Jin Yu stared at the slip in silence, fingers tightening around the edges.

  A Crimson-tier bounty?

  "That wasn’t something just anyone could issue. That kind of bounty wasn’t public, it was personal, expensive, and absolutely lethal. Whoever placed it wanted results without attention." Seer cautioned.

  "Crimson tier..." Jin Yu muttered, voice low.

  "Crazy, right?" Seer scoffed, arms folded now. "That’s not just some price tag. A Crimson bounty means the Poison Valley will stop at nothing to get you. Assassins, poison masters, spiritual plagues, even cursed items if they need to. They'll follow you across continents, bury cities if they have to. They're relentless.”

  Jin Yu’s face darkened as he looked at the message again. “But why me? Who did I even offend…?”

  He tried to recall, first the thugs from the city, then those that tried to rob him. Even that shady auction house… nothing stood out enough to warrant this kind of attention.

  “I’ve barely done anything since I arrived.” he muttered.

  “Someone disagrees,” Seer said grimly. “And whoever it is, they’re paying well to keep it quiet and deadly.”

  Jin Yu gritted his teeth. “Are they the assassins I fought earlier?”

  Seer clicked his tongue. “Those were lapdogs,” he said with disdain. “If the real forces get involved, if even one of the Ten Lords decides you’re worth their time, things will get ugly.”

  Jin Yu turned sharply. “Ten Lords?”

  Seer didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked Jin Yu over, his gaze suddenly weighty and serious.

  “You’re still weak, Nameless,” he said slowly. “Too weak. It's better you don’t know about them yet. Just the pressure of knowing might crush you, before they even make a move.”

  Jin Yu felt the weight of those words settle deep into his chest.

  He looked again at the slip of paper. It wasn’t just a bounty anymore. It was a noose, tightening.

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  Seer patted Jin Yu’s shoulder a few times, casually reassuring. “Don’t bother, Friend. There’s still much to life. Who knows, a miracle might happen.”

  “It won’t be just a miracle,” Jin Yu said quietly, his voice cold and razor-thin.

  He looked up, ruthlessness smoldering in his eyes.

  No matter how powerful this valley is, no matter how revered their lords are... they’re probably not immortals. If things get ugly, I’ll run back home.

  I’m not just some stray dog they can bully however they like.

  He didn’t say it aloud, but the fear in his chest had already vanished. What was left behind was intent.

  Seer noticed. He was silent for a beat, then blinked in surprise. A glint of admiration flickered in his eyes before he grinned.

  “That’s the spirit, Friend.” He gave Jin Yu’s shoulder one more firm pat, nodding in approval.

  “What do we do now?” Jin Yu asked, calm once more.

  Seer smiled knowingly. “Judging by the Poison Valley’s way of doing things, I’d say they probably didn’t take the kids.”

  Jin Yu raised an eyebrow. “What’s their way of doing things?”

  “That...” Seer shrugged. “They kill and destroy. But you weren’t in hiding, so they didn’t need to burn down the village. Which means someone else probably did it.”

  “They’re different people?”

  “Yep. Poison Valley also kidnaps, but you'd never catch wind of it, much less track them down. They work like shadows.”

  “So... another problem, huh?”

  “Exactly, friend. That’s the thrill of life,” Seer replied with a cheeky grin. “It’s also exactly why I’m following you.”

  Jin Yu rolled his eyes and walked deeper into the village. Seer grabbed the horses’ reins and followed behind.

  As they moved, Jin Yu kicked aside charred wood and debris from the path, scanning the scorched terrain for something familiar.

  Seer didn’t say a word, he simply looked around with mild curiosity, taking in the destruction with an investigative air.

  After a few minutes, they reached a lone house at the far edge of the village, just beyond an old well and what used to be rows of flowerbeds, now reduced to blackened ash. The house itself had collapsed, its roof fallen in, its structure mangled by fire and time.

  Jin Yu stood silently before the ruin, his gaze fixed on the crumbled remains.

  “Is this where you found the sketchbook?” Seer asked from behind.

  “Yes.”

  Seer glanced at the ruin, then back at Jin Yu. He tilted his head, puzzled. After a brief pause, he stepped closer.

  “You probably didn’t care enough to take the sketchbook the first time…” he said slowly, circling around Jin Yu with exaggerated care, like a curious cat.

  “…so you shouldn’t be this bothered now.” He twirled a lock of his pale hair and tapped his chin. “Besides, you’ve killed crazier people than that cult. So, what’s really bothering you?”

  Jin Yu shot him a cold glare, but still said nothing.

  Seer, undeterred, smiled as if he’d just found a new puzzle to solve, he let out a thoughtful hum.

  “Hm… still not talking? That only makes it more suspicious.”

  He took slow, deliberate steps around the remains of the house, his eyes scanning every charred beam and crumbled wall with the fascination of someone uncovering buried secrets. A faint grin tugged at his lips, the kind born not from amusement, but from sheer excitement.

  “I love mysteries,” he said, half to himself. “They always lead somewhere interesting. And you...” he pointed a finger at Jin Yu, “...you’re clearly tangled up in something.”

  Still, Jin Yu didn’t answer. He just stood there, gazing at the blackened ruin as if the ashes might speak.

  Seer tilted his head again and leaned in, his voice dropping to a murmur. “Did something happen here before the cult arrived? Something important?”

  No response.

  Seer squinted, observing Jin Yu’s clenched jaw, the distant look in his eyes.

  “You know, I wouldn’t mind being let in on the drama” he said lightly, though his tone held a note of genuine curiosity beneath the teasing. “But... if you’re going to keep brooding, at least do it while walking. These ashes aren’t going to start talking on their own.”

  Still no reply.

  Seer exhaled in defeat and looked at the ruin one last time. “Fine. Be mysterious. Just don’t expect me not to guess.”

  He turned away with a small chuckle, but his eyes lingered on Jin Yu, quietly noting every flicker of emotion on his face.

  After a while, Seer couldn’t take it anymore. The silence gnawed at him like an unsolved riddle.

  He crept closer and tapped Jin Yu’s shoulder twice.

  “Should I help you search the house?” he whispered, as if proposing a secret mission.