Night fell quickly and deepened. After eating, Ivy Shen didn’t bother with formalities and collapsed straight onto the bed, instantly asleep. Beside her lay the small child, while Aiden was sprawled out snoring on the table. The rest of them remained awake.
"That king’s temper is absolutely unyielding. Even if you pressure him, there’s no way he’ll forge a sword for you," Old Fang said.
"Exactly! Everyone in Flame Valley knows how stubborn the king is—his word is law. You really shouldn’t take such a risk," Cora Fang chimed in anxiously.
Ivy Shen didn’t back down one bit. “There’s no such thing as impossible in this world.”
“Miss, I know I shouldn’t speak out of turn, but the Fire God and Ice God of Flame Valley are truly terrifying. They’re just too powerful—you can’t possibly beat them,” Cora Fang said earnestly. She was happy they wanted to save her son, but she couldn’t help but warn them: that place was just too dangerous.
"Gods? Ha! If they were really that powerful, why can’t they make it rain? Why do they need sacrifices? I bet they’re just pulling some flashy tricks," Ivy scoffed. For someone from the 21st century like her, she’d seen it all—gods? Please, as if she’d believe something that ridiculous.
"It’s true, miss—we’re not lying! They really are terrifying!" Old Fang insisted, still haunted by memories of the Fire God burning people alive.
"Ivy, why do you need that sword so badly?" Nina Xu suddenly asked. She’d always wondered—what was the point of traveling all this way just for one sword?!
The topic caught the attention of Ivy’s husbands too—they’d all been curious, since Ivy had never explained anything about it before.
"That sword is incredibly important to me!" Ivy said gravely, then added, "More important than life itself!"
Seeing this, everyone stopped asking. Her meaning couldn’t be clearer: she had to get that sword, no matter what!
Old Fang realized there was no convincing her, so he switched tactics: “Flame Valley has tons of guards, and the king himself is always coming and going—nobody ever knows where he is. If you want to get close to him, your only shot is at the sacrificial ceremony three days from now. Everyone in the valley can attend, so we’ll dress you in our clothes and blend you into the crowd. With so many people, nobody will notice a few strangers.”
"Please, I’m begging you—please save Lolo!" Cora Fang suddenly grabbed Ivy’s hand, her voice full of worry. Three days—just the thought of that number terrified her.
Ivy patted her hand and nodded. "Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to Lolo." She’d never lost a child herself, but she could imagine the agony and heartbreak—how cruel and tragic it must be.
"Thank you, thank you." Right now, Cora Fang was putting all her hopes in this group.
"Alright, let’s talk strategy. First, we need to scope out the people and places here. Tomorrow, we’ll go out and take a look—but if we all head out together, we’ll definitely draw suspicion. So, I suggest we split into pairs." She turned to Liam Willow and apologized, "Liam, since you don’t know martial arts, would you stay behind? I’m just not comfortable with you coming along in a place like this."
"Sure!" Liam Willow nodded. He understood Ivy’s concern—if his wife asked, he’d do anything.
"Butterfly Rogue, you’re staying too."
"Huh? Why? I want to go with you guys!" Butterfly Rogue protested loudly, clearly unhappy about being left behind.
Seeing this, Lucian Vane snickered, "If you’re not afraid your wounds will keep festering, then sure, tag along." Butterfly Rogue had taken the worst of the wolf attacks, and with the desert sun and sand, his injuries were badly inflamed and even starting to rot.
"I..."
"Butterfly Rogue, just stay behind this time. Lucian isn’t lying—your wounds are serious. Just get some rest. The medicine he gave you works wonders; if you take it easy for a couple days, you’ll be scabbed over and good to go," Ethan Chu added.
"Uh..." Butterfly Rogue glanced at Ethan, then gingerly touched his sore butt—yeah, it really did hurt. He finally nodded, "Alright, fine!"
Seeing this, Ivy leaned in and said, "Leaving you here is actually a super important mission."
"Oh? What mission?" The moment Butterfly Rogue heard "important," he perked right up.
"Keep an eye on Clara Night—don’t let her sneak out. With her temper, she’ll definitely mess things up." Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Don’t tell me you can’t even handle that?"
"Hey, don’t underestimate me, okay? I can totally handle something like that! You guys go do your spy stuff—I’ve got everything inside covered!" Butterfly Rogue thumped his chest, full of confidence.
"Are you going?" Ivy asked Colin Kerr, who’d been staring at Liam Willow the whole time.
"Me?" Colin coughed and said, "I haven’t been feeling well lately. Besides, if my wife isn’t going, why should I?"
Ivy just smiled, saying nothing. She’d known this would happen all along. Wife? Clara Night? As if! She knew perfectly well that if Liam Willow stayed, Colin would too. Which was fine—he was a martial champion, and with him here, she could trust Liam would be safe.
And just like that, the teams were set: Ivy went with Nina Xu and Abacus Guy, Lucian Vane paired with Eli Crane, and Ethan Chu teamed up with Adrian Night.
But, as always, things weren’t as simple as they’d planned. Just as dawn broke, someone started banging on Old Fang’s door.
The noise jolted everyone awake. Old Fang hurriedly told the group to hide in the kitchen, then rushed to open the door. As soon as he did, dozens of armed guards stood outside, bows drawn. They stared at Old Fang: "Is the sacrificial item ready?"
(This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^—click next page to keep reading!)
"Huh? But—but isn’t it still three days away?" Old Fang stammered, utterly baffled.
"The king said the ceremony’s been moved up—it’s happening today." With that, the guards shoved past Old Fang and stormed inside, grabbing the still-sleeping child.
"Waaah..." Startled by the rough handling, the child burst out crying.
"What are you doing? What do you think you’re doing?!" Cora Fang frantically shielded the child, shouting as the guards and she tugged back and forth, making the child cry even harder.
Seeing this, Ivy nearly rushed out of the kitchen, ready to break down the door—until Adrian Night grabbed her. "Don’t be reckless! You’ll ruin our plan!"
Ivy clenched her fists, frowning. She knew if she rushed out now, the ceremony might be postponed and they’d become fugitives. Then getting close to the king would be nearly impossible—Old Fang had said the townsfolk fiercely protected the ceremony, and it mattered more to them than anything.