C13 Chapter 13

Back then, she accidentally wandered into an ordinary burial chamber—and ended up with the Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade.

Under her contract with the dragon clan, anything she found here had to be handed over to them first—unless they decided it could be given back to her as a reward.

The jade looked a lot like the legendary Heirloom Jade, but it was far more translucent. Inside, tiny black specks seemed to move as if they were alive, arranged in a pattern that felt tied to the Mystic Yin Star and the Zenith Yang.

When she first picked it up, she had no idea it was the very Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade the dragon clan had been searching for.

She studied the treasure in the tomb for a long time, then wrapped it in cloth, planning to take it out and turn it over to the dragon clan.

But when she turned around, Huangtian was standing just a few steps behind her.

His gaze was deep and heavy, mesmerizing—like staring into an ocean of stars...

“You found the Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade?”

“So this is the Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade? Guess I really got lucky.”

She was genuinely happy. If she could finish this job cleanly, the dragon clan had promised to pay a fortune to buy out her contract with the mercenary outfit. After that, she’d be completely free.

After years with the mercenaries, she’d already built up a sizable nest egg. The thought of spending the rest of her life doing whatever she wanted made her eyes light up.

“Huangtian, let’s get out of here,” she said.

Huangtian was handsome and gentle, passionate yet cold—everything she’d ever imagined a man could be.

And in truth, Huangtian had left the mercenary outfit two years ago. He was already free.

When he learned her mission was dangerous, he volunteered to come help her—partly to make sure she finished quickly, so she could get out too.

Huangtian had promised her long ago. He said he would marry her, and they’d live a happy life together.

So in that moment, she didn’t doubt him at all.

With Huangtian there, she let her guard down and followed wherever he led.

By the time she realized something was wrong, they were already at the outer edge of the great tomb.

There, a massive fissure split the earth—about three hundred feet wide. The crack dropped straight down, bottomless, and a steady, bone-deep chill kept surging up from below.

Huangtian told her the creature inside this tomb survived on that cold, sinister energy.

Tang Yao hated the feeling of staying here. She glanced down once and said, “Let’s go.”

“Yao… have you ever thought about not handing the Grand Profound Yin Yang Jade over to the dragon clan?”

“Why? I’d get reported. The organization wouldn’t let it slide. And if I don’t give it to them, what good is it to me?”

“It can bridge life and death,” Huangtian said. “Bring the dead back.”

“So what?” Tang Yao still didn’t get it.

Pain flashed across Huangtian’s handsome face—something raw and hard to describe. “Yao, for the sake of everything we’ve been through… please give it to me. We’ll take it and leave. Don’t worry—the mercenary organization won’t do anything to you. I’ll protect you!”

That line might’ve worked on a kid. But Tang Yao had been with the mercenary organization for years—she knew exactly how much of that was wishful thinking.

“Huangtian, you’re asking me to bet my life. If I break the rules, it won’t just be the organization coming to erase me—the dragon clan won’t let me go either. You know the dragon clan is no weaker than the mercenary organization. There’s no way I survive getting crushed between both sides.”