Ruru Rosa sprinted to Cade's side and dropped into a crouch, her eyes scanning the shadows—every flicker of movement, every snapped twig a potential threat. "What about Senior Brother Murphy and Senior Sister Newman? Where are they?" Her voice trembled with hope.
Cade sighed, shaking his head, his regret etched deeply in his furrowed brow. "It was chaos, Ruru. The wraith's power was unstoppable—I couldn't wait for you and Junior Brother Payne to escape the shrine's main hall safely. When I got out, I saw Carl sprinting toward the front threshold, downhill, and Alena vanished into the rear mountain's residence compounds. I didn't dare linger; we split up and ran for our lives." His voice cracked with guilt.
After a beat of silence, Cade's gaze softened, his tone cautious as he asked, "Are you alone? What about Junior Brother Payne? Did he escape?"
The question hung heavy in the air, the mention of Lordi stirring a complex whirl of emotions in Ruru's heart, her delicate face twitching with unease as she recalled their past tensions and his unexpected heroism in the shrine's deadly maw, a moment that had reshaped her perception of the Seventh Layer cultivator whose strength defied his realm.
Ruru's thoughts drifted to Lordi Payne, her fingers brushing the Junior Brother's chest where his arm had tightly gripped her waist during their escape, the memory sparking a strange, fleeting warmth that clashed with her lingering resentment from their earlier feud. She had once dismissed him as a handsome upstart, favored by Kim Simona's affection and luck, his Seventh Layer prowess impressive but unremarkable in her eyes. Their spar had been a light test, neither pushing their full power, yet Lordi's performance against the ninth-layer girl wraith in the shrine had stunned her. The man saved her at the shrine's brink when she'd expected abandoned by the rest of squad.
Suppressing the tangle of gratitude, shock, and that odd, unbidden emotion from his touch, Ruru steadied herself, her voice calm but tinged with uncertainty. "Junior Brother Payne escaped," she said, her eyes flickering toward the lake's lilies. "But at that time, the pearl curtain in the shrine stirred again, a strange movement that sent chills down my spine. I was too anxious and scared, focused on fleeing, so I didn't see where he went."
Cade's expression darkened, his face contorting with alarm. "What?! Another stir in the curtain?!" he hissed, his voice low but urgent. "Did you see Captain Garrick escape?"
Ruru shook her head, her heart sinking as Cade grimaced, his voice a grim whisper. "Shit, that's bad! We're screwed without Senior Brother Blackthorn's strength. No treasury, no share of the spoils."
Ruru sighed, her delicate frame slumping slightly, her delicate gauze dress clinging to her sweat-dampened skin, accentuating her curves in a moment of vulnerability that might have stirred male's desire in less dire circumstances. "Senior Brother Barret, you saw it too—that terrifying hand stretching from behind the bead curtain, pulling Senior Brother Blackthorn in without any resistance," she said, her voice heavy with worries. "Even a peak Ninth Layer cultivator like him was powerless against that force. We couldn't have saved him; trying would've been suicide."
Cade's eyes flickered, his cultivator's instincts probing the lake's edge as he waved his hand, conjuring a Shadow Veil Ward that shimmered faintly, muffling their voices against prying ears or spectral spies. "I know," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, his dark skin glistening with sweat under the moonlight. "It's impossible for just us to save Senior Brother Blackthorn, especially with only a few of us left. But we're not the only cultivators in the Hanz Clan Estate." His words hung in the air, laden with intent, his gaze sharp as he scanned the lake's perimeter, wary of the lilies' unnatural glow and the estate's lurking dangers.
The mention of seeking help from other squads sent a chill through Ruru, her delicate brows furrowing as she whispered urgently, "Huh?! You want to ask other battle squads for help? That's suicide, Senior Brother! We can't let anyone know Garrick Blackthorn is gone, or bloody hell, they'll force us to be bait, probing traps and exploring dangers ahead for them!"
Cade's gaze sharpened, his dark eyes narrowing as he leaned closer, his voice low and deliberate. "On my way here, I spotted traces of fierce battles—scorch marks, shattered Dao Fulus, and bloodstains—left by Shirley Quinn's Suicide Squad. Their footprints led from this Water Lily Lake toward the northwest, they must head to the Ancient Stone Well in the rear mountain, meaning the Hanz Treasury House isn't here." His words carried a calculated edge.
Ruru blinked, confusion clouding her delicate features, her mind struggling to follow his shift in topic. "Right, but even if the Treasury House is at the ancient stone well, we're too weak to compete with them now," she said, her voice tinged with frustration.
Cade's lips curled into a grim smile, his tone resolute. "We're not going to the stone well, Ruru. We need to lure everyone back to the Hanz Clan's Ancestral Shrine. That ninth-layer wraith, for all its strength, lacks cunning—its intelligence is low, making it no match for a Ninth Layer Qi Refinement cultivator. And whatever's behind that bead curtain, no matter how powerful, it can't withstand a joint attack from three peak Ninth Layer cultivators like Shirley Quinn, Jorge Blue and Donovan Valdez."
Ruru's eyes widened, a flicker of intrigue sparking within her, though skepticism lingered as she processed Cade's audacious strategy.
"Yeah... but… how do we lure them to the shrine? How do we convince them to believe us?" she asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and doubt, her delicate frame leaning forward, her robes clinging to her curves. "We don't even know if any squad has found the Treasury House yet. If they've already claimed the treasures, why would they waste time on the shrine? And without Captain Garrick showing his face, they'll suspect our words immediately."
Cade's expression hardened, "Look, Ruru. We don't need them to believe us outright," he said, his voice low. "We spread a rumor—leak a hint that the shrine holds a hidden vault, perhaps a secret chamber tied to the Hanz Treasury, guarded by the wraith but containing artifacts or the Alchemy Formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Greed will draw them, Ruru. The Abyss Pit Sect's disciples are nothing if not opportunistic. They'll investigate, even if they doubt us, and once they face the wraith, they'll have no choice but to fight together."
"So that's why we have to move faster!" Cade urged. He pointed northwest toward the ancient stone well. "We find Senior Sister Shirley Quinn and her Suicide Squad first. If they haven't found traces of the Treasury House at the stone well, we claim we've discovered clues in the Hanz Clan Ancestral Shrine. Here's the story: Captain Garrick Blackthorn learned that Donovan Valdez and Jorge Blue are secretly colluding, planning to betray the oath. Garrick sent us to secretly ask Senior Sister Quinn to reinforce our alliance, so our squads can seize the treasury together, outpacing the Dominator and Thirst Bull Squads before they react."
Cade's plan deepened, his voice steady as he outlined an alternative. "If Shirley's squad has already found the treasury at the stone well, we pivot. We say we searched the Ancestral Shrine and found nothing, and Captain Garrick sent us to check the stone well and Martial Arts Arena. We propose retreating from the estate together, claiming it's too dangerous, which should keep us safe for now."
Ruru's eyes brightened, her delicate features alight with admiration. "Brilliant, Senior Brother Cade! If we convince Shirley Quinn, we can use the same story to sway Donovan Valdez and Jorge Blue."
Cade nodded, his grim smile reflecting their shared resolve. "Exactly, Ruru. If we pull this off, the shrine's girl wraith and whatever's behind that bead curtain will thin their ranks, giving us a shot at the treasury."
Ruru's excitement surged, her voice rising with a daring suggestion. "Why don't we split up? You head northwest to the stone well, and I'll go to Twin Peak Hill to find Donovan's Dominator Squad or Jorge's Thirst Bull Squad."
Cade shook his head, his expression darkening. "Didn't you say Carl Murphy went downhill toward the Hanz Stronghold? I know Carl—my buddy's likely plotting the same strategy. He'll try to lure those squads to the shrine just like us. Besides, we both just cast the Blood Burning Technique to escape from the claw of the ghost being, leaving us weakened. This damned Hanz Clan Estate is too dangerous to split up now."
Cade Barret's logic held, and Ruru Rosa nodded, swallowing a Spirit Restoration Pill, its warm energy soothing her depleted meridians as they scouted the lake's waterfront for threats, their senses sharp for any sign of the estate's demonic traps or spectral pursuers.
After ensuring the area was clear, Ruru and Cade slipped from the rock garden, their footsteps hushed as they followed a floral mountain stone path northwest toward the ancient stone well.
Ruru's torn robes fluttered, her slender form moving with a grace despite her weakened state. Cade's bronze shield shimmered faintly, cloaking their presence as they crested a ridge, stepping onto a narrow mountain path flanked by a small hill.
Suddenly, a blur of motion caught their eyes—a figure hurtling downhill from the hill's peak, its speed a streak of shadow against the dusk sunlight, too fast to discern friend from foe.