Chapter 1

In the pre-dawn quiet of the town, a large van pulled to a stop in front of a martial arts hall. The plaque above the door was inscribed in gold paint with the words 'Changwen Martial Arts Hall'.

"Hurry up, Xiao Ai! If you dawdle any longer, we're leaving without you!" a youth inside the van shouted toward the house.

A cute-looking girl hastily stuck her head out from the doorway. "Hey, wait! Xiao Long, I'm coming! Get my brother to stall my dad!"

Xiao Long sighed helplessly. "Fine, but be quick."

Hearing the urgent calls from outside, Xiao Ai immediately sped up, scrambling into her clothes. Their Changwen Martial Arts Hall had finally made it into the provincial competition's top five; there was no way she could miss this.

Glancing out the window, Xiao Ai grabbed her schoolbag—adorned with a card of her idol, Zhang Yixing—and rushed out. Luckily, the van was still there. She hopped on board, where her brother Xiao Yue was already holding a roster and taking roll call.

Once inside, Xiao Ai scanned the eight other people. Spotting an empty seat next to Jing Yuan, who was taking a selfie, she sat down without waiting for her brother's approval.

"Le You."

"Here!"

"Jing Yuan."

"Here!"

"Everyone's here, we can go. Hey, where's my dad?" Only after finishing the roll call did Xiao Yue turn and realize his father was missing.

Xiao Ai looked up blankly, glancing around. She saw Xiao Long craning his neck to say:

"Um, Yue-ge, Master went to the restroom."

"Master must be nervous," Xiao Wu chuckled from the very back, head lowered. Hearing this, Xiao Ai and the others joined in the laughter.

Xiao Yue sighed, put away the roster, walked over to Xiao Ai, and patted her head. "You can come," he said sternly, "but no causing trouble."

Xiao Ai, busy organizing her bag, patted her hair back with annoyance. "I know, I know! Isn't Sister Youyou here? Have her keep an eye on me, alright?"

Xiao Yue snorted coldly and found a seat for himself.

Xu Haoyue, sitting in the row in front of Xiao Ai, glanced at A-Xu, whose head was almost buried in his phone. Shaking his head and adjusting his glasses, he looked outside several times. Still not seeing their master, he turned back. "Why isn't Master out yet? If we don't leave soon, we'll be late."

Le You, sitting across the aisle with one foot propped up and nearly asleep, checked his watch. Time was getting tight. He nudged the chubby guy beside him who was snacking. "Hey, Fatso, don't you have a Class A driver's license? Why don't you drive? If we don't go now, we really will be late."

The chubby guy put away his potato chips and pointed at himself dazedly. "Me? Drive? Sure, I can drive, no problem. But what about the old master?"

"Forget that for now. Him being late isn't a big deal, but if *we're* late, we might get disqualified. My dad would regret it for the rest of his life. Fatso, you drive. We'll have my dad take a taxi and catch up later," Xiao Yue decided.

"Yeah, yeah! Fatso, don't worry about my old man, just get us moving!" Xiao Ai chimed in, adding to the commotion.

Seeing everyone in agreement, the chubby guy didn't argue. He got up, sat in the driver's seat, started the engine, and stepped on the gas. With a "vroom~", the van lurched forward.

Little did they know, not long after they drove off, Xiao Wangshan came rushing out, pants half-fastened. Unfortunately, the chubby guy was focused on the road, while the others were either sleeping or glued to their phones. No one noticed Xiao Wangshan chasing after them, shouting and yelling.

All nine of them had gotten up at four in the morning. The van departed on time at 4:30 AM, so the sky was still dark. With nine people aboard, aside from the driver, everyone else was either asleep or staring at their phones. The road was deserted, and with the strong wind howling outside, the whole van felt unnervingly quiet and eerie.

The Changwen Martial Arts Hall was located in a very remote area. The route to the city center passed through an especially desolate stretch of road. Luckily, they were all martial artists, so they weren't afraid of things like robbery.

Suddenly, several bolts of lightning flashed across the sky, blindingly bright, followed by thunderclaps that seemed to split the heavens. On this pitch-black road, a torrential downpour began. Even with the headlights on, visibility was poor. Although the chubby guy had a license, he didn't have much actual experience, and he was starting to panic.

He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw only darkness behind them, which made everything feel even more sinister.

He wanted to turn around and get someone to talk to him, but just then, a car horn blared from ahead. The chubby guy looked and saw a large truck barreling straight toward them.

His driving skills weren't great to begin with, and he was a bit of a coward. He panicked, lost control of the steering wheel, and the van veered off the road, heading straight for the river below.

"Aaaaaah!" Everyone was thrown into chaos, screaming in terror.

At that moment, a thunderbolt struck. After a flash of white light, the truck driver managed to stop his vehicle. He rubbed his eyes, only to see the van and its occupants vanish with a hiss, turning into white smoke. The terrified driver let out a clang and fainted on the spot.