Xu Mo and Su Wenqing had finally arrived at the ruin she had mentioned earlier. To his surprise, she hadn't exaggerated this time—it truly was just a short distance from their last stop.

Standing at the edge of the desolate site, Xu Mo narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the surroundings. The wind was dry, and a quiet stillness lingered in the air, disturbed only by the occasional shifting of sand underfoot.

"Su Wenqing, I don't really see anything unusual here," Xu Mo said, his voice calm but skeptical. "Just some broken statues and shapeless rocks scattered around. Nothing like what you described."

His spiritual sense, once razor-sharp, had dulled recently, making him feel less attuned to the subtle energies around. It frustrated him.

"Not there," Su Wenqing replied, tapping her foot against the ground with an air of certainty. "Here."

Xu Mo glanced from her face to her foot, frowning slightly. Does she mean I need to dig?

Before he could ask, Su Wenqing moved, stepping away from her spot and walking toward one particular statue—one that seemed oddly intact compared to the shattered remnants littering the area. The statue was worn with time but still recognizable: a figure with its hand outstretched, palm upturned, as if begging.

"Now, watch closely," she said, glancing back at him.

Without hesitation, she brought her thumb to her mouth and bit into the skin. A few drops of crimson blood welled up and fell onto the statue's hand, staining the stone fingers. The blood seemed to shimmer slightly as it soaked into the porous surface.

A faint clicking sound echoed from beneath the ground. Creak— The grinding of ancient gears followed.

Xu Mo turned his gaze to the spot where Su Wenqing had tapped her foot moments ago. There, the ground began to shift—the sand collapsing inward, revealing a dark, yawning opening. A spiral staircase of stone emerged, descending into the earth.

He stepped forward, peering down. The air below was thick with dust and silence, the kind that clung to forgotten places. The stairs vanished into darkness, their end hidden from view.

"Let's go, Old Xu. I'm curious to see what you looked like when you were young," Su Wenqing said with a smirk, already taking the lead.

Xu Mo caught up quickly and placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Let me go first," he said firmly. "Girls shouldn't show their backs to strangers, especially not here. That advice means even more in places like this."

He wasn't about to let Su Wenqing risk herself. She may have survived once out of sheer luck, but now she was with him—a man fate seemed hellbent on testing at every turn.

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Su Wenqing blinked, a little taken aback by his protectiveness. Her lips curled into a soft, approving smile, though her eyes held a hint of melancholy.

"Your wife must be very lucky to have someone like you as her husband."

"I'm not married," Xu Mo said, coughing awkwardly before continuing. "Back in my day, it was popular for girls to fall for the so-called 'evil' and 'bad' cultivators of the righteous path. Guys like me were just called 'nice.'" He gave a bitter chuckle and shook his head, as though recalling a distant, unpleasant memory.

Of course, it was a lie. She didn't know he was the same age as her—perhaps even younger in many ways. But pretending to be older gave him a certain distance, a way to avoid unnecessary attachment.

Su Wenqing's eyes widened in disbelief. "What kind of absurdity is that?!" she exclaimed, her voice rising. "They married the bullies and ignored the decent ones? Were the girls blind back then?"

Xu Mo chuckled again, waving off the conversation. "Forget it. I forgot to ask—are there any traps along this path?"

Still fuming inwardly about the injustice of it all, Su Wenqing took a deep breath. Xu Mo couldn't help but catch the faint scent of blooming roses carried in her exhale. She spoke calmly, her voice regaining its composure.

"When I first discovered this place, I didn't encounter any traps. But it's possible the traps were triggered long ago by others who ventured inside. Some of the mechanisms seemed... ancient. Worn."

As they descended, Xu Mo noticed the passage darkening. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the silence became. Along the stairway, he spotted old arrows lying on the ground—some rusted, others shattered. A few steps had clearly once been traps: fake platforms that, when triggered, collapsed to reveal metal spikes beneath. Thankfully, most had already been activated, the danger long passed.

The staircase spiraled downward endlessly, carved in tight circles. After ten minutes of walking without pause, Xu Mo's head began to spin from the endless turns. He stopped briefly, pressing his fingers to his temples.

"This place was never meant to be welcoming," he muttered.

Eventually, the spiral ended in a narrow stone corridor. At the far end stood a wall—smooth and seamless except for a small hole near the bottom right.

"You see that wall?" Su Wenqing asked, pointing. "I tried to break through it before, but nothing worked. I had to crawl through that hole instead."

Xu Mo raised a brow. "You're in the Foundation Building Realm, aren't you?"

"More precisely, the second level of the Foundation Building Stage," she replied, not trying to hide it.

He nodded. "Impressive."

Her expression softened. She looked at Xu Mo's back—his silent strength, his calm leadership—and wondered again about his past. Even if he had truly been left behind by women, even if he had been betrayed, he showed no bitterness. He had saved her without hesitation, and despite everything, he held no grudge against the world or the women in it.

"I still can't believe you were single for so long," she muttered under her breath.

Xu Mo smiled faintly but didn't respond. He stepped closer to the wall, placing his palm flat against the cold surface. A subtle tremor vibrated through the stone, as if something ancient stirred beyond.

"The Guardian shouldn't be behind this wall, right?" he asked.

Su Wenqing hesitated. "Honestly, I don't know. There's something... strange about this place. I sensed something sleeping deeper within, but I never dared go further than that small chamber past the hole."

Xu Mo didn't reply immediately. He crouched and peered through the hole. It was just large enough for a grown person to crawl through, though not comfortably.

He took out a small talisman and ignited it. The paper flared briefly, casting light into the space beyond. Inside was a small chamber covered in dust. Strange inscriptions adorned the walls, glowing faintly with blue light.

"I'll go in first," he said.

"I figured as much," Su Wenqing replied, her voice quiet. "But... just be careful."

Xu Mo nodded, his expression calm, almost unreadable. He got down on his hands and knees and began crawling through.

As he slipped into the darkness, Su Wenqing stood behind, staring at the opening. The past might be buried down here, but something told her it was about to surface—whether they were ready or not.

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