"She ran this way!! After her!"

House of Yu's thugs crashed through the woods, hunting Mu Yue Ran. But she vanished like a dragon slipping into the sea.

Every time they tightened the net for an easy catch, Mu Yue Ran would suddenly appear behind them. She’d drop a few thugs and stroll away, her relaxed back mocking their helplessness.

"Damn it!"

Exhausted, Madam Yu leaned against a tree, gasping. She’d kept up at first, but Mu Yue Ran’s cat-and-mouse game drained her completely. She glared at the gloomy forest ahead. Under the ashen sky’s cover, her already limited vision narrowed further.

"Why?! How can one woman—with a burden on her back—toy with dozens of us?!"

"Are you strolling for House of Yu’s paycheck?!"

Madam Yu roared, fury burning in her eyes. The black-clad thugs she glared at hung their heads in shame. It wasn’t laziness—they couldn’t even catch the tail of that monkey-like woman.

Her nails dug into the bark. Sweat and damp air had turned her elegant makeup into muddy streaks, revealing wrinkles and age spots beneath.

"Even if we have to plow this entire mountain," she snarled, "drag that bitch out!"

"Move!!"

No one dared test her rage. They scattered like startled birds. Madam Yu followed at the rear, eyes locked ahead. She’d watch these slackers closely—see exactly how they’d let that wretch escape.

The distracted House of Yu crew never noticed Mu Yue Ran perched above them. Hidden in the treetops where they’d paused, she leaned against the trunk, breathing slow and steady.

"Guess the old saying’s true," she murmured with a faint smile. "*Hunters never look up.*"

Her calm face hid exhaustion. Her body was near breaking point; fire licked her lungs. Only her enhanced physique—and the fully cooled skill 【Presence Reduction】—let her toy with them.

Twenty minutes remained on the skill timer. She’d paused it. Fleeing while invisible was tempting, but House of Yu wasn’t foolish. The forest’s outer ring was already sealed.

After realizing Mu Yue Ran was tough prey, they’d flooded the mountain with reinforcements—even hired locals to hunt her down. Waves of men converged, determined to trap her.

【Bitten off more than you can chew?】

"Why do you sound so gleeful?" Mu Yue Ran shot back. "What’s in it for you if they catch me?"

【My mistake. Carry on.】

The system’s barely suppressed chuckle in her mind made her chest ache worse.

Mu Yue Ran exhaled sharply, gazing up. Gray clouds stained the sky like dirty water, tainting the pure white veil. Only as a bird could she escape this net.

Suddenly, Yuchuge—silent in her arms—stirred. She buried her face in Mu Yue Ran’s stomach, small hands gripping her arms. "It’s House of Yu," she mumbled.

No point lying. "Yes."

"Coming to take me back."

"Probably."

"I don’t want to go back..."

Yuchuge’s voice trembled. Her slight shivers vibrated against Mu Yue Ran’s abdomen. Stunned, Mu Yue Ran realized this was the girl’s strongest emotion since they’d met.

Curled in Mu Yue Ran’s clothes, Yuchuge choked out "Don’t want to go back..." again and again, until tears soaked through the fabric.

Yuchuge didn’t understand this surge of panic. Only that when she recognized House of Yu’s voices, memories flooded her: life with Mu Yue Ran—bright and warm—versus the dark, hollow existence in the Yu mansion.

She’d never wanted their riches. No one in House of Yu cared for her. She was a discarded doll, only dragged out when its owner felt whimsical.

Then a thief stole her away. This thief cared for her. Showed her a world she’d never seen.

Emotions crashed over Yuchuge, awakening something human in her eyes. Fear coiled like vines, weaving a new cage.

"It won’t happen," Mu Yue Ran soothed. But hunters had spotted them. House of Yu’s men unleashed snarling hounds below her tree.

Mu Yue Ran hoisted Yuchuge up, leaping between branches. The thugs freed the dogs’ chains. Fangs snapped at her heels as she fled through the canopy.

She tracked the hounds’ movements—then her foot slipped on a weak branch. *Crack!* Balance lost.

Falling, she twisted mid-air. Arms shielding Yuchuge’s head and waist, she took the impact. They crashed into a muddy pit.

Rolling on landing, she dodged a lunging hound. Crouching low, she drew her knife. As another dog leapt, steel flashed—blade piercing its throat. The hound collapsed, twitching, then stilled.

Mu Yue Ran finally breathed. Wiping mud from her face, she melted into the trees. Below, the thugs’ mocking laughter died when they saw the dead, expensive hound. Faces darkening, they gave chase.

With locals and hounds joining the hunt, Mu Yue Ran lost her advantage. The net tightened, forcing her toward one direction.

【Need me to reactivate the skill?】

"Not yet."

【They’re catching you!】

The system’s voice held urgency now—no sarcasm.

Cradled safely against Mu Yue Ran’s chest, Yuchuge looked up at her mud-streaked face. Then at the knife in her other hand. She fell silent, thinking.