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Cui Ming nodded. "If I get taken out by him, don't rush to avenge me. Torture him to death. Beat him until he can't fight back, then humiliate him, whip him, and cover his entire body in filth, making him crawl like a worm beneath you."
"Hey," the stand-in quickly interjected. "Is that really necessary? We're not getting paid for this."
It wasn't necessary, but it was meant to scare you a bit. Li Qing said, "He's my junior brother. If he dies, I guarantee you'll wish for death while I slowly humiliate you in front of everyone. Heh."
After hearing these two speak, Beiyue felt his fighting spirit vanish. Could they not just fight openly? Why resort to these petty tactics? He looked forward to the five of them coming out together so he could surrender. Beiyue glanced at the last two doors; as long as one of them didn't write their name down, it would be a five-person challenge.
The doors opened, and Mi Xiaonan and Ding Ze walked out, taking their positions for battle and greeting everyone. Beiyue sighed in relief but also felt a twinge of disappointment; the assessment was about to end. They wouldn't gather together anymore—those with ideals would pursue their dreams, those seeking the truth would chase after it. There was also Li Qing, who wanted to join the hunters, and Mi Xiaonan, who wished to travel the world. As for Cui Ming, had he mentioned where he would go after the assessment? It seemed he had nowhere to go...
Thinking of this warmed Beiyue's heart; perhaps he would still accompany him. Then Mi Xiaonan, Ding Ze, and Li Qing would occasionally gather together, sitting around a fire, roasting meat, sharing stories of what they had experienced over the past months and years—that would be wonderful.
The stand-in decisively said, "I admit defeat. Congratulations on passing the assessment."
"Thank you," everyone waved.
The stand-in continued, "You can chat for a while; there's a Teleportation Array over there that will take you directly outside the arena."
With that, the stand-in left. The five approached Cui Ming, who addressed everyone. "The assessment is over. First of all, let's celebrate our collective success. By the way, what are your plans moving forward?"
Beiyue replied, "I want to apply for a personal investigation into my father's disappearance and meet with those who were involved in that case at the time to follow up on leads. I also hope to have a chance to become a student of the seniors. Currently, the clues point towards a witch near Antarctica; I need to obtain hunter qualifications first."
Li Qing said, "I've already spoken with Wandering. After passing the assessment, I'll apply for the Alliance Hunter examination; I'll be quite busy from now on."
Mi Xiaonan added, "I need to return to York Clan first and then go see Mi Xiaoji about Mi Big Head. Mi Big Head has a private airship; I'm planning to travel around the world and gain more experience."
Ding Ze stated, "I want to seek breakthroughs; I might travel on foot or find a place to meditate for a year or so. Ever since I was young, I've dreamed of being an explorer. Once I'm capable enough, I'll venture into various places."
"Junior Brother, what about you?" Li Qing asked.
Cui Ming shook his head. "I don't know. I have nowhere to go. Who among you is willing to take me in?"
Mi Xiaonan was about to speak when Li Qing pressed down on her head, silencing her. Beiyue then said, "Cui Ming, it might not be easy to track down my father's disappearance. Are you interested in helping me?"
Cui Ming smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Boss, for the meal. I'll continue to hang out with you."
...
There was no grand ceremony. Once accepted, it was official; your information had already been recorded by the alliance, and all the details were on your application form. However, there were still some procedures to complete, such as registering a bank account for monthly living allowances. Then there was an introduction to various departments within the alliance that one could apply to if interested. Lastly, there was information about the election of seats; if anyone wanted to become a representative, they needed to know how to go about it. Finally, they needed to provide a common address where they could be contacted.
The assessment had concluded. Everyone's evaluations were finished, but the North Moon Group was unaware of whether others had passed or not. According to the schedule, a small meeting would be held at Hero Town at nine o'clock the day after tomorrow. The meeting would collectively explain the functions of the alliance, rules, obligations, rights, etc., along with an introduction to Alliance Hunters and representatives. They also hoped everyone would actively sign up for volunteer opportunities; for example, the Assessment Match required a lot of assistance.
On the night of the meeting, there would be a buffet and a cocktail party, providing everyone with a chance to get acquainted. Additionally, some unmarried individuals could interact with those they were interested in after observing the assessments. The Four Great Families were particularly invested in this event; Cao Yi, Ye Wen, Ye Xin, and others from the mainstream young generation of these families were still unmarried, including Dina who remained single as well. Unlike ordinary cultivators, marriages among aristocratic families came with certain familial pressures.
Beiyue found himself under scrutiny from many elder members of these families; both the Cao Family and Ye Family were especially concerned. Yellen and Ye Wen had no interest in marriage, but as the prospective head of his family, Ye Wen had no choice but to marry. Meanwhile, Cao Yi was seen as the most promising star of the Cao Family in decades, making his marriage choices crucial.
After checking into a hotel in Hero Town, visitors began arriving to see Beiyue—some of them quite influential within the alliance. Beiyue couldn't refuse them and found himself busy. In contrast, the four men gathered together playing mahjong while waiting for the meeting in the morning.
After dinner, they continued their mahjong game. All four were losing badly due to their poor skills when Dina walked in and was startled by their disheveled appearance.
The four turned to look at Dina simultaneously. Mi Xiaonan cupped her face and said, "Humans are not suitable for me."
"What?" Dina blinked in confusion.
Li Qing smiled and said, "Dina, who do you want to set up on a blind date? Feel free to take them away."
Cui Ming added, "I have a feeling my chances of winning are quite high."
"Dina" wasn't joking as she said, "I've received a notice. You four are not allowed to leave Hero Town without permission."
"What’s going on?"
"I don’t know. The President and the others are holding an emergency meeting. I was sent to inform you," Dina replied. "It seems like a Class One wanted criminal is on the loose."
"Are they looking for trouble?" Li Qing remarked. A Class One wanted criminal wandering around Hero Town at this time would be dead in minutes. Li Qing asked, "What about Beiyue? Is it just the four of us?"
"You five. Beiyue went to the meeting too," Dina said. "It seems something happened in Dawn City."
Li Qing nodded, "We should get hired to go back and take a look; we own land in Dawn City."
"Alright, continue having fun."
...
After playing for a while, hunger struck around eleven o'clock, and they drew lots to see who would run errands to buy food in town. Cui Ming stood up voluntarily, saying, "I'll go. Playing mahjong with you rookies is boring me to death; I need to stretch my legs."
Mi Xiaonan complained, "I'm not a rookie; I'm Mi Xiaonan." She had lost badly, her face smeared with black ink except for a crescent shape left on her forehead.
Cui Ming chuckled and left the hotel, heading towards a small restaurant still open five hundred meters away. Hero Town was bustling with people; he could still see members of seventeen different teams around. Some were celebrating while others were in tears; some defeated teams had already left, while others were still mingling and making new friends.
"Boss, four large portions of fried noodles to go, extra spicy," Cui Ming ordered.
The boss nodded, "Just a moment."
Cui Ming waited outside the restaurant. Beside it was the road, and across the road was a small stream. He walked over to feel the cool breeze, leaning against the railing as he pulled out a Fate Card. They had played mahjong today but hadn’t started fortune-telling yet. As he drew the card, cold sweat broke out all over him—it was a black skeleton surrounded by dark mist.
How could this happen? How could there be a black skeleton in Hero Town? Was there something wrong with the Fate Card?
A male and a female member of the alliance came to eat, casually nodding at Cui Ming across the table. They sat down, placed their orders, and began chatting.
The woman asked, "What meeting are the big shots having?"
The man replied, "The professor has been killed."
Cui Ming was taken aback. The professor was murdered? No wonder the people from Dawn City were temporarily staying in Hero Town.
The woman was also surprised. "The professor? That professor?"
The man nodded. "Yeah, when I went to the conference room to deliver some information to a few people from Dawn City, I overheard them saying that the professor left behind a Poker card with the words 'Run fast, two years' written on it. They're trying to figure out what that means."
The woman nodded, but before she could say anything, Boss emerged from the kitchen with a takeout box of fried noodles. Looking around outside the door, he asked in confusion, "Where did everyone go?"
The man turned to see that Cui Ming's spot was already empty. "They were just here."
…
Under the bright moon, Cui Ming was running over mountains and hills without stopping. The madman had come. Upon hearing about the Poker card and the message to run fast for two years, along with the professor's death, Cui Ming understood how the professor had died and why he had been seeing skeletons lately.
He had to escape; this place was no longer safe. He kept running, away from populated areas… where there are people, there is danger. He couldn't expect anyone to save him; the professor had regarded him as a near-divine being. Although the professor had said he couldn't use Force after leaving Shadow Island, he still had his minions, lingering deep in Cui Ming's memories.
Why had he been discovered? Had they gone back to find him? Had they seen the Assessment Match? It didn't matter; he didn't need answers right now. He just needed to run—run as fast as he could until the skeletons of Fate Card disappeared.
At dawn, sunlight illuminated the earth. The black mist surrounding the skeleton on Fate Card finally vanished, but the black skeleton remained, glaring at Cui Ming with a fierce expression in his heart. At the same time, there were two Force fluctuations on Fate Card, just two hundred meters away at the edge of a cliff. Could it be them? No way; the black mist had clearly disappeared.
Gathering his courage, Cui Ming stepped down the cliff. If they could intercept him so accurately, then there was no point in playing anymore; whatever they said would go.
As he descended the cliff, a man suddenly burst out from the bushes. They exchanged glances and both froze in shock.
"Wind?"
"Cui Ming?"
"What are you doing?"
"Running for my life." Wind glanced back and asked, "What about you?"
"Running for my life." Cui Ming instinctively looked back as well.
Wind, in a disheveled state, exclaimed, "Can you really collide while running for your life?"
Cui Ming replied, "I'm not joking."
"You don't look like you're joking either." Wind assessed Cui Ming, who was drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted, with disheveled hair.
"You aren't joking either," Cui Ming said.
Wind shrugged, "If one person is running away and two are running away, why not do it together?"
"Sounds good." (To be continued.)
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