast?"
"That's right, it's a demon beast. But she's been suppressed in one place, guarded by a powerful demon beast. That beast is naturally drawn to the Black-Mist Lotus, so I want to use it to lure it away. Once it's gone, I need your help—to rescue the suppressed demon beast." The shadowy figure explained.
"You kidnapped my companion, and now you want me to help you? What makes you think I won't just leave halfway through?" Evan said.
"If you leave halfway, I won’t blame you. After all, I chose to trust you—and I believe you're not that kind of person." The shadowy figure said to Evan Yang.
"You're giving me too much credit. For all you know, I am that kind of person." Evan replied.
"I don't believe it," said the shadowy figure.
"If you trust me, then take me there." Evan thought for a moment. For now, he couldn’t leave the Demon-Beast Realm, and being with another human was better than being surrounded by unknown demon beasts outside. So he agreed.
"Alright, let's go," said the shadowy figure.
Evan Yang thought for a moment and asked, "How do I wake her up?"
"She's just unconscious. Give her this pill and she'll wake up." The shadowy figure handed Evan Yang a pill.
Evan Yang gave the pill to Lora Luo. After a while, she woke up and, startled by the shadowy figure before her, exclaimed, "Who are you?"
"Don't worry, he's human too," Evan Yang said. Lora Luo had no idea what happened after she fainted, only feeling relieved to see Evan first and checking herself for injuries before relaxing.
"A human?" Lora Luo found it odd to meet another human here.
"Alright, I'll explain later. Let's get out of here—stay too long and you'll get poisoned." Evan Yang kept a hand on Lora Luo, shielding her from the poison as he spoke.
Lora Luo realized Evan’s touch wasn’t meant to tease her, but to protect her from the poison, so she relaxed and followed the shadowy figure out of the mist zone.
Once outside the black mist zone, the shadowy figure said, "My name is Richard. How should I address you two?"
"I'm Evan Yang," he replied.
"I thought your surname was Mu? So now you're Evan Yang?" Lora Luo exclaimed.
"Mu was just a random name I used. No point in hiding now," Evan Yang said.
Richard assumed Evan was talking to him and laughed, "Straightforward! And how should I address the young lady?"
"I'm Lora Luo," she replied. It was the first time Evan Yang learned her real name, so he smiled, "So that's your surname."
"Better than your surname Yang," Lora Luo retorted.
Richard was puzzled—how did these two start bickering so quickly? Sensing the awkwardness, Evan Yang coughed and laughed, "Let's go."
Seeing Evan Yang not argue, Lora Luo stopped too, and followed Richard toward their destination.
They traveled for nearly half a month, encountering many demon beasts and some unintelligent spirit beasts along the way. With Richard's help, they avoided them easily.
Eventually, they arrived at the base of a mountain—towering, massive, and pitch black.
"The demon beast I mentioned is suppressed inside this mountain. There's a powerful demon beast guarding the entrance. I'll show you the way in. Once I lure the guardian away, the rest is up to you two." Richard said politely, resigned to whatever Evan and Lora might do.
Richard then left, telling Evan Yang the signal: if he succeeded in luring the guardian away, he'd release flames into the sky.
After Richard left, Lora Luo asked suspiciously, "What exactly are we supposed to do?"
"Rescue the demon beast," Evan Yang replied simply.
"Rescue a demon beast? Are you crazy, or is he?" Lora Luo was shocked at the mention of demon beasts. In her eyes, they were all bad—after all, she'd suffered at the hands of wolf demons and fox demons before.
But Evan Yang thought differently. Spirit beasts could be good or bad, and becoming a demon beast didn’t mean it was evil. He smiled, "Spirit beasts can be good or bad. With proper guidance, they can be good. So don’t worry about that—just get ready. Or, if you prefer, wait outside while I go in."
"Forget it, I'll go in with you. If I get lost, it's even worse. I don’t want to be alone in this wilderness, surrounded by strange demon beasts," Lora Luo said.
Evan Yang agreed—it made sense. Anything could happen, and if they got separated, it would be trouble.
So the two waited nearby, watching for the signal.
Meanwhile, Richard hid behind a tree—not far away was a cave with a sign reading 'Black Moon Cave.'
At the entrance, a fat bear slept. It looked clumsy, but Richard didn't dare underestimate it. In the past, no matter how he tried to lure it, it wouldn’t budge—anyone who got too close was attacked.
Richard took out the Black-Mist Lotus. Instantly, the fat bear woke from its sleep, sniffed the air, and muttered, "That smells... like Black-Mist Lotus."
Richard slowly lured it away, and it followed the scent, leaving the entrance behind.
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After a while, the black bear sensed something was wrong and tried to return. But Richard stepped out. "Hey, Fat Bear, is this what you want?"
The Fat Bear saw it really was Black-Mist Lotus—and in a human's hand. Furious, it growled, "You actually used it to tempt me!"
"So? Do you think you can just take it?" Richard laughed.
"Despicable human! Watch how I tear you apart and seize it!" The Fat Bear clearly wanted the Black-Mist Lotus—it could boost his cultivation by a lot.
The Fat Bear immediately transformed into human form—a burly, overweight man, but surprisingly agile. Seeing this, Richard quickly retreated, the Fat Bear close behind. Both moved at equal speed.
After some time, Richard judged it was far enough and released flames into the sky.
Evan Yang was chatting with Lora Luo when he saw flames in the distance. "Let's go," he said.
Evan Yang and Lora Luo quickly headed for their target, arrived at the cave entrance, saw 'Black Moon Cave,' and slipped inside.
Inside, it was pitch black. Evan Yang activated night vision and warned Lora Luo, "Stay close. Don't get lost."
"There's no poison here, so I probably don't need to hold your hand, right?" Lora Luo asked awkwardly.
"If you don’t want to get lost, hold onto me. It’s pitch dark here—besides me, can you see anything?" Evan Yang asked.
Lora Luo wondered why Evan Yang always seemed to have strange abilities. He could see clearly, but she couldn’t, which puzzled her.
Still, Evan Yang meant no harm, so she handed him her hand. Though she’d had to do this many times, each touch stirred something inside her.
Evan Yang had no idea what Lora Luo was thinking. His focus was on finding the suppressed demon beast quickly—he didn’t know how long Richard could hold out. If Richard faltered, they’d be left to face the returning demon beast alone.
Meanwhile, Lora Luo’s thoughts drifted to her master: "Good thing she doesn’t know. If she found out I held hands with a strange man, or even hugged him, she’d cripple me. But it feels nice, kind of weird. I don’t get why Master said men are all trouble."
With different thoughts in their hearts, they pressed forward. The cave was dark, and only Evan Yang could see. There were bugs, spiderwebs—like nothing had passed through here in ages.
Evan Yang didn’t dare use fire, afraid of alerting any hidden demon beasts. He moved as quietly as possible.
The deeper they went, the colder it got. Evan Yang soon felt Lora Luo’s hand trembling.
"What’s wrong?" Evan Yang asked.
"It’s getting colder," Lora Luo muttered.
"Looks like something in this cave is making it so cold. Let’s keep going." Evan Yang said. A wave of warmth flowed into Lora Luo’s hand, instantly dispelling her chill.
The feeling was pleasant for Lora Luo—she couldn’t describe it, but it felt good.
After a while, they discovered the source of the cold—a frozen cavern, walls and floor covered in ice. Walking was slippery.
But when they saw the center of the cavern, they froze in place.
In the center was a huge block of ice, and inside it, a demon beast with a human form—strikingly beautiful, but clearly in deep sleep.
"Is that her?" Lora Luo cried out, startled by the sight.
"There’s no other demon beast here—it must be her. Strange, though. Why does Richard want to save her?" Evan Yang muttered.
"What do we do now?" Lora Luo felt a chill just looking at the ice-sealed demon beast, as if the cold seeped into her body.
"Let me check if she’s the one we’re looking for." Evan Yang stepped up to the ice, placed his hand on it, and asked, "Can you hear me?"
But the demon beast inside the ice showed no reaction, leaving Evan Yang and Lora Luo anxious.