The sun had reached its zenith, its harsh light filtering through the thatched roof of the small hut, painting stripes across the simple wooden floor.

  Ran Ji’s hands, which had been clutching the roughspun blanket in a tense, unconscious grip, finally relaxed. He slowly rose from the depths of his long slumber, a low groan escaping his lips as a universe of pain bloomed in his chest.

  He reached up, his fingers gently probing his forehead, a dull, throbbing ache a phantom echo of the battle.

  His eyes wandered around the unfamiliar room, trying to piece together the fractured memories.

  The door creaked open, and Mei stepped inside. Her eyes widened, the weary tension in her face melting away, replaced by a brilliant, incandescent joy.

  "Ran Ji! You're finally awake!" she exclaimed, her voice a happy, relieved sound that filled the small space.

  She rushed to his side, offering a wooden plate piled high with steaming, fragrant boar meat.

  "We found warmth within this village. Mi Shui did some convincing a few days back. I'm so glad you're awake now!"

  Ran Ji’s head ached, the memory of the captain’s impossible strength and the sickening crunch of his own ribs crashing back down on him.

  "Ugh, did we suffer that badly?" he rasped, his voice rough from disuse.

  Mei nodded, a weary sigh escaping her as she sat on the edge of his bedroll.

  "Yeah. It's a miracle that Shui and I didn't suffer as much pain." A flicker of a grimace crossed her face as she instinctively cradled her still-sore arm.

  Though my arm still aches, I can manage, she thought. The people in this village have surprisingly good medicine, even if it's only for pain relief.

  "I'm glad the village people are nice," Ran Ji said, his immediate concern shifting to their leader. "How is Re Jui?"

  Mei bit her lip, her long, lavender hair falling forward to curtain her face, hiding the sudden well of sorrow in her eyes.

  "He's… he's very badly injured. We were actually about to leave. Mi Shui and I decided we would carry him all the way back to the sect, and leave you here since it would be faster.

  But I argued against it. Leaving you so vulnerable would have been too much."

  Ran Ji's eyes widened. He reached out, his palm gently touching his own cheek, the gesture one of profound, disbelieving gratitude.

  "You're such a caring friend, Sister Mei."

  A faint blush touched Mei’s face, and she quickly stood up, turning away to hide her expression.

  "A-Anyways, eat up. We'll be leaving soon." The boy nodded, slowly taking a piece of the succulent meat and chewing thoughtfully as she left the hut.

  Outside, Mi Shui emerged from an adjacent hut, her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed in a familiar expression of intense suspicion. "What's wrong, Sister Mi Shui?" Mei asked.

  Shui looked up at Mei, her gaze sharp. "Hmph. Well, you know how they have this delicious boar meat?"

  Mei tilted her head, squinting her eyes. "What about it?"

  "Don't you think they have too much?" Shui whispered, her voice a low, urgent hiss.

  "I checked their storage. They have enough to keep them full for weeks. I don't find it easy to believe these villagers could catch that many boars!"

  They must be hiding something, Shui’s mind raced, I must get to the bottom of i—

  "It's not out of the realm of possibility, Shui," Mei interjected, cutting off her friend’s spiraling paranoia.

  "They must hunt often. I've noticed men coming and going with hunting gear from time to time." She took a few steps forward, pointing towards a large pen at the edge of the square.

  "And look. They have baby boars over there. They're breeding them. They probably had a large stock and just recently slaughtered a few. I know we must be cautious, but so far, nothing seems out of the ordinary."

  Shui groaned, biting at her fingernails. "That is true… they haven't shown any signs of following or spying on us…"

  But what if we start to pack up? Will they stop us? she thought, the suspicion a stubborn, coiling knot in her gut. That's one of the reasons I haven't disclosed our departure to the chief yet.

  If they are part of a bandit group, they won't let us off easy.

  Mei clasped her hands together, a bright smile on her face that snapped Shui from her dark thoughts.

  "By the way, Ran Ji has woken up! You should go over to him. Didn't you say that you've been wai—"

  Mi Shui’s hand flew out, clapping over Mei’s mouth and cutting off the word. Her face, which had been a mask of suspicion, was now a furious, brilliant shade of red.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "S-Shut up, Mei! I did not say anything about that! I don't like Ran Ji!"

  B-But I didn't even say that you liked him, Mei thought, utterly bewildered. I was only going to say you've been waiting for him to wake up so we could finally leave…

  "J-Just, he's awake! Maybe you can talk to him or something!" Mei managed, scratching her head and pouting, though a faint, knowing smile danced on her lips.

  Mi Shui slowly made her way towards the hut where Ran Ji resided, her face still a faint hint of red.

  She's so easy to tease, Mei giggled to herself. Who would've thought a hot-headed girl like her is so… shy about these things?

  Her expression turned serious once more as she glanced back at the hut.

  "Hmm. If Brother Ran Ji is ready to go, we'll get Re Jui right after. He'll need proper sect pills to recover from his injuries. It's a miracle Ran Ji woke up so fast… He's really stubborn."

  A small, fond laugh escaped her.

  The door to the hut didn't so much open as it was assaulted.

  Mi Shui stormed in, her fiery red hair seeming to crackle with an impatient energy.

  She planted her fists on her hips, fixing Ran Ji with an intense glare that could have withered a lesser man. "So, you're all up and ready now, eh?!"

  Ran Ji, who had just finished the last of the delicious boar meat, let out a small, satisfied burp. He looked up at her, his expression a mixture of weariness and a newfound resolve.

  "I wouldn't say I've fully recovered," he admitted, his voice still a bit rough. "But my injuries aren't as severe as Re Jui's."

  Mi Shui grinned, a sharp, mocking expression as she shook her head. "Hmph! Re Jui is much more ferocious than you. You took a measly two hits and were sent out of commission!"

  "I know," Ran Ji said, his usual quick temper absent, replaced by a sober self-reflection.

  "Perhaps I should take this more seriously. I need to train." A determined glint formed in his eyes, a fire that burned through the lingering pain.

  He slowly, deliberately, pushed himself to his feet. His body trembled, every muscle fiber screaming at him to take it easy, but he locked his knees, forcing himself to stand tall.

  "I'll be attending the Inner Disciple Trials soon."

  He took a shuffling step towards the door. "Hah… hah… I must thank the villagers for taking care of us, and for letting us stay here."

  A hand shot out, stopping him from moving any further. "Don't be so easy-going, Ran Ji," Mi Shui hissed, her own gaze darting towards the bustling village square outside.

  "These aren't ordinary villagers. They've managed to build up a massive store of boar meat. Aren't you even slightly suspicious? If they were truly mere villa—"

  He cut her off, not with a shout, but with a quiet, unwavering stare that was surprisingly potent. "You worry too much, Shui. They don't seem hostile.

  Not only are they not in the Qi Sensing Realm, but most of them aren't even fighters."

  She crossed her arms, her own flaming eyes matching his stare.

  "So what? They could be in cahoots with the bandits! And they're just waiting for a chance to strike us down! Maybe they're waiting for their leader's arrival!"

  He simply shook his head. "You're too wary."

  "And you're too lenient!" she shot back. "They looked so cautious of us when we first ente—"

  "And yet," Ran Ji interrupted, his voice calm and logical, "they took us in. They cared for us. They did not poison our food, nor did they kill me and Re Jui in our unconscious states.

  They did not ambush us when we were at our weakest." He let his words sink in before offering a final, disarming possibility.

  "They're only shaken up by bandits. Or maybe," he added, a thoughtful look on his face, "they noticed our robes because a hero, with the same robes as ours, helped them gather that amount of meat not long ago. Maybe they are wary of us because of how sects usually are, Shui."

  The girl's eyes widened. The logic was sound, infuriatingly so. She scratched at her red hair, making it even messier than it already was. "Ugh! I hate that you might be right!" she grumbled, her fierce argument deflating. "But still, be cautious!"

  A small, genuine smile touched Ran Ji's lips. "I'm just thanking them, Shui," he said, his voice softening. "They've been hospitable ever since we got here."

  Days flew by like the passing winds, each one a mirror of the last. The initial thrill of Ying Xia’s breakthrough had long since faded, replaced by the familiar, grinding monotony of the journey.

  As the sun reached its zenith for the fourth consecutive day of travel, Bi Kan paused, rubbing his chin as he stared up at the pale, indifferent sky. A knot of suspicion, which had been a small, nagging thought, now tightened in his gut.

  "Weird," he murmured. The air held no scent of blood, no distant echo of shouts.

  There were no signs of bandit activities, no hastily abandoned camps sprawled across the mountainsides.

  It was too quiet. "Why haven't there been any activities lately? Has word gotten out that I took care of the bandits within the village?"

  Ying Xia, who had been trudging behind him, stopped, her expression one of pure, unadulterated boredom.

  "Why are we halting, Bi Kan? I'm not being impatient this time," she clarified, "but we're really wasting time. Let's keep going!"

  At least she has been much more diligent lately, Bi Kan thought with a flicker of amusement. Her whimpering and complaining have severely gone down.

  "Nothing," he said aloud. "It's just strange. We haven't come across any bandits yet." He let out a sigh, scratching his head. Could it really be that they fear us? Did something else happen?

  Unseen by them, miles away in the deeper, more treacherous parts of the forest, a different kind of journey was taking place.

  A frantic rustling tore through the undergrowth as a group of cloaked men, their faces etched with desperation, searched for a path that no longer existed.

  "It's not here, damn it! We've been travelling for days!" one of them snarled, his voice a raw whisper of frustration.

  "Idiot, we must go back," another hissed, pulling him back from a dead end. "That fortress is our only option now. We need to get to the Boss's right-hand man; he'll know what to do."

  The first bandit grit his teeth, smashing a fist against the rough bark of a tree.

  "Damn it! Rumor has it that Boss Hao Yu ordered everyone to flee on sight of sect robes and report back! But we were already on the run before that! Our camps were destroyed! They even killed the Captain!" He took a deep, shuddering breath. "We're not the ones who are supposed to be hunted down!"

  "Ugh, I can't believe we had to flee!" a third bandit whined, his gaze turning distant.

  "I swear our camps were so nice. We would even come across lone travelers! Especially lone women!"

  "Hey! Maybe we should head this way," a fourth suggested, pointing towards a rugged, unfamiliar mountain path.

  "There's bound to be villages up here. Can't believe we haven't checked yet!"

  He was stopped by a sharp, cautionary hiss from the second bandit. "Don't, you fool. That is Hao Yifeng's territory."

  The name was a poison dart that sucked the bravado from the air.

  "Our camps were expanding there, but suddenly halted, destroyed one by one. They say a monster roams those lands. Boss Hao Yu has been kept in the dark; Yifeng insisted on it. Anyone with a loose tongue got it slit. Despite knowing that, Yifeng keeps sending people in. Recently, he even sent a newly advanced Body Tempering expert. I don't know what he's thinking!"

  And within those very lands they so feared, a yawn, lazy and utterly bored, escaped from a young man’s mouth.

  An Inner Disciple, his long, crimson hair tied back from his face, sat perched on a high cliff, overlooking the desolate valleys.

  He cracked his neck, the sound sharp in the quiet air.

  "Phew, perhaps it's almost time," he mused to himself.

  "I'll wait for the sign. I've been here for a few months now." A slow, predatory smile formed on his face as a surge of power, dense and potent, pulsed through his meridians.

  His crimson hair flowed like blood in the wind.

  "I'm almost at the Peak of the Body Tempering Realm! Hahaha!"