The wind whispered across the hilltop, a lonely sound that tugged at the hem of Bi Kan’s jade-green robes, making them flow around him like a banner. He stood as a solitary silhouette against the vast, open sky, his gaze lost in the distant, hazy line of the mountains.

  "It's been a month since I've set off to find my junior sister," he whispered to himself, the words a quiet acknowledgment of his long and winding journey. He had met allies and enemies, faced monsters of legend and the far uglier monsters that lurked within the hearts of men. "I've met a lot of people, and it's time to go."

  He picked himself up from the grassy knoll, his gaze sweeping down over the small, fortified village below. It was a hive of quiet, purposeful activity.

  Gu Moyu, his earlier weariness replaced by a quiet, if slightly awkward, gallantry, was speaking with the two girls he had helped save, ensuring they were recovering from their ordeal. Ma Niu, was meticulously checking their provisions, preparing for the long journey back to the sect.

  And then there was the sound, an annoying, high-pitched squeak that grated on the quiet morning air.

  Ying Xia was polishing her golden spear with a furious energy, making its dragon-fang head catch the beading sun with a blinding glint.

  A shaky sigh escaped Bi Kan’s lips as his gaze returned to the vast, oppressive green of the forest.

  Should I really go home? The question was a heavy stone in the quiet pond of his mind. He knew where the bandit fortress was located now.

  He knew the name of its leader. But he also knew the truth.

  I'll be powerless.

  Against a Meridian Opening expert like Hao Yu, he was an ant facing a mountain.

  Yet, the thought of the slaves, of the suffering within that fortress, was a fire in his gut.

  Is this really the right choice? To run and report, leaving them to their fate?

  He steeled his resolve, a decision hardening in his heart. He was about to shout for Xia, to gather his small, battered party and finally head back home, when a sharp rustle from the bushes directly behind him shattered the moment.

  His battle-honed instincts screamed. He didn't hesitate. In a single, fluid motion, he dropped into a low, predatory stance.

  Another one? Have they come to claim the lives of Gu Moyu and Ma Niu?

  The thought was a flash of cold fury. He exploded from the hilltop, a blur of motion as his feet left the ground.

  He drove his fist forward, his knuckles wreathed in the potent, circulating energy of his 7th Stage, a blow meant to crush bone and extinguish life.

  The impact was not a clash of flesh, but the jarring, absolute stop of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

  A hand, large and calloused, had caught his fist, its grip a vise of tempered steel that completely negated his momentum. Bi Kan’s eyes widened, a jolt of pure, disbelieving shock lancing through him.

  A man stood there, his smile as wide and easy as the sky, a rugged confidence radiating from him that was utterly at odds with the crushing power of his Body Tempering aura.

  "Not so fast, Outer Disciple."

  With a sharp wrench, Bi Kan tore his fist from the man’s iron grip, the momentum carrying him several paces back in a fluid, controlled leap.

  He landed lightly on the balls of his feet, his own hand aching from the sheer compressive force of the block.

  As he created distance, the figure before him finally came into full, startling view.

  The man’s rugged features, the distinctive scar tracing a line down his right cheek—it was a face Bi Kan recognized from the courtyard, a symbol of a realm he had yet to reach.

  "You're… the newly appointed Inner Disciple," Bi Kan breathed, his mind racing.

  "Dong… Ku!"

  A sickening crack echoed in the quiet air as the Inner Disciple snapped the neck of the Jaded-Viper he had been holding. He tossed the lifeless serpent aside with a contemptuous flick of his wrist.

  "It's Dong Kai, you dunce," he corrected, his voice a booming, good-natured reprimand. "How can you not know your senior's name?!"

  Another figure, this one more familiar and far more battered, stepped out from behind Dong Kai’s broad shoulders.

  His movements were stiff, his gaze weary, but a flicker of excitement glinted in his bored eyes as they settled on Bi Kan.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "What are you doing within these woods?" Ran Ji asked, his voice rough. "Are you looking for any treasures? Fortuitous encounters?"

  Bi Kan scoffed, his own wariness giving way to a sharp, analytical focus.

  "No, why would I venture this deep for something so uncertain? The question is, what is an Inner Disciple doing here this far out?"

  His gaze flickered to the dead viper on the ground. "Seeing as you're holding that, I assume you're taking care of the infestation that has been spreading lately."

  Dong Kai’s mouth fell open, his initial annoyance melting into a look of genuine, boyish admiration. "Amazing, you deduced that?"

  he laughed, the sound hearty and unrestrained. "Hehe, you're absolutely right!" Waving a dismissive hand, he took another confident step forward, his own gaze turning sharp.

  "So, what makes you venture this deeply? I haven't encountered any Jaded-Vipers near here… so you've definitely overstepped your boundaries."

  Ran Ji cleared his throat, stepping forward to intervene. "Of course, we've come to warn the villages of a certain bandit," he explained, "and possibly gain more info, since Dong Kai here had the amazing plan of taking care of the whole operation."

  His thumb jabbed behind him.

  Dong Kai immediately struck a heroic pose, his chest puffed out, one fist planted firmly on his hip as he beamed at the sky. "Oh yeah!"

  Bi Kan slammed his palm against his forehead, a groan of pure exasperation escaping him. "What a bunch of idiots…"

  "Hey! Watch what you're saying!" Dong Kai snapped, his heroic facade crumbling instantly.

  Bi Kan dropped his hand, his expression turning grim. "Do you even know who you're messing with? I'll give you a warning. The boss of the camp is at the—"

  "Meridian Opening Realm?" A wide, fearless grin split Dong Kai’s face. "I'm well aware. But I'm willing to gather the rest of the Inner Disciples that were part of the group of exterminators! We'll definitely take them down, especially with the help of Wei Tiexuan, a swordsman at the Peak of the Body Tempering Realm! GAHAHA!"

  Bi Kan simply squinted his eyes, his patience worn thin by the man's reckless bravado. "You do know that's still a suicide mission. Who knows what kind of trouble is within that fortress? He's not the only one that I'll assume is at that realm. Hell, he might even have a right-hand man or a bodyguard at the Peak of the Body Tempering Realm."

  Ran Ji nodded, his own expression turning somber. "That is true. After all, I've dealt with someone at the Body Tempering Realm, and he didn't seem like a right-hand man to the boss."

  Bi Kan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Ran Ji’s tattered robes and weary posture with open skepticism. "You? Defeated someone at the Body Tempering Realm? I doubt it."

  Ran Ji’s eyes narrowed, a flash of wounded pride in their depths as he pierced a glare towards Bi Kan. "Are you saying I'm incapable?"

  "Of course," Bi Kan replied, his tone flat and clinical. "Someone at the Body Tempering Realm is no joke."

  A shaky breath escaped Ran Ji’s lips. "It's true that I was beaten badly by that guy," he admitted, the memory a fresh, phantom ache in his bones. "But I won against him. Along with my team."

  Bi Kan’s eyes widened, the pieces of a puzzle he hadn't even realized he was solving suddenly crashing together. "Team?" he breathed, his voice a low whisper of dawning comprehension. "Could you possibly…"

  CRASH!

  The world exploded in a blur of motion. Dong Kai and Ran Ji leaped back in a single, reflexive motion as a golden spear descended from the heavens, its dragon-fang head embedding itself in the earth between them with a ground-shattering impact that sent a spiderweb of cracks across the path.

  Ying Xia landed lightly beside it, a whirlwind of pink pigtails and furious energy.

  Simultaneously, a silent shadow was already behind Dong Kai. Gu Moyu’s hand slapped a paper talisman squarely onto the Inner Disciple’s back, a cold, spiritual pressure that promised a fiery end.

  At the same time, Ma Niu appeared at Ran Ji’s side, a cold line of steel pressing against his throat as a dagger was held to his neck.

  The ambush was perfect, a symphony of coordinated, silent violence.

  "Bi Kan, are you alright?" Ying Xia asked, her hand resting on the shaft of her spear, her gaze never leaving the two stunned disciples.

  "I'm glad I noticed." A manic, unrestrained laugh escaped her lips, a sound of pure, unadulterated joy. "Finally, some real action again..!"

  "Relax, Xia. They're not enemies," Bi Kan said, the command sharp and immediate. The cold, murderous intent that had moments before been a palpable force in the clearing vanished as if it had never been there.

  Ying Xia let out a frustrated "Hmph!" but yanked her golden spear from the fractured earth, the screech of metal on stone setting everyone’s teeth on edge. At the same time, Ma Niu retracted his dagger from Ran Ji’s throat with a muttered apology. Gu Moyu, his expression unreadable, peeled the still-unactivated talisman from Dong Kai’s back, tucking it away with a practiced efficiency.

  "You really thought we were enemies?" Dong Kai grumbled, rubbing the spot on his back where the talisman had been, though his gaze was more curious than angry.

  Bi Kan ignored him. His entire focus, his entire world, had narrowed to the tattered, weary figure of Ran Ji. "You were part of a team," Bi Kan stated, the words not a question but a confirmation. "Was that team formed to exterminate the bandit camps?"

  Ran Ji squinted, his own eyes sweeping Bi Kan up and down, a flicker of recognition dawning as he took in the youth’s focused intensity. He slowly, reluctantly, nodded.

  "Then why aren't they with you?" Bi Kan pressed, his voice tight.

  "Well, they went back to the sect before me, since one of our allies got injured," Ran Ji explained, his gaze dropping to the ground. "Me, I stayed behind because of reason—"

  "He wanted to look for fortuitous encounters!" A large, booming laugh erupted from Dong Kai as he smacked his palm against Ran Ji’s back with a force that made the weary disciple stumble.

  The pieces clicked into place. A wave of profound, dizzying relief washed over Bi Kan, so potent it almost buckled his knees. That means that Mei is alright, and is back at the sect, he thought, a quiet, fierce joy blooming in his chest. I'm glad. The relief was immediately followed by a cold spike of worry. But she could be the one he mentioned… the injured one.

  He pushed the thought away, his expression hardening back into one of grim purpose. He had his answer. Now, it was time to finish this. "Anyways," he said, his voice ringing with a newfound authority that made even the boisterous Inner Disciple fall silent. "Since you are so eager to deal with the bandit problem, I guess I'll relay the information to you guys, in order to help."

  Dong Kai straightened his back, the goofy, hero-wannabe persona falling away, replaced by the focused intensity of a true warrior. He stared at Bi Kan, his gaze unwavering. "Go on."

  An exasperated breath escaped Bi Kan's lips. He was tired of this place, of this endless hunt. He wanted to go home. "About the location of their hideout," he began, his voice low and steady, "it'd be best if you can gather all your forces and ambush them…"