Deep within the woods, where the moonlight struggled to pierce the thick, oppressive canopy, four shadowy figures trudged through the night.

  They were no longer hunters, but the hunted, their movements a slow, agonizing limp, the rustle of every leaf a potential death knell.

  "Hah… hah… We're being targeted," one of them rasped, his voice a dry whisper of dawning horror.

  It was Gu Moyu, the unofficial strategist of their small, ill-fated group, his face grim but his eyes sharp and analytical.

  A man beside him clutched his chest, a dark stain spreading through the fabric of his robes where a bandit’s blade had found its mark.

  "Damn it!" he snarled, his voice thick with a mixture of pain and impotent rage. "I thought this was a simple hunt! I thought we were only here for Bi Kan!"

  He slammed a fist against a tree, the impact a dull, unsatisfying thud. "If we ever get back to the sect, I'm killing that bastard Si Gun! He may have set this all up just to get rid of us!"

  "Panic is a luxury we can't afford, Zhou," Gu Moyu cut him off, his tone sharp but steady.

  "Think. We are nobodies in the Outer Sect. Why would an Inner Disciple go to such lengths to dispose of us? No, Si Gun requested an assassination. The bandits… they were an unforeseen variable he knew nothing about."

  Another disciple, his face pale and slick with a cold sweat, scratched his head, his fingernails digging into his scalp.

  "T-Then why did that man say they were hunting us down?! What did we even do?!"

  Gu Moyu let out a long, weary sigh, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place with a grim certainty.

  "That's what Bi Kan's mission must be," he explained, his gaze sweeping over their terrified faces.

  "He's hunting bandits for the sect. We ambushed him, and in doing so, we alerted their leader. Now, they think we are the ones responsible for their fallen brethren."

  The rest of the disciples were stunned into silence. It was a situation far more complex and dangerous than a simple assassination.

  "If I had known…" one of them muttered, his voice trailing off into a hopeless whisper.

  Gu Moyu shook his head, his expression cold. "It doesn't matter. We were all blinded by a high reward, and now we're paying the price."

  His eyes narrowed. "I don't want to be killed for a crime I didn't commit, but these bandits won't care. They'll pry whatever information they can from us, or worse, simply take their revenge."

  He pushed himself off the tree he was leaning against. "We must stay focused! Create as much distance as possible!"

  The others nodded, their fear momentarily held at bay by the sharp command in his voice. But Gu Moyu noticed one of them, a disciple who had remained silent throughout the ordeal, his eyes darting nervously into the deep woods. I know what he's thinking, Gu Moyu thought, a flicker of cold calculation in his own gaze.

  It's not a bad plan, but… will you really flee for yourself?

  As if on cue, the disciple made his choice. With a sudden, desperate scramble, he broke from the group and bolted, crashing through the undergrowth.

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  "Hah! I won't die along with a bunch of strangers! They won't trace me!"

  The remaining two disciples spun around, their faces contorting in rage.

  "Hey, you bastard!" Zhou roared. "How dare you leave us to die!" He was about to give chase, but Gu Moyu’s hand shot out, grabbing his arm.

  "Don't," he said, his voice flat. "It's already too late. Besides, this might do us some good."

  The others were confused but trusted his judgment. He was smarter than all of them combined, the one who had directed their desperate fight against that strong bandit, making use of every last talisman to get them out alive.

  I wanted to flee too, Zhou thought, his anger deflating into a grim resolve. But sticking with him increases my odds for survival. I'll stay. "Okay! I'll follow you wherever you go!"

  Gu Moyu nodded.

  If I'm correct, he mused internally, his plan already in motion, that disciple who just fled will meet with the bandits. A lone, panicked figure, sticking out like a sore thumb. I was deliberately insinuating the danger to force his hand. Good. You are scum anyway. You shall be the sacrificial lamb, you fool.

  They found a small, hidden cave a few miles later, a welcome sanctuary from the oppressive forest.

  Inside, Gu Moyu tended to the others' wounds, tearing strips from his own robes for bandages and applying the last of their medicinal ointment.

  "Hah, thanks… I'm Ma Niu," the disciple with the chest wound coughed, a pained but grateful look on his face.

  "What's your name, wise brother?"

  "I am Gu Moyu," he replied, tightening the bandage.

  Ma Niu looked up at him, his eyes filled with a desperate hope. "Will we… make it out alive, brother?"

  Gu Moyu’s expression was stern, his gaze unwavering. He let out a long, exasperated sigh, the sound echoing in the small cave.

  "I don't know," he admitted honestly. "But I will not give up without a fight. I wish to make it out alive."

  Ma Niu’s resolve hardened, his fear replaced by a newfound loyalty. "

  Then I'll follow your every word. Based on what I've seen, you're our best bet, Brother Gu Moyu.

  Hours had bled into the dead of night. Under the cold, indifferent light of the moon, a lone figure crashed through the undergrowth, his movements a panicked, clumsy scramble.

  Hao Yu raised a single, gloved hand, bringing his small hunting party to a dead, silent stop. They crouched amidst the skeletal shadows of the ancient trees, their own forms melting into the oppressive darkness.

  "Why is he alone?" Hao Yu whispered, his voice a low rumble that was more felt than heard.

  He rubbed his chin, his yellow eyes, sharp as a hawk's, carefully dissecting the scene.

  One of his men leaned in. "He barely has any damage on him, boss,"

  he observed. "It's unlikely this one fought against our man. He might be another disciple entirely."

  Hao Yu nodded, his mind working, piecing together the possibilities. "That must mean the sect has sent more disciples our way,"

  he mused, the thought making the situation more complex, more dangerous.

  "That makes five of them now."

  A ripple of worry passed through his men. "Don't fret just yet, my brothers,"

  Hao Yu reassured them, his calm a steadying anchor. He continued to watch the fleeing disciple, his gaze turning contemptuous.

  "Or," he interjected, a slow, predatory smile touching his lips, "he was undamaged by the fight because he barely fled it. He abandoned his fellow disciples, meaning he is nothing but a coward."

  The men's eyes widened, the logic of it clicking into place with a grim certainty.

  "T-That's right," one of them hissed. "Let's just tail him closely, boss! A coward is an easy catch!"

  Hao Yu nodded once, a gesture of finality. He didn't bother with cautious steps on the forest floor.

  He and his men took to the high branches, their movements silent and fluid as they became ghosts in the canopy, predators stalking their oblivious prey from above.

  Below, the fleeing disciple finally risked a glance over his shoulder. The forest was dark, silent, and empty.

  "Hah… hah…" he panted, leaning against a tree as a wave of profound, giddy relief washed over him. "

  They're not chasing me, right?" He listened to the profound quiet and mistook it for safety. "Good! Those other fools are far more noticeable than me. I can slip through the forest easily like this, h-hehe."

  Gritting his teeth, a fresh surge of adrenaline born from his perceived escape fueled his next sprint. I want to go home, he thought, his mind already turning to vengeance.

  I'll get back at that bastard Si Gun! No matter what it takes!

  High above, Hao Yu leaped from one branch to the next, a silent wraith keeping perfect pace with the desperate scramble below.

  A cold, determined smile was plastered on his face.

  "We won't let you escape, little disciple," he thought, his promise a silent vow to the listening night.

  "We'll torture you and get everything we need."