The group had filled their bags with herbs and taken down enough low-level beasts to feel satisfied. Small wolf packs, thorny vines, and screeching birds had kept them busy, but nothing they couldn't handle. The outer layer of the Shadow Peaks was living up to its reputation — decent rewards without too much patience Zhang Mei wiped a bit of dirt from her cheek and looked deeper into the thickening mist.
"I'm not done yet," she said quietly. "There's something I want in the deeper part of the outer layer. A small ruin where the Starlight Orchid is supposed to grow. It can help stabilize card resonance. I've been preparing for this for months."
Zhang Li immediately frowned. "Zhang Mei, we agreed to stay in the safe zone. The deeper parts get weird fast. The mist starts playing tricks, and the beasts hit harder."
Zhang Hao crossed his arms, looking uneasy. "Yeah, come on. We've got plenty already. No need to push our luck. My uncle always warned about the inner parts of even the outer layer — shadows that don't belong, voices in the fog, stuff like that. It's not worth it."
Zhang Mei bit her lip, her delicate features showing clear determination. She looked at her cousins for a long moment, then straightened her shoulders.
"I understand. I'm going alone then. No need to follow me. You two head back with what we've gathered. I'll be careful, I promise."
Zhang Li started to protest. "Zhang Mei, wait — that's crazy. At least let one of us—"
But she was already turning toward the misty path that led deeper.
Lin Feng stepped forward without hesitation.
"I'll go with you."
The three of them looked at him in surprise.
Zhang Mei blinked, her pretty eyes widening slightly. "Lin Feng… you don't have to. It could be dangerous. Even in the deeper outer layer, things can go wrong fast. The mist plays tricks on your mind, and some people say the ancient ruins there still hold fragments of old card laws that can mess with your own cards if you're not careful. You barely know me."
Lin Feng met her eyes calmly.
"I know the risks. But I'm curious too. If there's something valuable there, I'd like to see it."
'This could be useful,' he thought. 'Extra eyes, and if she's right about the Starlight Orchid, it might help strengthen my foundation before I push for Resonance. Plus… she seems determined. Might as well see what this mountain really has to offer. Going deeper with someone who knows a bit more about the area is smarter than going alone right now.'
Zhang Mei studied him for a few seconds, searching his face. Then she gave a small nod.
"…Alright. But stay close and don't do anything reckless. If things feel off — the mist getting too thick, strange sounds, or your cards acting weird — we turn back immediately. Deal?"
"Deal."
Zhang Li sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Fine. But if you two don't come back by tomorrow morning, we're coming after you. Don't be heroes."
Zhang Hao muttered, "This is crazy… be careful, okay?"
Zhang Mei gave her cousins a reassuring smile. "We will. Go on, head back safely."
The two boys hesitated for a moment longer, then turned and started making their way back toward the outpost, their bags heavy with herbs.
Now it was just Lin Feng and Zhang Mei.
They stepped together into the deeper mist. The trees grew taller and closer together, their branches twisting in unnatural shapes. The air felt heavier, almost alive. Low growls echoed faintly in the distance, and the ground underfoot sometimes felt… warmer than it should.
Zhang Mei walked ahead, her steps careful and graceful.
"The deeper outer layer is different," she said softly, voice barely above a whisper. "The mana here is thicker. Some people say it still remembers the old cataclysm. You might feel your cards reacting strangely — like they're trying to pull you toward something. Or away from it."
Lin Feng stayed close behind her, red eyes scanning the shadows.
"Have you been this deep before?"
"Once. With my family. We turned back when the mist started whispering names." She gave a small, nervous laugh. "Probably just imagination… but it felt real."
They continued in silence for a while, the only sounds being their footsteps and the occasional distant beast cry.
After some time, Zhang Mei spoke again, her voice quieter.
"Thank you for coming with me. Most people would have stayed with the safe choice."
Lin Feng shrugged lightly.
"I don't like playing it too safe."
He glanced at her delicate profile through the mist.
'She's braver than she looks,' he thought. 'Or maybe just desperate for that orchid. Either way… this could be interesting.'
______________________________________
The deeper outer layer of the Shadow Peaks felt completely different from the bustling first zone. The mist clung to everything like a living thing, cool and heavy against the skin. Trees grew twisted here, their bark marked with faint glowing veins that pulsed slowly, as if the mountain itself had a heartbeat. Distant roars echoed longer than they should, and every now and then the ground underfoot would tremble faintly — not from beasts, but from something olsilen Zhang Mei walked a step ahead of Lin Feng, her movements careful but determined. The delicate beauty of her face looked almost ethereal in the dim, misty light.
After a long stretch of silence, she spoke softly.
"You're probably wondering why I'm risking this for one flower."
Lin Feng glanced at her.
"A little."
She smiled faintly, brushing a low branch aside.
"It's called the Starlight Orchid. Not just any herb. It's… special."
She paused, as if choosing her words carefully.
"Legend says it first bloomed during the ancient cataclysm — the same one that created the Shadow Peaks. When that supreme cultivator tried to ascend and failed, his broken dao scattered across the continent. Some of that power fell here and took root. The Starlight Orchid is what grew from it. A living fragment of pure resonance."
Lin Feng listened, his red eyes focused on the path ahead, but his mind was turning.
'If it's tied to the old cataclysm… that means it's connected to the same laws that created the Chaos Card clues. This could be more than just a stabilizing herb.'
Zhang Mei continued, her voice growing quieter, almost reverent.
"Most people think it only helps stabilize card resonance — making it easier to harmonize your cards after you break through. But the real secret is deeper. The orchid absorbs stray dao fragments from the mountain. When you refine it properly, it lets you glimpse the original laws behind your cards. Not just power… understanding. For someone like me, who just stepped into Resonance recently, it's the difference between a shaky foundation and a solid one."
She glanced back at him, her pretty eyes serious.
"And for people with emotion cards or special physiques… it's even stronger. It can amplify the emotional laws. Anger becomes sharper. Fear becomes clearer. Joy… or other feelings… they resonate stronger. Some old records say it once helped a cultivator with a Lust-type card completely dominate his entire deck in one night."
Lin Feng's heartbeat didn't change outwardly, but inside he felt a spark.
'Lust-type card… if this orchid can amplify emotional laws, then combined with my Lust Card…'
He kept his face calm.
"Sounds rare," he said simply.
"Extremely," Zhang Mei replied. "It only blooms once every few years, and only in very specific ruins. The mountain protects them. The deeper you go, the stronger the guardian beasts become, and the mist starts showing you things… memories, fears, desires. Some people say the orchid itself chooses who is worthy. If it rejects you, it withers before you can even touch it."
She let out a small, nervous laugh.
"That's why my cousins didn't want to come. They think I'm being reckless. But I've studied the old maps. The ruin I'm looking for should still be in the deeper outer layer — not quite inner yet. If we're careful…"
Lin Feng nodded, but his thoughts raced.
'If this flower really can amplify emotional laws, then my Lust Card could evolve even faster. Devour more mana. Command the other fourteen cards with less effort. This trip just became a lot more interesting.'
The mist thickened around them. Strange glowing flowers lined the path now — not the Starlight Orchid, but smaller ones that pulsed with faint light, as if guiding them forward.
Zhang Mei's voice dropped even lower.
"There's one more thing the old texts mention. The Starlight Orchid doesn't just stabilize resonance… it can temporarily fuse two cards perfectly, without the usual soul energy cost. For someone with fifteen cards like you… that could be huge."
Lin Feng's steps didn't falter, but he felt the Lust card in his core pulse once — hot, hungry, almost excited.
He looked at Zhang Mei's delicate back through the mist.
"You know a lot about this," he said quietly.
She gave a small shrug.
"Family library. My father was obsessed with ancient ruins before he… passed. I inherited his notes."
They walked on in silence for a while, the air growing heavier, the distant roars louder.
Somewhere ahead in the mist, something ancient and powerful waited — a small ruin, a glowing flower, and secrets that could change everything for both of them.
And still, unnoticed by either, the faint shadow continued to follow from the trees behind them, patient and silent.