Li Bai made his way towards the eye of the storm, his feet moving faster than before.
"Hmm?" As he got closer, the energy fluctuation got more and more noticeable. He sat down and started to meditate. Only then did he determine which energy was spreading.
"Dark Energy? Not only that, but it's extremely pure Dark Energy... who can emit such an energy?" Li Bai opened his eyes in an instant and stopped meditating.
He contemplated, "Could it be...? Is it Zhao Mei?"
"But she is always so cautious and keeps to herself when it comes to this aspect of her. What made her leak this much Dark Energy?"
As he thought more and more, a playful smile began to appear on his face. He was curious as to what was happening in the middle of this desert.
This time, instead of running, Li Bai waved his hand, and an item dropped out of his ring. It was a small mechanical horse.
Li Bai applied some of his Earth energy on it, and it grew in size until it was big enough to fit Li Bai on its back.
The mechanical horse made whirrs as its legs started moving in a smooth manner, like a real horse. It eventually opened its mouth and neighed.
Li Bai smiled satisfiedly as he jumped up and sat on the horse's back.
With a nudge from Li Bai's leg, the mechanical horse started moving. From a trot to a gallop, the horse ran faster and faster until it reached its maximum speed.
Curiousity filled Li Bai's mind as he got closer to the center.
.....
A sandstorm was coming, a result of the rain.
Zhao Mei's vision was blurred, limiting her sight to that of the man a year older than her who was standing right in front of her.
Looking at the young man's eyes, they were sparkling. She thought to herself, "Maybe this boy hasn't been completely tainted yet. Can I convince him...?"
"Uhh, Miss?" Yuan Luoyang's younger brother called for Zhao Mei's attention again.
"Hmm?" Zhao Mei snapped out of her daze and turned her head to look at the younger brother of the assassin leader.
"Eh, what's your name?," she said with a smile. To convince this man to let her go, she first needed to gain his trust. She acted friendly.
"It's, uh, Yuan Ruogang," the little brother responded patiently. He was oblivious to Zhao Mei's plan as he was a simple-minded youth.
"You know me?" Zhao Mei asked him.
