I choose you, successor!

However, reality did not allow Moumou much time for hesitation. Although rising into the air looked like the most ordinary skill in television and movies, executing it in practice was extremely difficult. As the flight altitude increased, the air resistance and gravity that needed to be faced also gradually grew. Correspondingly, the wind magic elements that needed to be wrapped around the calves also had to increase. Yet, while increasing them, one had to be careful not to overdo it. Once too many wind magic elements were used, not only would it consume excessive physical strength, but it would also be detrimental to maintaining body stability in the air.

Therefore, even genuine wind magicians rarely luxuriously used wind magic to soar through the sky. Without several centuries of cultivation, the magical elements within one's body were simply not enough to sustain such consumption, and one would plummet halfway through. Let alone given the fragile physical constitution of humans, taking flight above the forest was practically taunting all magical beasts, shouting, "Hey, I'm just a piece of meat, come and eat me~!" Most magicians merely relied on their own magical elements to maintain a hovering state.

It was also Moumou's first time flying to such a high altitude, and she was carrying two people at once in one breath. One of them was even Huanluo, who possessed zero magical abilities. If Moumou made a single miscalculation, it would mean one fall resulting in two deaths. But the scene unfolding before her eyes made Moumou completely afraid to move. Her eyes were fixed tightly on the scattered ice cubes in the southern forest that had not yet melted into water. The icicles, artificially frozen into sharp shapes, were obviously the prime culprit behind the severe injury to that massive Thorny Rock Beast. Such a powerful water-element magician should naturally possess a correspondingly powerful magical energy within her. Yet, based on the magical energy that Moumou could still sense lingering in the forest, its presence was pitifully faint. No matter how she looked at it, it did not resemble the imprint a powerful magician should leave behind.

Even stranger was that those icicles, formed by relying on magic energy, did not melt rapidly as the aura of that magical energy dissipated. They all lay on the ground neatly and soundly, facing everyone with an assertive expression that seemed to say, "That's right, it should be winter here." Moumou felt increasingly puzzled. Could there be an entity in this vicinity even more monstrous than this water-element magician, powerful enough to forcibly erase the lingering presence of another's magical energy?

"Someone is there." Although she could not sense magical energy, Huanluo's perception of other auras remained sharp. Instantly sensing the murderous intent, she grabbed Moumou's sleeve and forcibly twisted Moumou's footsteps in mid-air. Pulled off balance by this sudden tug, Moumou tilted sideways, narrowly dodging a silver arrow flying directly toward her. The arrow was infused with wind magic, its trajectory extremely tricky and its speed exceptionally fast. Yet it seemed to have no intention of taking Moumou's life, merely serving as a warning as it aimed for the outer side of Moumou's arm. Thanks to Huanluo's pull, Moumou easily evaded the arrow's assault.

"Prepare to land." Moumou steadied her posture, knowing well that remaining in the air would only turn herself and Huanluo into prime targets for numerous magical beasts and night ghosts. Since someone was preventing her and Huanluo from seeing Liangyin, continuing her stubborn search this way would yield no results. Grabbing Huanluo's arm, Moumou slowly recalled the magical energy she had released, descending in a steady and stable posture.

Swish, swish, swish—

The moment Moumou's feet touched the ground, she heard the uniform sound of bowstrings being drawn all around her in the surrounding forest.

In the verdant forest, trees firmly occupied the majority of Moumou's line of sight. Those holding bows and arrows cleverly utilized Moumou's visual blind spots, positioning themselves precisely behind the massive trees where Moumou could not see them. Moumou and Huanluo could only roughly estimate the number of people around them based on sensation, daring not to do anything else for fear of calculation, lest a single careless move turn them into hedgehogs riddled with arrows from the fully drawn bows behind those big trees. Dying with one's heart pierced by thousands of arrows was better left to those great heroes saving the world; this humble maiden truly felt the pressure was immense.

Moumou broke out in a cold sweat, and Huanluo's emotions were also somewhat agitated by the intense oppressive atmosphere surrounding them. The Dragon Tooth Sword seemed to sense its master's unsettled state, trembling restlessly and raring to go.

"Wulu." Far off, a man's voice was heard, seemingly issuing commands to the unidentified individuals surrounding them. Moumou could not understand a single word the man said, but she could be certain that it was not a harmful decision directed at them, as could be inferred from the sound of the bows being lowered.

Moumou quickly grabbed Huanluo's hand to signal her to stay calm and collected. Huanluo also clearly noticed the movement of her Dragon Tooth Sword and was striving to force herself to calm down.

"What are the two of you doing here?" A man's voice suddenly resounded through the forest. This time, it was not the Night Ghost language that Moumou failed to understand, but proper, standard human speech. Articulate and clear, the magnetic masculine voice sent a tremor through Moumou's body, causing her eyes to widen slightly.

"We are here to look for ingredients," Huanluo calmly replied. "We are human chefs participating in this sacrificial ritual, searching for usable ingredients in this forest. If we have inadvertently intruded into somewhere we shouldn't have, please forgive us. Being newcomers, we truly had no idea that there were restrictions within this forest."

"No offense taken, young lady. There are genuinely no restrictions within this forest; it's just that we are cultivating ourselves here today and wish to avoid being seen by outsiders, nothing more." The man's voice grew closer and closer. Before long, he stepped out from behind the heavy foliage. Someone beside him appeared to be trying to dissuade him, but the man ignored the advice, stepping out openly and frankly before Moumou and Huanluo.

Supple black hair, deep black eyes, a prominent bridge of the nose, and dark skin, coupled with the signature short animal-skin tunic of the Night Ghosts—if one ignored the distinctive tattoos on his body, he was the epitome of a typical Night Ghost. Huanluo stared unblinkingly at the flame tattoo on the man's chest. Above the red flames lay a layer of golden border, and above the golden border were drawn two pliable yet vibrant green vines. Though these two unassuming green leaves might look ordinary, to the Night Ghosts who worshipped the God of Nature, they represented extraordinary authority.

Meanwhile, Moumou was staring at an entirely different place than Huanluo. She gazed blankly at the man's face, her eyes filled with utter astonishment.

The man did not seem surprised by Moumou's reaction. He walked up to Moumou with a light smile, bent down slightly, and stared fixedly into Moumou's dark eyes with a thoroughly relaxed expression. "What? Don't recognize me so soon? Miss Moumou is truly forgetful."

Moumou laughed dryly. "H-how could that be? From the moment we first met, I was deeply impressed by you, sir. Such handsome features, extraordinary bearing, and an upright posture—even if this humble maiden were to go through another reincarnation, I would never dare forget... To think you are the ultimate master of disguising your true identity, as the saying goes. To have the dignified heir to the Night Ghost chieftain condescend to act as a bodyguard for the Noc family in White Border City is something one could never have imagined... Mr. Suyi, oh."