It was the same aura, the same scent. Cassius was certain the man named Yun had an antique with lingering attachment. During their fierce battle earlier, he had been too focused to notice the bitterness in the air. But now, in the quiet aftermath, the bitterness became more apparent. 0

Cassius glanced discreetly at Yun, his eyes lingering mainly on the pockets of his jacket before finally settling on his neck. There, glowing faintly was the deep green jade pendant strung on red thread.0

Noticing Cassius's gaze, Yun casually lifted the pendant. It was an oval piece of jade, about a quarter of the size of a palm, and emanated a warm, faint green glow. It was smooth except for a swirling cloud pattern at its center.0

"I think I should explain myself," Yun began in a calm, serious tone. "When I was hiding in the shadows earlier, I wasn't planning to ambush you or anything like that. It's just that, about half a minute ago, my Jade of Misfortune reacted. I got curious, so I followed you."0

"Jade of Misfortune?" Cassius asked, wary.0

"Yes. As I mentioned before, I'm an explorer. I found this jade in the ruins of the legendary Aluc Kingdom in the northern part of the Hongli Federation, in Ryan County," Yun explained, his eyes fixed on Cassius. "It's a mystical gemstone that can sense misfortune around the bearer."0

Cassius's expression remained unchanged, but that was to be expected....0